Tim and Amy

"Thank you, Jaya," Tim said.

"You're welcome," she replied, smiling.

Tim grinned. "Somebody must have taught her that."

"Guilty," said Amy. "They're actually quite interested in learning English."

"So what does everyone want to do today?" Tim asked, putting down his fork.

"Amy, do you want to spend some time with Amit?" I asked.

Amy's face lit up. "Can I?"

"Well, go down and see the family – it'll be useful for you to start finding out what they think is appropriate for you two to do before you're married."

Amy's expression became serious again. "How soon do you think that'll be?"

"You have to wait for me!" said Laura, grinning.

"At the very least Amit has to sort out getting the house built," Tim said.

"But that only takes a week, right?" grinned Amy. "And we know Sujesh, the village builder."

"You know what they say about the cobbler's children," Tim teased. "Seriously, I think Sujesh pulled out all the stops for us as a favour, so that we could move into the village as soon as possible. But I don't think it'll be longer than a month."

Amy looked crestfallen. "A month?"

"It'll fly by," I reassured her. "All the planning and preparation for a double wedding, the clothes, everything."

"Anyway," Tim said, "you better scoot if you're going down to the village. I guess we'll see you for dinner – though you can stay if they ask you to."

Amy got up and hugged each of us, whispering in Laura's ear. Laura smiled and nodded. Then Amy vanished down the track towards the village.

Tim took a deep breath. "Laura, I need to talk to you too."

"Sure," she said, her face showing her complete trust in him.

"I think you heard Sarah explaining to me before about the custom here. Basically, the younger daughter – in our family, that's you – doesn't move out when she gets married. Instead, her husband moves in, and you two pretty much will be in charge while Sarah and I fade into the background."

She was silent for a while, then replied slowly. "That's quite a responsibility. I kind of wish Amy had got that one, she's the one with her head firmly screwed on. You know me, head in the clouds, lose track of time."

She smiled. "But I'll give it my best shot."

"You won't be alone," Tim reminded her. "Whoever this chap turns out to be, the one thing you can be sure of is that he'll understand very clearly what the community expects of him – to take his responsibility to you, and to the family, and the village, seriously."

"Well," said Laura, "I said it last night, and I still mean it – I think this way of doing things has a lot of advantages. I just didn't know quite what my part in it was going to be."

I leaned over and hugged her. "I think you – and Amy – are just brilliant."

"I know what I'd like to do today," said Laura. "Sita took all her things with her, so the end room is empty. Could we go into town and get me some art stuff, and I can get my studio set up?"

"Of course," Tim said. "If Sujesh is using his truck I'm sure someone else will lend us a car or something."

"We'd better get clean if we're going out," I said.

"Amy and I washed already," said Laura. "You guys go ahead."

Tim and I went into the bathroom. "Once we've got Laura what she needs, and she's setting up, do you think we can have some time to ourselves?" Tim asked as we washed.

I smiled. "Of course – I have to fly on Monday, remember, and you were planning to go to Kolkata, so we should make the most of the next couple of days. We just need to remember to spend time with the girls, now we know we probably have less than a month with them."

"It does sound very final," Tim said. "I know Amy won't be far away, and Laura will be here, but you're right – things are going to change."

We dried, and went through to our bedroom to dress. When we came out, Laura was scribbling on a piece of paper.

"I hope they have all this stuff here," she said.

"We'll do our best," Tim promised. "If there's anything you can't find, we can have it shipped over."

We walked down to the village, stopping at Sujesh's house to see if the truck was available. Sujesh handed us the keys to the truck, and we were soon bouncing along the track towards the town, me driving and Laura squeezed into the middle of the bench seat between us.

We parked the truck on a side street, and wandered along looking at the shops and stalls.

"I'm not really sure where we'll find what Laura needs," I said. "It's not a kind of shop I've had to look for when I've been here."

"Remember serendipity," Tim said. "Or Amrit would call it divine intervention. Just keep your eyes open."

We passed a corner stall, and Tim bought cartons of fruit juice and packets of crisps for us. We munched as we walked, and sipped the thick sweet mango juice through the straws which came with the cartons.

On impulse, I turned into a dim shopping arcade I'd not been in before, and glanced up towards the far end. "Stationery, paper, maps," I read on the flashing display above the very last shop in the row.

"Come on," I said, "this way."

