A Suitor for the Princess - Chapter 41

                                       “I’m sorry Martha, I’ll be careful in addressing you next time. Now let’s get back to work. His guard was up and he was distant once again. She went to her desk and tried to concentrate on her work but the coincidence between the similarity of names of the protagonists of her novel, Juan and Myara and John and Martha nee Mara struck her to be too unusual to be ignored. And to top it all, Sarah? The Princess Sara! It was as if all her protagonists had walked into the real world.

                                     She could even draw parallels in their circumstances. Sara had scaled the hills of the shrine to bring Juan back, failed and become bed-ridden due to her depression. John’s fiancée had vanished in a skiing expedition. Juan was handsome, blonde and one-eyed. Ditto John. Myara fell for Juan. She, Martha was about to fall for John. After she confessed the truth to herself, she was amazed. In fact it felt eerie. She shivered as she felt the hair rising on the nape of her neck. She was about to have a panic attack.

                                     She closed her eyes tightly and let the feeling pass by clenching her teeth and curling her fists into balls. She hadn’t slept properly last night, only for a couple of hours. She needed rest. Her thoughts were in disarray. She felt like seeing Dr. Benedict Hussey. She needed his strength. She couldn’t wait to see him. She’d ask Norman to take her to him the next day. Today, he’d be very tired and busy. The intercom on her desk rang, even as she realized that it would be Norman’s call. Slowly she rose and then fell back in her chair, as if paralyzed. Her mind had gone totally blank.

                                      “What’s the matter Mara? Are you all right?” remarked John as he rushed to her side. He was scared by the wan look on her face and her listless demeanor. He picked up the still ringing intercom’s receiver and said “Hello? Yes Norman, she’s on her seat, but….” He heard the receiver being disconnected at the other end and knew that the Boss was on his way to see what was so wrong with his fiancée! Norman arrived with a concerned look on his face and looked askance on John. He could see that Martha appeared to be too zapped to talk. She didn’t even bat an eyelid when she saw him. She had seen right through him and appeared as one who had seen a ghost.

                              Norman shook her shoulder slightly and Martha’s head flopped downward on to her table. Both Norman and John were too confused and scared to disturb her. They decided that they’d prod her after 10 minutes if she didn’t sit upright or call for an ambulance. After about 5 minutes, Martha bolted upright in her sitting position and was completely baffled when she saw the two handsome men peering at her as if they expected her to do something strange right then! She didn’t realize that she had already behaved very strangely, just some minutes ago.

                                  She laughed as she saw them gaping and waved her palm in front of both of them and burst out laughing hysterically. John and Norman glanced sideways at each other and joined in the laughter. None of them had the heart to tell her that the joke was on her. Rather than a joke, it was a worrying incident. They couldn’t make head or tail of it. But Norman knew that it was time for another trip to Dr. Benedict Hussey.

                                 That evening, Norman asked her whether they could visit Dr. Hussey again, that is if she wanted it. She jumped at the opportunity. “Let’s go tomorrow. I’m looking forward to visiting him again. He really makes me feel very calm and peaceful,” she said eagerly, like a small kid who had been offered an outing at a favorite mall! He lightly stroked her head. He felt like hugging her, but refrained as John was still there at his desk, sorting through some manuscripts. He wanted to maintain the office decorum.

                                 Though neither Norman nor John had commented about her fainting spell, she knew and felt it in her bones that all wasn’t well with her. She needed to be more careful. This was becoming a frighteningly regular occurrence. She feared for her sanity and prayed to God to give her the strength to tide over this crisis that had arisen so unexpectedly in her life. Her orderly life of 45 years was going hay-wire and giving her jitters. Maybe it was menopause.

                                  But even she knew that it wasn’t so simple an explanation, but a rather complicated one, one that probably only Dr. Benedict Hussey could fathom and help her overcome. She couldn’t wait to see him the next day. His mere sight would be enough to calm her nerves. His words, would of course, be like balm on a battered mind and body. She retired for the night early after a light dinner of salmon sandwiches and coffee. She had an uneventful night, as she had firmly banished all thoughts about the day’s disturbing event from her mind.

