to the Caliph’s son and his wife.
She had no choice but to go with Count Salvadore. It was an
order from the Sultan himself and must be obeyed. Besides, she
needed to know what was happening to Suleiman. He had told
her not to be frightened, but she could not help herself. Why had
he been arrested? What crime had he committed?
She was surprised as Karin joined her just as they were
leaving the hal. ‘I have permission,’ Karin whispered in the
language of the harem. ‘The Caliph has sent me to look after his
son’s wife.’
‘I am his wife?’
‘Yes, it is done. The Caliph fears for his son—but he wil do
what he can.’
‘What is that woman saying to you?’
‘She is my lady in waiting,’ Eleanor replied. She did not wish
the count to know that Karin was the Caliph’s second wife lest
they were separated. ‘She comes with me. It is not seemly for
me to travel without a female companion.’
‘Very wel,’ the count replied. ‘I have a litter waiting to
convey you to the Seraglio. It wil carry you both.’
Karin was wearing her casacche, and she had brought one
for Eleanor, which she donned as she went out into the
courtyard. They were just in time to witness a scuffle between
some of the Caliph’s guards and the Sultan’s own elite
Janissaries.
Janissaries.
It was Suleiman himself who forbade his men to fight, warning
them that they could be executed for treachery against their
master.
‘You must not resist. Fear not, my friends,’ he told them. ‘I
shal return.’
Eleanor watched as he was told to mount a horse. He had not
been bound, but he was clearly a prisoner. To resist an order
from the Sultan was to invite a painful death.
Suleiman glanced towards Eleanor before he rode away.
Since she was stil wearing the heavy veil over her head, he could
not see her anguished look—but she saw his and her heart
wrenched with pain.
Supposing he could not reason with the Grand Turk? In the
Ottoman Empire the Sultan’s word was law. If he had decided
that Eleanor must be returned to her father it would happen. But
it must not be! It would break her heart if she were forced to
leave Suleiman now.
Eleanor was happy to learn that her father lived, but her
pleasure was clouded by the brutal end to her dreams of
marrying the man she loved. She feared that she would be parted
from Suleiman and never see him again.
‘Do not despair,’ Karin said when they were together in the
litter and the escort had begun to move off. ‘The Caliph has
influence with the Sultan—and Suleiman has done nothing against
the law.’
‘Am I truly his wife?’ Eleanor asked. ‘Were they in time to
halt the ceremony?’
halt the ceremony?’
‘According to our laws, you are bound to him,’ Karin
assured her. ‘As a true believer, you are his legal wife. It is up to you, Eleanor. If you deny your own faith and swear that you are
a true convert, the Sultan may decide that you cannot now be
returned to your father.’
‘Then I shal do whatever I must,’ Eleanor replied. ‘Oh,
Karin! I am so glad you made me study with you. If a religious
teacher questions me, I shal be able to give the right responses.’
‘It may be that you wil be questioned by more than one such
man,’ Karin said. ‘Is there anything that puzzles you? Any
question you need to ask me?’
‘Only why you chose to come with me? You were to have
gone to your daughters tomorrow.’
‘You are more important, my dearest Eleanor. Do you not
know that you are as a daughter to me?’
Eleanor’s eyes were moist with tears as she took the other
woman’s hand and held it. ‘Thank you, Karin. I am not
frightened as long as you are with me—not for myself.’
‘You fear for your lord?’
tortured?’ A shiver ran through her as she thought of what could
happen to Suleiman.
‘I do not know,’ Karin admitted. ‘The Caliph and his son are
sparing with punishments, but it is not always so. The law is
harsh in this country, Eleanor. I do not understand why Suleiman
has been arrested. They could have stopped the wedding—but
there was no need for such harshness. Unless Suleiman has
there was no need for such harshness. Unless Suleiman has
displeased the Sultan…’
‘Why should he be displeased?’ Eleanor asked. ‘My lord
bought me. I was his property and he chose to marry me. That is
not against your laws. We did not flout the customs, Karin.
Suleiman was careful to observe them.’
‘That is what I do not understand,’ Karin replied. ‘We must
be patient, Eleanor. It may be that the Sultan wil send for you—
and if he does you must be respectful. Do not imagine that you
may speak boldly as you do with your lord. Be very careful.
Answer when he questions you—but if you wish to say
something more, ask permission to address his Magnificence.’
‘Yes, I shal remember,’ Eleanor replied. ‘I have listened wel
to your teachings, Karin—though I have not always obeyed
them in the past. This time my lord’s life may depend on my
behaving as you would have had me behave long ago.’