We went into the shop, and Laura gasped. From floor to ceiling, shelves held everything she might have imagined in her wildest dreams – sketchbooks, sets of pencils, paper, canvas, brushes, even racks containing the British brands of oil paints that I knew Laura preferred.

I saw tears in her eyes, and reached over to squeeze her hand. "Got your list?" I smiled.

She nodded. Just then an old man appeared behind the counter. I blinked, realising his was the first European face we'd seen in weeks.

"Good morning," he said. "Do I take it this young lady needs some assistance?"

Laura nodded. "Yes, please." She handed over the list and he put on wire spectacles to read it.

"I don't think there'll be any difficulty with any of this," he smiled, reaching under the counter for a large cardboard box.

"Mind you," he added, his eyes twinkling, "the easel won't fit in this box, nor the canvases."

"Would it be rude of me to ask," Tim began, "how you come to have such a, mm, well-stocked shop here? We're a bit off the beaten track."

The old man smiled. "You'd be surprised. I came here to paint, years ago, and it's surprising how many people come to sketch, or paint. There's something about the mountains, and the forest, the ruins, that attracts them."

"Well, we're very glad we found you," I said. "We live out near the air base, in one of the villages. Laura is just doing her studio year – she'll be exhibiting at college back in the UK next spring."

"That's marvellous," the old man said. "I'd love to see your work."

"Come to the exhibition," Laura said on impulse. "You could take a holiday, Tim and Sarah will help."

"I might just do that," mused the old man. "Now, I think that's everything."

We paid for the supplies, and made a careful note of the address and the phone number of the shop. Tim carried the box, while Laura managed the easel and Sarah the blank canvases.

We returned to the truck, and were soon back at the house.

"Now, Laura," Tim said, "how about we have some lunch before you get started? I know you, you won't want to stop until you're finished."

"But we'll drag you out for dinner this evening, whether Amy's home or not," I said.

"And of course, Amrit might come round with news," Tim reminded.

Laura grinned. "OK, lunch it is, and I promise to come out for dinner. And if Amrit comes, trust me, I'll be out even if I was right on the verge of the crucial brushstroke."

Jaya brought us lunch, again with a smiling "You're welcome" when I thanked her.

When we'd finished eating, Laura disappeared into her studio with the box, her easel, and the canvases.

"Now," I said, "we won't see her till dinner. Let's make the most of the time."

"What if Amrit comes round with some news for Laura?" Tim asked.

"I'll just tell Jaya to give him tea and ask him to wait. She can knock discreetly, and we can get decent."

"As long as we're not right at – what did Laura say? The crucial brushstroke."

I burst out laughing. "You!" I said.

We went into our bedroom, and Tim took me tenderly in his arms. "I am just so grateful for everything that's happened, for you, for the girls, for how things are working out."

"Well, it's church on Sunday," I said. "I guess that's your chance to tell someone how grateful you are. And don't forget the divine intervention – finding Laura's art shop."

"True," Tim said. "Now, how exactly would you like me to show you how grateful I am to you...?"

"In a while," I said, smiling. "Why don't I tell you some more about the Maharajah and his favourite concubine?"

He nodded. I settled myself more comfortably, then began my tale.

"First of all, you have to imagine the Maharajah's palace as it was in the high days of his kingdom..."

As I spoke, in Tim's mind he saw the ruins in the forest change, the walls rise from their crumbled foundations, the white marble towers reach into the air. The gnarled trees were once more apple orchards, the fountains tinkled, and in the distance silk-draped, bejewelled elephants bore their howdahs in stately procession.

"This is a peaceful kingdom, and the Maharajah – although he's still quite a young man – has time to concentrate on building his palace, entertaining guests for hunts, and on study. One of the subjects deemed necessary for study is the arts of love, and the Maharajah maintains a harem for this purpose, and also to provide entertainment for his guests – all the girls are skilful dancers."

"When young women come to the harem, they're given into the care of the master of the concubines, who's a eunuch, of course. It's his task to ensure they acquire all the skills they need – dancing, singing, reciting, how to dress, and of course the arts of love."

"I've always wondered about that," Tim said. "I assume that no men are allowed into the harem, so exactly how do the girls, um, practice?"

