Dramatic Appearances
Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don't recognise them. Satya wasn't among the majority. He knew very well that there was nothing more expensive than a missed opportunity. Sitting infront of Raimoti Mukherjee inside the horse drawn phaeton carriage, all Satyakirth could think of were two things...
First, about the easy access inside Neelmoni's Palace basement through Raimoti's heart, and last, to avenge every wound that Neelmoni had inflicted on Anirudh Roy Chowdhury.
There was nothing dearer to him than his country, but still the vacant look on the woman's eyes sitting near him was making his heart wander away in between his schemed thoughts.
No, he shouldn't be distracted...
And Raimoti was the key to all his plans.
Three house guards with speared rifles tied to their shoulders ran at once as the phaeton carriage stood infront of the massive iron gate of the Raybahadur palace. Neelmoni too, had come out in the open sunlight as his mouth opened at the sight infront.
Satya had got down, along with Raimoti Mukherjee, as Neelmoni witnessed the cordial smile of an exquisitely handsome man in his mid twenties, elegantly dressed, carrying his daughter in his arms.
"RaiMaa... RaiMaa what happened?" Neelmoni raced towards them, as Satya halted after entering the gate.
"RaiMaa, where did you go? I was... I was so worried...!" Neelmoni had inched closer as he touched his daughter's mildly burning forehead. She was still cradled in the handsome man's arms as her father, although well aware of the chained saree and escape fiasco, tried to shower her with his pretentious love and concern in presence of the attractive stranger.
"I wish to be in my room." Raimoti moved her face away from her father's touch. "Doctor, would you take me to my room please... It's left, upstairs."
Satya nodded his head and continued to maintain his cordial countenance.
"Yes, Yes... She should rest now, come son... Come inside... I welcome you to my humble abode."
Neelmoni quickly made way as Satya carried the frail beauty inside the threshold of the enormous banglow Palace.
One step at once, and he had successfully crossed the threshold of the place that would lead him a little closer to his cause... his holy mission!
"So young man... May I know how you found my daughter?" The old RayBahadur was sitting on a velvety couch, downstairs, with a pipe in his hand as he addressed Satyakirth with a smiling inquisition.
And that's exactly what Satya had wished for!
He had laid Raimoti on her bed, upstairs, eyeing quickly at the messy state of her room, the half opened wardrobe, a chain of saree tied to the window grill and bunched up on the floor, and crumpled papers all around the floor... Satya knew at once what might had happened the night before.
'Stay well Miss Mukherjee, I'll come back to check on you', was all that he had said to the calmly seated lady before he walked out of her room, ready to address the shark in the house, her father.
"So, young man... Where are you from?"
Neelmoni was bombarding him with questions, and Satya, without any physical disguise, knew very well that it was probably time to put on his best masquerade.
"Well sir, I'm not from around. I was in London, studying medicine, just came back to the country a week ago."
"Oh! That's very nice to know..." The old man's face had brightened up, his mind playing the possibilities of this man not knowing anything about the news propagandists spreading 'rumours' about him.
"So, where in Calcutta son? You don't mind me calling you Son, do you?"
Satya smiled and nodded his head.
"I came to visit Professor Dr. Prantik Pramanik from the Medical College."
He knew this ruse would never fail!
"Dr. Prantik... Oh yes yes... The head of Medical board... I know Prantik Babu well." Neelmoni smiled brightly offering a seat to the young doctor.
"Thank you Sir." Satya sat down.
"So? How long do you intend to stay here? Pardon me... Where are you staying exactly?" A cloud of smoke from Neelmoni's pipe had filled up the air inside the drawing room.
"Nowhere in particular Sir, in the hotels mostly." Satya smiled. "And, I'll be here for about a month... And then off to London once again."
"Good good... Very good!" Neelmoni took another puff and released it in the air again.
"But why hotel's'? You said 'hotels' in plural."
Satya lowered his head, as if a little embarassed, as he spoke slowly in a bashfully manner.
"Hotels here in India aren't comfortable, specially the staff and their unprofessionalism, pardon me, it's a little difficult for me to adjust at one place..."
Neelmoni laughed out aloud.
"Ohho hoo... I'm glad you share my views young man, professionalism among Indians is a big challenge... They would behave as if you aren't a paying guest but a family, and would try to be a little too congenial, extra friendly you see... I too can't bear it."
Ofcourse you can't you Neelmoni Mukherjee!
Satya smiled gently, killing the man for a hundredth time in his mind already.
"I have an idea. Why don't you stay here? With us! It's only me and my daughter, you have already met my daughter, and she's ailing too, it would be really good to have a doctor in house." Neelmoni extended a packet of imported cigar at him as Satya politely refused, making the old man's face even brighter.
