I unclenched my jaw. Murad looked visibly scared as I tried to control my temper.
"You knew about this? You lied! And you ask why people are upset?"
"They... it's a federal issue"
"Health is a provincial department. You're the Minister of Health"
"We don't get funds from the government"
"You get more than enough. I want this to be fixed. Do you understand me? In the next week, I also want you to have a fund set up so any person who needs the money can access it and can pay it back"
"We don't have the money..."
"If you say that again I will make sure to let the authorities know about your sugar trade Murad" his face changed to white. "Health care is a basic human right"
I stared at him, making sure to convey my anger with my eyes. Murad nodded and exited, promising to send me a report of his activities the next day.
"You shouldn't have been here," I said, trying to stop the bleeding with a tissue. Zaroon stepped forward and stood near me, looking at my palm. My nails had broken through the skin. Small beads of blood glistened in the sunlight.
"I wanted to make sure you would not murder him"
"I should have..." he gave out a short laugh.
"May I?" He asked gesturing to my hand. I nodded and he gently turned my hand to get a better look. "You won't need to get an amputation" I stared at him in surprise.
"Was that a joke?" He looked at me, his eyes bright.
"I can fix this for you..." he said as I moved my hand away. I shook my head.
"It's fine. The bleeding has stopped."
The door opened and Andaleeb stepped into the room. We both took an inadvertent step back.
"Begum Sahiba... Your Aunt Mamo has requested that you join her for tea" cold entered my body.
"Just me?"
"Yes" well crap.
"Tell her I am indisposed" I was not going to face her. Preferably ever.
"Of course"
"How's Aziz?" She smiled, her eyes lighting up with relief.
"Much better Begum Sahiba. Thank you for your help yesterday"
"Don't mention it" she nodded and left the room.
"Aunt Mamo?" he asked conversationally and I gave him a sharp look.
It was true that I felt a bit more comfortable in his presence but Zaroon was still Uncle Azhar's son. Ammi Jaans' secretary. I was not ready to share my family issues with him.
I shrugged in reply and exited the room to find my sister. The four of us had decided to have dinner in my room. Hania and Rania talked about the wedding details and Izzy told me about who was coming to the wedding. I was also re-reading all of the reports and underlining everything that stood out to me.
"Your Aunt Mamo is scary" Hania commented to Rania. Rania nodded and helped herself to the steak. I smirked in agreement. It was hard to believe that I had been ready to become her daughter in law.
"She'll be gone soon after the wedding... 'I won't stay here a moment longer Noor, the salt in the air damages my skin'. Ugh." Izzy imitated her high and whiny voice.
"She's a little tough to impress that's all" I chided gently. Hania looked at me with her eyes open wide.
"I pity the woman who gets married to her sons" Rania gave a short awkward laugh and proceeded to change the subject.
The next four days leading up to the wedding were spent in trying to avoid my relatives, manage the affairs of the castle and stay stress-free. I can safely say I managed to accomplish two of those goals. Uncle EJ had explicitly told me to let Zaroon work and not to hound him all the time, so I had not seen him in a couple of days. Zaroon had still not managed to find the would-be assassins and the police were exceptionally unhelpful. Rania and Hania were busy handling the wedding details until Ammi Jaan commanded Hania to leave and get some rest. Izzy had decided to go on a boy's trip to London and planned to return the day before the wedding.
Murad stared at me as I looked at his report of the city. I had a feeling he was still lying about what was going on and planned to advise Ammi Jaan to visit the city herself.
"What about police reforms?"
"We plan to do that Begum Sahiba... after the election"
"Two more weeks," I said softly. " Do we have any indication of who's winning?"
"Ferozeuddin, Begum Sahiba. He's leading the polls by a clear margin"
"He hasn't visited the south. Is Akbarabad not important? We hold fourteen seats, he must have some plans to visit the city"
Murad looked at me in surprise. "He does... his rally is being planned to be held on the 5th of July." only a week away and on my birthday, fabulous. "He has kept it a secret so far. His mother has reassured him that Akbarabad is safe but he's being cautious. Will he not visit Gulzar Mahal?" Murad continued, probing for gossip.
"I'm sure he will" He'd come here to see me, I was sure of it. Thank God, I was leaving on Sunday.
"Will, that be all Begum Sahiba?" Murad said, his hands twisting together in nervousness.
"For now. That's all Murad, thank you." the threat had worked. He had established a small fund to help people pay their hospital bills and had taken notice of the quality of the infrastructure. I sighed in relief.
I had managed to do something good. It felt good to use my influence for something that might help other people. The firm I worked in always complained about paperwork and different channels. This job would have been accomplished in months. Here, I could use my power to pull any strings and get the job done. Ammi was right, this job did have its benefits, too bad I was leaving after the wedding tomorrow.
