April 1960. Ranikhet Estate, Shimla, India.

The next day dawned sunny and bright.

I had a beautiful dream of my knight-in -shining armour rescuing me from the witch's lair,

The knight looked like Inderavadhan and the witch like Gayatri.

He was about to kiss me when I was jolted out of my reverie by someone shaking me hard.

I got up groggily.

My cheeks were flushed pink and I woke up with a smile on my lips.

I was happy. I wanted to jump and dance. If Sandy had been here, both of us would have twirled round and round. I felt young . I felt all my burdens gone. Life was beautiful.

I opened my eyes on being shaken hard.

"Who is it?" I murmured.

"You wake up or I will dump a bucket of ice cold water on you." Shanta shouted at me as she tugged away my blanket.

"Why are the Fury Sisters blazing in you early in the morning? Why can't you let a person sleep in peace? I was having such a beautiful dream and you disrupted it like some idiot. I would like to throttle you." I glared back at her.

Shanta stared at me sharply and said, "So what I am assuming is correct. What is brewing between you and Indu? I met him out and he was smiling silly in the air and here you are acting the same. I saw the two of you together last night."

"Tell me everything and if you hide anything now, I shall switch my allegiance to Gayatri and break our friendship. You are quite adept at keeping your secrets hidden. I cannot forgive you once but not again. And your secrets will be safe with me. I may love gossip but I am not a blabber-mouth." She thundered.

I stared at her angry face.

She was sitting on my bed and the imp in me suddenly came to the fore.

I plonked myself on top of her and started tickling her sides hard here and there. Her neatly done hair came loose and she also ribbed me back in all the places. We were all over each other with our manes flying wild and our gales of laughter echoing out loud.

We did not see the door opening and two heads poking in and seeing us tumbling around each other, shooting pillows around and laughing our heads off. They did not disturb us.

We laughed till our sides ached.

"Jasmine, I thought that you were a prim and proper miss but you are a monkey!" Shanta roared.

"Sandy and I have always bought the house down .I learnt to have fun with her. I wish I could meet her." I cried amidst my laughter.

'Shanta, you have been my best friend all these days and will always be. I hid my identity because I was afraid. Inderavadhan was angry with me for the same reason. But I know that you understand everything and will forgive me.''I tried to placate her.

'What about Indu?" She asked adamantly.

She was not going to let me off the hook so easily.

I blushed beet root red.

'Shanta scoot off. I am getting late." I cried.

'No, you tell me or I will tell everyone at the breakfast- table of your nightly escapade?" She threatened.

"This is just blackmail and not fair. You are my friend and you cannot do that." I cried.

'Truth and nothing but the truth!" She announced annoyingly.

'Yes, we were together and Inderavadhan professed that he likes me and I also like him." I stammered. My cheeks were flaming crimson.

"Only like! Everybody likes Indu!" She snorted.

I wanted to throttle her.

She arched up her brows threateningly.

"Both of us have fallen for each other. Now leave me alone before I kill you". I said and punched her hard with my cheeks red and eyes fiery.

She hugged me and said, "I am so happy. I had always paired the two of you together. You match him in his fiery passion!"

Shanta left the room.

Today my life was taking a new turn.

I was home and I felt contented.

I walked up to the window and saw the majestic cedars swaying on the slopes as if they had blown away all my sorrows I watched them entranced. Suddenly, I felt a warm hand encircle my fingers.

I came out of my day dreaming and found myself looking into the deep brown eyes.

"These majestic cedars also hold me in trance. I feel liberated and ecstatic when I see them sway in the wind in abandon." Inderavadhan said as he tried to tuck my unruly mane behind my ears.

"Jasmine, you look so beautiful, all pink and red and hair all wild and blue eyes sparkling and alive. You are a different girl today. The real Jasmine who had been caged by her destiny has been set free. You look radiant." He said.

I was mesmerised by him and his words.

He knew me in and out and I nodded. "I have never felt so happy and light in my life".

I clasped his hand tight contentedly.

We stood gazing out at the cedars and contented to be at each other's side.

Inderavadhan tenderly rubbed my fingers with his and let his fingers twirl my unruly locks.

He made me turn around and said, 'Jasmine, we will be our normal selves at the table. I might pass you an angry retort and Gayatri may latch onto me for they think that I am angry with you. So we will carry on the charade and later I want you in Ma Saheb's study." He said as his eyes caressed me lovingly.

I dumbly nodded.

My mind was in seventh heaven and my legs felt woolly.

He left and I somehow managed to calm my beating heart down.

The breakfast table was a sombre place.

Everyone looked sullen.

As I sat at my usual place, Kokila aunty eyed me with narrow eyes and said, 'Somebody here is so thick-skinned that she has the temerity to sit across us at the same table after she lied to us."

'Oh Mama.it is what she has learnt. She has been a destitute all her life and she must have used deception to meet her ends." Gayatri chimed in.

'Oh Aunty and my dear sister, I also know how to break a few bones if someone messes with me. So please mind your tongue and don't force me to use those tactics. I am no longer your servant thatI have to bear your insults." I declared vehemently.

"Ma Saheb, look at her guts. How can you allow such rudeness?'' Kokila protested.

Ma Saheb kept silent.

She just watched me nonchalantly.

Her indifference hurt.

I looked at up at her but she had a distant and forbidding look on her face.

Gayatri sat next to Inderavadhan and lavished extra attention on him smothering his plate with all the food and even draped her arm around him.

He did not rebuff her but said to her in a honeyed voice, 'Gayatri, you look so pretty today. Seeing you all dolled makes you stand out like a rose among the thorns."

