A Royal Affair by Preethi Venugopal

What happens when a beautiful English lady and the attractive scion of the erstwhile royal family of Sravanapura fall in love? Having met at Oxford, Prince Vijay Dev Varman is deeply attracted to the blue-eyed beauty, Jane Worthington, who is an Indophile determined to savour everything about his fascinating country, India.

Jane is a free bird who abhors restrictions. Her natural curiosity and open nature create ripples in Vijay’s heart, but lies and deceit make them break up, not once, but many times over. In fact, misunderstandings rule their lives and they end up playing hide-and-seek with their emotions.

Jane gets a promotional transfer to India, where she has to lead a team and anchor a documentary on the ancient monuments constructed by the Hoysala kings in South India. She also has a mission to fulfil there, to find her grandfather Bill’s twin brother, Daniel, a soldier in the British Indian Army who had gone missing in 1947.  Daniel, who had always been a hero in the family, had been seen in Bangalore and Grandpa Bill is determined to go to find him. However, his weak heart cannot take the momentous news and hence, he implores Jane to find Daniel and bring him back home.

On the other side, Vijay has now got engaged to Tejaswani, herself a royal as well as a bright management student, and the daughter of a successful businessman. It is purely a business venture as a pragmatic Vijay, who has had his heart broken, now believes that “Love, the most treacherous and ephemeral emotion, left in its wake only broken hearts and tears.”

However, fate has different ideas for them. Jane lands up in an impressive five-star hotel in Bangalore that is owned by Vijay. The two bump into each other and he promises to help her to find Daniel, agreeing to let bygones be bygones. The story moves on at an even pace as the two dig up yesteryear dancer and film actress called Rukmini Rai, and painstakingly try and put together the events that led to the mystery.

Finally, Jane goes back with Vijay to the grand Sravanapura palace, where she meets his charming sister, Kritika, as more of the pieces of the mystery are pieced together.

Who is the mystery woman whose portrait hangs in the royal gallery? How is Daniel connected to the Sravanapura family? How badly did the ensuing scandal affect relationships, and what role did Indrani Devi, Vijay’s grandmother, play in it?

Is Jane fated to be a scapegoat in the whole royal affair? Will she finally be able to fulfil her beloved grandfather’s final wish? Can she overcome the obstacles in the way of her love for Vijay? After all, handling heartbreak is never easy.

Preethi Venugopala spins a wondrous web of romance and suspense which holds the reader in thrall. She gives the reader an idea of the history of Sravanapura, a 500 year-old kingdom, which had proclaimed independence from the Vijayanagara Empire. Preethi also embellishes her story with various Indian details, like a Krishna Leela performance, the essence of an Indian biryani (in fact, food plays a significant role in the book!) and the excitement of wearing the perfect Indian outfit with all its adornments, all of which make her story come alive to its readers.