Bought for the Harem

‘Hush, woman!’ Kasim’s mouth was hard as he looked at her. ‘I think you have not been treated ill. The Caliph is a man of culture and wisdom—and he intends her great honour.’

‘But she is so young and she should be free to live as she pleases,’ Harriet pleaded, though she knew it was too late for Marguerite had already been led away. ‘Please help us.’

‘Please go now. I can do no more for you.’

Harriet saw that it was useless to plead. The eunuch was waiting, his face expressionless. She felt a wave of pity for him. He had lost so much more than his freedom; he was no longer a true man, for only through his mutilation could he be trusted to guard the ladies of the harem.

The door closed behind them with a clanging sound, which made Harriet shiver. Until this moment she had hoped against hope that their captor might relent and ransom them to their families. She had felt that somewhere inside the man with the blue eyes there was an inner core of compassion, but he had not relented. Now they were shut away in the Caliph’s harem, from which she doubted it would be possible to escape.

Marguerite looked at her uneasily. She reached out and took her hand, squeezing it as they followed the fat eunuch along a passage. There were doors to either side, which she realised led to private apartments, but he did not stop until he came to a large open room, which had fountains and benches made of stone and marble. There were flowers growing in pots and tubs and through an open door at the far end of the room, Harriet could see what looked like a beautiful garden. The eunuch was talking to a woman of perhaps forty years. Her eyes flicked towards them and she nodded several times. Finally, as the eunuch bowed to her and turned away, she lifted her hand, beckoning to them.

Harriet held tightly to Marguerite’s hand and they walked towards the woman. Her skin was olive-toned, eyes bright like a hawk’s, and she stared at them curiously for a moment before stretching out to remove the veil Marguerite had been given to cover her head. When she saw how beautiful Marguerite’s hair was she nodded and clapped her hands.

‘The lord Kasim has done well,’ she said in French. ‘The young one will do well for the Caliph’s son.’

‘What did she say?’ Marguerite asked and looked at Harriet in alarm.

‘She says that you are very beautiful,’ Harriet replied. At that moment she was pleased that her cousin had not attended her lessons in French. ‘May we know your name, please, madame?’

The woman’s eyes went to her. ‘You understand me? That is good. Some of the women do not and it makes life more difficult for them. Does the young one not understand?’

‘My cousin speaks only a few words of French, madame. If you speak slowly she may understand a little.’

‘Then I shall speak with you, wise one. You have the look of a wise woman. My name is Mellina and I am in charge of the Caliph’s harem. If you cause no trouble your life here will be pleasant, but if you are surly or disobedient the eunuch has whips that can punish without marking the skin. Our master has his favourites and seldom sends for the other women. Your purpose here will be to wait on the favourites, but your companion will not long be here if things go well.’

‘I hope that neither of us will stay here long. It is our wish to be ransomed. We have families who would pay a rich reward for our return.’

Mellina laughed mockingly. ‘No one has ever been ransomed in the time I have been here.’

‘No one? How long have you lived here?’

‘I was very young and beautiful when I first came to the palace. I pleased the Caliph’s son and he took me as one of his favourites. He is now the Caliph and he has grown sons of his own.’

Harriet felt chilled. ‘Did you have no one to rescue you?’

‘My father gave me to the Caliph as a gift in return for favours.’ Mellina shrugged. ‘My life here has been comfortable and for many years I was the favourite. Now I am in charge of the harem. I keep order here and the women respect me. Sometimes my lord sends for me just to talk. He still has some fondness for me, though others have taken my place in his bed.’

‘Does that not hurt you?’ Harriet asked.

‘It is our way. I knew my fate when I was but a child. You come from a different culture and it will be harder for you to settle to the life here, but it is useless to resist.’

‘What is she saying to you?’ Marguerite asked, pulling at Harriet’s arm. ‘I am hungry. Ask her if we can have food and water. I ate nothing earlier and now I am hungry.’

‘Madame, we have travelled a long way since leaving the ship. Marguerite could not eat because she was ill. I think she is a little better and needs something to eat and drink.’

‘Ah, yes, the little one is hungry.’ Mellina nodded and smiled. ‘Marguerite is a pretty name. I believe the Caliph’s son will be pleased with the gift his father has purchased for him.’

Harriet held back the violent protest that trembled on her tongue. How could she speak so casually of Marguerite’s life? It was not right that the Caliph could just give her to his son. She recalled that Marguerite had found the prince intimidating and her resolve hardened. She would do all she could to prevent her cousin being given to the prince. However, for the moment they had no choice but to do as they were told. Mellina seemed inclined to be friendly and it would be foolish to antagonise her.

‘Is there somewhere we can rest and eat?’

