“I told you the idli was off,” I said exasperatedly. “Nobody listened.”
“The idli was fine.” Parushi shrugged as I glared at her. “Not as good as at home, but certainly edible.”
“Any fool could smell that the batter had gone off.” My stomach flipped again just thinking about it.
“Call me a fool all you want,” Parushi said. “But the raja smelled yours and said it was fine, and that servant didn’t notice anything either.”
Understanding dawned on Chaaya’s face. “I doubt anyone would have known anything was wrong except the rani.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, collapsing to the floor and sitting cross-legged, which sent my sari into complete disarray.
Chaaya crouched down at my side and smiled widely. “You remember the sign you’ve been asking about? You are your mother’s daughter.”
Chapter 33
Whatever spies Vishwajeet had sent to attend to me must have told him of my vomiting, because nobody argued when I sent word that I had a stomach ailment and could no longer attend the various tours and functions that had been arranged. I maintained my need for privacy and stayed in my chambers, which really was for the best since the nausea only became more and more overwhelming over time. Soon, Chaaya’s suspicions were confirmed when my monthly cycle failed to make an appearance. I waited almost two extra weeks to be sure, and then I told Aru the news.
My raja lifted me off the ground and swung me in a circle before he caught himself.
“I’m so sorry!” he exclaimed as he let me down and placed his hand on my stomach. “A baby. Just as you saw. What do you need? Rest? More food? Better pillows? Vishwajeet, get her whatever she needs.”
Vishwajeet bowed deeply?—to Aru, not me, but Aru was too distracted to notice.
“We need to take care of you?—of the baby?—so of course we can’t, you know, risk disturbing...” Aru’s cheeks colored as he tried to find the right words.
Vishwajeet looked away as his lip curled, and Parushi’s eyes rolled to the back of her head.
“Even if we cannot enjoy sunsets together,” I said gently, “we’ll still have our afternoon walks, and I’m sure we’ll find more time to spend as just us.”
I led him to a nearby set of chairs and took a seat, sinking into the Banghervari-style pillows. Their plushness still took me by surprise, and I missed the thinner, firmer cushions back home. “Truth be told, I don’t need much of anything. The only thing I ask for is some privacy, particularly in the morning. My stomach is quite unsettled at the beginning of the day, and the last thing I want is for our people to see me like this.”
“Are you sure?” Aru pulled a chair right next to mine, sliding it over the plush carpet, and took my hand in his ever so gently. As if he was suddenly afraid to crush me with his affection.
“The rani is quite right!” Vishwajeet declared, and he began pacing back and forth. “The raja will have to handle all public appearances until the rani doesn’t look like... until she has recovered suitably.”
I ignored Vishwajeet’s comment about my appearance and turned to Aru, covering his hand and curling my fingers around his. “I ask that only Parushi and Chaaya attend to me in the mornings, so only they will see me when I feel worst. Perhaps more people can come to attend to me closer to our midday meal? They can help me get ready so we can take lunch together, and then we can go out for walks afterward. It will give me a chance to see more of your beautiful gardens.”
Aru still looked worried, no doubt preoccupied with thoughts of how to keep his heir safe, so I decided to get his attention. I ran my finger from his chin to his temple and cupped his face in my hand the way I often did before pulling him closer for a kiss when we were cocooned together at night.
“There is nobody I would rather see them with than you.”
Aru nestled his head into my hand, smiling contentedly?—and hopefully too satisfied to argue with my suggestion.
Parushi, Chaaya, and I had planned this proposal before inviting Aru here. Chaaya had warned me that my mother’s severe nausea had been so exhausting that she’d needed to conserve her energy and make fewer public appearances. I felt most ill in the mornings, so this plan seemed like the best solution. It let me have a bit of space when I wasn’t feeling well and gave me some time away from Vishwajeet’s spies while still allowing me to keep an eye on Aru.
“You want to be attended by only Parushi and her?” Vishwajeet gestured to Chaaya incredulously. “All morning? How will they manage?”
“My wardrobe will be far simpler when I won’t be out for everyone to see.” The idea of being free from a throng of people inside my own quarters was glorious, but I couldn’t let them see my joy. I had to continue to look ill, which wasn’t hard given that Vishwajeet was in the room.
“Simpler? On the rani?” Vishwajeet’s face went slightly purple.
“Surely you don’t want the rani to feel uncomfortable as she gives life to the next heir?” Parushi put her hand on her chest in feigned shock, looking much like she did when she mocked the exaggerated manners of the people in Banghervari. “That baby is, after all, the future of our nations. Anything less than our best efforts would be tantamount to disloyalty. Don’t you agree?”
By the time she finished, Vishwajeet was positively apoplectic. He sputtered but could only disjointedly spit out words like “disloyal,” “never,” and “insult.”
I turned away from Aru and covered my face so he wouldn’t see the smile I failed to suppress.
Thankfully, he misunderstood my gesture. Aru placed himself between Parushi and Vishwajeet. “Stop it! You’re upsetting my rani. Before you speak, consider whether or not silence would be preferable.”
