Bought for the Harem, page 18
Harriet bent over the young prince. She reached out to touch his forehead. He felt cold. She knew that he must be in such terrible pain for his injuries were many and severe. He opened his eyes and smiled at her.
‘I led the charge, but they sent rocks down on us to block the pass.’ He made a little choking sound and there was blood on his lips. ‘Tell my father it was not Kasim’s fault. He warned me against the pass. He told me to go the long way … I would not heed him.’
‘Oh, Hassan …’ Tears fell from her eyes and wetted his face. ‘Yes, I shall tell him.’
‘I wanted my father to see that I was as strong and brave as Kasim.’ A little moan of pain left his lips.
Harriet smoothed his forehead, looking at the doctor. ‘He is in so much pain.’ The doctor shook his head. ‘Is there nothing?’
‘I can ease the pain, but he will not let me. He wants to talk to his father.’
‘Has the Caliph been sent for?’
‘Yes, but he was at prayer and none dare disturb him.’
‘He must be told at once.’ Harriet looked at Katrina. ‘You must go. He must come at once.’
‘Kahlid does not like to be disturbed when he meditates.’
‘Tell me where to find him and I shall go.’
‘You are needed here. I shall go.’
Harriet turned back to the young prince. He was shaking, having some kind of fit, and she saw from the doctor’s expression that it was serious. She bent over Hassan, soothing his fevered brow. He gave a little cry and clutched at her hand. Harriet held him tightly as she stroked his brow.
‘You will feel better soon,’ she comforted. ‘Your father will come and Doctor Ali will give you something for the pain.’
‘Tell my father I died well.’
‘No, Hassan,’ Harriet said and swallowed hard. ‘You will not die. You must get better for your wife’s sake—and your father’s. You are much loved. Kasim loves you.’
‘Kasim loves you.’ Hassan smiled at her. ‘You are like my mother. Kasim is fortunate …’
He made a choking sound and a trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
‘No …’ Harriet gave a little sob, because she was saddened by his death. ‘No …’
‘He died bravely. He died a man’s death. He will be in Paradise.’
Glancing up, Harriet saw the Caliph watching her. How long had he been there? How much had he heard? She had not been aware of him nor had she realised he had entered the room. She moved away and let him take her place. Katrina beckoned to her and they went out into the chamber that led onto the gardens.
‘Kahlid will want to mourn alone.’
‘Yes, we must leave them together. It is a terrible tragedy.’
‘Kahlid loved Hassan. He will blame himself for allowing him to fight.’ ‘Yes, I expect he will.’
It was Kahlid’s insistence that Kasim should rule jointly with Kasim that had made the young prince so determined to fight. The father would feel his guilt and it would increase the burden of his grief a hundred times.
Harriet returned to her rooms alone. There was nothing more she could do. A dreadful hush had fallen over the palace. Everyone was aware that the prince was dead and the Caliph was in mourning for his son.
Harriet had known that Kasim was not one of the party who had escorted the prince back to the palace, so she had spent the night in his apartments, praying that he would return safely, but he did not come. In the morning she went to see Katrina to ask if there were any news.
‘Have you spoken to the Caliph since last night?’
Katrina shook her head. ‘He had Hassan taken to his rooms and keeps a vigil over his body. He will not speak to anyone. He is waiting for Kasim to return.’
‘Kasim has not yet returned?’ Harriet asked. She had thought perhaps he was with the Caliph and too busy to send for her. ‘Have you heard anything since the men brought Hassan home?’
‘Kasim led the men into battle against the tribesmen who set the avalanche,’ she said. ‘He told them that they must avenge the prince or die in the attempt. They say his fury was dreadful to see.’
‘He loved Hassan dearly,’ Harriet said and her throat caught. She could not imagine what Kasim was feeling at this moment. He had called the prince a young hot-head, but he loved him as a brother, and he would take the blame on himself for what had happened.
‘He will take revenge on those who did this evil thing,’ Katrina said and there was a look in her eyes that made Harriet wonder.
