Chapter 21

After that evening with Nadir, things began to move rather quickly. He sent his letter the following morning and we waited anxiously for a reply. Nearly three weeks passed before we received the letter back, unopened with a note scribbled on it to indicate that the person addressed was unknown or no longer at the address specified. This seemed to concern Nadir greatly and I believe that is when he began to entertain the idea that Erik may actually still be alive somewhere.

I must admit that I was so anxious to go find Erik that I would have done most anything to get to Persia, even if I had to go alone. Nadir and I discussed the situation endlessly, picking apart our reasons for going or staying, struggling to come to a decision. For Nadir, to go back was to entertain great risk. Being closely related to the Shah had played a large part in keeping Nadir alive for these past years, but if he were to return, he knew he would likely face assassination. No, he would not be publicly executed for he had committed no crime, but accidents happen all the time and even more so to those who have, in some way, fallen out of favor with the Shah.

Knowing it would put Nadir in grave danger to return put a damper on my enthusiasm for his returning with me. I became determined to go, however, whether Nadir accompanied me or not. The thought of going alone filled me with terror and I literally had to sit down to quell the resulting wave of dizziness the thought caused me. Nadir and I finally decided that he would go in disguise as a French businessman and I would be his niece and ward.

Nearly two months since Nadir and I had our discussion in my townhouse, we were finally prepared to make the long journey to Mazanderan. We would travel to Marseilles and from there we would sail most of the way. It would be a long and arduous journey, but I was determined and Nadir was resigned. From the moment we set off we were no longer Christine and Nadir, but Mademoiselle Christiane Dubois and her uncle Monsieur Etienne Dubois.

During the majority of our journey, Nadir and I kept to ourselves as much as possible, preferring to have dinner in our cabins rather than with other passengers. Fortunately, this time of year, there weren't many travelers, so there were few observers to remark upon our odd behavior. Of necessity, Nadir and I were forced to spend more time together than we had been accustomed to and we learned many things about each other throughout the long days. He told me many stories of his homeland and I learned about the Shah and the khanum and Persian court life. His lip curled in distaste as he described the hateful cats that were highly favored by the Shahs of Persia. I laughed as I pictured the cats hissing at him as he approached the Shah.

Eventually we both became irritable and restless. Chess had occupied us in the beginning, but it soon lost all appeal as we sailed through the long days and nights. My dreams of Erik continued most nights, but they had changed. Now as I ran, opening one door after another, I could hear Erik's voice calling my name. His tone was filled with so much sorrow that I felt as if my heart would break anew each time he repeated my name. I would begin to sob and beg him to wait for me. I tried to tell him that I was coming, but he seemed not to hear me and only continued to call out my name in that mournful, yet beautiful voice. I awakened from these dreams crying his name, my pillow soaked with tears. I was terrified that this meant time was running out.

When, at last, we landed near Turkey, I was so thankful to see dry land, I briefly entertained the idea of leaping overboard and swimming to shore, for surely I could get there faster than we were being ushered off by the crew. In the end, I deemed it wise to stay aboard until I was instructed to walk down the narrow plank to the dock. Nadir followed and we immediately sought rooms for the night. We began our overland journey the following morning. It would not take as long to get to Mazanderan from where we were, but it would still be several days journey.

Nadir and I spent our days talking quietly in our carriage. We decided that when we reached Mazanderan, he would first attempt to locate his contact from the palace. If he were still alive and, perhaps, living nearby, then there was a chance he would have more information. We were not holding out hope of finding him alive, though. It was more likely he had met with an unfortunate "accident". When one had enough gold, however, it was easy enough to obtain information from inside the palace. I had no doubt that with Nadir's knowledge of the inner workings of the Persian court, we would soon be able to find out what had really happened to Erik.

We arrived in Mazanderan in the early hours of the morning as the sun was rising over the distant mountains. Even though winter was already settled in for a long stay by the time we arrived, I could still see that the area would be a lush and beautiful place come spring. I suppose I had been expecting to come upon a vast desert wasteland, so I was pleasantly surprised to find such a beautiful landscape spread out all around me.

