A Suitor for the Princess - Chapter 71

               She gathered all her note-pads and loose sheets which had been meticulously numbered and dated and arranged them in serial order. She had roughly 200 pages of manuscript written in her neat hand-writing (a typist’s delight!). She’d ask the Doctor to recommend a good typist for doing the needful. She didn’t want Norman’s typist to type her manuscript as she wanted her story to be under wraps before publication. She’d be putting the typist under contract to keep the story confidential.

              Tired but elated, she tiptoed to the Doctor’s room, carefully picking her way in the dark apartment, as it was way past midnight then. She wanted him to be the first to get the good news. “I’ve finished the novel, Benny? How’s that?” she had planned to ask him and surprise him. She had finished the novel in two days flat. She still had some days to rest in his apartment. She had to even ask Benny for an appointment to call John and fix their meeting. To her disappointment, his door was closed. Maybe he was fast asleep and she didn’t want to disturb him at that unearthly hour.

                She returned to her bedroom and decided to phone John and Norman. John sounded dazed and sleepy when he picked up the phone on the second ring. “Uh, Martha? Are you all right? What’s the matter, dear?” he said. She excitedly told him, “John, guess what? I’ve just finished writing my novel. Now only the typing part remains and voilà, I can publish my book!”

                 “Very good, darling! Congrats! You’re sure you don’t want to run it through me before sending it for publication?” he asked, knowing very well that her answer would be a determined “No”. She was one confident dame, in the area of her expertise. “Yes, I want to give all of you a surprise. If the book is read and dissected now itself, there’ll no fun left. Though I assure you that I value your opinion, this once you’ll have to excuse me and trust my judgment,” she said politely, but with laughter in her sweet voice. He started missing her immediately. “Martha, I want to see you and talk to you. Have you talked to Dr. Hussey about our appointment, as yet?” he implored.

                 “Tomorrow, first thing that’ll be my target. In fact, I wanted to brief him tonight, but I’m afraid it’s too late and I cannot disturb him. In fact, I’m sorry that I disturbed you and woke you up from your sleep. Good night, then. And yes, I miss you too. Love you. Bye.”

                   Then she called up Norman. She knew that she could take the liberty of waking him up at that unearthly hour as they were quite close to each other. She knew that he was always ready to help her. “Hello, Norman?” A very sleepy voice saying “Hello” reached her. She froze when another voice interjected his “Hello” and said crossly, “Who the hell is that?” It was that of a female. The snooty secretary’s voice! Martha knew better than to disturb their cozy rendezvous. She however couldn’t help the tears that rushed to her eyes. Norman was supposed to be engaged to her, wasn’t he? What was she doing in his room then? Obviously, Norman wasn’t missing her at all!

                  Her mood was thoroughly spoilt by that thought. It was just as well that she had seen his true colors before any further commitment and she thanked God that she wasn’t married to him. He obviously didn’t lose time in moving on from one lady to the other. Maybe he could make do with any one who was ready and available! Disgusted and disillusioned, she decided to catch up on some sleep. Tomorrow was going to be an important day.

                 For a long time, sleep eluded her as she kept going over Norman’s infidelity. When she finally reached a conclusion that he couldn’t be really blamed and couldn’t be expected to remain celibate, till she became fully all right; she stopped thinking about him and fell asleep with a profound realization. He was not a patient suitor. Cancelled.

                 The next day, she woke up at 7 a.m. and was pleased to see the Doctor watering the potted plants in his balcony. “Good morning, Benny. I’ve good news for you. I finished my novel last night. Since it was way past midnight, I didn’t dare disturb you.”

                 Surprised and genuinely pleased for her, the doctor exclaimed, “Wow, that’s surely great news. “Hearty congratulations, dear! We must celebrate today in the evening. I’ll take you out for dinner tonight. So today, you can just laze around and do whatever takes your fancy. At last you’ll be able to afford that much-needed break!”

                “Benny, can you give me and John an appointment to meet at your clinic tomorrow? It’s very urgent!” The doctor’s sensors were on red alert. He’d have to very careful if he didn’t want to displease Martha. Of course, he had to buck up and plot his plan of action to get Martha immediately. He was dangerously close to losing her, now that her novel was over! He felt desperate. Slowly, he told her, “Um, my diary is chock-a-block with appointments till the next week. Why don’t we wait till next Monday? Now I don’t foresee any trouble for you. So just relax and enjoy.”

