Chapter Eight
‘Suleiman and the Caliph must both die,’ Abu said, eyes
glowing like black diamonds. ‘For, if one lived, retribution would
be swift. Our only hope is to take them by surprise—and by
taking this hunting trip together they play into our hands.’
He glanced round at the faces of the men who had been
bribed to join him—the Caliph’s second son Hasan, four of
Hasan’s guards and two of Suleiman’s own men. Abu was not
entirely certain of these two, though they were afraid of him.
Both had lain with Fatima, which meant they would be put to
death if their crime were discovered. She was insatiable, and
even when she had been Suleiman’s favourite, she had craved
sexual pleasure with others. Abu had arranged for her to lie with
these two in return for help with the disappearance of a woman
from the harem.
‘We shal kil them both—and when they are dead I shal rule
in my father’s place,’ Hasan said, his cruel mouth narrowed in a
sneer. ‘And you shal be my chief adviser, Abu. You may have a
free hand in disposing of Suleiman’s concubines.’
Abu inclined his head, his features expressionless. He knew
he could not hope to become Caliph himself, but he could
control this weak fool and rule through him. He moistened his
lips with the tip of his tongue at the thought of the power he
would hold.
‘I shal make you more powerful than your father,’ he
promised. ‘Only play your part, Hasan, and within two days you
shal be Caliph…’
‘Yes, yes…’ Hasan’s weak face glowed with the thought of
his triumph over the brother who had always taken precedence
over him in their father’s favour. ‘And then I shal dispose of al
my enemies…’
‘Why do you come to me with this tale, Bayezid?’ Suleiman’s
eyes narrowed as they fixed on his younger brother. ‘I know
wel that you do not like Hasan—why should I believe your
story? It might be that you wish to make trouble for him.’
‘I cannot make you believe my story,’ Bayezid said. ‘I can
only tel you that I have seen Hasan and Abu together. They
thought they had concealed their meeting, but I came upon them
behind the stables of the Janissaries, and I heard something. I do
not know what it means, but I believe they intend to kil you
during the hunting trip with our father.’
‘And you do not wish to see me kiled?’
‘They would also need to kil our father, and I respect the
Caliph because he is a good and just man—and I would like to
be as he is one day if I can earn the respect of others and be
given a position of trust.’
Suleiman nodded. Bayezid was young and studious and,
although he knew there was envy and hatred between Hasan and
Bayezid, he was inclined to believe his story—especialy as he
had known Abu must have had help from inside the palace to
make his escape. He had thought Abu must have gone long ago,
but now he realised the renegade was hiding somewhere within
the palace grounds. Clearly he was waiting his chance to do
more mischief.
Suleiman could instigate a thorough search, root out the
culprits and punish them—or he could alow the conspirators to
go ahead with their treachery and have them taken in the act.
Perhaps this was the best course, since he would then catch al
the birds in one throw.
‘Thank you for your warning, brother.’ He smiled at Bayezid.
‘I believe it took courage to come and tel me—is there some
way in which I might reward you?’
Bayezid shook his head. ‘I have al that I need, brother. I
want only a quiet life and to be left in peace to study. May Alah
protect and guide your hand tomorrow.’
‘Alah be with you.’
Left alone, Suleiman walked to the window that looked out
on the harem gardens. They were deserted at this time of night,
for his brother had waited until after dark to come to him in
secret.
Suleiman was wrestling with his problem and frowned as he
came to his decision. He had given his word to Eleanor that she
might accompany them on their hunting trip, but it must be
broken. Her presence in the camp would hamper him, for she
would be vulnerable and he had no time to watch over her. He
would be vulnerable and he had no time to watch over her. He
would need al his wits about him if he were to defeat his
enemies.
Eleanor would be disappointed to be left behind. If it were
not so late he would send for her and explain, but the women
would be sleeping and anything out of the ordinary might alert the
conspirators.
No, he must act as usual, but Eleanor must stay behind
tomorrow.
‘What do you mean—I am not to accompany the lord
Suleiman?’ Eleanor stared at Karin in dismay. She had looked
forward to this trip outside the confines of the palace and to be
denied at the last moment was a terrible disappointment. ‘Why?
What have I done to displease my lord?’
‘I do not know,’ Karin replied, frowning. ‘He sent word early
this morning that you were not to go after al. I am sorry,
Eleanor. I suppose that he must have changed his mind.’
‘He changed his mind…’ Eleanor nodded, her eyes sparking
with anger. Suleiman had changed his mind and so she was not
to go. Her feelings on the matter were of no importance. He had
not even bothered to send for her to tel her himself, merely
sending a message at the last moment. It seemed he broke his
promises as easily as he made them. ‘Yes, I see—I see that he is
faithless and cares little for his word.’
