After much persuasion, Princess Roopali, 'the beautiful one', agrees to have a swayamvara. This is an ancient Indian ceremony in which an unmarried girl who has come of age chooses a husband from among several suitors. According to the tradition, at the end of the ceremony, the princess is required to place a marigold garland around the neck of the prince she has decided to marry. She is happy to meet with all the princes who will attend the ceremony, and are keen to be chosen by her. She explains to her parents, the king and queen that she does not, however, wish to meet anyone with a beard....

An Afghan jihadi. A Bangladeshi aid worker. A British security consultant. How their lives are about to affect each other. * 'In a few seconds they will pull the door open and we will both be dead.' These are the panic-stricken thoughts of Amala, the Bangladeshi aid worker. Hidden inside a linen-closet with another woman she hears the voices of two Taliban fighters outside. The guesthouse in which she lives came under terrorist attack a short while earlier. One of the men sniggers to the other that there seem to be 'something bigger than rats inside'. As the seconds tick away, James Stewart,...