                                 Norman had left the office in charge of John and come to pick Martha from her cottage. He found her fresh and chirpy. She looked heavenly in a navy blue and grey outfit that underplayed her luscious curves and made her look elegant and gorgeous. Her blonde hair appeared slightly damp as though she had just washed it and forgotten to blow-dry it. Her make-up was light and classy. The perfume that she wore just blew him away. He felt like pulling her into her bedroom and ……

                               “Why are you smiling like that?” she asked him even as she half-guessed the reason and blushed uncontrollably. He grinned even more as she nervously fiddled with her purse to lock the door. “Relax, Martha. I’m not going to jump on you. Come, let’s go,” he said, gently taking her slender arm in his and reveling in its warmth and softness. Even Martha felt good and smiled shyly at him. Though she still didn’t remember about any of their previous meetings, that were before she joined his office, she felt happy to be with that protective man. She liked him but that was it. She couldn’t imagine being in love with him! And she was supposed to be his fiancée!

To be continued.... 

The copyright of this novel is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.

A Suitor for the Princess - Chapter 40

                       Over the next month, Martha endeared herself to all her colleagues, except the snooty John D’Costa. He was a loner, evidently not used to working in a team. He also appeared to be oblivious to women. He just lived and breathed his work. He worked passionately and was a tough task-master. He lost no time in letting Martha know that he was the Boss of his department. No matter how hard Martha tried, she couldn’t prevent him from taking jibes at her and commenting on her work. It was always “Didn’t you know that?” or “I thought that it would be a cakewalk for you!” His tone always had an underlying “I told you so!” tenor to it. Martha tried hard to maintain her cool but lost it one day when he rejected a draft that she had finalized.

                         “Could you please tell me what the heck is bothering you Mr. John D’Costa? Is it the fact that I am a woman and you can’t tolerate sharing the same space as me or do you resent the very fact that Norman has assigned me to your “all-important” department? Do I seem to be a threat to your position here? If so, let me tell you that I am just taking a break from my own work for a while and will not be around after a couple of months or so. If you can’t bear my presence even for that period, you can inform Norman that I am not wanted here. I can work just as well in any other department.”

                            As he saw a huge tear roll down over her smooth cheek, he felt like wiping it away with his thumb, but wisely refrained, fearing a stinging slap in return. “Women!” He cursed inwardly. He watched as he saw her struggling to regain her composure. He mutely handed a glass of water to her. She was instantly reminded of their first eventful meeting. As she eyed him defiantly in stony silence, he said, “You should’ve just asked me why I rejected the draft instead of acting as if I just rejected you!” The instant he said that, he regretted it.

                              “I’m sorry, Mara, I didn’t mean it that way,” he said with an abashed expression on his face as she watched him with a disbelieving, indignant look on her beautiful face. “You can say that again, Sir. I’ll have to report this to Norman. You’re going too far.” Then as an after-thought, she asked him curiously, “Well, why did you reject that draft?”

                               “The author has set his story during the First World War and has got all his facts wrong! When we write fiction, we can’t alter history. You’ll have to do some research on your own to find out what’s so drastically wrong with that manuscript. If you aren’t able to figure it out, then I’ll tell you what’s so wrong with it. Now let’s call it a day.” John left her wondering at his statement and went home.

                               Martha was at the computer all night long researching about the First World War, in a darkened, silent and lonely office. She groaned as she discovered the howlers, the blunders that the debutante novelist had made. She winced as she realized that John had been right and she had been wrong as she had been as ignorant about History as that amateur novelist. She confessed to herself that she had never been a History buff. But the thought that John had so easily caught her on the wrong foot, just in the first month on her job, had her cheeks burning in acute embarrassment. She owed him an apology. An unconditional one at that! He was the one who ought to have protested at her naivete and not the other way round!

                              When the staff trooped in the next day, they found Martha sleeping soundly on the visitors’ sofa, curled up like a kitten. But they were disciplined enough to not make brouhaha about it and just went to their places. Only John D’ Costa remained near the sofa, debating about whether to wake her up or not. He couldn’t allow her to be discovered by Norman like that. Norman was due to arrive at 10 am from Scotland. It was 9 am then.

