Dark Night Dawning

Chapter 11

Shyam watched the Raizada family sitting on the lawn enjoying their tea. Anjali, the darling sister was sitting between her two loving brothers and was laughing in her usual exuberant style. He could see the love in her eyes as she looked affectionately at Arnav.

Arnav, sitting there brooding, probably because of the conversation they had just had. Always behaving like he had the weight of the entire world on his shoulders.

Then, there was Naniji, the matriarch of the family, Mamaji, Mamiji, Payal and Akash – all of them sickeningly devoted to Arnav Singh Raizada. And why not? They all depended on him for their survival.

And finally Khushi – she seemed happy sitting there in the middle of the group. But then, his Khushiji was always like that. She had the ability to hide her true feelings.

Shyam turned around and walked away as fast as his legs could take him.A fierce rage had started within him. If he went and joined the group for tea he wouldn't be able put on the façade of civility that he usually did in their presence. He needed to vent.

Oblivious to Shyam's raging thoughts, the Raizada family listened in rapt attention to the waiter who had served them tea and pakodas. He told them that in the year 1911, a 49 year old spiritualist Lady Frances Garnett-Orme, had come to stay at the hotel Savoy with her companion from Lucknow, Lady Eva Mountstephan, also a spiritualist who specialized in séances and crystal-gazing. One morning after Miss Mountstephan had returned to Lucknow, Lady Frances was found dead. She had been poisoned by her friend. Though Lady Mountstephan she was arrested later, the court had acquitted her for lack of evidence. Since then it was believed by the locals that the hotel was being haunted by the spirit of Lady Frances waiting for justice to be served.

'There is a gh...ghost in this hotel?' stuttered mamiji after the waiter had left, 'Let's move to another hotel pleeej.'

'There are no such things as ghosts Manorama,' said mamaji consoling his wife, 'He was just trying to entertain us because we asked him to explain its history.'

'I suddenly feel very dizzy and weak,' she shivered.

'That's' because of over eating, first at lunch and then these pakodas. Let me take you up to the room for some medication and rest.'

As soon as they left, Akash excused himself to take Payal to Camel's Back Road which was a 3 km stretch where they could have a sun set view of the Himalayas while they strolled along side it.

Just then Arnav got a phone from the office and he walked away so he could talk in private.

Anjali looked at her brother and then at Khushi who was looking at his retreating back wistfully. Anjali felt a little sad for Khushi who was saddled to her workaholic, unromantic brother. She suddenly realized that Shyam had not joined them for tea. She wondered what was keeping him. She dialled his number.

Shyam's phone began to ring. It was his devoted wife. He cut the phone. He didn't know why she bothered to care for him when the only person she really cared for was her brother – her chotte. She would never love anyone the way she loved him. They shared a very special bond, she said. In all the years he was married to her, he had never once seen that waver even once. And vice-versa. He had seen evidence of that on the night of Payal and Akash's wedding. He had gone ahead and married Khushi just so that he could save his precious Di's marriage.

After Anjali and he had been married, she had showered him with so much love and affection that he had started to feel that he was a stray dog that she had picked off the streets. What else would you call such blind devotion? She was a princess from a palace and he was a pauper from the slums. The same went for the entire Raizada family who smothered him with their patronizing attitude. But the worst was Arnav. He had made sure his poor brother-in-law would move into the mansion so that his beloved sister could live in luxury and style. He had even made provisions for a regular income to be deposited into his individual account as he very well knew that his poor brother-in-law wouldn't be able to take care of his high maintenance sister with a meagre lawyer's salary. Not that he was complaining. In fact that was exactly why he had married her.