Bought for the Harem, page 7
‘Kasim, you have come to see the children,’ she said in French and held out her hand to him. He bowed to her, but did not touch her hand. ‘And your companion is the lady my husband spoke of, I believe?’
‘This is the lady Katrina,’ Kasim said, looking at Harriet. ‘She is Kahlid’s chief and most beloved wife. Lady, this is the lady Harriet.’
‘Forgive me if I do not stand to greet you,’ Katrina said and smiled at Harriet. ‘I have been feeling a little unwell of late and this is why Kahlid has decided that I need help with the children.’
Harriet approached, feeling instantly that she was with a kindred spirit, someone she could truly like and make friends with here.
‘Please do not attempt it, my lady,’ she said. ‘There is not the least need. I am very happy to have been chosen for this privilege.’
‘Kahlid told me I would like you. I think Kasim chose wisely when he brought you to us.’
‘I cannot say that I was happy to be brought to the palace,’ Harriet said honestly. ‘However, I am glad to be of service to you and I hope to be able to teach the children something.’
‘The Caliph wishes his children to speak English,’ Katrina told her. ‘They speak their own language and also French, for it is the universal language of the harem. However, my husband believes that it is a changing world and he knows that your sea captains and adventurers are beginning to dominate the seas, because their ships are lighter and faster than the Spanish ships and much better than our own. Kahlid’s first wife was an English lady and he learned the language from her.’
‘Forgive me, I thought you were the Caliph’s chief wife?’
Katrina laughed softly. ‘I have been honoured by that position for two years. Before that Anna was his chief wife. She was also his first wife and mother of Prince Hassan. When she died he was devastated for months. I believe he is happier now, though he misses Anna’s counsel. He trusted her and talked with her often of affairs of state.’
‘I see …’ Harriet hesitated, then, ‘You seem very happy?’
‘I love my husband and I am happy to be his chief wife.’
Harriet was silent. She could not doubt the honesty of Katrina’s words, but the culture was so alien to her that she could not understand why a woman like the Caliph’s chief wife would find happiness in her life. How could she be happy to be a prisoner, little better than one of the slaves who served the palace?
‘For today you will listen and learn how we go on,’ Katrina told her. ‘Our lessons are simple—today we are discussing the countries of the world. The Caliph believes that it is important for his children to know that there are other people with other beliefs.’
Harriet nodded. Kasim had brought a chair for her; similar in style to the one Katrina was using, she found it comfortable. She sat down as Katrina went back to her lesson, noticing that Kasim had taken a stool at the back of the room.
‘Today we are learning about Spain,’ Katrina said. ‘Who can tell me the date when the Moors were driven out and—?’
A chorus of voices called out the answer before she could finish her question. Looking at the eager faces of the boys and girls and the way they hung on Katrina’s every word gave Harriet a warm feeling inside. In England it had been thought something unusual when she was taught with her brother, but it seemed that the Caliph wanted both his sons and his daughters to learn the same lessons.
Harriet wondered how a man with such liberal ideas of education could keep men and women in slavery. It did not make sense to her and she found herself studying their faces and noticing the different tones of their skin and the slant to their cheekbones, realising that, as in the harem, the children were a mixture of races. Yet sitting here together in this peaceful room they seemed in perfect harmony with each other.
‘Perhaps the lady Harriet would like to tell us about England?’ Katrina said suddenly.
Harriet realised that she had been dreaming. Warmed by the sun behind her, she had been quite content to watch and listen. As all the children’s eyes moved to her, she felt her cheeks grow pink.
‘England is my home,’ she told the expectant children. ‘I live in a large old house with gardens, lawns and a lake. When the weather is fine I like to ride on my horse or walk to the lake. Sometimes I take food to the swans who come to the lake, especially in winter.’
‘What is a swan?’ one of the boys asked.
‘A swan is a very large bird with a long neck and white feathers. My father called it the king of birds, because it is very proud and fierce and can be dangerous when someone invades its territory.’