"Well that would be gre... " Satya stopped without completing his sentence.
"No Sir, I really wouldn't bother you with my problems... I have an unpredictable work schedule, it's difficult to have me around, there is no surety of my recrudecence, no routine... "
Neelmoni raised his hand to stop him.
"Don't worry young man... I understand the unpredictability of a doctor's work schedule. I'll tell my guards about your free passage at any given time, no one would stop you from entering or exiting my house."
Satya folded his hands and joined them in gratitude.
"Then I shouldn't have any problem."
"Yes. And, I don't think you know this, but am a RayBahadur... You won't face any comfort challenges in this house atleast."
Satya smiled again and stood up.
"Thank you Sir... I'll bring my things late in the evening then..." He turned around to leave as his steps seized abruptly, as if a with a question in mind.
"I hope your daughter won't mind my sudden intrusion!"
"No she won't... " Neelmoni raised his hand in defiance. "She doesn't come out of her room much... Infact, I'm planning to get her married soon... "
"That's wonderful... I hope you find someone appropriate for her, I mean to match her beauty and intellect and," stop Satyakirth, just stop right there! His mind screamed as Satya smiled gently again, and walked towards the door, a little baffled as how for the first time in life, although for a few seconds, but his mouth wasn't in sync with his brain.
"Wait!"
Neelmoni's sharp voice had made his heart thud a little.
Did he realise his ruse?
Did he just blew everything away?
He turned around confidently and narrowed his eyes at the old man, as if in a little annoyance at this abrupt intrusion.
"Yes Sir? Is there anything else."
"No, just your name... I quite didn't catch it. What's your name again?"
"Doctor Sen... It's Doctor S. Sen."
He smiled.
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"Alright... So let's go through this once again!" Bondita, seated at the front of the car, beside Batuk, patted on the sling bag kept on her lap.
"So, what all do we know about the new Governor?" She turned her eyes at Batuk as he let out a sigh of nervousness, steering away the car expertly on the street.
"Lets see... We know he came to India about a month ago... And, he had recently married before his posting here, and that makes me conclude he won't be as old as the previous governor."
Bondita was listening to his reasoning with rapt attention.
"Yes, and we know that he isn't very socially active. The evening gossip column says that he hasn't attended any dinner or social events in the last one month, infact neither has his wife, which is very queer, considering how much these British women loves to party."
Batuk nodded his head in agreement.
"Does that mean he would be a rude and an unsociable one? That would make our job really difficult." He sighed.
"But the most important part would be getting past the guard."
"Hmm!"
The car was speeding towards the Bunglow of the new British Governor General of Bengal, under Viceroy Irwin. Anirudh had sent them both on a special task, to convince the governor for a date extension.
Bondita's head had automatically leaned back on the car seat.
"Let's just hope we succeed in convincing him to postpone the case dates... " Her eyes had closed as she exhaled sharply.
"I just hope your Dada is alright now... It doesn't feel right to leave him all alone, in this condition."
"Dr. Pramanik is there Bondita, don't worry... Plus Monimala Kaki and six house guards... Atleast Dada can sit upright now..." He too, took a deep breath trying to convince himself more, than his worried sister-in-law.
Nestled amidst the greenary, a little away from the hustle bustle of the city, as humble as any tree in these parts, was the governor's mansion. It's windows were as shy eyes, shut down, yet large to welcome any ray of sun. The rock walls belonged right where it was, as if perchance it had grown up right from that hallowed ground. It was as if it had been called into existence to protect those who came to dwell within, to quell the elements and allow a heat to build from hearths into the inhaled woodland air.
Batuk's car had stopped a little further from the main entrance, as two armed British guards stood proudly guarding the residents with an air of haughtiness around them.
"Excuse me... We need to speak to the governor." Batuk had approached one of them, speaking in clear non-accented English as the red-faced man frowned at him in displeasure.
"Why?"
"We have an urgent business with him... We come bearing new from Ani..."
"I don't want to know.... Go away... Get lost from here..."
"Listen, Sir..."Batuk tried to sound as polite as possible.
"We really need to speak to him. It's work related."
"He hasn't any work with any bloody Indian." The guard pulled his rifle straight at Batuk. "Get lost or I'll shoot."
Batuk gulped nervously, but didn't leave his position.
"What do you mean by bloody Indian? If Indian's are so damn bloody then why are you all here? Why aren't you in your own great country?"
Bondita had got down from the car as she walked straight infront of the piston of the upheld rifle.
