by Tariq Ali
‘I’m not as old as you and I too will remember this night,’ said Balkis.
‘I am older than both of them, but why should enjoyment be left to the young?’
‘How far is your house, Abi?’
Idrisi smiled before replying. ‘None of you know the loneliness that has afflicted me for so many years. When Walid left home without telling us I thought everyone was forsaking me and I became despondent. Tonight I feel all that is over. And we are nearly home. Can you see those lit windows on the hill? Another few minutes and we’ll be there.’
A palace messenger had already conveyed news of the Sultan’s decision releasing Mayya to Ibn Fityan and so he was waiting with the rest of the household to welcome the new lady of the house and the master’s daughter. Balkis was welcomed equally warmly. The torches held high charmed the women as they walked up the steps.
‘Have the rooms been prepared?’
‘Yes, Ibn Muhammad,’ replied the steward, ‘but we were not expecting a third guest. It will not take long to prepare a guest chamber.’
‘This is the Lady Balkis, who is my wife’s sister and whose husband, the Amir of Siracusa, will probably join us here tomorrow.’
Ibn Fityan was impressed by this news. It answered all his questions.
‘The hammam has also been prepared.’
The women had already bathed once that day and declined the offer. They asked for an infusion of fresh mint leaves and were escorted to the terrace. Mayya wondered whether she should accompany Muhammad and talk to him while he was bathed, but thought it might be too soon.
Idrisi’s intention was to have a bath without being disturbed and meditate on the thorny problem that had been preoccupying him ever since they had left the palace: Balkis or Mayya? It might be his only chance to lie in Balkis’s arms before her husband arrived and they departed for Siracusa. What if Mayya insisted, as was only natural, that they should spend the first night here together and make up for lost time? It would be inhuman to resist such a plea. Balkis, who loved her sister, would understand. He had made up his mind, but doubts persisted quite simply because his heart was pushing him in the wrong direction. Left to himself with no other considerations, he would have rushed to Balkis. He knew he might live to regret it and yet, if Allah was kind and gave him ten more years, it was futile to live them in a sea of unhappiness.
As he left the hammam, refreshed and ready to face his new life, he had decided in favour of Mayya. He would allow nothing to deter him from this path. Ibn Fityan had laid the table in the dining room that was rarely used. The rectangular table could easily seat twenty-five people, but he had prepared just one end of it for Idrisi and the ladies. As they walked in he looked admiringly at the different colours worn by Mayya and Elinore, but it was Balkis who took his breath away. She wore a high priestess off-white robe and had lifted her hair back with a silver clasp.
The welcoming feast was pronounced a success and the sweet homemade lemon liquor, which Idrisi insisted was a much more effective digestive than a similar concoction made from aniseed, was highly praised.
‘Mayya told me you were a master of medicine as well,’ Balkis said in a slightly indifferent tone, ‘but I had no idea you prepared medicinal mixtures.’
‘I do and I even have one which helps get rid of unwanted pregnancies, which is much in demand on Lombard estates. They rape our women who are too ashamed to tell their brothers, fathers or husbands. They go to the local medicine man and plead for the herb that will purge their system. It works. You will not find the prescription in al-Kindi’s Aqrabadhin. When I was in Cairo I introduced it to the physicians at the al-Nasiri maristan. They were pressing me to write a book on compounded drugs and herbs that could help common ailments. If I have time I might yet write such a work.’
Balkis glared at him and Elinore, thinking her father was being somewhat insensitive to her aunt’s lack of children, decided to change the subject.
‘This lemon drink we all loved tonight. You distilled it yourself?’
‘I used to, but the Sultan liked it so much that I was forced to part with the formula and from the palace it has spread to the monasteries and estates. My own supplies now come from the palace. I’m really surprised you have never tasted it before. I would have thought the eunuchs would have made sure the harem was regularly supplied.’
For some reason this made Balkis laugh. ‘You speak as if this was the only drink available in the palace. And what if the eunuchs hated it?’
