A green hair ribbon that looked suspiciously like one of mine lay next to the ink bottle. I peeked in the closet and found nothing – no clothes, no boxes, and no possessions.
I went back downstairs and spent the rest of the afternoon studying Indian culture, religion, and mythology. I waited until my stomach growled to eat dinner, hoping for some company. Mr. Kadam still hadn’t returned from the bank, and there’d been no sign of Ren.
After dinner, I went upstairs and found Ren standing on the veranda again, looking at the sunset. I approached him shyly and stood behind him. ‘Hello, Ren.’
He turned and openly studied my appearance. His gaze drifted ever so slowly down my body. The longer he looked, the wider his smile got. Eventually, his eyes worked their way back up to my bright red face.
He sighed and bowed deeply. ‘Sundari. I was standing here thinking nothing could be more beautiful than this sunset tonight, but I was mistaken. You standing here in the setting sun with your hair and skin aglow is almost more than a man can . . . fully appreciate.’
I tried to change the subject. ‘What does sundari mean?’
‘It means “most beautiful.”’
I blushed again, which made him laugh. He took my hand, tucked it under his arm, and led me to the patio chairs. Just then, the sun dipped below the trees leaving its tangerine glow in the sky for just a few more moments.
We sat again, but this time he sat next to me on the swinging patio seat and kept my hand in his.
I ventured shyly, ‘I hope you don’t mind, but I explored your house today, including your room.’
‘I don’t mind. I’m sure you found my room the least interesting.’
‘Actually, I was curious about the note I found. Did you write it?’
‘A note? Ah, yes. I just scribbled a few notes to help me remember what Phet had said. It just says seek Durga’s prophecy, the Cave of Kanheri, Kelsey is Durga’s favored one, that sort of thing.’
‘Oh. I . . . also noticed a ribbon. Is it mine?’
‘Yes. If you’d like it back, you can take it.’
‘Why would you want it?’
He shrugged, looking embarrassed. ‘I wanted a memento, a token from the girl who saved my life.’
‘A token? Like a fair maiden giving her handkerchief to a knight in shining armor?’
He grinned. ‘Exactly.’
I jested wryly, ‘Too bad you didn’t wait for Cathleen to get a little older. She’s going to be very pretty.’
He frowned. ‘Cathleen from the circus?’ He shook his head. ‘You were the chosen one, Kelsey. And if I had the option of choosing the girl to save me, I still would have picked you.’
‘Why?’
‘A number of reasons. I liked you. You are interesting. I enjoyed listening to your voice. I felt like you saw through the tiger skin to the person underneath. When you spoke, it felt like you were saying exactly the things I needed to hear. You’re smart. You like poetry, and you’re very pretty.’
I laughed at his statement. Me, pretty? He can’t be serious. I was average in so many ways. I didn’t really concern myself with current makeup, hairstyles, or fashionable, but uncomfortable, clothes like other teenagers. My complexion was pale, and my eyes were so brown that they were almost black. By far, my best feature was my smile, which my parents paid dearly for and so did I – with three years of metal braces.
Still, I was flattered. ‘Okay, Prince Charming, you can keep your memento.’ I hesitated, and then said softly, ‘I wear those rib-bons in memory of my mom. She used to brush out my hair and braid ribbons through it while we talked.’
Ren smiled understandingly. ‘Then it means even more to me.’
When the moment passed, he continued, ‘Now, Kelsey, tomorrow we’re going to the cave. During the day, there are many tourists, which means we’ll have to wait until evening to look for Durga’s prophesy. We’ll be sneaking into the park through the jungle and traveling on foot for a while, so wear the new hiking boots that we bought for you, the ones in the box in your closet.’
‘Great. Nothing like breaking in new hiking boots on a trek through the hot Indian jungle,’ I teased.
‘It shouldn’t be that bad, and even new hiking boots should be better on your feet than your sneakers.’
‘I happen to like my sneakers, and I’m bringing them along just in case your boots blister my feet.’
Ren stretched out his long legs and crossed his bare feet in front of him. ‘Mr. Kadam will pack a bag with things we might need. I’ll make sure he leaves room for your sneakers. You’ll have to drive us to Mumbai and to the park because I’ll be back in tiger form. I know you don’t like the traffic here. I’m sorry that you’re burdened with this.’
I muttered, ‘Not liking the traffic is an understatement. People don’t know how to drive here. They’re crazy.’
‘We can take back roads with the least traffic on the way, and we’ll be driving only to the outskirts of Mumbai, not through the city as before. It shouldn’t be too bad. You’re a good driver.’
‘Ha, easy for you to say. You’ll just sleep in the back the whole way.’
Ren touched my cheek with his fingers and gently turned my face to his. ‘Rajkumari, I want to say thank you. Thank you for staying and helping me. You don’t know what this means to me.’
I mumbled, ‘You’re welcome. And rajkumari means?’
He flashed me a brilliant white smile and deftly changed the subject. ‘Would you like to hear about the Seal?’
I knew he was avoiding answering, but acquiesced, ‘Okay, what is it?’
‘It’s a carved rectangular stone, about three fingers thick. The king always wore it in public. It was a symbol of the duties of the royal family. The Seal of the Empire has four words carved upon it, one on each side: Viveka, Jagarana, Vira, and Anukampa which translated loosely means “Wisdom,” “Vigilance,” “Bravery,” and “Compassion.” You’ll need to bring the Seal with you when we go to the cave. Phet said it was the key that would open the passageway. Mr. Kadam will put it on your dresser before we leave.’
I stood up, walked to the railing, and stared up at the budding stars. ‘I can’t imagine the life that you came from. It’s so different from what I know.’
‘You’re right, Kelsey.’
‘Call me Kells.’
He smiled and approached me. ‘You’re right, Kells. It is very differ-ent. I have much to learn from you. But, perhaps I can teach you a few things as well. For example, your scarf . . . May I?’
Ren removed the shawl draped around my shoulders and held it out.
‘There are many different ways to wear a dupatta scarf. One way is to arrange it across your shoulders as you did just now, or you can drape one end over your shoulder and the other across your arm as is the current style. Like this.’
Wrapping it around his body, he turned around to show me, and I couldn’t help but laugh. ‘And how do you know the current style?’
‘I know lots of things. You’d be surprised.’ He pulled it off again, twisting the scarf another way. ‘You can also fold it across your hair, which is appropriate when meeting with your elders, as it shows respect.’
I bowed low to him, giggled, and said, ‘Thank you for showing me the proper respect, Madam. And might I say you look lovely in silk.’
He laughed and showed me a few more ways to wear it, each one funnier than the last. As he spoke, I found myself drawn to him. He’s so . . . attractive, charming, magnetic, compelling . . . captivating. He was easy to look at, no question about that, but even if he weren’t, I could still picture myself sitting happily beside him talking for hours.
I saw a tremor run through Ren’s arm. He quieted his demeanor and took a step closer to me. ‘My favorite style, though, is the way you were wearing it earlier when you had it draped across both of your arms loosely. That way, I get the full effect of your exquisite hair tumbling down your back.’