Chapter 5

Worthington asked herself if her daughter speaks British or only Hindi. Chandramukhi understood her and so she nodded as a yes. The mother got relieved.

When the door got opened, the latter got very impressed with the beauty of the bedroom: a big golden bed in the middle, golden curtain with gold threads and a big wardrobe on the left side of the bed. Ann didn't know yet why everything is golden.

She found a very beautiful young woman, wearing also in golden, sitting on the big bed, playing a Veena (a long Indian guitar), surrounded with other women sitting on the floor and laughing.

The mother's intuition said that that woman on the bed was her daughter. Besides, this woman looked really different than other Indian women.

Ann kept looking at that rich young lady: she had wide lovely brown eyes, wide mouth, thin lips, tiny nose, well-drawn eyebrows and she had a very long brown braid.

The latter raised her big eyes up slowly and looked at the three women. Then, she put the golden Veena on her bed, stood up slowly and elegantly, walked toward Chandramukhi, squatted, touched her Indian mother's feet and then her forehead; it's a move that Indians do to get bless from an older person like parents, and it's called Pranama.

She stood up and looked at Ann. After, she asked her mother and nanny in Hindi:

"Mother, who's this woman?"

Chandramukhi answered in British, which surprised the daughter:

"Sundarta, do you remember the story I used to tell you every night before you get to sleep? And also the prayers we do?"

Sundarta looked at the queen for a while, and then replied in British:

"Mother, why are you talking in English?"

"Sweetheart… do you remember the story or not?"

"How can I forget the story of my biological mother?"

Sundarta looked at Ann. And she understood that this strange woman was her biological mother. The latter couldn't catch her tears and so she started crying. She hugged her daughter strongly while the latter's eyes also shed tears; she couldn't believe that her mother whom she never seen in her life was hugging her now.

When Worthington finished hugging, her daughter looked at her, and talked to her for the first time: "Mother?"

Ann nodded, crying and laughing in the same time: "Yes, sweetheart! Yes! I am! Samantha!"

But Samantha questioned Ann without any similar reaction to the latter's: "Why did you leave me?"

Ann's smile disappeared. She stared at her for seconds. Then she mopped her tears and explained: "It's a long story, darling… I'll tell you later on… But believe me that I didn't leave you to get rid of you or because I hate you: I did that for my and your best…"

"So do you still want me? Do you still miss me?" asked Sundarta with acute eyes.

Worthington caressed Samantha's cheek: "There was no single day that passed without missing you, and regretting that I didn't kiss you or hugged you more before leaving you."

Ann walked and sat on the bed, while Chandra asked the odalisques to leave the bedroom, and Milady sat down.

The biological mother explained more to Sundarta and to the other two women the story: "In my youth I was a traveler, and that's how I met Chandramukhi. When I was in Turkey, I met a British man. He was a traveler too… We loved each other and… Samantha was the fruit of our love… Of course we weren't husband and wife. And if anyone discovered this, I'll be ashamed during all my life, me and especially my daughter who has not committed any mistake about it, right? James and I couldn't get married… and so… we agreed to separate and to forget each other. We decided also to ask someone really trustworthy to take care of Samantha. Thus, I mentioned Chandra, because she was and still my closest friend ever, and we had the best time together. James accepted and… we split… I traveled the last travel to Michor to ask Chandramukhi to take care of Samantha and… you know the rest of the story…"

The mother looked at her daughter and finished: "You truly look so much like him…"

Sundarta looked at her British mother for a while, then she sat next to her, took her hand softly and said: "I've never got angry to know that I'm an illegal child: At the contrary, I'm proud to be an illegal child of two parents loving each other at death… Glad to meet you finally, mother".

Chandra wanted to end that sad atmosphere. She managed a smile and suggested to Ann having lunch with them; the four women talking about events of 20 years.

Suddenly, the ladies heard a door knocking. Sundarta asked in Hindi: "Who is this?". They heard Krishna's voice, replying also in Hindi: "It's me, daughter, with George."

The princess looked at her Indian mother, and asked her in Hindi: "Who's George?"

"He's the prince of Kingdom of Great Britain. He came here to sign contracts with the king and that's how Ann came." The queen answered in Hindi.

"I raised George." Ann added as she understood them. "His mother, the Queen of Great Britain, died while giving birth to him. She was a close friend of mine. Her last words were asking me to take care of him as my son."

"The God is merciful." Sundarta spoke. "You couldn't raise your own daughter. So the God gave you a son to raise."

Worthington noticed that Samantha was a very wise and sedate woman. She silently thanked Chandramukhi a lot.

The Adopted Princess put a long golden ghoonghat (veil) on her head, and yelled what meant "Come in!"

Krishna opened the door, followed by George. The latter got also impressed with the beauty of the bedroom. But when he saw Sundarta for the first time, his eyes got fixed on her face, and his heart beat faster as much that the others could hear them.

The king laughed: "So, Mrs. Worthington, it looks that you finally met your daughter!"

Full of respect, Ann replied: "Your majesty, I can't thank you and her majesty the queen enough for taking care of my child."

Once she raised her eyes up to see George's face, Sundarta also got charmed by George's beauty and especially by his green eyes.

The two young princes were exchanging looks when the king introduced Sundarta to George:

"Prince George, this is Princess Sundarta. She's the daughter of your godmother Ms. Worthington. She's known as 'The Adopted Princess'."

The prince kept looking at Samantha for other few seconds, and then he extended his hand to shake it with Sundarta's. But the latter refused, saying with a large smile:

"Shaking hands does happen between nobles and warriors. Now, I'm a simple princess. A Salaam will be enough. But when I fight you, then we can shake hands when one of us loses."

George got more impressed of Sundarta; she wasn't just pretty, but also sedate, and apparently a warrior.

Krishna then ended the conversation by asking both of Ann and George to come with him to introduce them – and especially Ann – to the rest of servants in the castle as the biological mother of The Adopted Princess finally came, while Chandra called one of her maids to prepare food and to bring it to Sundarta's room. The latter kept exchanging looks with George…

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