Mayya, aware of the slight tension between Balkis and Idrisi, wondered what, if anything, had taken place in Siracusa. She followed her daughter’s lead in making sure he was confined to a safe subject.
‘Muhammad, I was trying to remember that friend of yours who you talked about endlessly some years ago. The man who distilled what you said was the most beautiful elixir you had ever tasted. I could not recall his name or where he lived or even the name of the drink.’
Idrisi laughed. ‘Muammar ibn Zafar! He died two years ago and his foolish son sold the fruit orchards to a merchant from Shakka. You would all have liked him. He was one of the most gifted cooks whose food I have had the pleasure to taste. But the elixir was something very special. He used to call it the Heavenly Nectar. Once when I was staying with him to ask his advice on cures for constipation, which was common amongst sailors, he devised a suppository with the most effective mixture. It was October and a great deal of fruit was lying on the ground. Oranges, lemons, peaches, apricots, tangerines and others I cannot recall. His men were ordered to collect these from the ground. The undamaged fruit was washed and placed in a large perpendicular earthenware pot, almost as tall as Balkis. No, a bit taller. To these fruits he added saffron, black pepper, crushed ginger, and peeled clusters of garlic. Then the pot was sealed with a flour paste and left outdoors till the following April. I was present one year when the seal was broken. The most delicious aroma greeted us. Muammar stood on a ladder and stirred the pot till it was properly mixed. I tasted it before and after it was distilled. Completely different each time but equally unforgettable. Al-kohl. Pure. Heaven. I would consider myself lucky if I tasted a drink like that again before I die.’
Elinore clapped her hands. ‘But surely we can try to make it ourselves. Can’t we try? Just a small amount?’
‘Certainly, child. You can try, but don’t be disappointed if you fail. There are some things in this world that are best tasted once.’
‘But I haven’t tasted it, Abu.’
After the table was cleared, the retainers were dismissed for the night. The four of them looked at each other in the candlelight. Elinore and her mother exchanged glances before the young woman addressed her father.
‘Abu?’
‘Elinore bint Muhammad?’
‘I know this is a difficult request, but as you know, the move to your house from the palace was sudden, perhaps too sudden and we were emotionally unprepared ...’
‘I cannot imagine your mother being emotionally unprepared for anything.’
‘It’s me more than her. I’m really happy to be here, but you must understand it will take some time for me to adjust to the change.’
‘I understand that, child, and will do all I can to make it easy for you. Allah be thanked, I have finished my book. The Sultan has gifted me a small vessel and unless he revokes the order, which is unlikely as he is not a small-minded ruler, then we can travel together.’
The delight on Elinore’s face was visible. But she now broached another matter.
‘I would love to travel. I had never set foot outside Palermo till we visited Siracusa a few months ago. But Abi I want to ask ... if I can sleep next to Ummi tonight? Just tonight because I’m feeling unsettled.’
That Idrisi managed to frown at this request was a tribute to his ingenuity—or so he told himself. ‘Elinore, I grant your request—but do not repeat it too often. And now I wish to speak with your mother alone for a while, if that meets with your approval?’
She embraced her father before leaving the room, accompanied by Balkis who had barely spoken the whole evening and appeared engrossed in her own thoughts. She had avoided his gaze and restricting her talk to trivial questions about Palermo. Was she doing it simply to annoy him? It did not occur to him, that unlike her sister, she might not be feeling too happy.
Alone with Mayya in his chamber, they embraced warmly. Then she looked carefully around the room and at his bed.
‘It was generous of you to let Elinore sleep in my bed tonight. She is uneasy, which is not surprising. Everything has happened far too quickly for her. I think she is torn about the move. A part of her wished to stay in the palace till Rujari’s death. She is very fond of him, you know.’
‘And he of her, but this Sultan is already dead as far as I’m concerned.’
