Flashback continued
Dima City, Mandhaar
"Let's stop at this inn for a bit. I want to use the facilities. Why don't you ask them for a pot of tea and some snacks to carry along? We will have it all with Dai Maa. It will make for a good surprise," said Katyayani as they reached the familiar place.
She intended to make arrangements for later when she returned to this inn with Ganak secretly at night.
While Eka was busy picking up their order from the restaurant, Katyayani ran to one of the waiters inside and spoke to him in hushed tones. She slipped him a small pouch of money and told him what she wanted done for later that night.
Eka looked at Katyayani's beaming face when they boarded the carriage again and said, "So happy to be here?"
Katyayani grinned and simply nodded her head.
As the carriage rolled into the lane where the music hall was, Katyayani suddenly spotted a known face.
She was stunned for a moment before recovering quickly.
"Eka, I just remembered that the moong dal* pakoras* at the corner shop are the perfect snack as an accompaniment on this beautiful spring evening. Go into the hall and tell Dai Maa that we have arrived and ask her to dress up nicely since it's my birthday. I will pick up the pakoras and be back in a few minutes," Katyayani knocked at the roof of the carriage and jumped out even before it stopped fully.
Eka spluttered incoherently, trying to remind the enthusiastic girl that they just picked up some snacks. But she was already gone!
Katyayani was nearly giddy with excitement. Was it fate to have encountered him here of all the places? Running across the muddy path, she looked around and caught a glimpse of the person whom she had been dreaming about all this while.
Ganak was on the first floor of a utensils' store as she spotted him through an open window.
"Is he planning to set up a house for himself?" She giggled foolishly, lost in some unknown fantasies.
Almost breathless, not with exertion but excitement, she climbed up the stairs and saw him immediately. He was talking to someone, with his back towards her.
"...don't waste my time again by calling me to such a lowly place," an extremely familiar sounding voice fell upon Katyayani's ears.
She wanted to rush forward and scold the person for speaking to her beloved like that but the next set of words stopped her cold.
"Eldest Miss, if I were to call you to a place suitable for your status, I am afraid they won't let me enter the premises. You should be happy that I invited you to this street where only the upper class visits," Ganak's voice was condescending and lazy.
Katyayani frowned at the strangeness of the situation. To the best of her memory, her eldest sister had no reason to interact with Ganak. He was assigned to Third Uncle's children.
Moreover, her eldest sister was not overly fond of riding. She had only learnt it to compete with the aristocratic misses in Dima. For that, her eldest uncle has especially hired an old groom who had retired from the royal palace a few years ago.
There was no reason for an interaction between Ganak and her.
"Why haven't you broken up with her yet? It's been so long that you have been dragging this for. Did I choose the wrong person for this simple job?" Dharitri's chilly words gave Katyayani's wayward thoughts a shocking pause.
If by now she didn't understand that something was wrong, she would have completely wasted her teachers' learnings. Turning around, she moved closer to them but kept her back facing these two.
"What if I say that I have changed my mind? I no longer want to break-up with your dear second sister," Ganak smirked and responded.
Dharitri immediately responded in a low, reprimanding tone. "You lowly servant! What exactly do you mean by that?"
Ganak said, "Tut-tut, Eldest Miss. You mustn't lose your poise in public. What if someone recognises you and looks down upon your shrewish behaviour? And don't get so worked up. I am not an ingrate. Since this opportunity was given to me by you, I would surely fulfill your wish. All you want is for Second Miss to be absolutely heartbroken and shattered, right? I promise that she will be completely broken. But before that, I want to earn some long term advantage for myself. Is there anything wrong with that?"
Dharitri's voice was trembling with anger but she kept her voice low. "Tell me exactly what are you planning? I will get you thrown out of the city without a single penny if you try to play tricks with me."
Ganak gave a short bark of laughter and said, "You are so mean, Eldest Miss. Here I am thinking of both our interests but you don't seem to show any faith in me and my abilities. It was your discerning eye which chose me for this task in the first place. Then, why are you doubting your decision now?"
Dharitri snorted impatiently.
"I was waiting to receive the letter before telling you about it. But I guess you need some sort of proof regarding my capabilities. Your little sister has invited me to come live with her at her cabin, a favour which none of you have ever received from her. Don't you think that is proof enough of my place in her heart already?" His tone was full of arrogance.
But Dharitri didn't rise to the bait, much to his disappointment.
"Eldest Miss, do you know how tough it has been for me to show love-filled expressions towards the ugly Second Miss? But it was a job entrusted to me and I gave it my best. Now that I am so close to the windfall, why would you want me to stop here? Second Miss has even told me that she is quite rich and has some private income coming in from various sources. Though I don't know the exact extent of her wealth, I intend to extract a tidy sum from her on the pretext of setting up a stable life for her and me. After that, I swear that I will leave her in the most ruthless manner, leaving her distraught and disillusioned with love and life, just how you want it," Ganak's voice, though soft, was filled with sheer ruthlessness at the moment.
Even Dharitri got goosebumps listening to him.
*Moong Dal- Yellow Gram Pulse
*Pakoras - Fried Fritters