tales of Suchita

Arthur knew he had missed something important only he didn’t know what. He had asked his serving boy, the cook and the guard who sometimes accompanied him when he went to the market. None of them knew.

He had been alerted to his mistake by Nairobi when she refused to entertain him until he had done what he had promised to do several days ago. Several days ago Arthur had been drunk, trying to drunkenly tell a story to Lord and Lady Mereko, between raucous laughter and back thumping. He was relatively certain that was not what Nairobi meant.

He went around the keep, feeling like a lost ghost when it came to him in a flash. Of course! They had been courting for close to a year now. Their anniversary must be coming up. Suddenly Arthur felt light on his feet as love rapidly filled his heart. His darling wanted a celebration and he would give her one that she would remember for a long time.

Getting excited, with a game plan in mind, he put himself…and the keep servants…to work. He ordered his rooms to be thoroughly cleaned. He hired a troupe of performers that had been going around Lovinale. He asked the cook to make three dishes he knew were Nairobi’s favourite: a hearty dish from her childhood made with tomatoes and potatoes, a side dish of rice made with wine-soaked vegetables and a dessert made with milk and jaggery. He even acquired an expensive perfume as a gift. He named it after her too – My Sweet Valentine.

He knew word of his extravagant plan had reached her when she stopped him one night on his way to his rooms. She stepped out of the darkness as she pushed him into the wall, steeling a quick kiss.

“Oh Arthur, is it true? Is it really true?”

Arthur gathered his love in his arms and held her close. “Yes my darling. I will give you a night to remember.” When he felt her tremble, he captured her face in his hands and kissed her again. “I promise my love. Trust me.”

*

The night had gone nearly perfectly. Nairobi had adored the food, eating in a way he had never seen her eat in front of him. She had appreciated, even though she had vehemently denied it, that he had hired a troupe for entertainment and decided to forego himself as one. Arthur had specifically asked them to perform only the happiest of stories. Seeing her laugh and clap and wipe away tears of joy had brought a contentment in him that had been sorely missing.

He realized then with a pang that he was in love with this woman. They were seated in their pet places, in front of the fireplace, as the room had emptied. His serving boy had brought a tray of brandy and two glasses and giving his master inappropriate winks, left the room too.

There was a pleasant fuzziness in the air around him and since there was no reason to delay giving her the final gift, Arthur got up from his sofa and knelt in front of her.

Nairobi’s heart started to drum faster. Her smile became impossibly big and she had to remind herself to not jump and ruin his surprise. The night had indeed been perfect and she could wait for him to do it in his own way.

“My darling, I have just had one of the most profound realizations. I’m in love with a woman who is absolutely perfect for me.” He kissed her knuckles and tucked a curl behind her ear. “It is you, Nairobi of Frendyl.”

She laughed softly, tears pooling in her eyes.

“I have one final gift to give you,” he said, fiddling in his pocket to find the bottle of perfume. He presented it to her with a flourish, waiting for her excitement.

Instead she barely gave it a glance, still looking at him expectantly.

“Aren’t you going to smell it? I had it made especially for you.”

“I will,” she said dismissively, “once you give me my gift.”

Seeing the confusion on his face, she laughed though she was nervous now. “The ring, Mr. Chubs? The ring that will bind you and I?”

Arthur shot up from where he was kneeling. “Ring? Nairobi…I don’t…I don’t understand.”

“You…you don’t understand? What was all this then if not a proposal?”

“A…a proposal?!” Arthur’s eyebrows had shot right to his hairline. Had he ever, in any way, indicated to her, without his knowing, that he would marry her? Had he?

Nairobi stood up from her sofa and smoothed her dress. She didn’t feel nervous, not at all. Men, she thought fondly. Sometimes they needed to be led, to be steered, to be taken to the well before they could drink the water. It had been her mistake, she thought indulgently, for not making it clear sooner.

“Why Mr. Chubs,” she said coquettishly, “we have been together a year, have we not?”

“Yes!” he agreed wholeheartedly, feeling they were back on familiar grounds. “That’s why I…”

She did not allow him to continue. “You say you love me?”

“Of course my dear, I just said…”

She overrode him again. “Then isn’t marriage the next step?”

Arthur couldn’t take it, he had to sit. He shuffled to the sofa and sat with a soft thump. He couldn’t believe how stupid he had been. Of course, of course she would think he wanted to marry her. He had courted her, willingly, without straying once, for a year. A year! And the best part was, she hadn’t even made the wrong assumption. It was completely rational for her to think they were headed for wedded bliss. It was he who was the fool.

“Are you alright Arthur, my Arthur?” Maybe it was shock that was making him slow to respond?

No more, he thought to himself.

“My dear, I do love you. And I do hold you in the highest esteem. You are extremely important to me. But I do not wish to marry you. I do not wish to marry anyone.”

Nairobi collapsed on her sofa, her head in her hands. He went to her, kneeled down again and took her unresponsive hands into his own.

“Then what was all this about?”

He laughed he couldn’t help it. He sounded utterly demented. “Our one-year anniversary.”

“So we can celebrate our one-year anniversary but you cannot marry me?”

He went through that statement in his head and tried to find a flaw in it, tried to find a way to soften the blow. There was none. “I’m sorry. It’s the truth.”

“No wonder all your stories are sad,” she said like she had learnt a profound truth. She took away her hands and stood up. The tears from earlier had dried.

She walked to the door, meaning to leave when Arthur stopped her. “My…”

“No. Not yours anymore.” She turned but then had to leave a parting note, “You say you love me but you do not, not really. Love does not leave or come and go as per convenience. It stays. That’s what makes it real. That’s what makes it worth fighting for. You talk about telling stories to teach yet you have learnt nothing from them.”

It felt like she had slapped him. He straightened his back. He would not have another person telling him who he was or wasn’t. “I apologize for not making my intentions clearer before Nairobi of Frendyl.”

She made a face. The tears were gathering now but she wouldn’t waste them on him. “Mr. Chubs, I hope I never see you again.”

As the door to his rooms closed, Arthur snorted in disbelief. How had he managed to reach here…again?

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This is Chapter 15 of 26 of The Travelling Librarian series. Written as part of #BlogchatterA2Z.

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Psst: I also have 2 ebooks on Kindle – and if you’re on Kindle Unlimited, they’re free!

• Read The Gunslinger here.
• Read 23 Letters of Love here.