‘With Philip out of favour and Rujari dead, will the treasury continue to pay you?’
‘The mother of my children lives on the estate in Noto, but I have another that I have not visited for many years. It came to me after my brother died without an heir. We could sell that to the Church or to a Baron. It is a large estate. Or I could leave it to you and Elinore. I have barely spent any money for the last ten years. This house and the retainers are paid for by the treasury and a few years ago the house was legally registered in my name for services to the state. Life will not be as luxurious as you are used to, but we will not starve.’
With that, he turned the conversation. ‘I had a strange dream in Siracusa.’
She feigned ignorance as he told the story of the ageless high priestess who had left behind unmistakable scents.
‘Surely you were mistaken. Your own body, as we know, leaves many a trace without the presence of anyone else.’
‘Mayya, deceitful woman, how long are you going to maintain your story?’
She looked at him in astonishment. ‘You found out?’
‘How could one not? The drug was effective, but it did not obliterate my memory.’
‘So what happened afterwards?’
‘Has Balkis not told you?’
‘Elinore did not give us a moment to ourselves, though I noticed a strange smile on my sister’s face.’
He told her the rest. With a resigned expression on her face, Mayya asked, ‘She really wants to live here, with us?’
‘She had no idea any more than you and me that this would happen so soon. We were discussing the situation after Rujari’s death and the inevitable changes in the palace.’
‘But she would be happy to leave the Amir and live as your second wife?’
‘Third.’
Mayya began to laugh. ‘You lived on your own for twenty years. Now you want both of us?’
‘I do.’
‘Let it be her choice, not yours. Her husband is a kind and considerate man and she is more attached to him than you realise. If you have succeeded in impregnating her, I do not think the Amir will ask any questions. He will be delighted and thank Allah and there will be rejoicings in Siracusa. Why deny him that small pleasure?’
‘I agree, it must be her choice. And she must think carefully.’
‘You can discuss it with her tonight after you have finished pleasuring each other.’
‘Mayya, I wanted to spend this night with you.’
‘Yes, yes. I know, but since you can’t, why remain alone when the high priestess awaits? I should leave you now. Elinore will be anxious.’
‘And should I tell Balkis I have told you everything or do you wish to inform her yourself?’
‘Of everything we have discussed today, that is the least important. It is a matter of no significance to me. Decide for yourself.’
‘You are angry, my nightingale, but why did you help Balkis to set the trap in the first place? I know she insisted that only my seed was good enough for her, but you could have refused.’
‘Complicity is better than deception. She was quite capable of doing all this without my help. And if she had succeeded, would either of you have told me?’
‘I hope I would have told you.’
‘Enjoy your night and sleep well.’
With these words Mayya left his room and returned to her daughter in the adjoining chamber. He remained seated, thinking of the turn his life had taken, how this latest phase had started and how it might end. But he did not stay alone for long. Tiptoeing out of his room, he made his way to the guest chamber.
They met just inside Balkis’s door, each so choked with passion that words eluded them. He lifted her off the ground and placed her gently on the large canopied bed where they undressed. Then he whispered, ‘Ishqan khumari, qum, atla. Tonight, all five obligations in one. Are you ready?’ She replied by putting her legs around his neck so that his beard covered her clean-shaven and scented mound. Whenever either of them wanted to talk, the other would take preventive action. Hours later he noticed the sky and realised that dawn was not far away.
Balkis, also awake, confessed her anxiety. ‘I thought it would be difficult for you today, even after Elinore claimed her mother for the night.’
‘I was undecided. I wanted to be with you because I know the Amir will take you away very soon. Yet I did not wish to hurt Mayya either. Elinore’s request, I thought, was a useful one.’
She laughed. ‘For whom? Every time I’m with you I can’t bear the thought of going back to Siracusa. I know my husband is kind and considerate and all the other words Mayya uses to describe him. It’s true I’m not unhappy, but neither am I satisfied.’
‘I had noticed.’
