The Debt of Tamar

by Dweck, Nicole

  As winter approached, the winds swooped down from the mountain steppes, rattling the lattices and the shutters of the Nissim villa. Silence descended from the grey sky along with a blanket of snow. The fish in the fountains had grown lethargic, barely swimming at all. Winter in the villa was a quiet, somber affair.

  Reyna wrapped herself in a Siberian fur and drank eucalyptus tea alone by the fire.

  Her chambermaid, Arabella, approached and handed her a scroll. “Doña Reyna, a message for you.”

  Reyna unwrapped the scroll then glanced up at Arabella. “I’ve been invited to a lady’s party, hosted by the Sultan’s Beloved, Nur-Banu Sultana, to celebrate the birth of her daughter.”

  “What an event it will be. You’ll need to have something made.” Arabella eyed the white robe that her mistress wore most days. “It’s been so long since you’ve been out. What about that new turquoise fabric I brought back from the Bazaar?”

  “Yes, that fabric would be just right,” Reyna mused as she popped a grape into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “And perhaps a new dress for Tamar, too.”

  “When will it be held?”

  “Let’s see. Yes, it says right here. It’s to be held in seven days' time, on the waterfront pavilion of the Sultan’s family compound.”

  “In the harem?”

  “So it seems.” She lowered the letter to her lap and gripped it with both hands. “I have been so lonely here.”

  Arabella squeezed her mistress’s hand.

  Turning her attention back to the invitation, she continued. “Maybe this is an opportunity. I should like to meet the ladies here.”

  Arabella cleared away a cluster of grape stems. “Then I shall call for the seamstress at once,” she called back cheerily as she headed away with some dirty dishes.

  *

  Reyna had never before been invited into the royal harem of the Sultan, and she was eager to meet and know the legendary women sequestered behind its guarded walls. Aside from being the Sultan’s private family quarters, the harem also served as a kind of high-end girls' university. The most intelligent and beautiful women of the empire were brought there to receive the very best education available. Although technically slaves, they were rigorously trained in literature, music, poetry and art. Their schooling was strict and took up much of the day. Those who were not chosen as the Sultan’s concubines were treated very much like daughters of the imperial household. After nine years of service, they were granted the freedom to leave. Very few exercised this freedom.

  These were the most refined, beautiful, and sought after women in all the empire. Married off to high ranking officials and Ottoman princes, it was the Sultan himself who chose their husbands, provided their trousseaux, and gifted them stately villas in which to begin their new lives.

  Among the concubines of the Sultan who remained in the harem, epic power struggles were known to ensue. It was not unheard of for one of these women to attack another, in an attempt to mar the beauty of her rival and decrease one’s competition with the Sultan.

  They entered the harem as slaves, were educated alongside exalted princesses, and aspired to the rank of Valide Sultan, or Queen Mother. In this way, every sultan was the son of a former slave. It was the Valide Sultan who governed harem life and was oftentimes intricately involved in matters of state. It was she who dominated her son and advised him on how to govern his empire. Reyna had heard it many times since her arrival in Istanbul. The time was known as The Reign of Women.

  Very few outsiders were granted access to this private world but when they were, they came back with tales of palace intrigue, vast riches, and exotic beauties from every conquered corner of the world.

  Since having been re-settled on palace grounds, and with José away at the Imperial Council most of the time, Reyna grew lonelier than she’d ever been. She had lost her mother, and now it seemed, she had lost her husband, too. With little adult companionship of her own, she grew bored and listless. Hers was a life cut off from the outside world, yet apart from the vibrant and bustling community within the Imperial gates. For Reyna, the Sultana’s invitation offered the promise of new friendships, perhaps even, a life of her own.

  She settled on a blue tunic beaded with pearls and a muslin veil she secured on her head with a gilded, feather headdress. Then, she dressed Tamar. Her green eyes shone bright against the glittering gold fabric chosen for her.

