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the Indian-born Zoroastrians. Although Parsis accounted for just 6 percent of Bombay’s total inhabitants, they constituted one-third of its lawyers.
Her father had thought it too much to throw in the faces of clients who needed a gentle introduction to the prospect of female representation.
“You crossed the street and sought him out! Tell me, is that a European behavior you learned at Oxford?”
Despite what her father had said about the client’s good character, she felt squeamish about polygyny, which was still practiced by many Muslims and a smaller number of elite Hindus. In truth, there was surely polygyny in her own parents’ family histories. Parsis hadn’t made it a crime until 1865.
Frantically, she reminded herself how many men in Bombay might have fair skin and curly black hair: thousands of Armenians, Anglo-Indians, and Jews. And Cyrus didn’t use a cane.
She was taking her own liberties with him. Was this liberation?
“I’m so sorry,” he panted. “I shouldn’t have done such things to a girl like you before marriage. But I want every bit of you so much. And now we know that we are meant for each other. Our marriage will be blessed with this—passion.”
“Being the first family in the place means no breadcrumbs in drawers or stains in the bath. I absolutely adore it. We wanted a home big enough for Alice to knock around in.”
Perveen exhaled, thinking of Alice’s many controversial causes. “The Communist meetings or the marches for women’s suffrage?”
“Enough! I’ve known Alice for almost four years, and I would never use her for gain. Our friendship stands apart from family politics, business, and everything else.”
Zoroastrians had ruled Persia before the Arab conquest in the middle of the seventh century, and a shared aesthetic came through in the ornate floral tiles.
“I understand you’ve chosen to live this way.” But Perveen remained concerned about how little contact they had with others—and not even a telephone for emergencies.
“I trusted you to carry out work for me, and you have abused that by feeding the widows falsehoods. You are a devil!”
“If a younger sister marries before an older brother, people will believe she had to marry for reasons of pregnancy. Every bead of her reputation will be sold.”
“They ignored the fact that marriage is the most serious contract that can be undertaken. Such a union should not come about without investigation. My wife and I expected we would be well acquainted with a groom and his family.”
The waste!” Behnoush continued her tirade, making Perveen dizzy with shame. “How could anyone—especially a rich girl like you—think of putting good fried food on such dirty paper? Five large potatoes were wasted, and the oil.”
don’t know that word you use. Your body is shedding the dirtiest blood and dead eggs. This attracts Ahriman.”
Perveen’s voice shook at the indignity. Ever since she’d arrived in Calcutta, all kinds of sly comments had been made about decadent, rich Parsis of Bombay. Any question about her family made her react violently.
The Sodawallas had allowed Cyrus to marry her not because they recognized his love—but because of her family’s money.
But she and Cyrus had had a love for the ages. They had connected so beautifully, with both understanding and passion. But now what did she have to show for the marriage? A husband who thought she was shrewish. The gonorrhea infection.
“They believe to stay in the same bungalow with her would soil them. That is why we’ve had very few social callers in the last year. Our husband made a choice that has affected this house forever.”
Poona. Muhammed Farid was relieved I
The protect-against-evil-eye mark was similar to the dots that Parsis drew on their children’s head and feet, and the thick kohl eyeliner that adorned young Hindu children.
“I think I can explain her feeling,” Sakina said, patting Razia’s hand. “If it’s publicly known that Amina has wandered the city, her reputation will be ruined. We will never find a groom for her.We are praying for Allah’s blessing on her travels to Oudh. After that, we would humbly request your assistance in returning her to Bombay.”
“It is many months until then. They could make my life very hard. I could lose the child or even my own life. How can I not feel endangered after the evil deed that occurred?”
“Secluded communities of women are a concern. Some unfair and possibly illegal things happen that the government never knows about, because the women don’t come out to tell what’s going on.”
“How can you speak to your father like that? He’s your hero,” Camellia said, favoring her husband with a final smile as he departed to register himself as Perveen’s advocate. “How many fathers can stand up for their daughters in such a manner?”
Perveen should have been happy to hear these words of release; but instead, she felt a great sorrow that the one she’d believed was her kindred spirit had turned out to be such an ordinary, closed-minded man.
“You bastard! You have brought up the sorrow my family has tried so hard to put behind us!” Cyrus shouted angrily, ignoring the constables hastening toward him.
After leaving Calcutta, she had pledged to herself not to disrespect her father. He’d taken her back without question, paid for her to study in England, and hired her as his employee when no other law firm in Bombay would.
“But her sweet-tooth daughter isn’t as lucky. She drank falooda mixed with morphine.”
