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.

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                        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.