                She was disappointed but knew that she couldn’t force the busy doctor to reschedule his itinerary just for her sake! She even felt foolish and unreasonable. Just because he was bending over backwards to help her, she couldn’t take him for granted! She sighed and agreed. Then she went to the kitchen to make French toast and coffee, while he went off to have a shower. She didn’t know that he had tiptoed into her room and seen the neatly kept folder containing her precious novel, on her desk. He knew that she’d later keep it either in her suitcase or the closet. His mind was racing furiously.

To be continued...

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

A Suitor for the Princess - Chapter 70

             “You both can adopt a child after a year,” said the King smoothly. Even as both Juan and Myara looked at him skeptically, he declared, “So it is decided then. Both of you will be married after the period of official mourning of a month. Prepare your selves for the same.” He meaningfully looked at Juan and he and the Queen left the couple alone for further deliberations. Both of them looked like defeated souls. This wasn’t what they had sacrificed for! They felt wretched at the loss of Sara’s life. Could they ever live happily with her soul haunting them? They had both failed her. So much for all their attempts at sacrificing for her! They felt as if they had been flung from a high precipice. The precipice of that forbidden shrine! The master’s curse had worked and ruined everyone’s lives at Regina.

                   The Princess hadn’t found a suitor after all. Her suitor had found another Princess, Myara to spend the rest of his life with!

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              Martha thought for a moment. Would this ending be suitable for her story? Weren’t fairy tales supposed to end on a happy note of ‘And they lived happily ever after!’ or ‘They rode into the sunset;’ where the hero always got the heroine after triumphing over myriad obstacles in the path of their union. But then hers wasn’t a fairy tale. It was a story filled with the angst of unrequited love. The Princess Sara had failed in her love-life for no fault of hers. Destiny had dealt a cruel blow on her dreams.

               Martha was convinced that her ending was appropriate as the readers these days didn’t expect all the love stories to end on a pre-determined, happy note. Wasn’t life in reality full of unexpected twists and turns too? One couldn’t really predict what would happen in one’s life next. Again if one could, it would take the anticipation and excitement out of living. Now take my case, she thought. Even I don’t know what course my life will be taking after finishing my novel. Will I really get well thereafter, as the Doctor had suggested? Will I marry John or…..? Will my life have a happy ending?

                She thought that she would ruminate on an alternative ending for her novel though she was absolutely convinced that the novel was just fine in the current state. She wondered whether she could take the Doctor’s advice on a plausible ending. But she wanted to retain full ownership of her work. She didn’t want anyone else to take credit for the ending, especially after so many months of hard work on it, at the cost of her health and peace of mind!

               Forcing her self to concentrate on the last chapter of her novel, she started writing the first words that struck her.

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               After the mandatory one month of royal mourning, Juan and Myara were united in holy wedlock with no fanfare. It was a subdued ceremony with just the ex-King, the ex-Queen, Juan’s mother, the Minister and a handful of other ministers showering the newly-wed couple with colorful confetti and heart-felt blessings; in the chapel. Though the Minister was hurt at being left out of the confidential deliberations that led to this marriage, he kept mum as he knew how to stay within his limits. The King’s decision was always final in Regina. Who was he to question him? He knew that the King would have had a very valid reason for not taking him into confidence. He trusted his judgment.

                 Myara wore a simple white satin gown, especially ordered for the occasion by the Queen and Juan wore a trouser suit in jet-black with a red cape. He had appeared dashing even with the black leather patch over his right eye. His other bright eye had devoured the radiant Myara who still had dark circles under her sparkling eyes, with the sorrow of grieving over the death of her most beloved friend. The ceremony was somber and was followed by a small party for those present.

                Needless to say, the people of Regina were astonished to see Myara occupying the Queen’s throne the next day beside Juan. Then the Minister proclaimed that in the best interests of Regina, it had been decided after the tragic death of the earlier Queen, Sara, the queen’s place couldn’t remain vacant and hence Myara, the valiant and loyal Myara had been chosen for that honor by the royal couple. As the whole Assembly broke into spontaneous applause, Juan and Myara looked at each other, silently vowing to be loyal to Regina and do her proud for the rest of their lives.

