(Flashback in both scenes)
India

"There is no use begging Binoy. You won't get any money to buy more land for your factories. I don't see an ounce of remorse in you after whatever happened to our family. And land...that too from Britishers. They are shrewd and cunning. They are demanding high cost. The land is not worth this much money. " Said Trilochan as he sipped his gur tea while his eyes skimmed on the newspaper headlines.

"Then what do you expect Dada? Should I also become dumb and deaf like her?" Bellowed Binoy.

" Mind your language, Binoy. Don't forget you are talking about the grahlaxmi of my house. And I won't listen disrespect against her."

" You have changed so much Dada. I have equal rights on this wealth. Why do I have to beg from you?  am not under your mercy. I demand partition, an equal share in all the property and wealth. "

" Binoy! How dare you utter such wicked words? Our baba made this haveli with his own hands, and each penny of this family is the result of his blood, sweat and tears. I won't let my heavenly resident father be disrespected by fulfilling your vile demand about allocation. I won't let his soul weep seeing his two sons fighting for wealth. This wealth is all yours Binoy. But you are not in the right state of mind to use it judiciously. These Britishers are making a fool of you."

" Don't make this a point about baba. I know it has nothing to do with him. I know for whom your heart is bleeding. I don't know what magic that wretched woman has done on you that you are humiliating your own brother. Has she started to warm your bed too? I know how difficult it could be to live the life of a hermit--" 

Before he could complete his words, a tight slap resounded on his cheek making him look at his elder brother in shock.

"Get away from my eyes before I forget these hands have nurtured you as they reach your neck to strangle such atrocious words about my sister. " Trilochan looked at his shaking hand dejected and whispered painfully.

Binoy furiously walks out of the hall , muttering curses. His eyes shimmer tears of revenge and humiliation. What has his world come to! It's been years and he is living like a vagrant in his own house asking for alms from his own brother. But this time he won't slide this insult away.

A sinister plan made his way and he smirked rubbing his cheek.

Sometimes the root cause of the problem and the solution are the same!

***

Shubhra is startled when Binoy enters her room after so many months. He looks dejected and lost and almost broken. He drags his body lazily and plops down near her and makes her cower back in fear when he snuggles in her lap.

She doesn't remember when he talked to her the last time, especially after she lost her voice.

"Shu-shubhra!" His voice was hoarse as if he was controlling himself from crying. "I- I just want to sleep today here."

Shubhra frowns at his words. Last time he used her, he was mad that she couldn't scream and he felt like doing a dead fish. Then what made him come back to her. Did he just want to sleep? She didn't gesture anything. Everything felt laborious to her. Even thinking about his hidden motives.

It's been midnight when Shubha's ears perked as she heard soft sobs coming from his side. She lit the lamp hurriedly and got seated and turned Binoy towards her.

Binoy looked at her with surprise and wiped his tears quickly. Shubhra never saw him crying and his tears created a severe ache in her heart.

A woman's heart is like her womb. It expands for her people no matter how much they hurt her.

"Sorry, did I wake you up?" He asked.

This was a completely new person in front of her. She gestured " What happened? Why are you crying?"

He shook his head in no and turned  his back toward her. She turned him again and gestured again.

"I didn't want to tell you Shubhra but I guess you have the right to know since he is your son too."

Her face twisted in hurt at the mention of Anirudh. She sat straight and shook his hand in hers. "What is it? What happened to him?" Binoy could hear the questions in her vague, restless gestures. Apparently, her hatred for him has mellowed down.

"I don't know from where to start Shubhra. It's been days and now I'm not able to understand how to cope up with this problem. My heart breaks for my boy."

Shubha's eyes turned teary and her heart throbs in fear.

What is it that has made him worry so much about my Awni? How worse the situation is that it made this stone hearted man cry?

"Ani-Anirudh is jailed, Shubhra." Shubhra is stunned as Binoy breaks into fake sobs. " He-he tried to mo-molest a girl of a duke."  Her face twists in disgust.
" But he didn't... didn't do it, I swear. You know he's not like that. Last time what he did with Bondita, he was not in his senses. But I'm certain he is framed this time. There is no way my son could do something so heinous. It is different with your own wife but absolutely crime with some other girl, you see."

Shubhra felt a mix of emotions running through her heart. Her heart stung at Aniruddha's situation. She also felt bile rising her throat listening to his filthy words. And her heart could not believe he would do such things.

"It's all... my ... my fault. I should have kept contact with him. I should have made sure if he is in any trouble or not. And even if he did it, it's understandable. Isn't it? Boys are like that only. He is a grown up man now. He can't control his urges. But he chose the wrong girl. He--" He stopped when Shubhra showed him her palm to stop and looked at him with anger and disgust.