He winked at her and she laughed heartily giving me a smug look as she drew her chair closer to Inderavadhan and planted her hand on him possessively. He let her indulge in her antics

And I simply ignored them. But I was seething from inside. I wanted to throw something to wipe her smug look.

"Shanta, why everything is so sweet today? Extra sweetness can lead to diabetes." I remarked saucily.

"Shanta, give her some bitter gourd juice. That will shut her up." Gayatri retaliated.

Shanta was thoroughly enjoying herself and she very obediently bought some of the juice and placed it next to my teacup. I glared at her.

'Ok, why I should alone savour this delicacy?" I declared.

I went up to Gayatri with the juice and poured some of it in her cup.

I smiled and returned to my seat.

Gayatri let out a stream of expletives and was only silenced by Ma Saheb's menacing look.

I finished my breakfast in peace and headed for the study.

I was little diffident and scared.

Ma Saheb had not been very forthcoming at the table. I did not know what to expect and Inderavadhan had also not come so far.

I knocked gingerly at the heavy door.

A sedate voice bade me to enter.

Ma Saheb was seated at her usual place by the window.

I placed my papers on the table.

I don't know what possessed me but I was in a defiant mood today.

I wanted what was mine.

There would be no masks, no façade!

I plonked myself at her feet, put my head in her lap and just hugged her tight.

Time stood still. I closed my eyes and relished the soft lap and the lavender fragrance.

Tears flowed down my eyes. I wanted to be loved too.

I was tired of playing a brave heart all the time.

I also wanted to be sheltered in a cocoon of love.

I wanted her.

She rocked me gently to and fro.

Her soft hands wiped the tears as they rolled down and her fingers brushed through my unruly mane.

She admonished me angrily, "When will you learn to keep your messy hair in order? I shall cut them in disgust one day".

"Should I get the scissors, Grandma?" I pouted.

She smacked me and I started crying again.

'Let all the tears flow. Let them wash away all your pain. You have a new life now. You are my grand-daughter, the heir to my legacy. "Ma Saheb said as she patted me gently.

She looked up and said, 'Pratap, your baby is finally home .I have fulfilled my promise!"

I looked up at her and saw her those tears that had been locked for all these years.

We were both silent but I hugged her tight as if I would never let her go.

She kept on running her fingers through my wild hair, twirling one strand and straightening another.

'Go get the combs and the oil. I shall braid your hair'. She said.

I nodded like a small girl, my nose red and eyes puffy.

She laughed and said, 'You look like a little girl who has been scolded'.

I was all pink in face.

She oiled my tresses and worked her magic on them as all the unruly mane were tamed and tied in a beautiful braid.

I kissed her and said, 'I am coming to you for my braiding every day and I don't care what others think. I can't stay away from you now." I cried petulantly.

"I can see that I am going to have my hands full with you. You are one wild imp. I saw the ruckus you created with Shanta this morning in your room. But those strains of unadulterated laughter had been missing from these walls all these years. Your joy reverberated all throughout infusing new life into the dead walls of this house. And I saw your defiance at the table .I am happy to see that you are not reluctant to reclaim what you deserve. You are just like Pratap in so many ways."

Before I could reply, the door opened and Inderavadhan walked in.

'I am sorry but I could not do anything more to while away the hours. "He said.

"Hours?" Both of us asked incredulously.

"Yes.it is been more than two that you locked together and everyone outside is wondering about it and making their own surmises." He said.

"Hey, you look so pretty, all pink and red, and your hair finally in place. Ma Saheb must have turned this bandit queen into a charming damsel." He smirked.

I reddened all the more and stuttered some inane reply.

"Jasmine, you should make an effort to look pretty. Your mother was always well groomed with never a hair out of place. You can't tarnish her reputation." Ma Saheb remarked.

I simply nodded.

Inderavadhan seemed to be enjoying himself.

'The shrew has gone silent. Did you snipe off her tongue, Ma Saheb?" He said.

I shot him a sharp look but he just laughed.

Ma Saheb suddenly took hold of my hand and planted it in Inderavadhan's hand.

"Indu, you will always take care of her and Jasmine, you will always be there for him. Both of you will take care of my estate." She said.

I stared at her dumb-founded,

"I know about you and Indu, Jasmine. So don't give me that incredulous look . I know what goes on under the roof of my house." She declared haughtily.

I was tongue-tied.

I stared at I nderavadhan and he just smiled.

I could not understand what was going on but today I was the luckiest girl on earth.

I was plainly happy as I looked at the two faces that would become the sheet-anchor of my life and whom I would love for the rest of my days.

I sat down again at Ma Saheb's feet and buried my head deep into her lap.

I did not want to let go of her.

"Indu, give my girl all the love that she deserves." She said to Inderavadhan.

"Ma Saheb, I shall always love her. I am your son". He said.

"I am lucky to be blessed with two loving children like you." She said.

Inderavadhan also sat down at her feet as she smiled contentedly and said, "I am at peace now".

'Ma Saheb, we are not fully done yet. We came here to tell you some big news, We have found buyers for our crop who would give us a fair price. They all used to work with Pratap Uncle and still hold him in high regard. But we have to be very careful and not let this news leak out, I f Surya comes to know, he will play mischief." Inderavadhan said.

'Yes, you are right. We have to very careful." Ma Saheb said.

"Jasmine, get ready for the battle. The next few days hold the key to your future. Y ou have to be at Indu's side all the time". She said.

I got up and walked up to the window.

The cedars were swaying merrily.

I smiled and said 'Things will go our way. The winds are blowing in our direction".

Ma Saheb smiled enigmatically.

"Don't tell me that this one also talks to these cedars.! God help me!" Inderavadhan exclaimed.

Both Ma Saheb and I laughed.