  The party was grander than any Reyna had seen before. A dazzling display of fireworks filled the sky above the sea while steaming trays of duck, veal and mutton were ferried out from the royal kitchen for the occasion. On the waterfront pavilion, an orchestra of several dozen musicians entertained the women with flutes and harps, while a troop of foreign dancers undulated to the music with brass bells strung around their hips, ankles, and wrists.

  Reyna looked about the premises. There must have been several hundred women living there, along with their young children, servants and maids. The ladies of the harem included Persian beauties and ladies of the Caucuses, Christians, Jews and foreigners from the furthest reaches of the empire.

  Reyna spotted a woman strutting towards her and immediately recognized her to be the Sultan’s Beloved, Nur-Banu Sultana. Her dress and beauty far outshone that of any other lady in the harem, signifying to all her celebrated rank. The Sultana, in whose honor the party was being held, wore a jade-colored gown of silk, dotted with a sparkling array of diamonds sewn on with threads of gold. On her head was a feathered headdress and a sheer veil that did nothing to hide her beauty, but on the contrary, added an iridescent sheen to her porcelain complexion.

  “You must be Doña Reyna,” Nur-Banu Sultana said frostily as she approached.

  Reyna bowed low from the waist. “I am humbled, Sultana.”

  “I take it this is your daughter.” Nur-Banu took Tamar’s chin between her fingers and studied her for a long moment. “Not bad,” she concluded matter-of-factly.

  Reyna winced.

  The Sultana summoned a young servant with the snap of her fingers. “Take this girl to the garden to play with the other children,” she said without bothering to look at the servant as she spoke. “I have a message for you.” She turned her attentions back to Reyna. “I think you’ll be pleased.”

  “A message?”

  “From the Sultan,” she continued casually. “It concerns your daughter.”

  “Tamar? What about her?”

  “It’s been decided that she’ll be educated inside the harem alongside other royal children.” Sultana Nur-Banu paused for a long moment. “She’ll be schooled in music and poetry, language and literature.”

  Reyna blinked incredulously.

  “She’ll be in good hands,” the Sultana tried to sound reassuring, “and receive the very best education the empire has to offer a young lady.”

  “I don’t quite understand.”

  The Sultana sighed wearily, then tilted her long neck back. “Your husband has been loyal to the Sultan,” she explained unenthusiastically. “Loyalty has its rewards.”

  Reyna lowered her gaze.

  “Come.” Nur-Banu smiled casually. “In the morning, my man Jaffar will arrive at your villa to collect your daughter.”

  “And my husband?”

  “Your husband will be pleased,” Nur-Banu continued matter-of-factly.

  “But Sultana,” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “What if he refuses?”

  The Sultana tilted her head and furrowed her brow before letting out a long, hard cackle. “Why would he do that?” She seemed genuinely confused.

  “It’s just that he’s always had his own ideas about education. I know he’s already secured a place for her in the Hamon school this coming year.”

  “The decision has been made,” the Sultana explained. “I thought you’d be pleased,” she continued in a tone so sweet, it was nearly sickening.

  Just then, an enormous blast sounded in the sky and the two women looked up instinctively. Flurries of fire dissipated
over the sea like gold dust sprinkled from the heavens. “Spectacular, isn’t it?” The Sultana marveled at the fireworks display overhead.

  “Yes, Sultana.” Reyna’s voice was barely a whisper.

  “Most things at Topkapi are.” She eyed Reyna suspiciously then headed away towards the crowds that had come to greet her.

  10

  For a long moment, José sat motionless, glaring at his wife. His fist came down hard, rattling the spoons, jugs, and porcelain spread over the polished wood tabletop. “It’s the father who decides how the daughter will be educated!” His expression was livid and his white-knuckled fingers were curled into tight fists.

  “I’m sorry.” Reyna’s voice was low and rigid.

  “This is not what I wanted. I always thought, I always planned…” His voice trailed off. “Dr. Hamon’s wife runs a perfectly suitable girls' school. That’s where I wanted her to be educated, with her people!” The legs of his chair screeched as he suddenly rose to his feet. “And you, how did you respond to this offer?” He leaned over the table, wrapping his fingers around the table’s opposing edges.

