followed by a merciful blackness. Blissfully unconscious, Zarri Bano lost all sense of time and space. On the wall clock, the seconds and minutes ticked away, while Zarri Bano lay on the cold marble floor and her father paced up and down in his room.
Chapter 10
A N HOUR LATER Shahzada joined her husband. She found him standing near their bedroom window, as usual gazing down into the courtyard at the flowers in full bloom. She noticed the dejected angle of his head. Without further ado, he obeyed the urge to tell her what he had done. ‘I have spoken to her, Shahzada.’
The tray of food in his wife’s hands shook and she placed it on the dressing table.
‘Wh-Where is she?’ she stammered, her eyes swelling with tears.
‘I don’t know.’ He turned to stare out of the window again. ‘She left some time ago,’ he said flatly.
Shahzada walked quietly out of their room. Blindly, she made her way across to Zarri Bano’s room. The door wouldn’t open: something was blocking it. Pushing it further ajar, Shahzada squeezed her head in.
In the semi-darkness of the room Shahzada saw her daughter lying in a heap on the floor, her eyes open but staring blankly into space. Choking back a scream, Shahzada stepped inside the room. At the back of her mind she still remembered that there were a lot of guests in her home and most were prone to eavesdrop.
Squatting down on the marble floor, Shahzada raised her daughter’s head in her arms. Cradling it, she began to rock her gently to and fro. Rivulets of tears trickled down her cheeks.
‘Zarri Bano, speak to me, my child. Are you hurt? Why are you lying on the floor?’
Heaving her daughter up by the shoulders, Shahzada dragged her across the cold floor and managed to lift her onto the bed in the centre of the room. ‘Ruby! Ruby!’ she called out to her younger daughter, down the corridor.
‘What’s wrong?’ Ruby asked, as she came running out of her room. Shahzada didn’t answer but gestured her into Zarri Bano’s room and switched on the bedside lamp.
‘What’s the matter with Zarri Bano, Mother? Why is she staring like that?’ Ruby asked in concern.
‘Go and fetch a glass of water for your sister, she is not well,’ Shahzada told her. ‘I think she has fainted.’
There was no reaction from Zarri Bano as her mother moved around the bed and cradled her head in her lap once again. The girl’s eyes remained open but theydidn’t focus on her mother’s face. She drank the water held up to her lips by a solicitous Ruby, but said nothing.
‘Shall I call Father?’ Ruby asked, panicking. She had never seen her sister like this. It was too frightening, on top of her brother’s death.
‘No, Ruby,’ said Shahzada slowly. ‘It is your father who has done this.’
‘What do you mean?’ Ruby didn’t understand.
‘Your father has just told Zarri Bano that she is to become a
Shahzadi Ibadat
,’ Shahzada whispered. A quiet stillness cloaked the room.
‘Oh my God!’ Ruby gasped. ‘Mother, it cannot be true. Zarri Bano is engaged to be married.’
‘No. There will be no marriage for my beautiful daughter,’ Shahzada said tiredly.
Her faraway voice frightened Ruby more than hysterics would have done. ‘But Mother, listen to me! Who says that she has to become a
Shahzadi Ibadat
?’ she asked, pulling sharply at her mother’s arm.
‘It has been decided by your father and grandfather.’ Shahzada recalled the occasion when she was summoned to see Siraj Din, and was informed that Zarri Bano was to become a
Bibi
– the Holy Woman. And that she, as her mother, was expected to prepare her for that role. ‘Don’t turn against us in this, Shahzada,’ Siraj Din had warned her in his quiet, semi-menacing tone.
‘I will not let this happen!’ Ruby shuddered. ‘Mother, this is insane. How can Father do this – hide my gorgeous sister behind a black veil?’ She recoiled at the images in her mind. ‘Oh my God. To have my sister enveloped in
Chapter 10
A N HOUR LATER Shahzada joined her husband. She found him standing near their bedroom window, as usual gazing down into the courtyard at the flowers in full bloom. She noticed the dejected angle of his head. Without further ado, he obeyed the urge to tell her what he had done. ‘I have spoken to her, Shahzada.’
The tray of food in his wife’s hands shook and she placed it on the dressing table.
‘Wh-Where is she?’ she stammered, her eyes swelling with tears.
‘I don’t know.’ He turned to stare out of the window again. ‘She left some time ago,’ he said flatly.
Shahzada walked quietly out of their room. Blindly, she made her way across to Zarri Bano’s room. The door wouldn’t open: something was blocking it. Pushing it further ajar, Shahzada squeezed her head in.
In the semi-darkness of the room Shahzada saw her daughter lying in a heap on the floor, her eyes open but staring blankly into space. Choking back a scream, Shahzada stepped inside the room. At the back of her mind she still remembered that there were a lot of guests in her home and most were prone to eavesdrop.
Squatting down on the marble floor, Shahzada raised her daughter’s head in her arms. Cradling it, she began to rock her gently to and fro. Rivulets of tears trickled down her cheeks.
‘Zarri Bano, speak to me, my child. Are you hurt? Why are you lying on the floor?’
Heaving her daughter up by the shoulders, Shahzada dragged her across the cold floor and managed to lift her onto the bed in the centre of the room. ‘Ruby! Ruby!’ she called out to her younger daughter, down the corridor.
‘What’s wrong?’ Ruby asked, as she came running out of her room. Shahzada didn’t answer but gestured her into Zarri Bano’s room and switched on the bedside lamp.
‘What’s the matter with Zarri Bano, Mother? Why is she staring like that?’ Ruby asked in concern.
‘Go and fetch a glass of water for your sister, she is not well,’ Shahzada told her. ‘I think she has fainted.’
There was no reaction from Zarri Bano as her mother moved around the bed and cradled her head in her lap once again. The girl’s eyes remained open but theydidn’t focus on her mother’s face. She drank the water held up to her lips by a solicitous Ruby, but said nothing.
‘Shall I call Father?’ Ruby asked, panicking. She had never seen her sister like this. It was too frightening, on top of her brother’s death.
‘No, Ruby,’ said Shahzada slowly. ‘It is your father who has done this.’
‘What do you mean?’ Ruby didn’t understand.
‘Your father has just told Zarri Bano that she is to become a
Shahzadi Ibadat
,’ Shahzada whispered. A quiet stillness cloaked the room.
‘Oh my God!’ Ruby gasped. ‘Mother, it cannot be true. Zarri Bano is engaged to be married.’
‘No. There will be no marriage for my beautiful daughter,’ Shahzada said tiredly.
Her faraway voice frightened Ruby more than hysterics would have done. ‘But Mother, listen to me! Who says that she has to become a
Shahzadi Ibadat
?’ she asked, pulling sharply at her mother’s arm.
‘It has been decided by your father and grandfather.’ Shahzada recalled the occasion when she was summoned to see Siraj Din, and was informed that Zarri Bano was to become a
Bibi
– the Holy Woman. And that she, as her mother, was expected to prepare her for that role. ‘Don’t turn against us in this, Shahzada,’ Siraj Din had warned her in his quiet, semi-menacing tone.
‘I will not let this happen!’ Ruby shuddered. ‘Mother, this is insane. How can Father do this – hide my gorgeous sister behind a black veil?’ She recoiled at the images in her mind. ‘Oh my God. To have my sister enveloped in
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