"Where is my suit?" Izzy muttered running his hands through his hair. I played with my hair making sure that the waves were styled perfectly. "Oh... it's here" he said, picking it up from the chair.
"You okay bro?" I asked, smiling at his nervousness. He nodded and left the room to change.
"Are you done staring at yourself in the mirror?" Rania said fixing her lipstick.
"Never" I replied smiling at her reflection. My hair was styled and I had a very thin layer of makeup on my face. The dress code was white. Rania looked stunning in a white dress with a pale pink lip color. She had also kept her makeup minimalistic. Both of us had agreed to let the bride have her day in the spotlight and had decided to keep it simple for the ceremony. The three of us had decided to get ready in the same room, a throwback to when we were kids. Rania and I had help from a team of makeup artists and hairstylists while Izzy just had to wash his face.
"Is Hussein here?"
She made a strange face. "He'll be here for the reception"
Izzy came back dressed in a black three-piece suit and his hair coifed to perfection. One of the attendants rushed towards him and started to place and fix the cufflinks on his sleeves.
Ammi Jaan and Uncle EJ entered the room, both of them dressed to the nines, their faces bright with happiness and pride. I went up and gave each of them a hug and the four of us watched as our son and brother, got dressed for his big day.
The Nikkah (marriage) ceremony was short and lasted only for thirty minutes. All of us arrived at the main mosque on time. Everyone seemed to buzz from the excitement. Hania entered the place with her parents, both of them leading her through the main courtyard. She looked stunning in a beautiful red dress. Aunt Mamo and Aunt Laila had both chosen to wear beautiful white and gold saris while Farishta wore a simple white dress with a red lip. I hid behind Izzy as we entered the mosque but Aunt Mamo was busy talking to my mother. The men were dressed in simple white shalwar kameez. Everyone separated for the ceremony, the men on one side, the women on the other and a veil was placed between the two. Aunt Mamo gave me a cursory nod as we gathered to a side and I replied with a small bob of my head. I had managed to avoid her for the past four days and she was leaving tomorrow. I only had to get through the reception.
The ceremony began and I readjusted my dupatta (Shawl)over my head. Hania's eyes shined from happiness as she signed her marriage certificate and was pronounced to be Mrs.Izhaan. Hania's mother had tears in her eyes as her daughter said the words that would bind her to Izzy. I gave Hania a brief hug and placed a kiss on the top of her head. She laughed, her eyes wide with joy. Ammi Jaan wiped away a stray tear and congratulated Hania's mother. Rania smiled and we both hugged each other as everyone congratulated the new bride.
As soon as the veil was dropped, Izzy bounded in from the men's side, his smile brighter than the sun and gave Hania a brief hug. Hania blushed and looked at the ground her happiness infectious. Time seemed to slow down when I looked at the two of them. So beautiful and utterly happy. Made for one another.
"You'll get there" Rania muttered from beside me.
"I was there"
"Nope, that wasn't it," she said, clasping my hand in hers.
"How do you know that?" I said wiping away a tear from my cheek.
"Because he never looked at you the way Izzy looks at Hania." I gave her a surprised look.
"Sisterly wisdom. Trust me" she said, her eyes filled with promise. I nodded feeling my chest expand with happiness and hope.
Hania had gone in to change into her second dress for the reception and Rania and I stood outside the reception hall. The room was filled with guests. We had also changed into our reception outfits are waiting for the bride and groom to make their entrance. My gold dress swirled around as I twirled, truly happy for maybe the first time in five years. Rania danced as the sound of music belted out from the room. We spied Andaleeb, directing the servants and called her over so we could persuade us to give us some of the food.
She refused. Rania and I stared at her in shock. Andaleeb had never refused us, in any way.
"I'm sorry... but you have to wait or Izzhaan Sahib would kill me"
"He wouldn't dare," Rania said, trying to control her laughter. I looked at her, my laughter spilling out. Andaleeb tried to be stern but she was smiling with too, her eyes filled with joy. It was Izzy's wedding, we were all happy.
One of the servers nearly fell as Zaroon rushed towards us followed by Rania's guards.
I stared at him in shock as everything started to move in slow motion. A loud bang rocked the castle as he reached me and I hung onto him, nearly losing my balance. Screams and shouts echoed in the reception hall and the lights went out. Some of the evening light filtered in through the windows and I looked to my sister, checking if she was okay. She was being covered by her bodyguard and looked back at me, her eyes terrified. Zaroon and Rania's bodyguard, Faizan, moved us away from the windows.
"What?" I began, my eyes meeting Zaroons. He stared at me, his eyes showing a hint of panic but his face remained blank. Another tremendous bang rang out through the castle and a panicked scream sounded from above the main staircase.
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So... happiness doesn't last very long at Gulzar Mahal. These pictures are for the main marriage ceremony.
Izzhaan:
Hania:
Elena:
Rania:
For the reception.
Inside