                               He slightly shook her shoulder and she bolted upright like a tightly coiled spring that had been just released. When she realized where she was, she felt very foolish. Having John watching her didn’t help at all. As she self-consciously adjusted her frock that was riding high on one white thigh, John burst out laughing helplessly and unwittingly she too joined in. The ice had been broken.

                                 She went into the washroom, brushed her teeth and rinsed her mouth, had a wash, combed her hair, powdered her face, applied a coat of lipstick and was as good as new when she emerged in a whiff of fragrance. She had coffee with the staff that was all praise for her all-night work and went back to her desk. John was poring over a manuscript. He looked at her appreciatively, sniffed the air and gently asked her to take a seat in front of him. “Did you get your answer Mara?” “Yes, John, I owe you an apology. I am very sorry. I’ll be careful next time,” she said sincerely. Then as a thought struck her, she asked him in a puzzled tone, “Why do you call me Mara and not Martha, John? I find it very funny. Any particular reason?”

                                      “It just slips off my tongue easily. You see, I had a fiancée named Sarah. Your name rhymes with hers. Sarah, Mara. Hence I find it convenient to call you Mara.” “Had a fiancée?” she enquired. “Yes, she’s unfortunately no more. She went on a skiing expedition and never returned. It has been 7 years since and she has been declared legally dead by the State, though God knows, I keep hoping and expecting her to turn up any moment and surprise me by…….” He stopped talking, choked by emotion.

                                      Martha was surprised to see him so distraught. She had thought that he was like a zombie, good-looking but bereft of any real emotions. She wondered what his sentence would hear like when completed. “And surprise me by…. flying into my arms.” She colored instantly even as John watched her amazed. Did she think that he thought of her as his fiancée?

To be continued....

The copyright of this novel is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan. 

A Suitor for the Princess - Chapter 39

                 “Good Bye, John. We’ll meet tomorrow,” so saying Martha waved at him cheerfully and went away with Norman. For a long time John kept thinking about Martha. She had really gotten under his skin as no one ever had! Was it her beauty or her brains that had impressed him, he didn’t know. Maybe it was the winning combination of both! In spite of all her bravado, he knew that she was vulnerable and needed TLC (Tender loving Care). He was tempted to provide her with what she needed. He felt like drawing her close in his embrace and comforting her. He was amazed at his thought process.

                      He couldn’t concentrate on his job, for the first time in his life. Just ten minutes with that lady and his life had already started turning topsy-turvy. What would the coming days be like? A tempest? He shook his head disbelievingly and got up to have a coffee. He noticed that the whole office was abuzz with talk about that “tempest”. Each one had something to say about Martha. Some said that she was gorgeous; others said that she was cool and yet others, that she was a beauty with brains. There was also gossip about her being the Boss’ fiancée.

                        “She’ll be the second-in-command, henceforth, I think,” commented Susan. She deliberately stressed on her words in front of John to see his reaction. He remained impassive with an inscrutable expression and kept mum. Still she egged him on saying, “Now that you have such a gorgeous dame working alongside you, life will not be so boring for you John, isn't it?” When she saw his belligerent demeanor, she backed off, even as he saw the other colleagues laughing slyly and exchanging winks. He simply went back to work.

                        He couldn’t let such loose talk affect him, not when there was such a pile of work to be cleared. He did his job very conscientiously and was very proud of himself that he could withstand all the pressure of his demanding but wonderful job. He wouldn’t have exchanged it for any other job in this world. Besides he loved and admired Norman both as a Boss and as a genuinely good person. He’d do anything for him. It was Norman who had rescued him from his cocaine addiction and given him a new lease of life by giving him a chance to work with him.

 *****************************************************************************

                        Norman phoned Arnold and all four of them, Arnold, Anne, Martha and Norman had dinner at a fancy restaurant, before Norman dropped her home. It was very dark and cold. Martha invited him in for a coffee. He politely declined. He kissed her gently on her lips and asked her to turn in early for the night as she had a full day ahead of her, the next day. She demurely said “Yes. Thanks for everything Norman. Good night.”