‘You should not speak so of the lord Suleiman,’ Karin said
giving her a severe look. ‘If it were reported to him, you could
giving her a severe look. ‘If it were reported to him, you could
be beaten. I am sure he has his reasons for disappointing you.’
Eleanor’s temper was at bursting point, but she held it inside.
Her anger was almost as much against herself as Suleiman. She
had begun to believe in him, to trust him—and now he had done
this! It made her realise that he could not be trusted…ever. She
would be a fool to let herself be swayed by his soft words and
his promises. He was, after al, nothing but a barbarian—and
next time they met she would keep her distance.
Her mood was not improved as she saw Fatima preening
herself in the harem gardens that morning. She was wearing a
satisfied expression that seemed to say she was back in
Suleiman’s favour, and the news that Eleanor was not after al to
be taken on the hunting trip made an interesting piece of gossip
for the ladies of the harem.
Some of the women cast her pitying glances, others made a
fuss of Fatima as if wanting to assure her that they had never
even for one moment thought that she had truly been set aside
for this new woman.
Anastasia, Elizabetta and Rosamunde were sympathetic
towards Eleanor, teling her that Suleiman must have good
reason not to take her with him. She smiled and pretended to
agree with them, but her heart had begun to ache and it was
difficult for her not to creep away and weep. But she would not
let Fatima see that it mattered, and so she stayed with the others
throughout the day, playing with the monkey and talking to the
parrot, which she was trying to teach to say a few polite words
in French.
in French.
It was not until the evening that she retired to her own room
to study and transcribe some of the latest work that Suleiman
had sent her—and then the heaviness of her heart was indeed
hard to bear. She was a fool to have let down her guard even for
a moment; if she once let herself truly care for him, she would be
the same as al the other women who sighed and waited for him
to notice them.
The attack came on the first night at the camp. During the day
the hunting had gone wel and they had kiled a wolf in the forest
above the plains, which was better sport than the wild boar
which was seldom hunted by Muslims. It had been decided they
would make deer their sport on the next day.
Suleiman had set his spies to watch Hasan and his guards,
and he was warned long before the thin blade of a knife began to
slit the side of his pavilion. He watched from the shadows in the
far corner as the stealthy figure crept towards the sleeping palet
where he ought to have been lying asleep, and as the dagger was
brought down into the bundle he had arranged to resemble a
man beneath the blanket.
‘Die, you dog!’
The voice proclaimed the identity of the assassin had
Suleiman needed proof. ‘Unfortunately for you, Abu—that was
not me.’
The cloaked figure gave a startled oath, the knife stil in his
hand as he swung round, gasping his dismay. Suleiman moved
hand as he swung round, gasping his dismay. Suleiman moved
forward out of the shadows so that the assassin could see his
face. Abu cursed. He lunged wildly at his half-brother, the
certainty of what would happen when the discovery of his ful
treachery was known making him lose his fear.
‘So you live stil!’ he yeled. ‘Yet I shal kil you—guards, to
me! To me!’
His cry to the men who stood on guard outside the tent went
unheeded. He had chosen the men who had once served
Suleiman, but they had already sensed his plans had gone awry,
hesitating about folowing him inside and slipped away into the
night rather than face the fury of the master they had foolishly
betrayed. Somehow the lord Suleiman had learned of the
treachery planned this night, and their only chance now was to
flee.
Suleiman met his half-brother’s attack without hesitation,
striking a blow at his arm, and then twisting it so that Abu cried
out in pain as a bone cracked and his weapon fel uselessly to the
ground. He swayed on his feet, half-fainting in his agony, his eyes
sulen and disbelieving as he looked at Suleiman. He had known
he was strong, but his skil was even more awesome than Abu
had imagined. The cowardly dogs he had paid to help him had
refused to enter the tent, saying that they would watch over him
and he suspected them of betraying him.
‘So now you wil kil me,’ he said as he looked into
Suleiman’s cold eyes. ‘You wil not be foolish enough to spare
me again.’
‘You made a mistake by throwing in your lot with Hasan,’
‘You made a mistake by throwing in your lot with Hasan,’
Suleiman replied, his features set like iron. ‘Had your attack
been just against me I might have kept to my original plans for
you, Abu—but you dared to lift your hand against my father and
for that there can be only one punishment.’ He raised his voice to
summon his trusted guards. ‘Take him away!’