We had made arrangements to lease a small house on the outskirts of the province, so we made our way there now, uncertain as to what shape the house would be in when we arrived. Fortunately, we found that, thought it was very sparsely furnished and small, it was well maintained and in good repair. Nadir and the few servants we had brought with us quickly unloaded our belongings into the house. Once settled into a bedroom near the back of the house, I decided to rest for a while. I was very tired so it wasn't long before I was sound asleep. I slept most of the day and into the evening, and awoke feeling rested as I had not been in a long while.

When I awakened, I realized with alarm that I had slept away the entire day! I immediately got up and hurried to the small kitchen where I found Nadir preparing a meal. He turned and smiled in welcome as I entered.

"Good evening, Christiane," He said. "I trust you had a good rest."

"Yes, Uncle Etienne," I replied, smiling back. "I feel better than I have in weeks, thank you."

We sat down at a small table in the dining area and ate as Aimee, whom I had brought with me, bustled about the kitchen, cleaning up and putting things away. Nadir finally broke the silence.

"I have been in contact with an old friend from many years ago," he began as he settled back in his seat. "He confirmed that my contact in the palace has, indeed, disappeared. He has not been heard from since about the same time he sent me word that Erik had been killed." Nadir's brows were drawn together and his expression was troubled. "There is something wrong. The more I think about it, the more this whole situation worries me. I think that we should be very careful, even more so than we had originally planned. If what I am thinking turns out to be true, we could both be in grave danger, Christine. You must obey me in all that I ask of you, do you understand? We are no longer in France, dear one. Things are very different here. Erik would never forgive me either in this life or the next if I allowed harm to come to you. Not only that, I would never forgive myself. You are the closest thing to a daughter I shall ever have, and I am afraid that I have made a terrible mistake in allowing you to accompany me here."

"What is it that has you so troubled, Nadir? If we are in danger, then you must tell me so that I can be careful of it."

"I can't put my finger on it. Perhaps it is nothing, but it just seems as if things are moving along quite smoothly, don't you think? We have had no trouble whatsoever. The Shah is not a forgiving man and the khanum does not understand the concept of mercy. They know that I was with Erik in Paris; they watched me for more than a year in the hopes of catching me with him so that he could be killed. When Erik tracked down your attacker we were able to obtain the names of four others that had been hired to watch me and Erik found every one of them. Each of those men reported to someone else. News of your attack and Erik's response certainly found its way back to the Shah and khanum, probably even before Erik left for Persia. I am convinced they fully expected Erik to return here and were prepared. This is all easy to ascertain. What concerns me is that there has been no retribution for my part in all of this. I do not dare to hope that they have forgotten me. No, that is not their way. They have not forgotten and I am becoming more and more convinced that we have walked right into a trap of some sort. The only thing that bothers me is why. Why prepare a trap? Why not just send assassins and have me killed? Or, at the very least, brought back to prison to spend the rest of my life? It makes no sense!"

Nadir clenched his fists in frustration and stared out the window into the night sky as if willing an answer from the very stars. For my part, I was alarmed at the possibilities that Nadir was suggesting. Could this all be an elaborate trap? But for what purpose? If Erik were dead, what could they possibly gain by having Nadir and me embroiled in some scheme of theirs? As Nadir said, it made no sense. Even if Erik were not dead, it seemed to serve no purpose to have us here. There was, of course, the possibility that no trap existed and the Shah had simply not believed it worth the time or expense to have Nadir assassinated.

I didn't know what to make of it all, but I assured Nadir that I would be very careful, never leaving the house unless accompanied by him. We stayed up late into the night discussing possible ways to get inside the palace or get someone inside. The eunuchs that guarded the Shah's harem were notoriously easy to bribe, according to Nadir and he thought this may be a way to get information about the khanum's activities. This would likely be a good starting point, so we agreed that the first step would be to find someone from the city who would deliver messages and bribes.