‘You are worried about something,’ she said. ‘Do you wish to tell me?’
‘I think …’ She shook her head. ‘No, I am not sure. Yet Jamail told me that if I did nothing.’
‘You think your brother might have been amongst the tribesmen who caused the avalanche?’ Harriet saw the fear in her eyes. ‘Surely not? I know he thought your son should be the heir instead of Hassan, but.’ Harriet held back the words that trembled on her tongue. It was obvious that Katrina did not know what Kahlid had decided.
‘My father was a good ruler of our tribe, but when he died and my brother became the leader he made war on other tribes. I believe he has been behind the recent uprisings. He is jealous of Kahlid’s power. My husband is not well, Harriet. If he were to die and my son were the heir … Jamail would take over here, for he could command me, and who would deny him?’
‘I should.’ The women turned as they heard Kasim’s voice. Harriet gave a glad cry and started towards him, but the look on his face stopped her. He looked angry, his eyes cold and bleak. Her heart caught. ‘How long have you known that your brother plotted treason against the Caliph’s son, lady?’
Katrina’s face turned pale. Her eyes widened in fear and her hands clenched at her sides.
‘I did not know anything. He said … I told Harriet that he wished me to persuade Kahlid to make my son his heir, but I refused. I—I was afraid of him, but when Harriet came he left me and he has not returned.’
‘You knew of this plot and did not see fit to tell me?’
Kasim looked at Harriet and his eyes were so cold that she shivered. ‘There was nothing to tell you,’ she said and yet even as she spoke she was remembering that she had sensed something menacing about Jamail.
‘Had either of you seen fit to tell me, this tragedy might have been avoided.’ He looked from one to the other. ‘We fought the tribesmen and defeated them, but their leader escaped. We did not know who to look for, but now I believe we know where to find the man who murdered Prince Hassan. He will be caught and punished.’ Kasim looked at Katrina scornfully. ‘You have betrayed your husband, lady … As for you, Harriet, I shall deal with you later. You are both confined to your apartments. Neither of you will visit the other. Until this business has finished there will be no privileges for either of you.’
‘Kasim. Katrina is my friend. She meant no harm.’
Kasim’s eyes flashed with anger. ‘Do as you are told, Harriet. Go to your apartments and stay there until I send for you.’
Harriet raised her head. She moved towards Katrina and embraced her. ‘Do not be afraid, my friend. I know that you are innocent.’ Then, giving Kasim a look of reproof, she turned and walked from the room unhurriedly.
Kasim was clearly in torment, but he should not blame Katrina for what had happened. She had no control over her brother—and Hassan had brought his fate on himself, for if he had listened to Kasim he would not have been caught in the trap.
Harriet held back the tears. She would not weep. The man she loved seemed to have gone and in his place was a hard-eyed stranger.
‘You are a great warrior and I owe you much,’ Kahlid said as he invited Kasim to sit with him in his private rooms. ‘I know that Hassan ignored your advice not to attack through the pass and I absolve you of any blame. I should have forbidden him to ride with you, but it would have dishonoured him. He was determined to prove himself and I could not keep him here against his will for ever.’
‘His death hurts me as much as it hurts you, my lord,’ Kasim replied. ‘I know that your loss is terrible.’
Kahlid waved a hand in dismissal, but a little pulse flicked at his temple. ‘I have other sons, though none I love as I loved Hassan. None of my other wives have given me a son, though I have many by women of the harem. I do not wish any of them to be my heir, though Abdulla is a good devout son. He is but sixteen, but I think he will take the path of religion.’ Kahlid sighed. ‘Hassan was my chosen heir.’
‘He was the son of your first wife, Anna.’ Kasim looked thoughtful. ‘There was another child … a son who was stolen from you as a baby? Hassan told me once and I know it grieves you.’
‘It was my fault. I insisted on taking the child to visit my cousin and the abduction happened there. Anna never forgave me for his loss and I blamed myself.’
‘Have you searched for him?’
‘I sent men to look for him; month after month they came back and told me there was no trace of him.’ Kahlid’s gaze narrowed. ‘Why do you ask?’
