by Anne Herries
her arm. Something in his eyes sent shivers through her and she
knew that this man liked to punish others.
‘How dare you?’ she said. ‘Take your hand from me, sir.’
Abu looked into her eyes, and for a moment he felt
compeled to obey her, and then he recaled Suleiman’s orders.
‘You are to come with me at once!’
‘Unless you take your hand from my arm, you wil have to
drag me there.’
‘Disobey me, woman, and it wil be the worse for you!’
‘Go with him, Eleanor,’ Karin told her, looking anxious. ‘Let
go of her arm, Abu. It is not necessary. She wil not try to run
away—where could she go? Besides, if she resists you, you may
bruise her skin, and that would not please your master.’
Abu’s eyes narrowed. Most of the women obeyed him
instantly. Indeed, they were al afraid of him—afraid of his power
—but Karin was not under his jurisdiction, and he could not
threaten her. Besides, he was not absolutely sure that this
Englishwoman was to be punished.
He glared at Eleanor, but let her arm go. ‘You are to come at
once. My master wishes to see you now.’
‘He wishes to talk with you, Eleanor,’ Karin said, seeking to
reassure her. ‘You have not been prepared for him, nor received
instruction—so there wil be nothing else required of you today.’
Eleanor looked at the older woman and nodded,
Eleanor looked at the older woman and nodded,
understanding what she was teling her. She was not to be taken
to Suleiman’s bed that afternoon. Perhaps he had decided to tel
her what he intended to do with her—he might even have
thought over what she had said to him the previous day and was
perhaps prepared to sel her to her family. She lifted her head
proudly as hope flowed anew.
‘Very wel, you may lead me to Suleiman Bakhar.’
Abu thought of the soft whips he used so skilfuly that they left
barely a mark on the skin of his victims, and of how much he
would like to teach this woman a lesson she would not soon
forget. He had been robbed of the pleasures that were his right
as a man by the surgeon’s knife, but he gained much pleasure in
seeing women on their knees begging for mercy. One night he
and Fatima would pay this haughty bitch a little visit…
Eleanor was aware of evil in the man who walked so softly
just ahead of her, leading the way through the women’s
apartments to an even larger and more luxurious chamber which
formed part of the harem, but was used by Suleiman and not
entered by the women unless invited. This was furnished much as
the harem, with richly patterned tiles on wals, floors and some
ceilings, but also contained many items, which she knew had
come from other lands. She was not alowed to linger and
examine the curious items she saw placed in alcoves and on little
tables, but she believed that some of them were scientific
instruments for the study of astrology, and there were also
several rather beautiful clocks.
Who used the astrological instruments? She had no time to
Who used the astrological instruments? She had no time to
wonder for they continued through this apartment into another,
which was clearly used for sitting with soft cushions and divans
placed here and there on gleaming marble floors. Her attention
was drawn to the man who occupied the largest divan; he
seemed to be interested in some object he was holding, which as
they drew closer she saw was what appeared to be a fabulous
clock. She thought it was made of gold and saw that it was
shaped like a polygon, with intricate workings clearly visible at
the top. Quite fascinating!
‘On your knees, woman!’ Abu hissed.
‘No!’ Suleiman countermanded the order instantly. ‘You may
remain standing, my lady.’ He stood up and held out his hand to
her. ‘Come, sit with me.’
Suleiman drew her down to the divan beside him and, seeing
that the object he had been looking at as she entered had caught
her interest, smiled. ‘It is a clock, you see,’ he said. ‘Made by
the great French clockmaker Pierre de Fobis—it strikes the
hour…’
‘It is beautiful,’ Eleanor said, marveling at the beauty of the
clock. ‘Is the case of gold?’
‘Yes—but it is the way the running mechanisms are arranged
one over the other so intricately that is so fascinating. Do you
see?’
She looked closer as he demonstrated the strike to her and
nodded, thriled by its wonders. ‘It is truly magnificent, my lord.
My father had a beautiful German clock at home in his study. Its
case was of ebony, jasper, lapis lazuli and silver gilt—but the
works were hidden and the clock was not as fascinating as this
one. I have never seen anything to equal this. It must be very
valuable? I noticed others as we came, and I think that you have
quite a colection of them.’
Suleiman nodded, then, looking up, he saw that Abu was stil
standing there as though waiting for something, and he waved his
hand impatiently to dismiss him.
‘Do you think this clock a gift worthy of a Sultan?’ he asked
Eleanor when they were alone. ‘I must give our master
something rare and fine instead of the gift I had planned for him.
To give him less than the best would be an insult—is this fine
enough, do you think?’
