March 1960. Study Room, Vaikunth Niwas, Ranikhet Estate, Shimla.

I went into the small room on the first floor. It was furnished with a nondescript table and few chairs thrown in and curtains that seemed to have seen better days. But the view outside was amazing. The view outside compensated for the barely furnished room inside. The whispering Cedars whispered merrily as they stood on the edge of the precipice that overlooked a green, verdant valley. The air was overhung with a sweet fragrance of ripening fruits. I would give up anything to own this view.

I realized how painful it must have been for my father to give all this up.

Shanta had mentioned how he had loved his land. How he would talk away to the whispering cedars and it was he who had planted so many of them that the whole estate was lush green. They seemed to be his babies. He would be harsh with anyone who cut them or harm them. He guarded them and the trees seemed to love him. They had never faced any water scarcity on the estate because Pratap Singh had the foresight to build a small artificial lake on the estate that collected and stored water.The orchards that he had planted had been sustaining the entire estate for all these years. Then why did everything look so shabby?

I broke out of my thoughts as I heard a voice and a thump.

I turned around and saw dark piercing eyes looking at me. There was an enigmatic look in his eyes as if they were trying to read my mind. I shivered.

The Ogre smirked, "Don't be afraid. I have got better things to do than read   and unravel your deep, dark secrets. If you are done with your musings, shall we get to work? I can't stand here and waitfor the Queen to come out of her fairy tale world."

I wanted to throw something at him and wipe that obnoxious grin off his face.

How could Shanta even like him?

I kept quiet as Ma Sahib's warning still rang in my mind. I did not want to undo all my hard work I shall handle these buffoons with equanimity and let my work do the talking.

"Has the shrew lost her tongue?"He smirked.

His eyes seemed to mock me. But his face rippled at the edges and he laughed merrily.

I was at the loss of words. His laugh was deep throated and made his face come alive and he no longer seemed an ogre. There was a vivid display of emotions on his face ,a feeling of pristine and unbridled joy . He seemed to be transparent and one thing must be said about him. He seemed to be outside what he was inside. There were on masks and his face was an honest reflection of his inner thoughts. Every nook and cranny of his face seemed enticing and lively. I smiled and shook my head.

"Jasmine Singh, is something wrong with you? Are you addled in mind that you like the ogre or Shanta put some spell in your tea?" I admonished myself.

"No for your information, I was just waiting for my orders, Sir." I quipped sarcastically.

"Ok, now sit down and listen attentively and take notes. I shall brief you and try to understand quickly. I can't stand morons."

The ego was back and so was the ogre.

Had I hallucinated when I had been gushing over his face and laughter some time back?

Was there a chink in his armour that made his real self-come out at time.?

He seemed to be a puzzle.

The more you got to know him, the more enigmatic he became.

 "Now these are all the account books of last five years .All the expenses, transactions and income have been recorded but nothing matches. I have racked my brains over it but it's all a big mess and I don't have time to sort it as the harvesting will soon start and I have to ensure that we get a good price this time and pay our farmers who have toiled hard. If anything goes wrong, the whole estate is going to be in trouble as meeting ends has become a problem and no cost cutting is being done. You have taken a huge responsibility. Make sure you can deliver the goods for there is no scope of any error. We cannot afford it.Ma Sahib chose you and I respect her judgment .So we will put aside all our animosity and set to put the whole estate back on its feet again and make it thrive like it was in the days gone by."

 "Yes, I understand that the task at hand is difficult but I shall do my best. I may be young but I have been working with figures for quite some time. I shall not disappoint."

He nodded and smiled the same enigmatic smile.

I was mesmerized.As I bent down to pick up my pen, I stole a glance from underneath my falling mane and he looked so handsome!

If Sandy saw my antics, she would say that the cool Jasmine has finally come of age!

I gave myself a jerk and set to work.

He left and the room seemed suddenly empty.

I started scrutinizing the journals from the scratch and made copious notes.

I detected countless errors .Some seemed careless, some contrived and deliberate.