She looked out and saw the old wals of the city, which were
remnants of the original settlement built in the year three hundred
and twenty four by Constantine I of Rome, and then the building
of the magnificent palace of the Ottoman sultans. An icy trickle
went down her spine as she was carried towards it, and she
remembered that Suleiman had intended her as a gift for the
Sultan.
What would have been her fate if she had been brought here
then?
‘I shal be very careful. And I pray that the Sultan wil give me
the chance to tel him what I truly desire.’
the chance to tel him what I truly desire.’
‘You wish to stay here—even though you father lives?’
‘Yes, I have no choice,’ Eleanor said. ‘Suleiman is my
husband. I love him, Karin. So much that I would rather die than
be sent away from him…’
Chapter Twelve
Once within the palace, the women were led away by one of the Sultan’s Kadins to a part of the harem reserved for visitors. She
told them her name was Sonia, and welcomed them in the
traditional way, offering refreshment before she left them alone.
‘It seems that we are to be treated with respect,’ Karin said.
‘I wondered what might happen here, Eleanor—but for the
moment it seems that we are to be welcomed as honoured
guests.’
‘How long do you think it wil be before the Sultan sends for
us?’ Eleanor asked. ‘How long before I am permitted to see my
husband?’
Karin looked at her anxiously. ‘You must be patient…’ she
began. ‘These things take their course. Th
ere is nothing you can
do until you are sent for, Eleanor. You have no power to
command here and nor have I. The Caliph has some influence
with his royal master. He wil do al he can. We must leave the
negotiations to him.’
Eleanor nodded. She glanced at the bowls of fruit and
sweetmeats that had been provided for them. ‘You should eat,
Karin. I am sure you must be hungry.’
‘Wil you not try something yourself? I know that you have
eaten little today.’
‘I was too excited…’ Eleanor caught back a sob. ‘When I
was first taken to the Caliph’s palace I prayed that I might be
returned to my family, but now…if they take me away from
Suleiman, it wil break my heart.’
‘You can do nothing but wait,’ Karin told her. ‘You must
accept what happens—it is Alah’s wil.’
Eleanor was about to deny her angrily, then, remembering al
the warnings she had been given, she bent her head submissively.
‘ Insh’allah—may it be as Alah wils.’
Karin smiled at her approvingly. ‘Just so, Eleanor. Our
master the Sultan wil decide your fate in his wisdom and
greatness. You must accept his judgement for he is just and
good.’
‘Yes, this I have been told by my husband,’ Eleanor replied,
folowing her lead. ‘He has often told me how much he admires
our overlord.’
‘Sit and eat,’ Karin bade her again. ‘It may be some days
before you are sent for.’
‘Some days…’ Eleanor was about to protest angrily when
she remembered that everything they were saying was possibly
being listened to by spies, who would carry tales to the Sultan.
‘Then I must be patient—there is no more I can do.’
But how was she to be patient when she did not know what
was going on elsewhere in the palace? How she wished there
was some way she could discover what had happened to
Suleiman—and whether the Count Salvadore had already
persuaded the Grand Turk to let him take her back to Italy.
persuaded the Grand Turk to let him take her back to Italy.
‘I realy must protest, your Magnificence,’ Count Salvadore
was saying. ‘Why has Miss Nash been taken to the women’s
quarters? I have been refused permission to speak to her—and
yet I believed you had given permission for me to take her home
to her family?’
Suleiman the Magnificent, Sultan, Grand Turk, the giver of
laws and absolute ruler of the powerful Ottoman Empire, met the
impatient demands of his visitor with an inscrutable look. His
face was thin and narrow, and he wore a slight beard and side-
whiskers, his eyes piercing and cold. A huge jewel sparkled in
the folds of his silken turban as he faced the pompous banking
merchant in silence. Such men had their uses, and Suleiman was
not caled the Lawgiver for nothing. His victories in other lands
had gained him a reputation as a ruthless destroyer, but in his
own country he was revered because he had revised the legal
system, bringing benefits to many of his subjects. Eleanor’s father
had told her that the Sultan was a clever, calculating man who
would not hesitate to use others for his own purpose.
‘Please be seated, noble lord,’ the Sultan’s Vizier replied for
his master. ‘His Magnificence wishes to question you on certain
matters.’
‘But we have talked,’ Count Salvadore blustered. ‘Al day
yesterday. I believed we had reached an understanding—Sir
Wiliam’s son and daughter are to be returned to him in return for
trade and certain banking arrangements you have named.’
trade and certain banking arrangements you have named.’
‘But circumstances are altered,’ the Vizier replied in a calm
even tone. ‘Forgive me, noble lord—but it may be that the
woman in question is no longer the daughter of her father but the
wife of Suleiman Bakhar, and belongs to him under the law.’