                  King Juan and Queen Myara ruled forever in Regina as they were both immortal. For centuries thereafter, generations of people in Regina venerated the ever-glowing and youthful royal couple who were so just and dutiful; as living deities. Regina had always flourished under their benevolent rule and would do so for many more centuries to come! No one knew whether they had ever had children and no one cared! The ones who knew about the couple’s secret were long dead and buried and their subsequent generations had been wiped out long, long, ago.

                  Long live King Juan and Queen Myara!

                                                             

                                                                        THE END

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              As Martha wrote the final words, she was filled with a sense of accomplishment. She was so pleased with herself that she got up from her desk and did a small jig around the room, giggling like a school-girl. She was ecstatic. What a perfect ending she had given the novel! She felt that she had done justice to all the characters in her novel. Now it remained to be seen whether her novel was acclaimed or panned by the critics. Frankly, she couldn’t care less! She was satisfied with her writing and only that mattered at that moment.

              She would have to get the novel typed and proof-read at the earliest, so that she could give it to Norman for publishing. She knew that even if he didn’t really approve of her concept or its execution, he couldn’t refuse to publish it as she had already decided to pay for the publishing and make it see the light of the day. She mentally patted herself on her back. Bravo girl! Way to go!

To be continued....

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

A Suitor for the Princess - Chapter 69

               When the home-delivery arrived, he knocked on her door courteously and walked in. Martha sprang up from her bed as if an intruder had walked in and then on realizing that it was him, said sheepishly, “Oh, Benny. I’m sorry that I didn’t even thank you for bringing me home. Shall I make lunch for us?” So saying, she glanced at the alarm clock and was flabbergasted to see that it was way past lunch-time. It was 2 o’clock in the afternoon.

            As she looked at him utterly confused, he smiled and said, “Lunch is waiting for you on the coffee-table in the living-room. I ordered for pizzas and ice-cream. Come, let’s have it before the pizzas become cold and the ice-cream becomes warm. Just joking! I have kept the ice-cream tubs in the refrigerator.” She looked guiltily at the kind Doctor. She had again slipped up. She surely couldn’t expect him to wait on her day and night and do all the house-work too. She was bound to share the chores!

             She walked to the couch in the living-room and said, “Benny, let’s share the chores while I’m here. I don’t want to burden you with all my work. I’ll be cooking for both of us from today evening. I’m very thankful to you for all your kind help. I probably don’t even deserve it. You are too good to be true.”

             Feeling pleased, he good-humoredly said, “In that case, please pinch me to see that you aren’t dreaming!” She blushed and laughed heartily. Then they both tucked into the mouth-watering pizzas. He watched her contentedly as she ate hungrily and unselfconsciously with cheese and lettuce sliding off the corners of her pretty mouth. Again, he had an irresistible urge to grab her and kiss her soundly. He had to however appear prim and controlled so that he didn’t put her off. How he wished that he was her lover and not only her shrink!

             Out of the blue, she asked him innocently, “Tell me, Benny, have you ever been married or have you always been a confirmed bachelor? I don’t know anything about you apart from the fact that you are the best psychiatrist in town!” He sighed as he thought about it. Then he said carefully, “Frankly speaking, Martha, I never came across anyone as beautiful, desirable and talented as you, otherwise I’d have married long, long ago.”

            As she gawked at him awkwardly, he added, “Yes, I have always been a confirmed bachelor and even prided on my self-discipline! You see, I’ve always been a nerd, so involved with my practice that I’ve never had the time or inclination to pursue anything in a skirt. But now I’m having second thoughts…” As he saw her alarmed look, he laughed and said, “Relax Martha. I’m not going to rush you for an answer, but yes, I’d definitely like to think that you could be my wife one day.”

           Now she looked angrily at him. “Doctor, I’m glad that you informed me about your feelings. But I’m sure that you’re aware about my feelings for John. In fact, I’m here to finish my novel and hoping that you’d help my union with John, in case you’ve forgotten.”

           “Now, now, Martha, please don’t get upset. I was only being honest with you. Let’s drop this talk if it offends you so much. I apologize and promise you that I’ll never rake up this issue again. Happy?” She could fathom that he didn’t sincerely mean what he said. She decided to not blow the issue out of proportion and rock the boat, though she knew that their equations had irreversibly changed with his candid confession. So he did fancy her!