  Reyna turned away. “What could I say?”

  José backed down, then sunk into the seat of his chair. “Well how bold you are.”

  “They will come to collect her in the morning.”

  “And you raised no objection to this, none at all?”

  “I tried.” She flashed a cold, hard glance in his direction. “But I have had some time to think about it,” she pressed on. “Look at it as an opportunity. An education among noble people. She’ll be well taken care of.”

  “Is that what you think?” He nodded listlessly before turning away and heading out. When he reached the door, he turned ever so slightly and examined his wife through the corner of his eye. He winced, then hurried off as though shielding himself from a sight too foul to look upon.

  In the morning, just as he was completing the sunrise prayer, José heard a knock on the villa door. By the lattices, beneath the checkered glow of the early morning light, he rushed to remove his teffelin, and headed down the stairs.

  José joined Reyna in greeting the Ethiopian at the door. Jaffar was at least six foot six inches tall, with a powerful build and the cocoa complexion of his people. He wore a caftan the color of saffron spice, secured at the waist by a thick belt of ivory shards.

  “Just a minute.” Reyna turned from the eunuch and crouched low to talk to her daughter.

  “You’ll go to school with the other girls today,” Reyna explained to Tamar.

  The little girl, never having spent a day apart from her mother, was wide-eyed with worry.

  “I’ll see you later on.” She kissed her daughter, then sent her with away with the Eunuch tasked with escorting her into the harem.

  The day, like most, passed slowly for Reyna. She spent the morning in the courtyard, working on a tapestry she’d begun with threads brought back from the Bazaar. When her fingers began to ache, she rang the servants’ bell and requested a meal. She dined on aubergine and lentils, and then, for something sweet, crystallized fruits and honey cake. Wondering what time it was, she tilted her head up and examined the sun in the sky. It was far from midday. Tired from the previous night’s festivities, and eager to pass the hours quickly, she retreated to her room, collapsed onto her bed, and drifted off into a deep sleep.

  She woke up a few hours later. The room was humid and the light was beginning to dim. She peered through the lattices. The red-speckled sun, low in the sky, seeped along the horizon like a broken, bloody egg. The hour was late and Tamar had not yet returned.

  “Arabella!” Reyna called down from the second story landing of the villa.

  “Doña Reyna?”

  “Go and see what’s keeping Tamar. She should be back by now.”

  “Yes, Doña Reyna.” Arabella fastened a turban on her head and examined herself in the mirror before slipping out of the villa towards the harem quarter. A short time later, she returned with a scroll of parchment bearing the wax seal of Sultana Nur-Banu.

  Doña Reyna,

  Your daughter enjoyed her first day of studies immensely. In fact, she got along so well with the other children that I insisted she stay the night in the children’s chamber, so that she might better become acquainted with the other girls. She is a treasure, your green-eyed girl.

  Nur-Banu, Sultana of Lightness

  Reyna quickly rolled the parchment back into a neat scroll. How furious José would be when he found out. She was tempted to throw on her veil and head over to the harem to collect her daughter herself. Yet, she knew very well that such a thing was an impossibility. Entry to the harem was by invitation only. Palace etiquette was very strict on this.

  When her daughter did not return the next day or the next, José was forced to intervene. He requested an audience with the Sultan.

  “If you’ve called this meeting to thank me, José, there’s no need,” Sultan Selim began. “Only the children of my most trusted advisers receive education in the harem alongside my children. It’s a privilege bestowed only on those most deserving.”

  José bowed low. “I just thought I might inquire as to when we can expect Tamar to come home? We were told that she’d be back after school.”

  “Back? No, no, José. My daughters have grown quite fond of your green-eyed girl. They’d like to keep her as a playmate.”

  “Keep her?”

  “Of course. Nur-Banu tells me that she’s quite charming. The girls couldn’t bear the thought of her leaving after all the fun they had with one another. You are a lucky man, José. Your daughter will live alongside my children.”