She slapped his behind.
‘Mayya told me tonight that if you became pregnant it would make your husband so happy that he would ask no questions.’
‘Did she add that if it was a boy he would inherit large estates in Siracusa? That is what Aziz wants. What do you want, Muhammad?’
‘Habibi, I want you.’
They made love for the fourth time that night. Then she repeated her question. ‘I don’t want loneliness in my life. Mayya and Elinore coming to live with me has solved that. But I will not be happy without you. Will you, could you be happy here?’
‘Muhammad, have you ever thought how you would feel if I asked to live with you and another man at the same time?’
‘Unthinkable. Why should I think about it? It is haram, not permitted by al-Quran.’
‘Nor is adultery which you’ve committed four times already tonight and will again if you can manage to rise for the fifth time before the sun does. And al-Quran states that men who fornicate with each other should be immediately killed. Has that stopped anyone? And those who mask themselves in piety are often the worst offenders. So answer my question.’
‘Balkis, Balkis. How can you ask that? The answer is no. I would not be able to tolerate you living with two men in the same house.’
‘But you tolerate my husband.’
‘He’s only half a man.’
‘That is unworthy of you.’
‘I apologise.’
He hid his face between her legs. The taste of her juices revived him and he managed to rise just before the sun, thus completing the five obligatory fornications of the jihad suggested by Abu Nuwas. She held him tight and the sun rose and they fell asleep in each other’s arms till a discreet knock on the door startled them both. A maidservant announced: ‘Breakfast is waiting on the terrace, Lady Balkis.’
None of them left the house that morning. Idrisi half-regretted that he had not attended the trial. At least he could have said farewell in public to his friend. He paced up and down the terrace and the rooms, looking on the streets to see if a crowd was assembling. Ibn Fityan left for a few hours and returned to inform them that the justiciaries had ordered the fires to be lit even before the trial had begun.
Idrisi could stay indoors no longer. He announced that he was going to the mosque to offer prayers for Philip. Ibn Fityan and four retainers asked to go with him. Two of them were armed.
The women watched from the balcony in
silence as the men walked down the winding path to the main road. Elinore, sensing that her mother and aunt wished to be left alone, went to unpack the belongings that had just been delivered by men belonging to the palace administration. Mayya had insisted that the men stay for a meal, but they had declined. The oldest amongst them, a gaunt man of sixty, with tears in his eyes had replied, ‘I thank you for your offer, Lady Mayya, but our hearts are heavy today and we do not feel like eating. It’s a sad day for us. Amir Philip looked after us and protected our interests. If they can burn him, how long do you think we’ll survive?’
Mayya could do no more than thank them with genuine warmth. They saluted her and departed.
‘It’s a strange time,’ she now said to Balkis. ‘I have never known any like it in all my time at the palace. For days the eunuchs have whispered to each other, weeping copious tears and ignoring our calls. Philip inspired a loyalty which is astonishing.’
Balkis nodded but did not reply.
‘The Amir of Siracusa will give us an account of what has happened. When do both of you leave?’
‘My husband will want to return as soon as possible. Ibn Muhammad and I were lucky. The winds favoured us. But it can take two days to return and they’re already burning monasteries in Noto.’
‘Balkis, my dearest friend and sister, you seem agitated. Tell me what distracts you and speak the truth. Is it the tragedy of Philip that has upset you so much?’
‘Please stop, Mayya. I can’t bear it. You know perfectly well what ails me. I am sure I have his child inside me.’
‘That should make you happy. It’s what you wanted.’
‘I know, but I don’t know. I never thought this could upset me so much.’
‘Ah, I understand. During the night, love’s hand draped you in a garment of embraces, but cruel dawn ripped it wide open again. It happens to all of us. Listen to me now, Balkis. You must stop behaving like a lovelorn girl of sixteen. You’re a married woman. Within a few hours your husband will return and demand you leave with him. What will you do? Think, child.’