            She politely declined the ice-cream, cleared away the dishes, washed them and placed them in the drying rack, muttered a hurried “Thanks Doctor. See you later” and fled into the safe sanctuary of her room. Oh why did he have to mess things up by confessing his admiration and longing for her? Why couldn’t he have remained the same strict and seemingly inaccessible Doctor? She cursed herself for making small talk which had boomeranged on her. Why had she asked him such an obviously personal question? She had asked for it and got an unpalatable answer in return. She was very cross with herself.

              She closed the door to her room, latched it and then returned to her writing. She reviewed what she had written earlier.

               Myara had returned with Juan’s mother and the soldiers to the palace that was shrouded in mourning. She felt suffocated and wretched. The tears refused to come for the first few hours as she stubbornly resisted them. When she saw how empty the palace seemed without the lively presence of the beautiful and gregarious Princess Sara, her best friend and then her grieving mother who appeared as if she was also about to die, the enormity of the tragedy struck her like a bolt of lightning and torrents of tears gushed down her cheeks. It was as if a storm had hit her hard.

              Her heart was filled with unbearable sorrow for the death of a young girl who hadn’t even tasted the nectar of happy and fulfilling marital bliss. She, Myara was the cause of her death and hence she too didn’t deserve to live. Just as she was about to plunge a scabbard into her chest, Juan pounced on her and begged her to change her mind. His mother, the King and Queen implored her to save Regina.

              “Please Myara, you must marry Juan now. We can only trust you. You’ve proved yourself to be selfless, brave and forthright. Though you blame yourself for Sara’s suicide, you must realize that that was an act of cowardice. One must always face life’s trials and tribulations head-on. One must not shy away from the truth, however painful it might be! Sara couldn’t reconcile herself with Juan’s honesty when he told her that he was impotent. She couldn’t be a good wife to Juan. Now only you can be his wife as only you know his secret. We must keep this a secret at all costs.”

               Helplessly, Myara looked at all of them. They obviously set great store by her. She instinctively felt that she couldn’t let them down. “But how will we get a successor to the throne of Regina, Your Highness?”

To be continued...

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

A Suitor for the Princess - Chapter 68

             They came upon a small bench that could just seat two, on the beach. They had to sit very close to each other to be comfortable and not fall off the seat! Both of them kicked off their sandals and dug their feet deep into the soft sand. The sky was a clear blue. They could look at the far-off horizon where the water shimmered like diamonds and the fishing boats bobbed about like small toys on the water’s burgeoning surface. Many people were sun-bathing on towels spread out on the sand; children were raucously making sand-castles that kept disintegrating while some lovers were etching their names on the sand with small sticks and stones, only to have them washed away at once by the spoil-sport waves.

            Both Martha and the Doctor were lost in their own train of thoughts. He was thinking about ways to keep her by his side forever, just like this morning and she was ruminating on the fickleness of life itself. When death was so certain why did people spend so much time and effort on material acquisitions? Why did people not take trouble to understand that life was ephemeral, transitory? Why was the King of Regina hell-bent on having a successor to his Kingdom? Could only one’s kith and kin rule ably over one’s estate and not any outsider?

             As she gazed into the glimmering distance, she remembered the shimmering waters of the pool at the shrine, a dip into which rendered one immortal. She got up as if in a trance and started walking into the sea. Bemused, Dr. Hussey watched, as the waves kissed her fair, dainty feet and as she waded further in to wet her frock’s hemline. She did not turn as he called out to her to turn back as the water was too tricky further ahead. “Martha, only that far please, please turn back.” His loud entreaty fell on deaf ears.

           She kept walking. Now she was waist-deep in water. Then she slipped in the swirling, wet sand. As he saw her sinking, he ran quickly towards her and scooped her up in his arms. She struggled to free herself from his grip. “Leave me Juan. Leave me. I want to be immortal. Let me stay in this holy water for a while. I want to be immortal.”

          He looked at her strangely and slightly slapped her cheek. “Martha, what the hell are you taking about?” he demanded worriedly, a frown crossing his brow. Her blue eyes were glazed and moist. “Juan, we will always be together. Aren’t we immortal, as we’d both plunged into that natural spring with mysterious powers at the shrine? We’ll always live happily in Regina till eternity. People will come and go. Invaders will attack Regina and be forced to surrender. No one will ever be able to harm us, isn’t it?” A tighter slap landed on her smooth cheek as she watched him with wide eyes.

