While she was brushing her teeth before bed, she heard Vijay’s phone ring.
“Are you sure? That is interesting. We will be there by morning.”
His face had lit up with a blissful smile. He came to her and caught her in a bear hug.
“Get ready to fly. We are going to Sravanapura. We are closer to finding Daniel.”
“Do you think he lives in Sravanapura?”
“Not sure. But Kritika has found another photograph of the girl in the picture.”
“Who is she?”
“I have no idea, Jane. Kritika refused to tell me on the phone. I hope it is not one of her tricks to lure me back to Sravanapura so that she can meet you. It is, after all, the beginning of the yearly spring festival tomorrow. It is gala time at the palace. Let me make arrangements to fly to Sravanapura. You take a nap till then. Tomorrow might be hectic.”
Jane didn’t want to sleep but exhaustion caught up with her and before long, she slipped into a deep sleep.
***
At five in the morning, Vijay woke her up with a gentle kiss on her forehead.
“Wake up, sleepy head. Can we leave in an hour?” She smiled up at him, excited about the day and pecked on his cheeks. He immediately laid near her and pulled her near. This wouldn’t do. She chuckled and pushed him away playfully. Throwing away the sheets, she then ran to the bathroom to freshen up and get ready for the trip.
Within an hour, they were airborne, this time in a private helicopter belonging to the royal family of Sravanapura.
Vijay had told her that Sravanapura was situated in the western part of Karnataka at an elevation of 1,090 meters above sea level on one of the foothills of the Western Ghats. It was known for its coffee plantations and picturesque locales, which often featured in movies too. But nothing had prepared her for the view that greeted her while they hovered over the hills that were home to the Sravanapura family.
The majestic Sravanapura palace looked straight out of a fairy-tale. Magnificent towers loomed into the sky and its many glass windows shone golden, reflecting the rays of the rising sun. The outer towers were accented with shimmering blue and golden yellow tiles, which Vijay told her were the royal colours. The palace was surrounded by gardens on all four sides. A lake with a huge fountain in the middle occupied a huge area in the front garden. Vijay pointed out the main wings of the palace that formed the shape of a rectangle with an open courtyard in the centre.
“Incredible,” Jane whispered.
Vijay’s eyes lit up and he grinned, his dimples making her itch to trace their depths with her pinkie finger.
“I'm glad that you think so.”
The helicopter landed on a helipad located in one part of a 10-hole golf course created by Vijay’s father, who was a former golf champion.
A long line of attendants stood to receive them and they were ushered inside. Vijay held her hands and led her into the palace.
The breath-taking and spacious reception room they walked into was blooming with floral motifs, which were everywhere. They were on the ornate ceiling, carved on wooden panels on the doors and on the floor tiles. The pattern was also repeated on the cushions of the chairs and chaise lounges. In the next room, which was the grand hall, crystal chandeliers upped the beauty and the grandeur of the room along with exquisite furniture. Each room that they were passing through was yet another example of perfectly done elegant interiors with eclectic designs. When they reached the residential wing of the palace, Vijay stopped and addressed her.
“Rest and freshen up, dear. We will then go and search for the lady in the photo.”
Vijay summoned a maid and instructed her to take Jane to her room. Her mouth opened to form a huge ‘O’ as she entered the room. Her entire flat in London would have fit into it easily, it was that huge. The walls of the room were painted in blue: cornflower blue. The ceiling, floor, and furnishings were white.
An ornate four poster bed with soft white lace curtains occupied the centre of the room. The pure white silk sheets, the velvet cornflower blue blanket and pillow covers in the both colours on the feather soft bed, invited her to sink into them. A bunch of vases filled with fresh roses stood on a Victorian style dressing table with a silver framed mirror. One of the doors opened to a balcony that gave a breath-taking view of the palace gardens. Another side door opened into a walk-in wardrobe and dressing room. Jane opened another door and her jaw dropped.
