WV-8/2

The Whisper Valley-8/2

Willow smarted her eyes! The two intense eyes smarted mirroring her!She put one step forward to have a better look... and found herself falling on to the thick carpet as the fruit bowl that she crashed actually was on a brass stand and that fell across her path and she tripped over it and fell!

"Ouch!" Willow winced, as her her temple developed a bump!

"Is it hurts Miss?" The young boy was asking!

"Does it hurt?" She corrected him naturally and prompted," Now ask me...dear!"

"Does it hurt?" He asked again!

"Yes sir! It does and there is a bump too see?" She said!

The five year old boy much to her amusement then dropped to the ground and lied down besides her and looked at her temple and he made an 'O' with his mouth as his eyes widened!

"Let me call Manga amma!" He said

"MA...who?" Willow scrunched her nose!

"My nanny! She will.." He searched for an English word but failed and so shook his hand twice in the air gesturing go away and said "...she will....it!" He said regarding her very seriously!

"Oh! Sweet child of mine... don't bother! You meant to say she will make the pain go away!" She said trying to get up!

"I am not a child! I am a boy!" He corrected her!
"Oh! Sorry Sir! May I have the privilege to know your name?" Willow enquired still lying down!

"Yes! You may!" He said giving her a grubby hand full of brown and wet mud..."

"I am Suraj Simha The Second!" He declared.

Willow nodded quirking her lips as she could see the pride in the fiveyear old boy! 

"Comes with the genes may be"... she muttered under her breath!
"No! Blood!" He corrected her again!

Willow burst out laughing at his proud face and was about to compliment him when she heard a familiar voice that said," Well! Well! I see that age does not matter as far as charming men goes to you!"

Willow turned her head and saw the Knight now dressed in a formal three-piece suit complete with the tails and the ruffled collar and the bow and staring down at her and Suraj!

She then saw the lady by his side! She was dusky but very pretty with a round face with a  parting in the center and had worn her hair in two plaits that were pretty long with gold bells hanging on to them. She was wearing a bright purple coloured sari with a gold border...and had too much of jewelry on her! She somehow looked very garish in her attire and Willow thought she had too big a mouth for her face, as she spoke... "Is this the Governess we have asked for?" in heavily accented English... Disdainfully!

"Good afternoon Ma'am!" Willow said raising one hand and immediately noticed the Knight's lips quirk...

Ha he had some humour in him at least ! Thank god for small mercies! Willow thought...

"Ehem! If you are done with lounging on the floor and checking the carpet of its strength,can you get up and go with us to the office Ms.Feathers or do you expect us to follow Suraj in order to have a chat with you!" The Knight asked seriously although Willow saw something like a teasing glint in his eyes!

Willow then looked at herself! She was sprawled on the carpet with her face perched on her palm supported by her elbow,which rested on the carpet! She was so called lounging amidst a million pieces of broken ceramic fruit bowl and was happily chatting with a fiveyear old boy who was lying besides her mirroring her exactly!

She got up with a jerk and swayed holding her head saying," Oh!!"

"What happened" The Knight tried to move towards her!

"NO!" She screeched making him to stop in his tracks!

"No! There are shards all over!" She said and bent and held the boy in both her hands... moved carefully and put him into the Knights arms saying "...first send him away!"... and then, she looked around and found the rope to which a handle hung by the huge curtains she pulled it and  a maid appeared! 

"Get some sand from the garden and clean the shards please!" She said and looked at a stunned Knight and the maid and the lady and asked," Can you show me the way to your office sir..."...and then she turned to the lady and acknowledged her too saying "Madame!"

The Whisper Valley

Khushi could now hear it distinctly! 

Wailing! Some one was wailing in the Casa! 

She walked to the door and put her ear to it! There was no noise at all! Everything was quite! 

Was it her imagination? 

But she heard it when she was reading the legend! 

She tip-toed to the glass slider at the turret and put her ear to it! No! There wasn't anything! She climbed back into the bed and read on....

The Whisper Valley

Willow walked into a huge office! It had three people sitting outside and one inside the second room and then as they passed through them, they stepped into the main office!

She thought it was one single room as it was often in those days!

They entered the main office and the Knight turned and said "...er...this is Ms. Willow Feathers governess to Suraj", introducing her to his wife...and he turned to Willow saying this is "Mrs. Lalitha Simha!"

