The Wild Fields
Page 23
Tatyana's mind swirled and her body felt light as a feather during the sudsy, foaming massage. The attendant was quite thorough, too, just like Odalik had told her! And when Tatyana moved or even lifted an arm, foot, or hand her appendages felt like they were floating on air. Nothing on her body seemed to weigh more than a goose feather. Even when she stood, it was like a combination of the sensations of inebriation mixed with that feeling one gets in the wee hours of the morning after a long night's sleep when the mind is coming awake, yet still remembering that wonderful dream from the night before. Nothing on her body, from top to bottom, hurt or ached in any way. The other girls commented on the same thing.
“I feel I’m floating on air, comrades,” exclaimed Olga, sounding as if she would swoon with pleasure. They felt refreshed and renewed after experiencing the Keceli Hamami that day. And when they went to the Tepedarium or cooling bath area, they were able to sit comfortably in the water together, arms around each other's shoulders in groups of six or eight, sighing blissful sighs. Olga, clearly the loudest and most outgoing of the bunch, summed it up best by saying, “Girls, this truly is a magical world. I'm so glad we're here together today. I wish this would never end.”
Tatyana agreed. And at least for now the fantasy was perfect. Their bodies felt euphoric, their minds were wiped clean of stress and worry. Frankly the only thing that could have made it better for Tatyana would have been to have Lyev there with her. But alas, all she could hope for was that Lyev was somewhere safe now, somewhere getting fed and cared for. Somewhere at peace. After all, Tatyana knew she was now far, far away from her home in Belgorod—if the tavern still existed that is. If Lyev was alive, missing her and hoping to find her, well, it could be a very, very difficult task trying to locate her. It might take years!
But that's all that haunted Tatyana’s mind right now. She tried putting it out of her mind for the time being as best she could. She was with her friends; and besides, tomorrow was to be the beginning of her rigorous training at Tuccar's mansion in the town.
Watch for Part Two of this amazing series
From Purple Hazel
The Streets of Bursa
Coming Soon to Torrid Books!
Ludmilla endures unspeakable horrors while crossing the Black Sea onboard a crowded slave ship. Once delivered to the northern coast of the Anatolian peninsula, she is pressed into service as a field hand on a cotton plantation near Sinop. Tatyana meanwhile undergoes rigorous training as a potential concubine at the home of Tuccar Ozgunduz in Bursa.
And as Ludmilla rises through the ranks to become first overseer, then business manager to the owner of the plantation she loyally serves, Tatyana is subsequently sold to the Sultan’s palace in Istanbul where she becomes maid servant to the monarch’s many wives and ladies in waiting. Several years pass as Ludmilla works diligently toward gaining her freedom.
However, Ludmilla’s innate abilities and talents continue to amaze and impress even her oppressors as she ultimately gains the full confidence of her pious but inept master. She is given the opportunity to manage his affairs, and this yields the opportunity of a lifetime as she goes on to run his entire business operation…and most importantly supervise the overseas trading of his goods. This leads to her devising a plan to track down her true love Tatyana.
Yet she may very well be too late, as Tatyana faces an even crueler fate than she ever could have imagined. She is to be sent, along with several fellow slave girls, into seclusion with one of the half-brothers to the Turkish monarch. She is to become his concubine; and what’s more, she must live with him for the rest of his natural life—that is unless he, too, becomes Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
The Kafes is where she’s sent; and it’s for all intents and purposes a royal prison located within the palace complex. There is no possible way to escape. Little opportunity for release. Chances are, Ludmilla will never know where she is, even if she finds a way into Topkapi Palace. And the chances of that are slim at best.
How will Ludmilla find her lover now…within the extravagant royal residence of the Grand Sultan? And even if she does, how can she ever hope to escape with Tatyana from the vastness of the Ottoman Empire? Find out in the exciting sequel, The Streets of Bursa!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Purple Hazel
…is King and Caroline Medlin from Denver, Colorado.
Purple is Caroline's favorite color. Hazel is the color of her eyes. They fell in love, and King started writing short stories to Caroline while they were dating. Eventually, the stories got better and better, so they started writing full-length novels.
Starting with Star Kitten in the fall of 2015, they have now written twelve books including The Wild Fields, Streets of Bursa, Morgana's Handmaid and the Elixir of Dreams, Morgana’s Handmaid and the Creature of the Dungeon, Spanish Posse (a four part serial), and Twin Paradox (a SciFi trilogy). These are erotic romances using fictional characters in real-life situations amidst the backdrop of actual events that shaped world history, or are gleaned from classical literature.
People and places may very well color our notion of the moral principles that people follow or ignore; yet King and Caroline feel only true love endures all things. It's what really matters in the grand scheme of things. Therefore, LOVE is all they write about. Love, devotion, and the desire to find a companion to accompany us through life's many trials, tribulation, and the best of all those moments of profound joy that give life meaning: that's what it's about!
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