The bathroom seemed to have dropped out of a luxury magazine’s page. The huge white tub along one of the walls in the bathroom made her want to fall into it and take a calming bath. A shower room and a cupboard for towels occupied the other wall. There were indoor plants near the sink, along with a wall to wall mirror that reflected the whole room. A cabinet near the tub held every kind of bath essentials she could dream, of with multiple choices in each category. Soaps, body-wash, shampoos, wipes, loofas, body lotions, colognes… name it and it was there.
Wouldn’t any girl barter anything in the world to be able to live in this palace forever? Jane knew she would!
Chapter 14
Sravanapura, April 13, 2009,
After a quick bath, Jane rummaged through her backpack but found nothing that seemed to be suitable to be worn inside a palace. At last, she took out a white top with lace trimmings and paired it with blue jeans.
A while later, a knock sounded on her room. She opened the door and a maid entered with a breakfast trolley. A well-dressed girl, probably in her early twenties, had accompanied the maid. She grinned widely and surprised Jane with a hug.
“Hi, Jane. I'm Kritika. I'm sure my silly old brother has told you nothing about me, but luckily he has told me lots about you.”
Kritika dismissed the maid and pushed the breakfast trolley into the room. Jane greeted her and walked back, observing the newcomer. She did not resemble the frightened girl she had seen in the newspapers all those years ago. The girl was almost her height and similarly built. She was dressed in a sky-blue tunic top, and white leggings. Her silky long hair fell in waves to her waist. She had an elegance in the way she walked and talked, which spoke aloud of her royal upbringing.
“I'm so happy that you and Vijay are together again. I have seen him pine for you. I knew my intelligent brother would put you up in this room. Just look around; three years ago, he had re-designed this room with you in his mind.”
Jane’s eyes opened wide and her eyes moved around, taking in the truth of Kritika’s statement. The cornflower blue-coloured walls reflected the colour of her eyes and white was her favourite colour. She was impressed. Her prince charming was indeed one of a kind. And a sly one too.
“I want you to know another secret. This room is connected to his room. The dressing room has a door that opens into his dressing room. I'm sure my wicked brother is waiting at this moment for me to go so that he can come in here and claim his princess.”
“Nothing of the sort. I'm not averse to claiming my princess even if my wicked sister is present,” said Vijay, walking out from the dressing room, proving Kritika right. Kritika giggled and ducked when Vijay reached out to box her ears. He gave a quick peck on Jane’s cheek and she blushed.
“I approve of your selection 100%. You both look wonderful together. Didn’t I tell you a hundred times I didn’t like that Tejaswini girl?” Kritika declared.
“You did, my darling sister, and thank you for that. Now tell me where did you find the picture of the lady whose photo I sent you. We need to find Daniel as soon as possible.”
“Come, I’ll show you. You won’t believe who she is.”
Kritika led them through long winding corridors and climbed many staircases before they reached the royal gallery. They hurried past many famous paintings before they entered a hall displaying only black and white portrait photographs. She paused when she came to the far corner of the room and then exclaimed.
“She is gone!”
“Who is gone? Where?” Vijay asked. Kritika pointed at a blank space on the w
all. It certainly had been occupied by a portrait until recently as indicated by the clean rectangular area left behind by the frame.
“I remember the photograph vaguely. But really? I can’t believe it,” said Vijay
“I believe she is the one,” said Kritika.
“Will you both tell me who she is? What was her photograph doing in this gallery?”
“If Kritika is right, the lady with Daniel is the younger sister of my late grandfather. My great-aunt Devika. Nobody ever discusses her in this house. I have heard hushed whispers that she was part of some scandal that had shaken the palace years ago. Now I'm almost sure the scandal starred Daniel,” Vijay said.
Jane couldn’t believe that Daniel had married a princess. It must have been such a huge scandal. It must also have been a dangerous thing to go against the Sravanapura family, which must have been at the heights of its power back then.