Something was wrong very deeply somewhere.

Every year same pattern seemed to be repeated.

The produce was bumper every year but the returns were paltry as it was sold at a poor price.

Now I understood the reason for ogre's worry. The expenses had been jacked up with each successive year.

I made a list of questions that I needed to ask.

The hours had slid by and it was dark.

I suddenly felt tired and hungry.I packed up .I did not want to leave my notes there for anybody's perusal as I had understood that somebody was stealing and bleeding the whole estate dry.Things were not good.

As I walked out lost in my thoughts and wondering whom to talk to, I crashed into a brown suede jacket smelling of musk and fresh pine and a pair of firm hands steadied me.

"What now? Are you sleep walking or have you turned a zombie?"

God help me! It was the ogre again. Curse my luck!

He seemed to be in a temper. But I was not the cause of it .So why should bear it.

'No, I am not some sleep walking zombie and it was dark and you materialized suddenly out of the blue. Instead of apologizing, why do you have to vent your frustration on me? "I glared at him.

I was very tired and my eyes ached.

He looked at me closely, eyed the papers I held and said, "You have been working since morning?

I simply nodded and said, 'I need to talk to you .I was wondering whom to speak to when I banged into you. I am sorry."

Indervadhan did not answer. He simply held my hand and walked out with me up to his jeep.

"Sit in', he fired. I was too tired to argue and he seemed menacing.

I sat in and he raced the jeep leaving behind a trail of dust.

As the heady mountain air hit me, I relaxed and enjoyed the serene valleys as they sped by.

I did not ask him anything.

The ogre shall not put me in the dungeons.

With that thought, I smiled to myself and fell into a peaceful slumber.

A sudden screech of brakes jerked me out of my sleep and I opened my eyelids lazily and murmured, 'Where are we?'

"We are at a dhaba on the highway. You looked like a clown with a red nose and flushed cheeks. Your mane is windblown. Tidy yourself up." He says smirking.

I punched him hard in the face.

"Now we both are a pair!" I fired back.

I laughed as he rubbed his reddening nose and cheeks and got out of thecar.

"Are you some wrestler? I can return the favor."

I ran out of the jeep and wondered if he would hit back.

He ran after me and caught me by the shoulder, "Come and sit here", he pointed to a corner table. I silently followed him.

He ordered for both of us and we ate our food in silence.

At times Indervadhan looked menacing and at times soft and contemplative.He seemed to be a man of many shades. At last the meal got over

He said, "Now tell me what is bothering you. I bought you here because I did not want our conversation to be overheard. You have to be smart and I see you are smart for you had the sense to not to leave your notes unguarded.''

"There is lot of money being embezzled. It is clear somebody is stealing.The quantity that is being produced and sold does not does match with the returns and expenses are also jacked up with each year. Who was managing the accounts and the money?"

He said, 'I came into the estate a few months back and earlier it was being run by Surya Uncle and his coterie. He has been sidelined by Ma sahib and I have bought in new men. I hope to sell this year's produce at a fair price .But Ma Sahib wants the thief to be caught. Only then will the problem be solved."

I said, "We will catch the thief. Can you provide me with the expenses andthe bank statements of all the family members and the estate?"

Indervadhan looked at me with a look of new respect, "You have a brain underneath all that hair. We need people like you here. And don't discuss this with anyone except Ma sahib."

"I have a feeling that we will work well together. I am thankful to God to not be saddled with another Gayatri. Here's to a new start!" He said and clinked his glass of water to mine.

 I gave him a wary smile and finished my food.

It was late by the time we reached home.

"Thanks for the dinner." I said to him.

Indervadhan shrugged his shoulders and walked behind me.

Gayatri opened the door and eyed me accusingly.

But a silent glare from behind hushed whatever abuse she was going to vent on me.

I sped up to my room grateful to the ogre for protecting me for once.

The full night I was dreaming of charming ogres.

PS: Thank you for the votes and all the love! Happy New Year. I'll see you in January. Till then keep reading, voting and Wattpading.

Much love,

Sagarika