                        Martha had decided to not write that night. She wanted to respect Dr. Hussey’s and Norman’s feelings. But the writer’s itch was just too much for her to ignore. After dilly-dallying for an hour, she threw away caution and sat down to weave the fantasy about her favorite characters. Now where was she…..? She read the last page of her manuscript and the date on it. Oh, this wouldn’t do, she thought. She had written it nearly a week ago. She mused that it didn’t bode well for the continuity of her story. Not to mention the discomfort and angst of her protagonists. It was as if she had abandoned them for a week! They would have been hopping mad at her. She smiled and started writing after saying a soft “Sorry” to them.

                           The Princess was regaining strength slowly but steadily and making an attempt to get up and walk around, albeit in her own spacious chamber. Myara kept her company day and night. After that disastrous episode when she had glimpsed Juan and passed out, the King had ordered Juan to stay scrupulously away from her chamber and indeed the palace, fearing that were she to wander about in the palace and chance upon him, she’d again become unwell.

                            Juan used that time to tend to his mother and had long and emotional conversations with her. He even indulged in horse-riding, fencing and other sports to keep him self fit and active. His mother judiciously avoided talking about Myara and kept talking about the benevolent King and his charming daughter though she had never even spoken to her! She urged him to spend more time with the Princess so that they could be well-acquainted before marriage, little knowing that the King had forbidden him from the palace and its immediate precincts. Juan hadn’t briefed her about it so as to not make her uncomfortable and anxious. He knew his mother like the back of his hand!

                           He had observed that Myara hadn’t met him since a long time. He wondered whether his mother was behind her strange behavior, but refrained from commenting on it to his mother. He was also pre-occupied with his concern about breaking the alliance with the Princess in a nice way without antagonizing the King and breaking the Princess’ heart. After all he was indebted to them for their kindness. Besides, the Princess had innocently given her heart to him. He was her first suitor, wasn’t he? So what if she now detested his very sight?

                        It was a very peculiar situation. She was unwell on account of his absence yet couldn’t bear to see him because of his deformity. Did they or could they have a future together? And Myara? She loved him despite his handicap. Truly and sincerely. He belonged to her, not to the Princess. How could he resolve this conflict especially when his mother was rooting for Sara and dead against Myara, whom she perceived as a threat to his bright future? How could he ever explain to his mother that his future was dark, rather non-existent; without his beloved Myara? He was in a conundrum. The more he thought about it, the more he was confused and scared. He couldn’t bear to lose either his mother or Myara, the two most important ladies in his life.

                        Suddenly Martha yawned loudly and stretched her arms to relax. She was feeling very sleepy after the long day that she’d had. Almost ruefully, she said “Good Night” to her protagonists and called it a day. Surprisingly, she slept soundly. The next morning she was refreshed and light-hearted. She looked forward eagerly to the first day of working in an office. This would be the first time in her life that she would be really venturing out of the cozy confines of her cottage and working in the real world outside! She hoped that she was successful in making Norman proud of the trust that he had reposed in her. Then she remembered the brooding John D’Costa and wryly smiled to herself. Now that was a tough cookie to crack! Yet, she had an intuition that it would be interesting, working with that enigmatic, handsome man.

To be continued.... 

The copyright of this novel is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.

A Suitor for the Princess - Chapter 38

                   Now they viewed her with caution as they noticed how she warmly spoke with each of them, appearing genuinely interested in their jobs in the office. They decided to wait and watch before becoming too friendly with her. The Boss was also a factor here. They admired and respected him but dreaded his outbursts of temper when things went against his wishes at the office. He ruled with an iron fist and had total control over his enterprise. He had all the facts about his office and its work at the tip of his tongue. He was always entirely clued in to the goings-on there even when he wasn’t around, thanks to his super-efficient secretary.                                             

                 Meanwhile Martha was bracing herself for her introduction to the formidable John D’ Costa. She had a good idea of what he’d look like, thanks to her ever-fertile imagination! But she was entirely taken aback when she came face to face with him. In fact, she felt faint when she saw him rising from his high-backed chair to greet her. She wildly clutched Norman’s hands, even as she felt the sweat descending on her brow and her throat going parched.