“It is so hard to believe,” Jane said finally, shaking her head. No wonder Daniel was still reluctant to contact his family.
“We need to visit the dower house to get more details. The only person who can enlighten us on what exactly happened is our grandmother. She is not very active these days though. She is in her early eighties now,” said Kritika.
“Yes, I'm sure she will lead us to Daniel,” seconded Vijay.
The dower house was an elegant bungalow that faced the east, overlooking the golf course. The interiors were minimally furnished and resembled any modern house in terms of their looks and utility.
Vijay’s grandmother, Indrani Devi, was reading from her tiny prayer book, seated on a mat in front of the small temple located in a corner of the hall, her glasses perched low on her nose. They waited till she finished reading. She was a picture of elegance even though she was attired in a plain snow-white cotton sari. Jane wondered how pretty she would have looked in her youth.
“Granny, this is Jane Worthington. We were classmates in college,” Vijay said as soon as Indrani Devi came and sat with them in the living room.
“Jane? Worthington?” she repeated. She narrowed her eyes and scrutinized Jane from under her glasses.
“Yes. We came here to seek answers to some questions,” said Vijay.
She wrinkled her eyebrows and pursed her lips.
Vijay passed the printout of Daniel’s photograph to her. She looked at the photograph and then at them, as if her patience was running out.
“The man in the photograph is the brother of Jane’s grandfather. He vanished without a trace sometime after independence and his family wants to find him. I hope you recognize the girl in the photograph.”
“After all these years? Why? Where was his family when he needed them?” she snapped.
“Ma’am, all these years my family has believed that he was dead. Please do tell me what happened to them. My grandfather is dying and his last wish is to see his brother. I will be eternally grateful if you can provide some information about them.”
“Child, I would have gladly helped if I knew where they are. I'm afraid I will be of no help in this regard.”
“But Grandma, didn’t great-aunt Devika ever try to contact anyone in the family? How is it possible that a mere soldier could outwit a powerful family that had connections everywhere?” asked Kritika.
“Didn’t I tell you I don’t know? I have no idea how he did it. God bless him. He loved dear Devika; she was the apple of his eye. He would do anything to keep her safe. Please leave, I don’t want to talk anything about it,” she said and started coughing violently before she turned away.
A man, the butler, came forward and bowed to Vijay.
“Pardon me, your highness. There are strict instructions from her doctor that she should not be subjected to any kind of stress.”
Jane, Kritika, and Vijay stood up and walked out of the dower house. Jane looked back over her shoulders and saw Vijay’s grandma walk out of the living room hurriedly, accompanied by the butler. There was no sign of the cough that seemed to have crippled her minutes earlier.
“I wonder why she acted so rude. She is never like this, Jane. I'm sorry but she is a darling most of the time,” Vijay said.
“Yes, Jane. We will try to talk to her again.” Kritika seconded Vijay.
“Maybe she didn’t like me,” said Jane.
“Nothing of the sort, Jane,” said Kritika.
“Rubbish,” declared Vijay.
A uniformed servant came near them and bowed to Vijay.
“His Majesty wants to see you in the eastern conference room, your highness,” he said.
Vijay nodded to the man and then turned to face Jane and Kritika.
“You girls go ahead. I will go and meet father. Kritika, show her around the palace. Also, arrange for some suitable clothes for Jane to wear for the party we are having in the evening. I want to introduce her to everyone. We had no idea we would be coming here.” He left after throwing a wink at Jane. Memories of how things between them had suddenly changed made blood rush to her cheeks.
“Oi hoy, I love the colour on your cheeks,” Kritika said and Jane snorted. “Come with me, I will take you around the palace and tell you about our history and home. After all, you are going to be the next queen.”
Kritika led her to the portrait gallery first. She showed her the picture of the first king of Sravanapura.