‘I have not spoken because I was not certain, but one of the prisoners we took tried to save his own life by telling me that he could reveal the whereabouts of your lost son. He swore that he had been sold to a slaver.’
Kahlid sat forwards, his hooded eyes alert and eager. ‘If he has such information I would spare him.’
‘There is a boy. I found him at the slave auction when I purchased Harriet and her cousin. At first I was not sure, though I saw the likeness at once, but I hesitated to speak.’
‘You thought Hassan might resent another rival?’
‘I cannot be sure that the boy is your son, but you may judge for yourself.’
‘Bring him to me. I would see him.’
Kasim inclined his head, walked to the door and gave an order to the eunuch who waited outside. He returned to the Caliph.
‘There is a matter I need to discuss with you, concerning the leader of the rebels.’
‘I thought you said he escaped?’
‘He did—but I may know where he can be found.’
‘Find him and kill him.’
‘Whoever he may be?’ Kasim questioned.
‘Even if he is one of my sons or my cousin. I want him dead.’ Kahlid’s hands shook with emotion.
‘I shall obey your wish, my lord.’
‘I intend to announce that your rule is now absolute,’ Kahlid said. ‘Tomorrow we shall hold a day of mourning for the prince. After that I shall retire from state affairs. The province will be in your hands. If you need advice.’ His voice died away as the door opened and a young boy walked in.
‘You sent for me, my lord?’ Yuri asked, looking nervously at the man he knew was the Caliph, but had seen only from a distance. ‘Have I displeased you?’
‘No, Yuri, you have not displeased me,’ Kasim said. ‘Please come closer so that the Caliph can see you.’
Yuri approached, looking apprehensive. Kahlid held out his hand, beckoning him closer. ‘Let me look at you, boy.’
Yuri went closer. The Caliph leaned forwards, taking hold of his arm and staring into his face. For some minutes he stared at him, then he looked at Kasim and the tears began to trickle down his cheeks.
‘He is Anna’s son,’ he said in a voice hoarse with emotion. ‘He is Hassan’s brother.’
Yuri stared at Kasim. ‘I do not understand, my lord. I am the son of a slave.’
‘No, she was not your mother,’ Kasim told him. ‘Men of a certain hill tribe stole you from your father when you were a baby. They intended to kill you, but one of the slave women hid you and took you as her own. She was later sold to a new master and taken to Algiers where you were both sold again. When your mother was sold at the auction the owner did not want you and the slave master’s wife took you. I suspected the truth as soon as I saw you, but I could not be certain until recently. You are the Caliph’s son—and he will tell you of your future.’
‘Come and sit by me,’ Kahlid said and his eyes were warm with love. ‘You will visit me every day, but you will also have tutors who will instruct you in the things you should know. One day you will be Caliph, but until then Kasim is your ruler and you must swear to obey him and be loyal to him. When he believes you are old and wise enough to rule he will pass the mantle to you. Will you so swear?’
Yuri looked at Kasim and then nodded. ‘Kasim has been like a father to me. No one but my lord has ever treated me with kindness. I shall always honour and obey him. I swear it on my life.’
‘Then I shall acknowledge you as my lost son returned to me,’ Kahlid said. ‘When we have mourned Prince Hassan for two weeks we shall hold a celebration. Kasim will receive the robes of office from my hand and you will be my son and his ward.’ He pressed a hand to his chest, closing his eyes for a moment. ‘Yuri may stay with me for a little if it pleases him. My good friend, I know you have much to do. Hassan must be honoured in the way of his forefathers—and there is the matter of the punishments.’
‘Yes, my lord. I shall see to it at once.’ Kasim genuflected and smiled at Yuri. ‘Take care of your father. He is not well and needs to rest.’
‘Yes, my lord.’
Kasim left the apartment. He was frowning as he walked towards the guardhouse. He had not told Kahlid that Katrina’s brother was concerned in the murder of the prince, but once Jamail bin Rachid was brought back as a prisoner, he would learn the truth.