Willow extended her hand and only to be scorned at by the lady and was spurned by her as she said," I don't think she is fit to be a governess to my son! I don't want her near my son at all! She is...she is..."

"I did not ask for an opinion!" The Knight said his jaw clenching tight and Willow stared at his face that became red and very very hard! 

Oh! He seems to be a cousin or something to the Governor! Thats why everyone is so very scared of him! She thought looking at him as he silenced the lady with a single stare!

"But she..." The lady tried to speak but in vain!

"Lalitha! When I said she is appointed, it means she is in the employ thats all!" He said...and then turned to Willow and asked," Did you get any reference? ...er...from Sister Margherita?"

"Willow had forgotten! 

"Ofcourse" She doved in her pocket and noticed that again his lips quirked very slightly in a suppressed smile as she awkwardly produced a letter- now crumpled and the lady looked at her disdainfully asking her," Don't you carry a bag or a portfolio Ms. Feathers?"

"No ma'am! Actually I had to go to the church and the symmetry... for which I needed some fresh blooms so I had to be at the Creek and ...er...oh!... and then had to come here so ..."Willow shrugged and realising they were watching her with restraint over her supposedly unlady-like behaviour finished with a sigh saying..." So I guess pocket would have to do for now!"

The Knight opened the cover and read through still standing! Willow wanted to sit! Her legs were shaking and she was tiered of standing and none asked her to sit! So much for their manners she muttered under her breath and again saw the right ear of the Knight twitch along with the corner of his upper lip!

"Khadithathil enna ezuthi iruku?"Lalitha asked him which he ignored.

(What is written in the letter?)

Aha! She thought she did not know Tamil! Willow smiled to herself! Good let her!

"Ms. Feathers! Impressive than what I had been told!" He said regarding her with keen eyes!

"Unaku enna solli irunthathu?"Lalitha asked him again!

( What had you been told?)

"That she is a brat! But the brightest of the students from there!" The Knight said still going through her credentials!

Willow forgot about her earlier resolution and growled in Tamil,

"Thirumba sollungal"

( Please say that again)

"Do you speak Tamil?"Lalitha's eyes popped out of their sockets.

(Neengal Thamizh pesuveergalaa?) 

"Konjam pesuven"Willow said smugly! 

( A little)

Let her know it was bad manners to talk in other language when a guest was around! The Knight was talking only in English...so what was her problem! Her husband had better manners!She thought!

"The office will give you a letter of appointment Ms.Feathers and please get to know the rules of your employment as well as the Casa before you step in next time which is..." He briefly looked at the lady and nodded saying,"... tomorrow!"

"Yaara Santhikanum?" Willow asked brightly!

( Whom to contact?)

The Knight seemed to be taken aback by her behaviour as the lady said," Do you know who you are talking to? Just go and ask in the office! They will guide you! Don't waste his time"

But the knight stopped her by a wave of his hand and said...

"Ok! Just contact Mr. Viswanathan Sudarshan..." My Deewaan and he shall put you through!" The Knight said and Willow couldn't help noticing the lady who was disgusted with her!

"I don't like her!" Lalitha said again and Willow gasped at her rudeness and impolite manners!

"Sir! Your..e.r.. wife seems to have a problem...I do not think its a good idea to..."

"Do what you are told! "Came the booming voice of the Knight!

"What?" Willow asked...

"Thats the first rule at the Casa Governess Feathers! You ---------------do---------------------------- what you are------------------------------------- told !"

He said with pauses for an effect!

"You may go!" He said to Lalitha who left and who Willow found was a little happy than... ever since she came in!

"Wonder why?" She muttered under her breath!

"You wonder? Let me answer you!" He said seriously taking her by surprise and went on to answer her unasked query saying," You see Governess Feathers! I ...aaaahhh...seem to be snake eared! I hear everything sharply!"He said rolling his tongue sending shivers down her spine!
Mercy o Lord she prayed silently at the lethal looking man standing before her!

"Lalitha is happy coz you called her my wife,… which she always intended to be but never could be! And yes I am definitely amused as I have never met a soul in Whisper Valley who do not recognise their Governor and better still,... never met an employee who does not do her homework and does not know that her employer is unmarried and its his brother's children he was asking you to be a governess for!" His voice boomed in the office room with its polished Rose wood panels!