I grinned. "Very good question. But we have accounts written at the time which explain it pretty well. As I said, the girls learn to dance, and they spend a lot of time in practicing physical movement – yoga, really. They study all the different positions for lovemaking, and emulate them in their exercises."

"Anyway, as I don't need to tell you, a lot of the skill of lovemaking isn't just about physical position, it's about knowing what will please your partner, about attitude, about being inviting, sensual, thoughtful."

Tim smiled. "So which harem did you learn in?"

He looked surprised to see me turn a little pink. "Do we have to talk about that?" I grinned. "We're married now, remember. Whatever happened before, I'm all yours now."

He kissed me, and replied, "You don't have to tell me. I'm just grateful that it's one of your many talents."

"Anyway, back to Maya," I said, my face showing my pleasure at his compliment.

"Maya?" Tim queried.

"One of the concubines," I explained. "She came into the harem quite young, as most of the girls do, and she's been learning very diligently, but hasn't yet been sent to the king."

"One day the king comes in from the hunt and goes to his private quarters. The servants bring him food, and he tells them to summon the master of the concubines. The eunuch appears, and the king requests that he send a new girl, one the king hasn't seen before. The eunuch bows, and returns to the harem."

"He calls together the girls – two or three – who've not yet been to the king, and looks them over. Of course they're all beautiful, they all dance well, they can sing and recite, and they have all studied and practiced the physical skills they'll need for the arts of love."

"But one girl – Maya – somehow catches the eunuch's eye. There's something about her, something special, he can't quite put his finger on it, but he's certain that she will please the king. After all, don't forget that if the king is displeased, the master of the concubines could easily lose more than his manhood."

Tim shivered. "I don't want to think about it," he said. "Go on."

"So the eunuch tells the girls to prepare Maya – quickly wash her, make her up, put on perfumes, dress her. When she's ready, he walks with her to the king's quarters, and tells her to go in."

"She walks through the curtain into the room where the king is reclining, a goblet of wine in his hand. As she's been taught, Maya walks towards the king but stops at a distance, her head lowered."

"The king glances at her, then gives her his full attention, looking more closely. 'Come,' he says. She approaches him, and he stands up. He moves to her and rests his hands on her shoulders. 'Look at me,' he commands."

"She raises her head tentatively and looks into his face. She sees kindness there, instead of the impersonal desire she had expected. She gives a quiet smile. 'Your majesty.' The king touches her face gently. 'You've not been with a man before, have you?' he asks. Maya shakes her head. 'Are you afraid?' he asks. Again a shake of the head and a smile."

"He leans over and kisses her gently on the lips, then says, 'Take your time.' She hesitantly returns the kiss. 'Do you want me to dance for you?' He shakes his head. 'No, not this time.' She reaches out a hand to touch his face, and he turns to kiss her palm...

I took a deep breath. "And that's how the Maharajah met his favourite concubine for the first time."

I laid back against Tim, and he wrapped his arms tightly around my stomach, kissing my cheek as my head rested on his shoulder.

After a while I stirred, and said, "That was lovely, but I think it's time we rescued Laura for dinner."

We went to Laura's studio, and Tim knocked gently. Laura appeared, unsurprisingly with a streak of paint down one cheek.

She grinned when she saw us, then her face became serious. "Amrit hasn't been yet, has he?"

Tim shook his head.

"Well," she said, her smile returning, "he'll come tomorrow then – he did say before Sunday." She vanished off to the bathroom to get cleaned up.

"I just love her unquenchable spirit," Tim said, grinning.

I heard footsteps on the verandah and turned to see Amy arriving.

"Had a good day?" I asked, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek.

"Brilliant," Amy nodded.

"Laura's just getting washed – go and check she gets all the paint off?" Tim grinned. Amy went to help.

Tim and I sat down on the verandah – we'd moved the dining table there more or less permanently – and as the girls returned, Jaya brought our evening meal.

"Now," Tim said as we ate, "I have a surprise for us tonight. Some of the stuff we shipped has arrived, and there are a couple of things in there I think you'll enjoy."

"Goody, I love surprises," said Laura.

"Now, you have to wait here, and you're not allowed to peek," Tim admonished.

"We promise," I said. I put my hands over my eyes. "Look, three wise monkeys."

The girls giggled, and Tim went through into the living room where Sujesh had left the crates he'd brought on his truck from the shipping depot.