Harriet was angry because he had spoken so coldly to Katrina, but she did not understand that there were often plots against the life of the Caliph and his sons. Katrina’s duty was to her husband. If she suspected her brother of plotting against Kahlid she should have told him. Had she done so he would not have blamed her, but now. Jamail was already condemned to death once he was captured, but what would the Caliph decree for his wife?
Katrina was his favourite. Kasim hoped that was enough to save her from punishment. For the moment at least he would say nothing, but once Kahlid knew that it was her brother who had set off the avalanche his anger would know no bounds.
Kasim had been furious when he heard Katrina and Harriet speaking of the plot that had led to the prince’s cruel death. He had blamed Harriet for not telling him what she had seen that day, but she had not understood how important it was to crush the tiniest spark of rebellion before it could flare into an unstoppable fire.
Harriet was unable to settle. She could not read or embroider and she had been forbidden to teach the children or visit her friend. Kasim had been so angry with both her and Katrina. It was unfair of him to blame the Caliph’s wife because her brother had been involved in the rebellion. She wished that she had mentioned her unease at once, but so much had happened that she had dismissed it as unimportant. Katrina disliked her brother, even feared him. It would be wrong if she were to be punished for something Jamail had done without her knowledge or consent.
Harriet felt chilled as she remembered the bleak look she had seen in Kasim’s eyes when he heard them talking. He seemed like a stranger—a man she did not know and would not care for if she did. What had happened to make him change so much? Or was it that she did not truly know him?
She had fallen in love with him slowly, believing that despite his stern looks and determination to keep his word to the Caliph, he was a just man. He had told her that he did not like everything about the life he had chosen here and he had offered her freedom—yet when he sent her to her room he had behaved as if she were his slave. He had ordered her to remain in his rooms until he sent for her, rescinding both her privileges and Katrina’s.
He had no right to treat them so harshly. Neither she nor Katrina was responsible for what had happened to Hassan. Had Hassan not been so determined to have his own way, he might have returned to the palace as part of the triumphant force that Kasim had once again led to victory.
Why should she stop here? She was not a slave and she would not behave like one. Carried on a surge of rebellion, she walked to the door that led into the palace and opened it. No one was guarding the entrance. Kasim had obviously believed that she would tamely obey his orders. Well, she would not. He had told her that he cared for her and that as his wife she would be free to move wherever she wished within the palace. He could not then turn round and confine her to her apartments.
Her anger carried her to Katrina’s rooms in a spirit of defiance. However, when the eunuch opened the door for her, she discovered that her friend was nowhere to be found. Had her husband sent for her?
Harriet wondered if Kasim had told the Caliph what he suspected. Was Katrina being punished?
Restless, and determined to discover the truth, Harriet went out into the gardens that led to the Caliph’s harem. She intended to ask Mellina if she knew what was happening, but she halted as she saw that the gate through which Marguerite had escaped had been left wide open. Her curiosity aroused, she went to investigate. She saw that some gardening tools were lying near the gate, but there was no sign of the eunuch assigned to duties here.
Her heart beating fast, she approached the gate and looked out. No one was to be seen and no one called to her. Harriet hesitated and then went out. She pulled her scarf over her head, draping it across her face. Walking hesitantly through a narrow walkway, she came to a courtyard. Thinking that at any moment she would be challenged, Harriet looked about her, but there was no one. She walked on through several more courtyards and gardens and then came to the compound where the celebrations had been held. She could see the gates through which she and Marguerite had been brought the night they arrived at the palace under Prince Hassan’s escort. Normally they were closed and guarded, but for some reason they too were open.
Glancing round, she saw that an altercation was going on. It looked as if some prisoners had been brought out into the compound. She shivered as she realised that they were going to be punished. Two of them had been tied to wooden stakes and a large eunuch with a whip was standing in front of them. As her horrified eyes took in the scene, she realised that the man in charge of the punishment was Kasim. Her throat caught with horror as he gave the order and without realising what she was doing, she started forwards as the eunuch lashed out with his cruel whip.