Binoy closed his eyes in frustration.

Damn! His words aren't helping. Shubhra's moral compass is too high for him. He won't be surprised if she herself says Anirudh deserves to be hanged till death.

"I'm sorry , wife." Shubhra frowned at his endearment.
Since when had he started calling her that. "My mind is not working." He looks guiltily at his palms.  "The thought of him locked up in jail under those barbarians makes my blood cold with fear. My brain has frozen thinking of the tortures they must be inflicting on him. I wonder if he would be able to survive them. My heart aches for our innocent Bondita who might become widow--" Shubhra holds his hand in alarm and shook her head vigorously.

" Truth won't change if we deny it , Shubhra. What else can a helpless father like me do , apart from crying in his wife's lap like a pussy? This helplessness, this feebleness is a slap on my cheek. And I don't know what to do." He looks above to find her cheeks stained with overflowing tears.

"There must be something. Lochan da can help." Shubhra gestures.

"No Shubhra, Dada won't be able to bear it. Remember I took him to the doctor last week when he was feeling unwell. The doctor said that his heart has become very weak. His age, his loneliness and his stubbornness to do everything single handedly has made him vulnerable and susceptible to illness. On top of all this , more emotional stress can harm his heart. I'm not sure if he can survive this news--"

Shubhra keeps a hand on his mouth this time.

" He is innocent , Shubhra. He didn't do it. You know him. Don't you? Don't you ever feel guilty over the way you treated him? He is all alone in that foreign land away from us. Away from you, his beloved mother. You have been the most cruel to him, Shubhra. He doesn't deserve your hatred. I can't even fathom what he must be going through. Imagine yourself shubhra, in a foreign land , away from family, caught for a crime you didn't even do. How would my little boy handle it? I fear if he would even come out of this predicament unscathed."

" What should we do? We should go there" Shubhra gestured.

" No! There is no use. British government would not allow us meeting him. They are very strict. But--"

" But what--" she gestured restlessly and shook him for the answer.

"I don't know how to tell you this. The girl's father, the Duke has arrived in India."

" We should talk to him."

" Do you think I didn't try to convince him? I did Shubhra. I went to him. I rubbed my nose at his feet, licked his boots and begged for mercy. But see what he did." He folded his sleeve to show a burnt mark of cigarette on hai wrist. Shubhra gasped on seeing it. " This is what he did to me. Think how he would be treating our son." A gagged sob came out of her throat.

"Is there no solution ?" She started weeping silently.

" There is Shubhra." He looked away but Shubhra made him look towards her . " Don't Shubhra, if I told you what he's asking, I'm as good as a eunuch." She furrows her brows.

" Tell me ." She makes a determined face.

" The--" He gulps visibly. " The Duke wishes to sleep with a woman of our house. He--he said a woman for a woman. That would be a fair deal."

***

London

Melissa was like a gush of wind in Aniruddh's life always beckoning him to be reckless , away from the university, giving him the escape from the bullies and soon became his go-to person in his new world.

Things were slowly changing at the university, people were not as atrocious as before surprising him but he didn't want to jinx it. He assumed it to be God's grace and thanked Him internally. Apart from the Ashton and group's occasional bullying, life was modestly peaceful.

As he counted the notes and arranged them in the box, a pale coloured hand came into his field of vision and he looked up to find Grace Denhams in her full glory standing before him, keeping the crisp note on the counter.

Ah! Grace Denhams!

The looks she sometimes gives him unnerves him. He can't decipher but they unsettle him. Melissa never looks at him like that. Grace keeps on looking at his face unblinking as if zoned out and Anirudh looks away to fight the discomfort. He has never felt relieved in her proximity. His back becomes taut and shoulders tense and his eyes automatically become guarded, as if Ashton would pounce from some nearby corner and maul him for making eye contact with his promised girl.

Anirudh clears his throat to break her unnerving staring . A deep crimson washes over her porcelain skin. Anirudh frowns at this change in colour of her skin. The cafe is quite warm , unlikely to redden her cheeks like cold. But he shrugs internally anyway.

"I--I --" She stutters and then looks down. "Your co-coffee was amazing." She mumbles.

"I didn't make it. But thanks anyway. I'll let the house know." He says politely wishing to end the conversation.

"I--I saw you studying civil law after the class and I gathered you are having problems with it."

Now it was his turn to turn red. He looked away embarassed. He had always thought he was a child prodigy in his school but London proved him otherwise. He doesn't like to be called him witted.

"No! No! I'm not judging." She said as she saw him getting uncomfortable with the conversation. "I-I can help. You can share my tutor."