“This is Harsh Dev Varman, the man who established our dynasty in the late 14th century. Our kingdom is named after a month, the fifth month in the Indian calendar, Sravana, when he established the kingdom, after defeating a local warlord. Our kingdom was initially small and part of another mighty empire called the Vijayanagara empire. After the fall of the Vijayanagara empire in 1565, Sravanapura proclaimed its independence and became a separate state. Many of our ancestors expanded the kingdom and at one point in time we ruled over a large area of South India. My grandfather ruled over Sravanapura till 1950, after which our kingdom was attached to the Indian republic. My father has been the Member of the Indian Parliament from this area after my grandfather vacated the seat due to ill health. He is, hence, a powerful political persona in this part of our country.”
“You seem to be an expert in your family’s history. It will be wonderful to actually read about your ancestors. Do you have any books?”
“I have a few but they are all written in ancient Kannada script and some are in Sanskrit. Actually, I am compiling a book about the history of our family. It is proving to be a fascinating journey.”
“Wow, that is wonderful! I would love to learn more about your ancestors.”
“I might come to you for help. The current textbooks available do not do justice to the contributions made by our ancestors to this country. I want to bring to light many other aspects as well. We will talk about it in detail later. Now let me show you some of the areas the public are allowed to visit.”
She then led her through the many magnificent and imposing public courtyards and durbar halls that were decorated with wall murals and doors inlaid with ivory. Every turn in their path was opening up new marvels.
“The palace currently has 150 rooms. It was remodelled by many. The architect of the current palace was English. The architecture style is called Indo-Saracenic,” Kritika explained as they walked through the various corridors. Palace staff greeted Kritika at every corner.
“How many staff do you have?” Jane asked after they passed another employee.
“Over 200 currently. We have a hospital wing, a school wing and also a public wing where father holds his meetings.”
“Wow! Does that include the gardeners too?” Jane asked watching a gardener prune a decorative bush. They had, by then, reached the central courtyard.
“Excluding them. An external agency supplies them.”
The garden inside the central courtyard was a delight for the eyes with local flower varieties and foreign imports nodding their heads coyly in the cool breeze.
“Wait, I will show you my favourite place in this palace,” said Kritika an
d led Jane down a flight of steps from the corner end of the central courtyard.
Jane let out a whoop of delight when they emerged at a large underground swimming pool hidden beneath the central courtyard. It was huge and was called the zodiac swimming pool. The twelve zodiac signs were marked across the ceiling recreating the night sky using phosphorescent paint.
After roaming around for nearly an hour, they returned back to the residential wing though they hadn’t finished the tour completely.
“Vijay will take you around again. I am sure, he will prove to be a better tour guide than me!” Jane declared she was enchanted by the beauty of the palace.
Kritika told her about many tunnels that connected the main buildings and also a longer one that led to a palace on the boundary of a kingdom safely hidden in the jungles of Sravanapura hills. Exploring them with Vijay would be a real adventure.
The first thing that met Jane’s eye when they entered her room was the day’s newspaper kept on the coffee table. Jane gasped when she saw the photos of her and Vijay from the beach plastered on the front page.
Prince Vijay’s secret tryst with a mystery girl. Playboy Prince? Screamed the headline
“Tck, tck. The paparazzi found you. So, that is what Vijay is going to be grilled about. Bad morning. Poor Vijay.”
Chapter 15
Rudra Dev Varman was fuming when Vijay entered the eastern conference room. He hadn’t ever seen his father this furious. The newspaper spread open in front of him immediately told him what he needed to know.
Prince Vijay’s secret tryst with a mystery girl. Playboy Prince?
Prince Vijay Dev Varman seems determined to celebrate the last few days of his bachelorhood in style. Just weeks after his engagement, one of our reporters caught him openly canoodling with a foreigner at his beach house in Mangalore.
His blood boiled. The article had captured one of the sweetest moments of his life and painted it as something gross. He tossed the paper away in disgust and sank into a chair across his father. Propping his elbows on the table, he raked his fingers through his hair, contemplating how Jane would react if she saw the report.
A Royal Affair Page 7