“So... do you have a harem? I remember you said you didn’t have any children,” she said, realizing it was a question to which she wasn’t sure she wanted an answer.
“Oh, I don’t,” he replied. “I know that I should have already started a... what do you call it here? A nursery?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“But I think I should like to do so with a wife rather than concubines.”
His answer surprised Adeline. “But does legitimacy even matter?” she asked, remembering what her father had told her about the children of sultans.
“It’s not about legitimacy,” he replied, “although you are right that it is not held in the same regard as it is here.” He furrowed his brows. “I have seen my father when he’s been in the company of his concubines—how he regards them, how he behaves—and I have seen him with Sultana Charlotte. He loves them all, but he isdifferentwith Charlotte.”
“Different?”
He nodded. “Beholden, perhaps?”
“Like how my father looks at my mother?” Adeline offered, her cheeks reddening as she dipped her head.
He chuckled softly. “Like that, yes.”
As they finished their discussion, lost in the quiet comfort of the library, Ertugrul felt something special stir between them, a deep and unspoken connection. Perhaps they were bound by their shared commitment to the betterment of their two worlds, by their mutual belief in the power of love and action, a bond that transcended their disparate backgrounds and cultures.
Or perhaps he was merely in love with her.
Remembering her comment about asking when one wanted to know the answer to a question, he was about to ask her if she might share his feelings when he realized her head was resting against his shoulder.
Glancing down, Ertugrul discovered that, much like she had the night before in the coach, Adeline had fallen asleep.
Deciding it was best not to disturb her—she might wake up of her own accord—Ertugrul returned his attention to his book.
He was soon lost in the idea of designing a palace, but not one suited for any of his uncles. One in which Adeline would enjoy living. One from which she could run a charity to help those who had suffered war injuries or accidents that rendered them unable to work. One where their children might grow up learning the importance of empathy, of charity, of caring for others. One with a garden of tulips in the spring and roses in the summer.
Perhaps she agreed with his ideas, for soon Adeline had nestled her head into the small of his shoulder and placed a hand on his thigh.
If he had been the least bit wary of his regard for her before, he wasn’t any longer. Her simple touch and the sound of her soft breaths convinced him of his regard for her.
Settling his head atop hers, he closed his eyes and imagined their future.