‘It is a gift any prince would appreciate,’ Eleanor replied
honestly. ‘Such things are usualy only found at the courts of rich
and powerful rulers. I think it extremely fine and it must be rare. I dare say there is not such another anywhere in Christendom—or
the Ottoman Empire either. You have a unique treasure, my
lord.’
Suleiman nodded, his eyes moving over her with approval.
She was as inteligent, as he had thought her at the start. The
clock was the rarest of his own colection and he had prized it
greatly—but he could offer nothing less to the Sultan since he
had decided that he could not bring himself to part with Eleanor.
‘Then it shal be given to him,’ Suleiman said, a wicked gleam
in his eyes. ‘Which brings me to you—what shal I do with you,
my lady? I fear you are too wilful and disobedient to make a gift
my lady? I fear you are too wilful and disobedient to make a gift
for the Sultan, which means that I have paid a great deal too
much for you.’
‘Ransom me to my family,’ she replied eagerly. She had seen
the gleam but missed its significance, for she did not yet know
him. ‘I should be so grateful to you, my lord. I know they would
pay much for my safe return.’
‘But I have no need of money,’ Suleiman pointed out. He
was enjoying himself toying with her, watching the emotions play
across her expressive face. She was beautiful, but there was
much more to her, and he wanted to know al. ‘My father is very
rich and I shal one day inherit al that is his…so what can your
family offer me?’
‘My f
ather had many rare books at home in England…’
Suleiman dismissed the offer with a dismissive shrug. ‘He has
other treasures…and I have this…’ Eleanor took the little trinket
she wore about her neck, which had been hidden under her
clothes, and handed it to him. ‘It has a little stopper, my lord—
open it and see what it contains.’
Suleiman stared at the gold trinket suspiciously, almost as
though he imagined it might contain poison, she thought, then he
removed the stopper and took out the tiny manuscript inside. He
looked at it in silence for several minutes.
‘What is this? And why do you carry it with you?’ He looked
at her with interest. ‘Do you know what is written here?’
‘Yes, my lord. It is a part of the Qur’an, and the work seems
to have been executed by a Christian Abbot. It was my father’s
and he gave it to me for safe keeping before we left Italy,’
and he gave it to me for safe keeping before we left Italy,’
Eleanor replied. ‘It is believed to be part of the treasure of the
Abbey of the Far Cross and was found buried on my father’s
land in Cyprus. There may be more…and I believe it to be very
rare.’
‘I have heard of this,’ Suleiman said and frowned. He
replaced the tiny manuscript in its holder and returned it to her.
‘The story escapes me for the moment. Kasim told me once of
the Abbot of the Far Cross, but I cannot cal his words to mind
for the present.’
‘The Abbey was burned to the ground by Saracens,’ Eleanor
replied, ‘and the treasure stolen, but I do not know any more of
the legend. My father was researching it…’ She gave a little sob
of grief and Suleiman’s gaze narrowed.
‘What happened to him?’
‘He was kiled when the ship was attacked.’ She raised her
head, her eyes bright with the tears she refused to shed before
him. ‘He was trying to defend me.’
‘Ah…I see,’ he said and nodded, understanding the terrible
grief in her face. He would feel thus if his own father were kiled
before his eyes. ‘And you were fond of your father.’
‘Yes. I loved him very much—and my brother. I do not
know what happened to Richard…’
‘You grieve for your loved ones,’ Suleiman said. ‘I
understand, my lady. It is hard for you—to come to a world that
must seem alien to you after losing al that was dear. You thought
us al like the Corsairs who attacked your ship, but I hope that
you have begun to see that this is not the case?’
you have begun to see that this is not the case?’
Eleanor was silent for a moment, then she nodded. ‘I was
wrong to cal you a barbarian,’ she said, ‘but your ways are
strange to me. I find it very wrong that one man should keep
another as his slave. And why must you keep your women
imprisoned?’
‘Are your customs so very different?’ Suleiman’s brows
arched. ‘Your servants are treated no better than our slaves. We
do not pay them money for their service, but they are housed
and fed as wel as your servants—perhaps better. Those who
deserve it can rise to positions of importance—and we have a
system by which men who convert to Islam can become persons
of wealth and standing, no matter what their beginnings.’
‘The Devishirme system? Yes, my father told me of it,’
Eleanor replied. ‘But they are stil bound to a master in most
cases—and women are not given the same privileges.’
‘Women cannot expect to live as men,’ Suleiman said and
frowned at her. ‘But they are protected and cared for and most
are happy to live within the harem. Some become influential in
their own right. My mother was one such woman. My father
always asked her advice on anything that troubled him. She was
granted many privileges and might have returned to her homeland
had she wished.’