                  John D’Costa was blonde-haired, tawny-eyed, rugged and handsome with the identical features of Juan. Above all, he was one-eyed! He had a black eye-patch over his right eye. John, Juan, John, Juan, the names danced rhythmically in her head till she felt dizzy and sat in a chair, even as Norman and John gazed at her strangely. She did appear out of sorts.      

                John quickly filled a glass of water from the jug on his table and offered it to her. She sipped it gratefully and said “Thanks”. She was aware that she was staring at him. But she couldn’t help it. Not when he resembled her novel’s hero so uncannily! She was face to face with the person whom she wrote about nearly every other day. In fact she was the one who had ‘blinded’ him, thanks to her imagination. Now she felt very sorry for him.   

                   “Sorry”, she muttered, with tears in her eyes. John and Norman exchanged a quick glance. Maybe she felt awkward about her dizzy spell; they thought and rushed to assuage her feelings. “It’s all right, Martha. Hope you are better now,” said Norman. It was Martha’s turn to look with a confused expression at Norman. “Why, of course, I am? I am sorry for Juan being blinded by me.” John and Norman looked aghast at her, wondering about what she was blabbering. “I…… the eagles…… the shrine……”

                     John rushed to her rescue. “Madam, I was blinded due to a crow pecking my eye. It wasn’t an eagle. But you are bang on in your assumption that I lost my right eye due to a vicious bird’s pecking. You see, as a little boy, I stole two of its eggs and it just swooped on me and partly blinded me for the rest of my life.  Now I don’t even feel its loss. And by the way, I’m John, not Juan.”   

                     “You may call me Martha, John. I hope that I may call you by your first name too. Norman tells me that you are very particular about the end result of the scripts that are chosen by this publishing house for publication. I am here to help you, that is, if you’d let me! I say this because I know that people, who are used to having their way, seldom trust other people’s opinions or judgment. I hope that you aren’t biased in any manner. I hope to have a friendly association with you. We’ll go far if we respect each others’ views and decisions.”

                   She saw that John was watching her warily, while Norman was grinning from ear to ear like a Cheshire cat.  He was highly amused at the manner in which Martha had voluntarily introduced herself and made herself crystal-clear to that eccentric (in his opinion) task-master!

                    He watched John redden with embarrassment and then recover quickly to say enthusiastically, “Fore-warned is fore-armed, Martha. I’ll try to be amicable, I promise. He knew that Norman had briefed her about his strict ways and no-nonsense approach to his job. Still sparks were bound to fly, as he realized that Martha would be a formidable opponent, going by her practical and bold premise that they would have to work in total co-ordination like two wheels in a cog!

                  He had never toed anyone’s line in his entire life of 47 years (that included his Boss, Norman) and wasn’t about to do so now, no matter whether that other person was as beautiful and confident as this blonde-haired, blue-eyed, elegant lady in front of him! He already viewed her as a serious threat to his job. Was she a trainee who was being slyly groomed to take over his position in that publishing house or was the Boss really keen on someone sharing his immense work-load? Well, he’d soon know!

                 Till then, he’d try to keep her strictly under his command. She appeared very intelligent and had a good experience of several years of fine writing to her credit. Would she steal his thunder? Definitely not! He was equally accomplished and experienced. Suddenly he felt that this challenge would be good for him. Maybe he had become too complacent in the knowledge that there was no one to challenge his authority.

                   Martha was observing him from an entirely different perspective. He so uncannily resembled Juan that she was now itching to go back home and write her novel. She was getting new ideas…. “Norman, can we go home please? I am tired and want to rest,” she said with an imploring look in her eyes. Norman immediately agreed, concerned that she’d have another attack of nerves or amnesia again! Turning to John, he said, “Well, we’ll call it a day today. By the way, how’s that new novel shaping up? From tomorrow, Martha will be helping you to edit it. Be a good boy till then. See you tomorrow.”

To be continued... 

The copyright of this novel is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.