Meghna Varma 1 The monsoon clouds rolled in like silk unfurling over the Arabian Sea, casting a silver hush over the old Varghese estate. At the edge of Fort Kochi’s quieter inland, the ancestral home stood like a memory that refused to be erased—timbered walls darkened with age, red tiles mossed over, and spice trees bending slightly in the drizzle, as though listening. Maya Varghese stood on the veranda, her silk kurta absorbing the faint scent of rain and cardamom. The culinary retreat guests were arriving—five in all—but her eyes lingered on the tall man with a limp, stepping out…