“The prince said they would welcome me,” Azura told Nadim.
“Of course they will, for they have no other choice,” the eunuch said. “But the prince does not live within the walls of his harem. The women do. If you will protect me from Ali Farid, my lady Azura, I will protect you from the others. My best interests are served by my loyalty to you, and you alone.”
“It is said that the Florentines are devious in their politics,” Azura said to him, “but the intricacies of the harem are even more guileful, I see. I will take you at your word, Nadim, and I will place my trust in you. But if you betray me, be warned that my revenge will be swift and final.”
“I am warned, my lady Azura, but you will have no need to lose your faith in me, for as I served Prince Amir’s mother faithfully, so will I serve you,” Nadim told her.
Chapter 14
They returned to her little apartment, where Agata was already waiting with a tray of food for them both. They sat upon pillows before the little table and ate. There was fresh warm bread, yogurt, a honeycomb, a bunch of green grapes, and hot mint tea. Nadim and Agata served Azura first, and when she had eaten her fill they finished the bounty that remained. Then the two women lay down to rest while Nadim sat cross-legged outside of his lady’s quarters. He could hear the hum of voices coming from the salon at the end of the corridor. He concentrated hard in the silence and was able to make out the conversation going on.
“She is beautiful,” the first wife, Maysun, said. She did not sound happy.
“Far too beautiful,” the second wife, Shahdi, agreed.
“There is nothing we can do about it.” Maysun spoke again. “Perhaps she will become arrogant and difficult with his favor.”
“It is to be hoped,” Shahdi said. “Remember, we promised we would welcome her. I would not break our promise to the prince.”
“We will welcome her given the opportunity, but first Ali Farid insisted we remain in our quarters. We could not meet her in the baths, and now that old eunuch who has been assigned to her guards her while she sleeps,” Maysun replied.
“The eunuch is an old fool. He will not be of much use to her,” Shahdi said, sounding very pleased.
Nadim grinned to himself in hearing her.Stupid peasant. Daughter of a tribal chief, and so unimportant that the sultan passed you on to a grandson. What do you possibly know, kept here in a country harem?
“The old eunuch once served our prince’s mother,” Maysun told her companion.
“A woman long dead and long forgotten. Wife to a rebellious prince who will meet an unfortunate end one of these days,” Shahdi said. “Praise Allah our prince is a more prudent man.”
“What if she has a child?” Maysun asked.
“Surely she has been rendered sterile, even as we are,” Shahdi replied. “The sultan wants no more rival claimants to his throne. That is why we were made sterile before we were given to our prince.”
“This Azura is a foreigner,” Maysun pointed out. “She is not a slave, and not of our world until now. He loves her, and if he loves her he will want a child of her.”
“Is there no way we can render her as we are?” Shahdi wondered. “Perhaps we should consult Ali Farid in this matter. There must be some poison we could introduce into her food or clothing that would make it impossible for her to bear our prince a child. At least then we should be as equals.”
“Do nothing until I have thought long and hard on it,” Maysun told her companion. “One child would not be so terrible, and it could just as easily be a daughter as a son. It might be nice for us to have a child to raise.”
“You are too softhearted,” Shahdi scolded.
“And you too quick to act,” Maysun replied.
“Until we meet her we can’t really know anything,” Shahdi said.
“Perhaps when she has rested the old eunuch will bring her forth to meet us,” Maysun said. “I think we should now go to the bath mistress, and see what she and her attendants have to say about this new wife our prince has taken.”
Nadim heard the women getting up. He wasn’t certain they wouldn’t first return to their own little apartments, so he lowered his head and feigned sleep as he sat. But they did not come, going instead directly to the baths. He was pleased with what he had heard. Now he would be certain to personally prepare or oversee everything that his lady ate. He would have to warn her servingwoman not to accept any food gifts. Poisoned candy paste and fruit were favorite weapons among the harem women.
When Azura awoke she was briefly confused as to where she was, but then she remembered. She could not recall ever feeling so relaxed or so clean. And she was hungry. “Agata!” she called, and her servant came. “I am famished. Where is Nadim? He will know what to do about my hunger.”
“I am here, my lady Azura,” the old eunuch said. “Your companion wives will eat shortly. Would you join them or remain here in private?”
“I think, as we are now a family, that I would do best to meet these women,” she answered him.
“A wise decision,” he told her. “They are curious, and a little afraid of your coming. The bath women have sung your praises. I would tell you if you do not know that the lady Maysun and the lady Shahdi are childless. They are not able to bear children. You, I believe, are. Do you wish to give your husband a child? Or would you like me to prepare you a daily draught that will prevent a child from being conceived?”
Azura’s eyes widened with surprise. “No! No!” she cried softly. “I would give Amir a child of our love.”