            No, but this wasn’t Juan. Who was he? He had both his eyes intact. He wasn’t even blonde. She started struggling to shrug off the Doctor’s vice-like grip as he started dragging her towards the seat. “Leave me,” she shrieked. The revelers around them looked on stunned. Some came forward to tell the Doctor to leave that lady alone. He held Martha’s arm by one hand and told them, “I’m Doctor Benedict Hussey. She’s my patient, Martha. She’s having one of her panic attacks. Kindly leave us alone.” A woman came forward to vouch for his statement. “Yes folks, he is THE famous Dr. Hussey. We mustn’t interfere. Let him do his job. He’s obviously on duty even today.” As he winced at her insinuation, everyone left them alone and went back to their merriment.

             As their dresses were soiled and soggy, The Doctor realized that he had no option but to return home. He decided that he’d order home-delivery of pizzas and ice-cream. He led the by then sobbing Martha gently with his arm around her shoulder, towards his car. Her hat was lost, tossed about by the waves when she sank into the water. His was ruined for the time-being.

             Once back in the apartment, after suffering the queer looks of his pesky neighbor, he ordered Martha to change into dry clothes at once, lest she caught a cold. He too went to change in his bedroom. He changed quickly into his pajama suit and rushed to her room, to keep tabs on her. He didn’t want her passing out in her room with her door locked. He tapped slightly on her door and saw that it was slightly ajar. When she didn’t respond, he decided to wait awhile. Since the door wasn’t locked, there was no danger. He hovered there for around ten minutes and then grew fearful and restless. What was taking her so long?

              He was wary of barging into her room for fear of a repeat of that last time’s embarrassing episode when he had chanced upon her in her sexy undergarments. He felt the heat rushing to his neck at that thought. He didn’t want her to think of him as a lecherous and voyeuristic person. Again he tapped on her door. Tap, tap and tap. “Martha, are you all right? Have you finished changing? May I come in?” when he got no answer, he walked right into her room and was amazed by what he saw.

               Martha had changed into a soft-pink nightgown and was writing on her bed. She didn’t even bother to look at him. He decided to leave her alone. He would order the lunch and then disturb her. He left the door slightly ajar as he had found it and walked into the living-room, pensive and anxious. She was behaving rather strangely. It was a strange case of amnesia and delirium, hallucination and delusion. Her peculiar behavior had already prompted him to start writing a research paper on her case.

To be continued....

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

A Suitor for the Princess - Chapter 67

        At the restaurant, they had an elaborate three course dinner followed by the most mouth-watering fruit custard dessert she had ever tasted. Both were too full for coffee again and left after 10.30 p.m. Martha was feeling slightly drowsy and found it hard to keep her head from nodding on to the doctor’s shoulder. The Doctor had entertained her wittily throughout their meal and she had been enchanted by the other side of his rather professional, stiff demeanor.

          “You may place your head on my shoulder Martha, I’ll not mind!” he said, as if guessing her thoughts. She pretended to be too drowsy and nodded off to the side of the closed window. When they reached home, she was fast asleep. The Doctor gently nudged her shoulder saying, “Martha, we’re home. May we go upstairs, unless you intend spending the night with me in this cramped car?” Martha bolted upright and got out in a jiffy.

            She was feeling her heart fluttering at his closeness. Was she nervous, she thought? Then she remembered the way he had been looking at her ever since he had returned home from his clinic. He had appeared besotted by her. Yes, that was why she was nervous about spending the night with him alone in his huge apartment. She avoided looking at him feeling that he would astutely read her thoughts. As they walked out of the elevator, she again had that uncanny sensation of eyes following her movements from behind the closed door of their neighbor’s apartment. Didn’t she have any other work to do? She wondered crossly.

            When she dressed for the night and again made a bee-line for the desk, the Doctor strictly warned her, “Don’t overdo it Martha. Remember why you are here?” Feeling like a chastened school-girl, she went in to her room and closed the door. She again checked the bolt, Just in case! She half-expected the Doctor to come knocking at her door. After midnight, she slept like a baby and got up only to see that the Doctor had already prepared breakfast. She felt very ashamed. She was taking the role of a patient too seriously. She should have been the one who made the breakfast, in fact, she owed it to him!

