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Thank you to author Sandra Wilson for providing this excerpt from her new book Taj.
Although Nur Jahan had always been determined to have her own way, Khurram was only now fully aware of his stepmother’s fierce intention to have everything as she wanted.
Because she no longer needed to weave her web of charm around him, Nur Jahan met him with a straightforward stance. Momentarily stunned by the force she emitted, Khurram took a deep breath and prepared himself for a verbal battle with his father’s wife. He knew he had to wrest himself from the security of her support if he were to sit comfortably on the throne as he intended.
Nur Jahan raised her eyebrows slightly, waiting for his response to her initial words. At exactly the same moment, Khurram swept his arm to offer her his place on the stone bench. She did not move. Rather, she folded her hands together at her waist, looked at him, and frowned.
“As Your Majesty pleases”, remarked Khurram smoothly, accepting that their conversation would take place between standing participants.
Nur Jahan deftly dismissed the deeply ingrained Mughal rituals Khurram had practiced since his youth. She had pointedly ignored, and even mocked, his gesture of respect, the use of her title, and his willingness to stand while she sat. She had discarded her advantages as empress and faced him as his equal. Recognizing and admiring the confidence that enabled her to speak to him as a peer, Khurram also realized she was even a stronger adversary than he had assumed.
Tensely facing each other, conscious of the importance of their meeting, they were each blind to the elegant, symmetrical gardens, clipped hedges and the marble pavilions surrounding them. Exquisite petal-sprinkled pools went unseen. Khurram spoke with princely authority, bringing their meeting immediately to the point he wanted to make.
“I am the most worthy of my father’s sons to follow him onto the throne.”
Nur Jahan remained silent.
“Surely, you agree.”
Nur Jahan’s eyes narrowed. Khurram waited. When Nur Jahan finally spoke, her tone was controlled, even icy. “What I know, Khurram, is that you used to be the most worthy. You used to be someone who’d listen to my advice.”
“I still listen!” Khurram protested. “I value your ideas as I hope you value mine.”
The beginning of a smile was on Nur Jahan’s lips. “You’ve grown too self important, Khurram . You don’t recognize the wisdom of one who’s lived more years than you. There’s much you can learn from me.”
“Many people give me their thoughts, share their wisdom, and expect nothing in return. When you…” at this point, Khurram knew he was addressing the core of the difference between them. “When you share your thoughts,” he continued, “it’s with the expectation I’ll obey them—not simply consider them.”
As he said the words, Khurram knew he had pinpointed his uneasiness with her support. She had become far too involved with braiding their futures together even though he was no longer the youthful man he had been when Nur Jahan had first become queen.
Stumble it!
