Captive of the Harem

by Anne Herries

  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?’

  ‘Yes. What wil they do to him? Wil he be beaten—or

  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