            “Good Morning Doctor,” she said. He looked from behind his newspaper and said cheerfully, “So you slept well last night! Good morning Martha. Have some French toast and coffee.” “Thanks Doctor, you are spoiling me!” “Martha, I’m angry with you!” As a look of alarm and panic flitted across her beautiful round face, he laughed and said, “You were supposed to call me Benny in private, remember? I’m angry as you’ve not been calling me Benny, but the more formal Doctor.”

             “Oh,” she laughed, secretly relieved. She had been expecting an admonition on waking up so late. As she daintily started eating a piece of toast, she could feel his eyes keenly watching her. He was looking at a tiny crumb that had found a cozy place just near her pink lips. If only he could kiss it off her lips! He was thinking. His heart was racing with excitement. She was looking so fresh and gorgeous, innocent and warm… How would it feel like to hold her tightly in his embrace? She averted her eyes and quietly kept eating, though she was feeling terribly self-conscious.

            She furtively glanced at the neckline of her gown. It didn’t give away anything except a slight hint of cleavage. As she looked up, she caught his dark gaze and immediately felt her cheeks coloring in embarrassment. Would she ever complete her novel with both of them so acutely aware of each other! She wondered. So this was what happened when a spinster was in close proximity to any male. She was sure that any other male's attention would have had the same effect on her. On second thoughts, would it?

         “Benny, I’m planning on writing throughout the day, today,” she said, a tad too brightly; to break the erotic spell that was engulfing both of them. He got her message bang on. “Hands off” she seemed to be saying even as his thoughts were straying into hitherto forbidden territory. With a very visible sigh he said, “I was hoping to take you out to the marina and spend the entire day with you. If you remember, today is Sunday. I’m free the whole day. I need a break from my dreary routine Martha. Please, will you accompany me for at least half the day? We’ll stroll around, do some shopping and have lunch on our way back. You can then rest awhile and continue writing.”

             Martha knew that it would be improper if she refused to comply with his wishes. She really couldn’t expect him to just waste his weekly off, sitting at home and watching her write! “O.K. Benny! Let’s do it. I’ll be ready in 10 minutes.” She cleared away the remnants of the breakfast from the coffee table and got ready. She wore a frilly blue and white frock with a wide-brimmed white, felt hat and carried a white sling bag. Her white strapped sandals completed the picture. She had left her dark, long hair loose. It hung about in a very fetching way around her shoulders and made her look like a 25 year old woman.

             He wore casual clothes, a navy-blue T-shirt and beige slacks with black sandals. He too wore a black Stetson hat. Both of them looked like a honeymooning couple as they joked and laughed, strolling hand-in-hand on the beach. They had held hands almost naturally, instinctively. His grasp was firm and warm and hers was soft and firm. He reveled in her touch. Contrary to her expectations, she didn’t feel aroused by his touch. It was almost brotherly! All the better, she thought. It wouldn’t complicate things for her.

              John was waiting just for her call in India. She suddenly felt very guilty. She had just forgotten to call him after she came to the Doctor’s apartment. She hadn’t even called up Norman. Belatedly, she realized that she had forgotten her cell-phone at the apartment and she didn’t want to use the Doctor’s cell-phone. She’d just have to wait till they reached the apartment in the afternoon and then call both of them up. Since it was no use agonizing over her negligence, she decided to enjoy herself till then.

To be continued....

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

A Suitor for the Princess - Chapter 66

            In Regina, at his wits’ end, the King again consulted Juan and his mother. She quietly said that she would get her future daughter-in-law to the palace. When she went to that inn with the soldiers, Myara had vanished! After searching the whole day, the soldiers hit upon an idea. They sent a message to the palace to bring her favorite mongrel named August. When he arrived at the inn, he started running in the direction of Regina then suddenly veered off track and started bounding towards the hill where the shrine was located. Heaving excitedly up the steps towards the cave where Myara had taken refuge from the angry eagles while going to rescue Juan from the shrine; he left the others following him far behind. The eagles who were hungrily hovering overhead, kept a safe distance due to his incessant barking.

             Once near the cave, he sniffed around the opening, picked up her scent and leapt into the cave and was delighted to spot his mistress, Myara lying down on the cold and damp floor, curled up to keep herself warm. He licked her tear-stained, soft cheeks till she opened her eyes and looked at him in amazement. As he barked excitedly, she caressed his head and body and gathered his eager brown body close to hers. “How did you find me, darling?” Then her eyes widened in realization. So someone from Regina was desperately looking out for her! Why?

