‘No, Archi, I mean nothing has happened that could make me pregnant …’ she blushed. ‘I don’t think he … likes me.’

‘Nonsense, all men like women, especially a woman as beautiful as you. What happens when you go to your room?’ Archi asked.

‘He just reads for a little while. Sometimes his mother brings him a cup of warm milk before she sleeps. After that he goes to sleep.’ She described their nightly routine.

‘That’s unusual, perhaps he is—’ Archi stopped in mid-sentence. ‘Nala, where exactly is your bedroom?’ she questioned.

‘It’s at the back of the house, next to his parents’ room. Why?’

‘Well then, that explains it,’ Archi declared. She paused before lowering her voice. ‘In three days time it is the Shivarathri poosai. I will ask Devaki to join me for a midnight vigil at the temple. I’ll tell her we must pray all night together and seek Lord Shiva’s blessings for our future grandchildren. You must take your husband to your bedroom and, well, you know …’ Archi’s voice trailed off. The old woman looked around to make sure no one was listening.

Nala’s face was ablaze at the thought of seducing her husband and making the god of destruction an accomplice in her grandmother’s plan. Archi took her face in her hands.

‘You have a lifetime of difficult moments ahead of you, Nala; that is marriage. As the Thirukkural says, you must begin each journey as you intend to continue it. Take control now, with love in your heart and a smile on your pretty face.’

Nala rolled her eyes and laughed. Archi often quoted from the ancient poem, confidently misquoting it to suit her own purposes.

‘Archi, I doubt the Thirukkural has anything to say about overbearing mothers-in-law and shy husbands!’

‘Nala, the Thirukkural has something to say about everything,’ Archi replied, winking at her as she popped a shaving of areca nut into her mouth.

Later that week, Nala’s in-laws and parents attended the temple, at Archi’s request. It was the full moon of Shivarathri, when offerings were made all night long to Lord Shiva. Rajan and Nala ate dinner at home, alone and in silence. After dinner, Rajan undressed and slipped into their bed with a PG Wodehouse novel. She took a deep breath and sat next to him, on his side.

‘What are you doing?’ he asked.

‘I don’t know.’ Her heart raced uncomfortably. ‘You don’t seem to know either so I thought perhaps we could work it out together.’ She reached over and took the book away from him. He smiled nervously and blushed even more deeply than her.

•

Nala excitedly prepared for their honeymoon. Five weeks had passed since the wedding and they were no longer complete strangers to each other.