  José’s voice dropped to a whisper as he hung his head low. “She is our only child.”

  The Sultan was still, his eyes narrowed and his yellow brows steeped in confusion. “I take it that you’re not pleased with my generosity?”

  “On the contrary,” José tried to sound cheery. “It’s just that my wife can no longer bear children. I’m afraid that she will grow lonely without Tamar.”

  Sultan Selim nodded in agreement. “I understand.”

  “You do?”

  “Of course. A mother must be with a child, and if she cannot bear children, things can be arranged.”

  “Arranged?” José could not comprehend what the Sultan had in mind.

  “Take a girl for yourself, Don José. There are many to choose from. If you can’t decide, I can select one for you. She will be young and healthy and she will give you much joy. When she delivers you a baby, the child will be passed to your wife to be raised as her own.”

  José was stunned by the very suggestion.

  “So it’s settled,” the Sultan continued.

  “Yes, Your Highness.”

  “Tamar will stay in the harem, and you will request visits with her whenever you like. You are dismissed now, José.”

  *

  Several weeks had passed before Reyna was invited back into the harem. She joined Nur-Banu in her private garden where she drank tea and waited for news of her daughter. Through the bamboo lattices, Tamar and Murat could be seen sitting atop the jewel-studded saddle of a miniature pony. “Let me go to her.” Reyna stood from her place.

  “What’s the rush?” Nur-Banu seized her by the wrist. “Relax with me and watch them play a little longer.” With her long torso and fair legs sprawled out across the silk divan, Nur-Banu looked the part. She was the Sultan’s favorite, a picture-perfect odalisque.

  “Is it safe? Tamar’s never ridden before,” said Reyna.

  “Perfectly safe, and she’s ridden often since her arrival.”

  Twisting her body low into the seat of the cushion, Reyna tried to appear comfortable.

  Nur-Banu’s grey eyes bore through her with relentless precision. “You haven’t quite mastered the art of small talk, have you?” Her slipper slapped lazily against the sole of her foot as she spoke.

  Reyna looked away, biting the corner of her lip as she did.

&nbs
p; The high-pitched squeal of children’s voices sounded from beyond the garden. Reyna raked through the lattices and saw that Tamar was being lowered from the saddle by one of the servants. “She looks happy,” Reyna said quietly.

  “She is, but you can’t feel bad about that. It’s natural that a little girl would want to be with other children her age.”

  “Does she ask for me?” Reyna did her best to sound pitiful, a change in tactic that she hoped might stir up a bit of compassion in the Sultana.

  “When she arrived, but she’s stopped that now.”

  Reyna winced. “Sultana, may I speak candidly?”

  “Why bother asking? You clearly can’t help yourself.”

  “Then I have your permission?” Reyna leaned in close.

  “You have it, though not having it hasn’t stopped you before.”

  “How cold you are,” she said in a low voice.

  The Sultana pushed in close then offered up a predatory grin. “I’m flattered you’ve taken the time to think of me.”

  “Pardon?”

  “I must confess,” she continued sweetly. “I haven’t thought of you.”

  Reyna glared back at Nur-Banu. Her eyes were hurling insults but her lips were sealed tight. She swallowed her rage and turned her attention back toward the children. “Do you find it as odd as I do?” She feigned nonchalance.

  “What’s that?” Nur-Banu held out her hand as a servant girl went to work filing her nails.

  “A little boy and a little girl spending so much time together.”

  “They’re enjoying each other’s company,” the Sultana said. “And what’s the harm anyhow? Murat will be gone before he’s old enough for anything serious.”

  “Gone?”

  “Sent away. You don’t see any grown men around here.”

  The frenzied shuffle of little feet in motion sounded from the corridor. “Here they come,” said Nur-Banu as the children stumbled in with grass in their hair and mud splotched along their hems.

  “Anne?” Tamar questioned when she noticed Reyna’s presence. Her eyes smiled as she climbed atop the divan and nestled herself in her mother’s lap.