‘Then she was fortunate,’ Eleanor replied, a flash of anger in
her eyes. ‘But what of those who are never alowed to leave the
harem? What are they supposed to do with themselves? What
am I supposed to do? I shal die of boredom if I am forced to
am I supposed to do? I shal die of boredom if I am forced to
live as the others do, idling the hours away in vain pursuits. I
need to be able to study…to use my mind…to think for myself.’
Suleiman nodded and smiled. ‘These things may be arranged
in time. Would you like to see my scientific instruments, my lady?
I think they might interest you—and I have many ancient
manuscripts, which we might study together if they please you.’
‘They would interest me very much,’ Eleanor said, caught by
his promises despite herself. ‘But wil you not consider returning
me to my family, my lord?’
‘That is out of the question. I wish to hear no more of it.’ He
frowned at her, his mood of indulgence gone. ‘Have you listened
to nothing I have said to you? I have been trying to show you
that you have nothing to fear here—that if you please me, I may
choose to honour you as my mother was honoured.’
Eleanor’s head went up, her eyes proud as she looked at him.
‘No matter what honour you choose to give me, I should stil
belong to you,’ she said. ‘I should be no different from your
other women—a slave and kept here in the palace against my
wil. I can never consent to such an arrangement, my lord.’
‘If you had married in your own world you would have
belonged to your husband. A woman is no freer in your country
than here,’ Suleiman said, a glint of temper in his dark eyes. Why
would she not listen to what he was saying? Did she stil scorn
him as the savage she had named him? ‘Where is the
difference?’
‘My father would never have forced me to marry,’ Eleanor
replied, tears in her lovely eyes. ‘I would only have done so if I
replied, tears in her lovely eyes. ‘I would only have done so if I
loved—and in love a man does not own, or demand, he gives
himself. The woman also gives of her own free wil. Only in this
manner can true happiness be achieved by either.’
‘And how do you know this?’ He looked at her hard, his
mouth drawn into a thin line. ‘Have you known love—the love
between a man and his woman?’
Eleanor blushed as she saw the accusation in his eyes. ‘If you
are asking if I have known a man in… that way, the answer is
no. I am insulted that you should need to ask! I know because I
have observed others—and seen unhappy marriages, some
amongst my own friends and relations.’
‘Do not lie to me. I can have the women examine you to
discover the truth. It wil go hard with you if I learn that you have deceived me!’
She could see that he was angry, and though tempted to lie in
the hope that he would no longer want to keep her, something
held her back. She did not want him to think her a loose woman.
‘I swear by my father’s love and al that I hold sacred that I
have not.’<
br />
‘If I thought…I would send you to the slave market,’
Suleiman said harshly. ‘But, no, I believe you…you would not
be so foolish as to defy me. You know that I could have you
punished. I stil might. If you defy me too often I might decide to
have you disciplined, to teach you to respect your master.’
‘You wil not break my spirit that way!’
The sudden defiance in her eyes made him smile inwardly.
‘Oh, I think I could find a way to break you if I chose, Eleanor.
‘Oh, I think I could find a way to break you if I chose, Eleanor.
Do not tempt me, woman—or I might have you whipped. Did
you know that there are whips made of leather so soft that they
can inflict terrible pain without breaking the skin?’
Eleanor flinched as she saw the way his eyes had suddenly
become as cruel and bright as a hawk’s about to pounce on its
prey. He was an inteligent man, perhaps even clever, but there
was a streak of savagery in his character. It was a part of his birthright, and though he had learned discipline and respect for
others, something warned her that it might be possible to push
him too far.
‘If you want me to beg you not to punish me, my lord, I shal
not. I cannot pretend to feel other than I do. As yet, I have been
shown only generosity at your hands. I know this—even though I
cannot but resent the fact that you bought me as if I were a
horse.’
‘Not as if you were a horse,’ he said and laughed deep in his
throat. There was such fire in her! She burned him while she
amused him—and he had not been amused this much in an age.
‘I would never pay so much for a horse, my lady—however
noble its breed.’
Eleanor felt the power of his smile, and it made her gasp. She
felt that she was being mesmerised by something in those dark
eyes as he leaned towards her. She could smel the cleanliness of
his body, so different from the smels that attached to many men
of her own race, and another more subtle perfume she could not
name. The combination was intoxicating!
name. The combination was intoxicating!
She was powerless to move as his eyes held hers in a
compeling gaze, her throat catching with some strange emotion.
His mouth touched hers softly and she felt herself swaying
towards him, as if wanting his kiss to deepen and become
something more, but she suddenly puled herself back sharply,