"You are a guard, and I am a Zamindarni, a Royalty! I spend more as my daily pocket money than your entire month's pay." She held the long piston of the gun and moved it off her face.
"If you kill me, or even a small scratch on us... You have bloody no idea what your British Government would do to you... Not to talk about the newspapers and radio... What would you do then, Mr. Big guard?
The red-faced man was a little baffled at this sudden aggressiveness of the pretty Indian lady standing infront. Her attire, the sparkling diamonds studded to her ornaments did speak volume of her affluence. He stood down at once and took out a small entry ledger from his pocket.
"Enter your name, Madam... And his too." He spoke, his voice a little mellowed this time, eyeing Batuk once again.
Bondita didn't even pay a glance at him, as the other guard held the gate open for them. "Write down... It's Her Highness Mrs. Bondita Roy Choudhury, and this is my driver... Batuk."
The path leading inside was beautifully decorated with colorful shrubs on both side. The stoned pathway was clean, as it ceased to exist right at the entrance of the Governor's sitting room.
"Driver? Really?" Batuk had hushed in a low voice, still not able to fathom the abruptness of Bondita's words.
"You were behaving like one... Please Sir... I beg you sir... Meh meh meh..."
Bondita pushed the door open.
"Governor Sir." She called out once.
"General Albert McKenzie... Sir, we're here to meet you."
"Aren't they supposed to have attendents inside?" Batuk hushed again.
"I thought his house would be full of servants."
"I too thought so." Bondita nodded her head, eyeing the walls of the sitting room in astonishment.
"Did you notice anything strange?"
Batuk too was looking at the huge wall paintings and the animal carcasses that had decorated the tall stone walls of the room.
"A lot of dead animals."
"No... These are from the last governor's collection... Look at the pictures beside each of these...even the portraits... The last one is of General Jackson, the previous..."
"You are right young lady... It's General S Jackson's." A grave old voice caused Bondita and Batuk to stir up, as they turned around immediately to face an old man, in his early sixties probably.
His grey hair and clean shaven face gave away a typical senator look. He had worn a light grey long satin robe, wrapped carefully around his exercised body.
But, there was a pale sadness in his eyes, a forlorn expression, and Bondita didn't miss to notice a frail strains of blood on the sleeves of his robe.
"Sir, we've come here with an earnest request from Barrister Anirudh Roy Chowdhury, I'm his wife, Bondita, and this is his brother."
"Batuk Roy Chowdhury, Sir." Batuk extended his right hand towards the old man as he slightly nodded his head at him.
"We'd like to meet the Governor General."
"I am him. Tell me... " The old man sat down on the couch.
"Tell me Mrs. Roy Chowdhury, what can I do for you."
Neither Bondita, nor Batuk was expecting anyone as old as this man to be the new Governor General. They had thought of a plan, a strategy, to convince a progressive young mind, but the gravity of this old man sitting infront made them considerably uncomfortable at their task.
"Sir, it's about the Swadeshi Custodial Death Case." Batuk started to speak.
"My brother, Barrister Anirudh Roy Chowdhury is fighting the case on behalf of the state."
"Defence, you mean." The old man's voice was low, as Bondita noticed a subtle anxiousness in his voice.
"I'm aware of the accident... How is your brother doing?"
His eyes were busy, nervous, as his words somehow didn't seem to sync with his actions.
"He isn't doing well, and hence we've come to request you to postpone the date of the next hearing."
"When is it again?" The governor had stood up suddenly, as if to excuse himself, as he sat down once again and let out a sigh.
"It's today. In the afternoon. Four hours from now." Bondita remarked.
"Good... Good..." The governor nodded.
"No. I mean don't worry... I'll see what I can do." He looked up at Bondita, eyeing her carefully.
"Are you a Barrister too?"
"No Sir. I'm in college."
"Hmm..! And he?"
His gaze had turned towards Batuk, as he politely smiled and spoke in a soft gentle tone.
"I'm a medical student, Sir."
"A doctor?" The governor's face had brightened up at once, as he almost jumped up from the couch and leaned forward, grabbing Batuk's shoulder in his firm grip.
"I need an urgent assistance doctor, right now... You'll have to come inside with me!"
Batuk swallowed hard and stood up slowly at his words.
"Well, I mean, I don't have my bag and still a..."
"It would do doctor, and consider this to be a deal... You help me, and I extend the case deadline by a month... Agreed?"
And before Batuk could open his mouth, Bondita jumped up from her chair as well and smiled brightly.
"Agreed, absolutely agreed!"
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Dear readers,
Another long chapter. Hope you enjoy this too.
Do let me know your thoughts.
And vote as well.
What do you think would happen next?
Waiting for the comments.
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