            August shook himself off from her gentle grasp and bounded outside the cave, barking loudly. When the soldiers who had been busy warding off the birds with their pointed staffs and Juan’s mother spotted him they were relieved and he led them into the cave and waved his tail at his mistress.

           Juan’s mother asked the soldiers to wait outside the cave for a while. She knelt beside Myara and held her hand gently. “Myara, my dear, come back to Regina. The King and Juan are waiting for you.” “But I don’t understand, mother, why am I needed there right now?”Myara asked in a bewildered tone. “Myara, as you are aware, Sara, your best friend is no more. Only you know about the curse that the Master of the shrine gave Juan. Hence the King has decided that you must marry Juan and become the Queen of Regina.” Quickly she narrated the events that led to Sara’s suicide and the private conversation of the trio to Myara.

         With a pained look, Myara said, “But I had promised you that I’d have nothing to do with your son after his marriage, hence how can I break my promise?” Juan’s mother said firmly, “I had given you that oath and now I relieve you from it. Hence there is no harm in breaking your promise now. Come soon. We’ve no time to waste!” Myara looked wistfully at the tunnel. She had again lost a chance to investigate that puddle and solve its mystery. Now a greater mystery awaited her in Regina. How would Juan and she ever have a child? Would Regina remain without a successor forever?

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         The door bell rang incessantly, as Martha wrote feverishly. When the noise became too much for her, she got up from the desk, annoyance writ large on her face and stomped to the door. She opened it to see Dr. Hussey standing there. He looked tired after the long day at his clinic. She immediately felt sheepish and welcomed him with “I’m sorry, Doctor. I was very engrossed in writing my novel. Please do come in.” As she stepped aside, he noticed her gown and the way it clung sensuously to her curves. She sensed him watching her and quickly offered to make coffee for both of them.

          She glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece and was alarmed to see that it showed 8 p.m. as the time then. Dr. Hussey had asked her to be ready for going out for dinner at 7.30 p.m. and he was a stickler for punctuality. Though he had himself overshot his time-limit by half an hour, she didn’t have any excuse for not being ready on time! She watched the milk boil absentmindedly. What would happen to Regina if she went for dinner? She felt the absurdity of her thought but was also annoyed that her writing had been interrupted by the Doctor’s arrival. Then she guiltily remembered that it was his house and not the other way around!

           She started as the Doctor entered the kitchen swiftly and deftly closed the stove even as the milk threatened to spill over the brim of the vessel in which it was being boiled. “Martha, come out of it! Where are you dear? Pull yourself together. See the milk would’ve ended up making the place messy had I not come in the nick of time.”

            Vaguely, as his voice registered in her brain filled with thoughts of Regina, she said, “Oh, I’m sorry!”

           “Martha, leave this job to me. Please go and get ready. I’ll bring the coffee into the living-room and wait for you. Five minutes and no more!” he jovially ordered her, keeping his voice firm. She knew that he meant what he said. She hurried into her room, washed her face and hands, pulled on the same dress that she had traveled in, applied lip-gloss, brushed her beautiful hair, left it open and walked out into the living room. A gaping Dr. Hussey welcomed her and told her, “By God! That was fast. You look heavenly dear. Come, have some coffee. Tell me, how was your day? Did you eat anything at all?”

            Lightheartedly she said, “Thanks Doctor, I’ve had a lovely day. I had lunch, rested for a while and then wrote till ten minutes ago, when you returned….” As he noted a slight wistfulness in her tone, he joked, “…and disturbed your thoughts!” She brushed his self-deprecatory remark by saying, “It was just as well, Doctor, other wise I would’ve ended up without dinner and got up in the middle of night, feeling ravenously hungry!” Both of them laughed loudly.

         It was 8.30 p.m. when they set out for the restaurant. Martha could feel their neighbor’s eyes following them from behind the peep-hole of her apartment. “Quite a nosy one there!” she remarked casually to him as he agreed. “Yes, it’s so sad that we can’t choose our neighbors, isn’t it? I would’ve loved to have you as my neighbor,” he said with a twinkle in his dark eyes. She found his ready wit endearing and even surprising. She hadn’t expected him to have a funny bone! 

To be continued.... 

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