‘The swan is like my father the Caliph,’ the boy said in French and grinned at her cheekily. ‘He is a king and he is very fierce when the hill tribesmen make trouble in the villages.’
‘Yes, perhaps he might be called a swan, but the lion is considered the king of beasts in England,’ Harriet said and laughed softly. ‘The kings and queens of England sometimes have a lion on their pennants.’
‘What is a pennant?’ a little girl asked.
‘Do not be silly, Fatima,’ the boy said swiftly. ‘A pennant is a flag—like the ones the Janissaries carry on their spears into battle.’
‘English knights have them, too,’ Harriet told him. ‘It is a matter of honour that the pennant must not be lost.’
‘Was your father a knight?’ the boy asked. ‘Was your house a palace like this?’
‘My father was an English viscount,’ Harriet said with a smile. ‘Our house is very different to this, smaller and built of grey stone. Your pink walls are pretty. When I first saw the palace I thought it had come from a fairy tale. It almost looked good enough to eat.’
Harriet heard a muffled laugh. She looked at Kasim, but did not think he had laughed. Her eyes were drawn to a fretted arch at the far end of the room. Was someone behind it, listening to what they said?
‘I loved my home even though it is not as pretty as yours and one day I hope to return to see all my friends and family. My family misses me very much and would happily pay a lot of money to see me returned to them.’
A hushed silence followed her words, and then Katrina clapped her hands. ‘That is enough for this morning, children. You may return to your quarters. Tomorrow we shall begin your English lessons.’
Katrina rose to her feet as the children walked from the room, talking and giggling together. Her dark eyes rested on Harriet’s face for a moment.
‘I must advise you not to speak of being ransomed to the children, Harriet. Such things only confuse them, for they were born here and do not understand that not everyone is happy to be brought here. If you wish to please the Caliph, you must be respectful.’
Harriet looked at her with a flash of rebellion. ‘How can I respect a man who orders his servants to bring women here as slaves?’
‘Have you been treated ill?’ Katrina asked. ‘Has anyone beaten you or refused you food and drink?’
‘No … but I wish to be free. My cousin wishes to go home to her family and so do I.’ Tears stung her eyes. ‘Forgive me …’ Seeing that Katrina had turned pale, she went to her, putting an arm about her waist. ‘Are you faint? I did not mean to upset you.’
‘I am not upset. This faintness comes and goes. I shall be better in a moment.’
‘Have you nothing to help you when you feel faint? My nurse swore by hartshorn or a pomander filled with cloves and herbs. Something you inhale to help you clear your head.’
‘Do not worry, I shall recover in a moment.’
‘I should take you back to the harem, lady.’
Harriet looked at Kasim. ‘May I not help the lady Katrina to her apartments? I am afraid she might faint and hurt herself.’
‘You are very thoughtful.’ Katrina smiled at her. ‘Leave her with me, Kasim. I will see that she is returned safely to the harem by the end of the day. I should like it very much if we could talk and get to know each other better.’
‘As you wish, my lady.’ Kasim inclined his head to Harriet. ‘I shall come for you tomorrow morning.’
‘Thank you,’ Harriet replied, giving him a grateful look because he could have insisted that she return to the harem immediately. ‘I shall be ready.’
‘We shall go to my private apartments,’ Katrina told her. ‘Please give me your arm, because I do not wish to fall. It is important to me that I give the Caliph a son.’
Harriet offered her arm, feeling the weight of the older woman as she leaned on her. ‘Is this your first child?’
‘I had a son, but last year he died of a fever,’ Katrina said and her eyes filled with tears. ‘My husband was griefstricken, for he adored Ossie. I want to have another son—not to replace the child I lost, but another boy who will bring joy to our hearts.’