Three guards entered the pavilion and laid hands on Abu,
dragging him away as he cursed and screamed, for they did not
and would not spare him. He would suffer horribly, for he had
dared to plot against the life of the Caliph, and such a crime must
be punished in a way that would deter others. Even Suleiman
could not spare him what was to come—nor would he have
considered it.
‘My father?’ Suleiman asked as a fourth man entered the
pavilion after the others had gone. ‘The Caliph is unharmed?’
‘Your instructions were folowed to the letter, my lord,’ the
captain of the Janissaries replied. ‘I took your father’s place and
when they came to kil him my men were waiting—the traitors
have been taken and wil be punished in accordance with their
crimes.’
‘Good—I leave justice in your hands, Omar. And I thank you
and your men for their loyalty.’
‘The two who betrayed you with Fatima have been arrested
—what would you have me do with them, my lord?’
‘They may go to the galeys for two years and then be free to
go whither they wil,’ Suleiman said. ‘They confessed their
crimes and told of the plot against me—and for that I shal spare
crimes and told of the plot against me—and for that I shal spare
their lives.’
‘You are just, my lord,’ Omar said. ‘Alah be praised that this
night went wel—but what of your brother Hasan?’
‘He says that Hasan may be spared only if you grant him his
life.’
‘I do not,’ Suleiman said, his eyes as cold as deep water ice.
‘If he is spared he wil plot against us again, and others wil be
foolish enough to folow. In order that no more lives may be lost,
his is forfeit. However, he is not to be tortured and he is to be
given a clean death by the sword. I trust you to see that my
order is carried out as I have given it, Omar.’
‘Again your justice is good, my lord. It is how it should be.’
Suleiman inclined his head, but did not speak as the captain of
the guard bowed and left him. A deep shudder went through him
as he thought of the fate of the traitors, and he knew that he had
never felt so alone—so desperately alone.
The Caliph had felt incapable of ordering the execution of his
second son, even though he knew it must be and so he had left it
to Suleiman, who had not shrunk from his duty—but it was a
hard duty, the hardest thing he had ever done. To condemn his
half-brothers to death… Abu he had never liked or trusted, but
as a smal boy Hasan had been a delightful companion and they
had spent much time together. He was sorry that Hasan’s life
had come to this sorry end.
Yet it had to be, there was no other way open to Suleiman.
This world in which they lived was a harsh one and justice must
This world in which they lived was a harsh one and justice must
be seen to be done or the fragile order would crumble about
their ears. He had been weak in alowing Abu to escape death
the first time, but he would not esca
pe this time—and nor would
poor foolish Hasan.
And yet Suleiman felt as if it were he who was being
punished. He shivered again, feeling the darkness descend on
him as he went to open the flap of the pavilion and look out at
the stars.
Did those same stars shine in the sky above England? The
land of his mother’s birth, of which she and Eleanor had told him
—and would life be less harsh in such a place?
He doubted it, for had not Eleanor been forced to flee her
home in fear of retribution from a harsh regime? Why did human
beings do so much harm to each other and themselves?
Suleiman gave himself a mental shake. To dream of a
civilisation where people could exist in harmony without spite or
cruelty was to live in a fool’s paradise. Perhaps one day people
would learn a new way, but it would not come in his lifetime.
He smiled wryly at his own thoughts. Saidi Kasim had taught
him too wel. He was beset with the doubts that would best
become a philosopher and were not for the son of Caliph
Bakhar, who must be strong and just. He would do better to
think of something more pleasant…of a woman’s soft limbs and
a smile that made him want to drown in her arms.
‘Oh, my lady,’ he murmured. ‘Would that you were here to
lie beside me and drive away the demons this night.’
The hunting trip was due to continue for another day, but after
The hunting trip was due to continue for another day, but after
that he would send for Eleanor and tel her what he had decided
for her future.
Elizabetta was teaching Eleanor to dance, showing her how to
sway her hips aluringly. Anastasia was playing music for them,
and Rosamunde was standing by to comment and encourage.
Some of the other women had also come to watch.
‘Yes, you are beginning to get the idea now,’ Elizabetta said
‘you just need to put a little more feeling into it. Imagine that you are reaching out to your lover, begging him to take you in his
arms and caress you…’
Eleanor shook her head, throwing herself down on the
cushions and laughing. ‘It is no good. I shal never be able to
dance the way you do, Elizabetta.’
‘That is because you have never learned,’ her friend replied.
‘It wil come if you practise.’
‘I wil show you how to dance—how it should properly be
done.’
Eleanor looked up in surprise as she saw Fatima, wondering