‘How can this be? I was told that it is impossible for a
Christian woman to become the wife of a Muslim.’ Salvadore
was on the point of losing his temper. Al this had been gone
through at length before permission to enter the Caliph’s palace
had been given.
‘But it seems that the lady has become a Muslim…’ the
Vizier replied. ‘My master requires to know why you wish to
take Miss Nash away from her lawful husband.’
‘It cannot be lawful to force a Christian woman to marry
against her wil.’
‘Are you sure it was done against her wil?’
‘Of course. She could not want to live in a harem!’
The Vizier was about to continue with his questions, when the
Sultan beckoned to him. He approached his master, bending to
hear the whispered words, and then he nodded and turned to
beckon one of the eunuchs.
‘What is going on?’ Count Salvadore demanded as the
eunuch went away. ‘What did his Magnificence say?’
‘My master commanded that the woman be brought to
answer for herself.’
‘But…but…’ the count faltered uncertainly. ‘I do not see that
this wil serve. She wil be afraid to speak her mind for fear of
what may happen to her. Besides, only her father can consent to
what may happen to her. Besides, only her father can consent to
her marriage—and he does not. I have paid the ransom. A very
generous ransom…’
The Vizier held up his hand to silence him. ‘Your gift gained
you an audience with the Sultan, nothing more. Be careful what
you demand, infidel. It would not be wise to displease my
master.’
Count Salvadore fumed inwardly. It was impossible to treat
with these people! They said one thing and did another. He
distrusted them and wished that he might conclude his business
quickly and leave. There was some mischief going on here—he
felt it instinctively.
Yet surely Eleanor would tel them that she desired to be
returned to her family? She could not wish to remain here as
some kind of a harlot…unless…? He frowned as he recaled her
haughty manner the previous day. Perhaps she had already
become the Turk’s mistress.
The seconds ticked by slowly, and Count Salvadore cursed
inwardly. He had a ship waiting, and he wanted to catch the tide.
The sooner he left this accursed place the better! He turned as
he heard a slight commotion, and then saw that two women had
returned with the eunuch. He started to rise, but a sharp gesture
from the Vizier made him keep his seat.
Eleanor came forward, her heart beating very fast as she
realised she had been brought into the presence of the Sultan and
his court, who, Karin had told her, were gathered in the State
Audience Chamber. It was here that the Grand Vizier held
meetings with foreign ambassadors, and there was a window
meetings with foreign ambassadors, and there was a window
from which the Sultan could watch unobserved if he chose—but
today he was seated on a magnificent throne on a raised dais
.
Eleanor was stil wearing her wedding veil, for no other had
been given her, and she held tight to Karin’s hand as they were
told to approach the throne.
‘Down on your knees, and keep your head bent until you are
spoken to,’ Karin whispered as they were told to halt their
approach stil some little distance from the throne. ‘Remember al
I have told you, Eleanor.’
Eleanor made no reply. She peered through her veil in an
effort to see if Suleiman was also present, but there was no sign
of him. Where was he? What was happening to him? She had
lain awake most of the night, her heart aching for a sight of him,
but other than the Kadin who had brought them more food that
evening, they had seen no one.
‘You are Miss Eleanor Nash, daughter of the noble lord Sir
Wiliam?’ a voice asked her. Eleanor looked up and saw a man
richly dressed in robes of purple and gold. He was stout and his
beard was grey, but she looked into his eyes and saw that there
was no malice there. He smiled at her reassuringly as she
hesitated. ‘Speak to me—and then I wil question you. You must
not speak to the Sultan unless he gives permission.’
‘Yes, my lord Vizier,’ Eleanor replied. ‘I have been taught
what is proper by my lord’s family.’
‘Your lord?’ The Vizier looked at her hard, his eyes
searching but unable to see through the veil that covered her
searching but unable to see through the veil that covered her
face. ‘Of whom do you speak, lady—your master? The man
who bought you from the Corsair Mohamed Ali ben Ibn? Do
you wish to remain with him?’
‘I have no master, sir. Suleiman Bakhar is my husband. I was
married to him within the law yesterday, and I am his true wife. It
is both my duty and my wish to remain with him. Under the law I
can have no other husband—and must retire from life if we are
parted. If I am sent back to Italy, I shal be desolate.’
‘Are you then a believer?’
‘Yes, my lord. I have studied the Qur’an.’ Eleanor lifted her
veil, looking into the Vizier’s face. ‘Forgive me for any
immodesty, my lord Vizier, but I wish you to be able to see that I
do not lie to you. Long before I came to this country, I knew of
your faith and I had studied the Qur’an. When my lord Suleiman
did me the honour to ask me to become his wife, I studied