Harriet nodded, looking around her with interest as they entered a part of the palace she had not seen before. Katrina led her towards a door similar to the one leading into the harem. It opened as they approached and they went inside to a room that surpassed anything Harriet had yet seen. At first glance it seemed to be all pink, but then she saw that though the floors and walls were pink, the ceiling was a pale blue painted with what looked like white clouds to resemble the sky, and the couches were white and covered with silken cushions. Everywhere she looked there were beautiful things. The little fountain in the centre of the room was made of what looked like pink alabaster, the water making a tinkling sound as it cascaded into a pool in which white water lilies grew. There were statues of white marble and tables made of dark wood inlaid with intricate patterns of what looked like semi-precious stones.
‘What a lovely room!’ Harriet exclaimed. ‘It feels very peaceful here.’
Katrina smiled and sighed as she sat on one of the couches, lying back against the cushions. ‘It is one of the privileges of my position. My private gardens lead into the harem and you may go back that way this evening. It is pleasant that you can visit me often that way if you wish.’
‘I shall if it is your wish and I am permitted. I believe Mellina took us to your gardens to bathe when we arrived,’ Harriet told her. ‘I did not know that it was private. It was very beautiful and so peaceful. There are so many women in the harem and I have been used to sitting alone with a book or walking in the country.’
‘You like to read? It is a favourite pastime of mine,’ Katrina told her. ‘There are many books in the palace. If you wish to tell me what you enjoy, I will arrange for books to be brought to you.’
‘How kind you are,’ Harriet said. ‘I hope that we shall become friends … while I stay here.’
‘I am certain we shall be friends,’ Katrina said. ‘You must visit me whenever you wish, but please do not make yourself sad by thinking of leaving. It is impossible.’
‘I cannot promise that I shall not think about returning home, but I shall not distress you or the children by speaking of it again. It is the Caliph to whom I must make my pleas.’ Harriet looked at her pleadingly. ‘I think more of my cousin than myself. She has been so frightened. Marguerite is so young and innocent. She is apprehensive of what may happen to her.’
‘It is the same for most wives when they are given to their husbands,’ Katrina replied. ‘But love comes in mysterious ways.’
Harriet inclined her head. She would not argue her point. If she were forced to live within the harem, she could see a way of life for herself, but she would do anything she needed to do to save Marguerite from an unwelcome future as the prince’s concubine.
‘Where have you been all day?’ Marguerite pounced on her when she returned to the harem late that afternoon. ‘I thought you might have been sent to another place and I was afraid I should never see you again.’
‘I should not have let them take me without telling you, but you seemed content when Kasim came for me and Mellina said I should not disturb you.’
‘I missed you,’ Marguerite replied, looking tearful. ‘Mellina made me bathe with the others and then they rubbed perfumed oils into my back and my arms. It was pleasant, but I felt embarrassed; they would not turn their heads as I entered the water. Fortunata stared at me and I think she hates me.’
‘That is because she sees you as a rival. She believes that the Caliph may choose you, but I do not think that is his intention.’
‘How can you know?’
‘I believe you may be intended as a gift for his eldest son—Prince Hassan.’
‘No!’ Marguerite drew back in horror. ‘Surely they would not give me to him?’ Her eyes were wide with horror. ‘Some of the others told me the Caliph is kind and generous. I thought he might be like my father, but the prince …’ She shuddered. ‘They say he thinks more of fighting than of love. I want to go home, Harry. I want to be with my mother and father.’ Tears began to trickle down her face. ‘I cannot help thinking of my father and Captain Richardson …’
‘Perhaps they are still alive,’ Harriet said. ‘If they escaped, they may even now be trying to discover where we are.’
‘If only we could be ransomed,’ Marguerite said and wiped away her tears. ‘I thought I needed time to know my heart, but if Captain Richardson were here now I should marry him. I love him, Harry. How can I think of giving myself to another man?’
‘Do not give up hope,’ Harriet said and embraced her. ‘I think the Caliph was listening behind the screen when I was with Katrina and the children this morning. I mentioned the possibility of a ransom.
He must have heard me, though I was forbidden to say it again.’
‘Is that where you went—to the apartments of the Caliph’s chief wife? Is she very beautiful?’
