Enjoy a sneak peek into the novel and delve into the romantic fantasies in the backdrop of political and social conflicts of early twentieth century colonial India, Delhi being at the centre-stage. Alongside, the author will take you on a photographic tour of the following locations in Delhi referred to in the excerpts of the novel.

"Raj's mind raced, reliving the intensity, the sublimity of their love, which transcended the barriers of race, religion and society in tumultuous times--when many countries were in the grip of British colonial rule and when India was struggling for her freedom. He gazed back to December of 1911 when he--then fondly called Raju--felt the caressing touch of the hand of a bubbly English girl of eighteen during the coronation celebrations of King George the Fifth near the Red Fort in Delhi."

"Raju stood pensively on the terrace of his house. The dense fog that had appeared that winter morning dissolved gradually and the red sandstone wall, turrets and bastions of the Red Fort, the great palace of Delhi built three hundred years ago by Moghul Emperor Shah Jahan, glistened in the sunshine. The Jumna River, flowing alongside, caressed its walls on her turbulent journey toward its confluence with the Ganga River in the east, as it had done for time immemorial."

"Eileen's face brightened. "No, I enjoyed it. When the boat rocked with the waves, water splashed on my face and hair. On reaching the other bank, I found myself in the midst of lots of trees with beautiful blossoms. As I moved ahead, I heard distant notes of a flute, which made me tap my feet and then dance with ecstasy to the tune. I felt I had wings and I was flying. That's when I woke up."

"She straightened her nightdress and moved to the window. Putting her elbows on the sill and cupping her face with her hands, she looked out. The Jumna River, which was just across the boulevard facing her house, flowed majestically with its waves reflecting the sun's rays. Vast stretches of blossoming trees on the opposite bank, their branches rustling in the wind, thrilled her."

"He proceeded to the walled city through the Kashmiri Gate. As he neared the Gate, he found Baba Faqir, a mendicant in ragged clothing, sitting below a Jamun tree, shouting curses as usual. Baba's eyes were focused on the cannon marks on the stone walls of the massive gate, which reminded Raju of General Nicholson's brutal assault on Delhi in 1857 during the first Indian war of independence."