Pansy nodded, beginning to look tired again.
Velvet arose from her sitting position. “I will return later, Pansy,” she said. “Rest, and do not fear. We are safe here, I promise you.” Bending, she kissed Pansy’s brow. The tiring woman’s eyes were already shut.
“Your servant is better?” inquired Adali as she exited the little room.
“Yes, I believe so,” said Velvet. “I will want to see her again later.”
“Of course, my princess. You are free to see her at any time.” As they reentered Velvet’s chamber, he continued, “Now, however, our schedule calls for a trip to the baths.”
There was no protest from Velvet. She had to admit that she enjoyed all the pampering that seemed to go on here. With Adali walking ahead, and flanked by Toramalli and Rohana, she made her way through the zenana to the baths. The little maids carried fresh clothing for her and a basket of lotions and perfumes. As they entered the baths a party of women was exiting. One, a tiny elegant woman with the most beautiful, long dark hair Velvet had ever seen and wonderfully expressive golden-brown eyes, stopped a fraction of a second to stare quite openly at her. The woman’s glance was without malice. It was simply curious. Some deep instinct told Velvet that this dignified lady was of great importance, and she bowed her head politely. A small smile touched the woman’s lips, and she gave a little nod in return before passing on out of the baths.
“Who was that?” Velvet demanded of Adali.
“That was the Princess Jodh Bai, mother of the heir and a favorite of our lord Akbar. You did well to make your obeisance, my princess. She was, I could tell, well pleased by your good manners.”
The bath mistress greeted Velvet effusively. Zenana gossip had already informed her of the train of gifts that had arrived at the foreign woman’s chambers this morning. Gifts! And the lord Akbar had not even slept with her yet! The bath mistress had also seen Velvet’s modest and correct behavior toward Jodh Bai, who was a great favorite within the zenana. She hummed with approval as she supervised Velvet’s morning ablutions.
“She has pretty manners, the foreign woman. You have fallen into a pot of honey, Adali.” She chuckled.
“Of course she has fine manners, Raokhshna. She is a princess in her own land.” The eunuch lowered his voice and confided in the bath mistress, “Our lord Akbar calls her his ‘Rose.’ Have you ever seen such rare beauty before?”
Roakhshna nodded in agreement. “She is wonderfully fair, and her temper seems pleasant enough. If she becomes his favorite, your fortune will be made. If she bears him a child, you will be a rich man, Adali. I hope you will remember old Roakhshna then, eh?” She poked him playfully.
“Help me to make her the most beautiful woman he has ever possessed, and I promise not to forget you in my good fortune,” he assured her.
Velvet listened to them chattering back and forth and suspected that she was their topic of conversation. She wished she knew what it was they spoke of, but she would not ask in this instance. After she had been scrubbed, pumiced, bathed, and lotioned she was led to a padded bench and placed facedown. For the next hour Adali’s skillful fingers massaged every inch of her body until she was so relaxed that it was an effort to stay awake. Then dressed in fresh garments she was led back to her chamber where she did indeed fall asleep, her soothed body and spirit unable to resist in the heat of the day.
Toward late afternoon she awakened and was brought more yogurt, fruit, and tea that had been minted. She was wet with the heat, and it all tasted very good to her. She had just finished her meal when her chamber door opened, and Akbar entered the room.
“You are feeling more rested?” he asked.
She rose from her table to face him, realizing as she did that he was no more than an inch taller than she. She could look directly into his dark eyes. “I am much better,” she answered, “and if you have the time I should like to speak with you on a serious matter.”
He held up his hand, and she fell silent. “Before you do let me ask you, is it true that the noblewomen of Europe ride horses?”
“Yes, my lord, it is.”
“Do you ride horses, my Rose?”
“Yes, my lord, I do. I can ride both sidesaddle, which is considered correct for ladies, and astride, which is thought of as somewhat hoydenish but is far more comfortable in my own estimation. Since my mother agrees with me, I usually ride astride. Why do you ask?”
“Would you like to ride with me later? I ride when the sun is low, just before the sunset.”
“Oh, yes, my lord! I should very much like to ride with you, but is such a thing permitted?”
“You will have to dress like a young Rajput prince to disguise yourself, my Rose, but it shall be arranged.”
“Thank you, my lord! I was so afraid I should not be able to have my freedom. The women of my land are used to roaming at will.”
“I understand that, my Rose, and so I will try to see that you do not feel confined, but you will still not be able to move about as easily here as in England. The reason, however, is because this is a far more savage land than your green island. You might be set upon by bandits or wild animals.” He smiled at her. “I will return for you in an hour,” he said, and then was gone from the chamber.
It wasn’t until he had left that she realized that she had not spoken to him about returning her to her own people when Pansy was once again able to travel. I shall do it when we ride, she thought.
Shortly after Akbar had departed from her presence there was a soft knock upon the door, which was quickly answered by Rohana. A eunuch placed in the maidservant’s hands a white bundle, which, unwrapped, turned out to be Velvet’s disguise. Delightedly she dressed herself in the white silk trousers and knee-length tunic. There were soft, red leather boots that amazingly fit her like a glove, and she wondered how that had been managed, but then had the sandals not also fit her perfectly?
Toramalli carefully pinned up Velvet’s long auburn curls, and Adali wound a small turban about her head, little puckers of worry and disapproval upon his face. He did not know whether to rejoice that she was to be alone with the emperor or to weep because should word of this adventure be made public his princess would surely be disgraced.
Confused, he could say nothing, and Velvet was too excited to even notice his distress. When she was finally ready he led her out onto her terrace and pointed to a narrow staircase in the corner that she hadn’t even noticed before.