‘She has a beautiful smile and she is with child,’ Harriet said. ‘I liked her and I enjoyed talking to the children, which is to be my position in the household until Katrina is brought to bed—but I shall never give up trying to obtain our freedom.’
‘But if I am given to the prince …’ Marguerite swallowed hard. ‘I should never be able to marry. I should be shamed and beyond redemption.’
‘You must not think like that!’ Harriet said fiercely. ‘They can force us to obey them, cousin; they can command our bodies, but they cannot break our spirit. While we resist in our hearts we remain free.’
‘I can bear it as long as I have you,’ Marguerite said. ‘But if they part us I think I shall die.’
Harriet put her arms about her, for there was no comfort she could offer. At present they were lodged in the Caliph’s harem, but if Marguerite were given to the prince they would seldom meet.
Harriet had begun to settle to the life almost at once. She found her apartments charming, as were the gardens, and the sunshine was pleasant. She thought that in certain circumstances she could be happy in such a place.
However, despite the favoured treatment she was being given, she must remember that she belonged to the Caliph and not Kasim. Her heart caught because she knew where her thoughts were leading her and it would be foolish to allow herself to like him too much.
‘You will need this today, my lady.’ Harriet looked at the enveloping garment that Mellina had brought for her that morning. ‘It covers you from head to toe.’
‘I was told to wear one of these when we journeyed to the palace,’ Harriet said looking curious. ‘Is it not called a casacche? And why do I need such a garment this morning?’
‘Kasim will tell you. I was merely instructed that you were going out of the palace.’
‘Going out of the palace?’ Harriet’s heart missed a beat. ‘Am I being sent away?’ Had she been sold or given to someone as a gift? Her heart thudded and she felt a deep ache at the prospect of being parted not only from her cousin, but also from Kasim. If she were not to see him again, she would miss him. She looked for her cousin, but could not see her in the courtyard. ‘Where is Marguerite?’
‘She has been taken to bathe,’ Mellina said. ‘I cannot answer your questions for I do not know the answers. Come! You must not keep the lady Katrina waiting.’
‘Please tell my cousin that I love her.’
Harriet felt sick as she followed the older woman. Was she being passed on to another master? Yet if the lady Katrina were waiting for her surely she was not being sent away? She clung to the slender hope, but could not understand why they were to leave the palace so soon after arriving.
Kasim was waiting outside the harem door. He too was dressed for a journey of some sort; his turban and robes were white and the leggings he always wore were criss-crossed with dark bands. On his feet he had boots of fine red leather and a sash of gold around his waist over which he wore a leather belt and a sword.
‘Where are we going?’ Harriet asked, her heart pounding. ‘Am I being sent away? Have I done something wrong?’
‘Exactly the opposite,’ Kasim replied and smiled. ‘You are to be indulged and honoured by being allowed to accompany the lady Katrina to the bazaar in the village to purchase trinkets and silks.’
‘I am being taken to the bazaar?’ Harriet’s head was whirling. She was being allowed outside the palace with the Caliph’s chief wife—a privilege that was not given to many slaves. ‘Why should I be trusted in this way? Are you not afraid that I might try to run away?’
‘And leave your cousin here alone?’ Kasim’s brows rose. His eyes seemed to delve into her soul, stripping it bare. ‘Your devotion to Marguerite has been noted. Besides, the lady Katrina particularly asked for your company and at the moment the Caliph can refuse her nothing.’ His gaze was steely as he looked at her. ‘I do not think you would wish to make trouble for your cousin or the lady Katrina. You would not wish them punished in your stead?’
‘No, I should not,’ Harriet replied, a flash of temper in her eyes. He thought himself so clever! ‘You are quite sure of me, aren’t you? Have I been watched and judged worthy of trust? Or do you think you hold the upper hand?’
‘If your cousin were free, you would take your chances,’ Kasim replied. ‘Though I think you would not betray the lady Katrina’s trust.’
‘No, I could not; she has made my life here bearable,’ Harriet answered. ‘She has given me books and needlework, and the pleasure of her company. I consider her a friend.’