We heard various sounds of Tim rummaging in crates, then silence for a while. Tim walked back to the verandah, and said, "OK, you can come through now."

We came into the living room. "Gosh, a Gamecube!" said Amy. "We had one of those in the Student Union – Laura and I used to play between lectures."

Tim pressed the button on the top of the box and the game loaded.

"Hey, Amy, it's the karting game," said Laura.

Tim handed her a controller, and picked up the other one for himself. Laura pressed buttons, and soon reached the screen for selecting the characters.

"So who are you going to be?" Tim asked.

"Easy," grinned Laura. "At uni I was always Princess Peach – because of my hair, of course – and Amy was Princess Daisy. Especially after you got Amy her Mini."

"Well," Tim said. "I wonder what else you two got up to that I didn't know about."

Amy smiled wistfully. "Actually, all the most interesting things we got up to were with you."

The game started, and Laura was off, skilfully navigating the corners and picking up banana skins to leave behind, while Tim crashed into hazards and got zapped on a regular basis.

"Give it to me," said Amy, laughing. She took the controller and soon caught Laura up, bumping into her and pushing her off the road.

"Hey!" said Laura, elbowing Amy good-naturedly in the ribs.

Tim put his arm around my shoulders. "I think the surprise was a success."

"You and I can race each other later," I grinned, "when the girls have had enough for a while."

Amy spoke without turning her head from the screen. "Could I ask Amit over tomorrow? I bet he'd like this."

"Sure," Tim said. "It'll keep Laura occupied for a while – otherwise, she'll start at every noise wondering if it's Amrit coming to talk to us."

"Ill ask Jaya to make some snacks," I said. "We can make a bit of a party of it."

Laura narrowly won the first race, and the game moved on to the next circuit.

"I think we're out of luck," I said. "Girls, we're going to call it a day. Really, don't play too late."

"We won't," promised Laura without turning. Tim kissed the top of her head, and ruffled Amy's hair gently.

Tim and I went back to our room and undressed, getting into bed. We could faintly hear the sound of the game, and the girls' good-natured scrapping over tactics on the track.

"Goodness, that was a full day," I said, yawning.

"Tomorrow will probably be eventful too," Tim replied. "Amit will probably be over, and I'm sure Amrit will keep his promise."

***

I woke early in the morning and watched Tim sleeping, as I often did.

He stirred, and rolled over in the bed, facing me. He opened his eyes, seeing me, and smiled. "Can't keep your eyes off me, eh."

"It's true," I said.

"Or your hands," he said, grinning. I wriggled provocatively, and he reached for me...

We lay in each others' arms for a while, then I said reluctantly, "We'd probably better get up. Amy will want to go and fetch Amit, and Laura will be a bundle of nerves."

"Wash first?" Tim asked.

When we'd washed and dressed, we went onto the verandah. After a few minutes, Laura and Amy appeared, looking tired. Jaya brought our breakfast.

"How long did you two carry on last night?" Tim asked, smiling.

"We did beat our previous high score," said Amy, looking sheepish.

"I hope you haven't worn out your enthusiasm," Tim said. "I take it you still want Amit to come over."

A distracted smile appeared on Amy's face. "Definitely," she said.

"Well, finish your breakfast, have a wash, and go over there," Tim said.

Amy grabbed another roti and headed for the bathroom. She reappeared a few minutes later in jeans and t-shirt, her hair still wet, and waved a quick goodbye as she headed off down the track to the village.

Laura took her turn in the bathroom next, and rejoined us on the verandah.

"Why don't you come and watch Sarah and I do a quick couple of laps of the game?" Tim said. "That is, if you promise not to laugh at my driving."

"I'll try really hard not to," grinned Laura. We went into the living room, and Laura resisted the temptation to grab the controller from Tim as he careered off the edges of cliffs and crashed into oncoming vehicles.

"It's a good job Sarah drives the truck when we go into town," she teased. Tim turned to dig her playfully in the ribs and tickle her, then wrapped his arms around her as she pretended to struggle.

"I don't know, leave you alone for five minutes and look at the trouble you get into," I heard Amy's voice behind me.

Tim and Laura looked a little embarrassed as they saw Amit standing in the doorway with Amy.

"Don't worry," Amy continued, "I already explained to Amit how informal we are sometimes as a family."

Tim let Laura go, and reached out to shake Amit's hand. "Welcome to our home."