‘Come, I shall show you to your rooms. Clothes will be provided for you and you may wish to bathe to wash away the stains of travel.’ Mellina’s nose wrinkled. ‘You still have the smell of the slave market on you. I shall give you perfumes and oils. You will feel much better when you have bathed and eaten.’

‘Yes, I am sure we shall.’

Harriet took Marguerite’s arm. They followed the woman to a more secluded area where there was a bathing pool with small cubicles set round it. Two beautiful young women were washing themselves, attended by older women, who used perfumed oils and soaps to cleanse their skin and hair. In the cubicles women were lying on couches having their backs massaged with sweet oils; it was a scene of peace and contentment. They looked at the newcomers curiously. One of them rose from the water. She was completely naked and her skin was a pale gold, her waist tiny, her hips slender, though her breasts were full and round, the nipples dark as though she had borne a child. Her dark hair was wet and curled down to the small of her back. She seemed not to notice or care that she had shocked the newcomers by her nudity.

‘Who are you?’ she asked in French. Her eyes went over Harriet dismissively and then came to rest on Marguerite. She frowned, her mouth thinning in disapproval as one of the attendants placed a filmy wrap about her body. ‘What is your name?’

‘I am Harriet and my cousin’s name is Marguerite,’ Harriet replied, trying to ignore that it was still possible to see every part of the woman’s body. ‘May we know your name, madame?’

‘I am Fortunata, the Caliph’s favourite.’ Her dark eyes flashed with what Harriet sensed was jealousy. She was clearly protective of her domain. ‘Where did you come from and why are you here?’

‘We sailed from England and were on our way to meet my cousin’s fiancé,’ Harriet replied. ‘Our ship was attacked by corsairs and we were captured and taken to the slave market. It is my hope that the Caliph will allow us to be ransomed.’ Harriet’s mind worked quickly. It was possible that the Caliph’s favourite might be persuaded to help them. ‘If I could speak with the Caliph, or send a message to him, he might listen to our request.’

‘The young one is destined for the Caliph’s son,’ Mellina interrupted. ‘You have no need to fear either of them, for no one will want the other one.’

‘For the prince?’ Fortunata nodded and some of the malice faded from her eyes. ‘You both smell. I have finished here now, but my attendants will help you to bathe.’

‘You are very kind,’ Harriet replied. ‘Perhaps we could be allowed to bathe in private?’

Fortunata stared at her and then laughed. ‘I dare say you would prefer to hide your skinny bones, but the young one has nothing to hide.’

‘What is she saying?’ Marguerite asked and looked at Harriet in dismay. ‘They don’t expect us to bathe here in front of everyone?’

Harriet turned to Mellina. ‘Is there anywhere else we could wash more privately?’

Mellina’s eyes narrowed. For a moment she looked annoyed, then inclined her head. ‘You may use Katrina’s bathing pool. She is with the Caliph’s young children and will not mind. Come, it is this way …’

Harriet took Marguerite’s arm and steered her away from the bathing pool. She could feel Fortunata’s eyes boring into her back and feared they might have made an enemy of her. The Caliph’s favourite had clearly feared a rival when she first saw Marguerite, but the older woman’s words had reassured her. Harriet, of course, was no rival to any of them, but she knew that her cousin might be the target of some unkind looks if the other women were jealous of her.

Mellina took them into a secluded courtyard garden. Here there was a small pool surrounded by pillars. A marble bench was placed beside it and the smell of flowers was almost overpowering.

Mellina clapped her hands and women appeared with towels, soaps and perfume jars. It was clear that their intention was to help the two newcomers to bathe. Harriet spoke to them in the language she realised was the universal one in the harem.

‘Please leave us to manage for ourselves.’ Her request met with blank stares until Mellina issued a similar order and they disappeared into an alcove leading from the pool. Harriet looked at her cousin. ‘They think we smell and I dare say we do. I do not think we shall be fed until we have bathed—so we may as well get on with it.’

‘But there are no bathing gowns,’ Marguerite objected. ‘You will not bathe as … that woman did … without clothes?’

‘You may keep on your tunic if you wish,’ Harriet told her. ‘However, I think I shall take mine off, because it does smell and I am tired of being hot and sticky. Please turn your back until I am in the water and I shall do the same.’

‘Very well.’

As soon as Marguerite turned her back, Harriet stripped off her clothes and slid into the water. It had been slightly warmed by the hot sun and felt deliciously cool but not cold against her skin. She began to soap herself, her back towards Marguerite until she heard a little splash. Turning, she smiled at her cousin.

‘Is this not pleasant? I know my father used to swim in the lake at home. I often envied him, but this is even nicer for the water at home was usually freezing.’

‘It is pleasant.’ Marguerite took some soap and began to rub it into her body and her hair. She dipped underneath the water to rinse it and came up gasping for air. When she rose again she was smiling. ‘This is fun.’