"I.. I don't need your help. I'll manage."

"Please don't get me wrong. I really want to help you. Nobody will know. And in return you could help me. It would be a fair deal. "

" I can't pay--"

" No-no! No monetary benefits are required. I just.... Uh... want to learn about you."

" Whaa-" He looked at her confused.

" No-no.  I mean about your uh... country and uh.. culture and stuff. You know." She looked at her sheepishly feeling stupid.

Jesus! Good start Denhams! Now cook a quick excuse for the same!

Anirudh was perplexed. While he was continuously being ridiculed for his roots, this girl wants to learn about his country and culture, out of nowhere, making him throw off his feet. He is suddenly intrigued and he doesn't know what to say.

The thought of telling someone about his culture was giving him a certain pride he had missed since long and the deal didn't feel like a deal. It felt like a win-win situation. But he was still reluctant to involve with this royal trouble named Grace Denhams.

"Why would you want that? I thought you despised the likes of us?" His tone has bitterness, making him feel guilty , as he bit his tongue instantly. The sudden lowering and shame he saw in her eyes made him feel bad for his words. He doesn't remember a single moment when Grace has ever voluntarily tried to make his life difficult since he ever met her.

"I-I didn't mean that way. I mean ... Why ... What's the need? I don't understand the underlying motive. I don't wish for trouble. I wish to live in peace before I return back to my country, that too intact."

Grace bit her lower lip, feeling ashamed and embarassed of his difficulties which she never inflicted on him , but her friends and her countrymen did.

" I-I understand why would be reluctant but... I ... I... Have no ulterior motive... It's.... It's... Actually my..."Her lower lip wobbled and she held her gown tightly in her fists looking down.

Anirudh panicked instantly. Crying girls had never been his best forte. Whenever Bondita used to wobble her lips like that, he would quickly shove a roshogulla in her mouth and like a possessed soul, her eyes and full mouth would start smiling again.

Oh dear! Life was so simple then.

But what worked on this elegant English lady. Will the Duke execute him for making his daughter cry or will Ashton beat him into oblivion for the same?

Grace took a deep breath before she looked in his panicked eyes with her watery ones and whispered, " My...my father has brought an Indian woman in our house."

Anirudh frowned at the unexpected situation. Why would a duke marry an Indian woman?

"She.... uh.... you know has been given the responsibility to look after me. I don't have a mother and see the same in her. But the communication gap we have in between is too much to bond. And so that's why I wanted to you know learn about her country so that ..."

" Oh! " Well , this kind of caught him off-guard and he immediately regretted doubting her.

What a poor soul! He knows how it feels to be without a mother! The girl has no ill motives.

"But it's okay. I won't hold this against you. We haven't given you any reason to be soft towards us people, rather otherwise and I deserve --"

" I'll help you." He gave her a soft hesitant smile.

Grace heaved a sigh of relief as he believed her lies. Well, not everything was a lie. His father did actually bring an Indian woman , but not as his wife. But this little piece of information wouldn't happen to make Anirudh happy. She remembered her father boasting about this new gift given by a local businessman to him in exchange for the good sum of money, during his last trip to India. He had this uncanny inclination towards Indian women which she found odd. The woman looked very timid and scared like his past human trophies, but she didn't ask much as she saw a big scar on her father's face. She remembered the enraged look in his eyes when she asked him and it felt unusually cold when he said that a fiery lioness scratched him on his hunt in Bengal. Next time he would make sure to take that lioness and cage her along with her cub. She had a feeling he wasn't talking about animals.
Such cryptic words of him sometimes scare her.

" Okay. " She nodded elated. She forwarded the back of her  hand to him at which he looked confused.

"Uhh... You ought to ki-kiss it." Suddenly the look of terror on his face, followed by deep crimson blush, made her feel as if she had asked something intimate of him and couldn't help but feel her cheeks warming too. "A hand kiss is a gentlemanly way to greet a lady, you know." Her hand hung heavily in air ashamed as he looked away. Had it been someone else, Grace would have felt offended, but his shyness made her heart flutter and find this wierd brown boy adorable.

She sheepishly took her unkissed hand back and put on her gloves before telling him the time for the tuition classes.

Anirudh finally took a sigh of deep relief as she elegantly walked out of the cafe. Grace Denhams was a ringing alarm bell. She ought to be a trouble. But her mother card provoked his 'mother issues' and he couldn't help but agree. He also felt a great respect towards his father who supposedly fell in love with an Indian woman. People like them were rare in London. He smiled to himself as the problem of tuition solved on its own.

It seemed Grace Denhams was all the solution to his problems. This thought should have made him happy , but it rather created a ripple of unknowing fear in his heart.

***