I spent the rest of the evening after Nadir finally retired unpacking boxes and tidying up the small house we were staying in. I worried about what we would find now that we were here. I was so anxious that I considered trying my luck at sneaking into the palace in the dead of night, but I knew that was one of the more foolish ideas I had come up with in my lifetime, so I discarded the idea fairly swiftly after its conception. Thinking of sneaking into the palace made me think of Meg as I knew that she would have absolutely loved the idea and likely would have tried desperately to talk me into it. I smiled a little imagining Meg and her theatrics and I missed her and Madame Giry terribly. I regretted now that I had been cool with them both in the weeks before Nadir and I had departed.

I pushed thoughts of Paris and all its inhabitants from my mind as I finished up unpacking the trunk I had brought with me. I didn't know how long we would be here, and I hadn't been sure what to take, so I had brought only basic serviceable dresses that would do well in most situations. Inevitably, I ran out of things to do, so I extinguished the lamps and climbed into the narrow bed. As I drifted off to sleep, I thought again of Erik. I drifted off with thoughts of my angel of music and slept peacefully through the night for the first time in many months.

The next morning, I realized we were going to need some supplies and I asked Nadir if I could go to the market in the city. He reluctantly agreed, but he would accompany me. I dressed in the best dress I had packed and soon we were on our way, our breath coming in little bursts of fog as we climbed into the rented carriage and set out. I was like a child, looking about me in wonder at the foreign landscape as we drove down into the city.

The first thing on our agenda was to hire an interpreter as Nadir was posing as a French businessman. It was actually quite amusing when we spoke of it later and Nadir told me all they had really been saying about us! We eventually found a young man who spoke French and agreed to be our interpreter for the morning. We walked the cobbled streets, bartered and traded and before long we had enough to nearly fill our carriage.

I handed Nadir the last of the packages and he set off ahead to put it into the storage area of the carriage. I followed along behind him, but found my eye caught by a window display of exotic Persian jewelry and attire. I stopped to look for a moment, the turned abruptly to catch up with Nadir, but as I did, I collided with a person, knocking all of his packages to the ground and nearly sent him sprawling. I felt the heat rising in my cheeks as I began to apologize profusely in French, never thinking that the man I had nearly bowled over may not be able to understand anything I was saying.

I bent to help him pick up his many parcels, but he stopped me, speaking in fluent French. "No, Mademoiselle, please. It is my fault! You must not concern yourself." Quickly, he grabbed a package that I had just placed my hand upon and pulled it from my grasp before I could pick it up. I straightened and watched as he gathered up the rest of his belongings.

"You speak French!" I said, when he, at last, straightened, his packages secure again.

"Oui," he said, grinning and I found myself smiling back. "You are far from home, Mademoiselle, or is it Madame?"

Had I been in Paris, I would not have deigned to respond to such forwardness, but I realized the customs may be different here and, his black eyes sparkled good naturedly as he waited for my reply. I studied him carefully before answering, assuring myself he truly meant no harm, then said, "Yes, Paris is indeed far from here." I chose not to answer his query about my proper title.

His grin grew even wider, if that were possible. He extended one hand, in proper European fashion. "I am Ahmad. I am very pleased for to meet you, Mademoiselle...?"

My, but he was persistent, I thought, trying to suppress a laugh at his impertinence. "Dubois." I replied, offering him my hand. "Monsieur, I heartily apologize for my clumsiness. I do hope you are not hurt?"

"Now that you have mentioned it, I find I may indeed be injured." His grin disappeared and his face turned grave as he regarded me.

"Oh, Monsieur! I am sorry! What can I do to help you? Here, let me call my servant and he can help you with your packages while you sit down here on this bench. Tell me where you are injured! Is there a physician nearby? Oh dear..." All thoughts of rudeness and grinning black eyes disappeared in my concern that I had truly injured the man before me. I looked around for Michel, the manservant who had accompanied Nadir and me, but he had gone on ahead with Nadir to help load the carriage, which was just around the corner. I began to look around for someone who could help when the man spoke again.

"Mademoiselle Dubois," His voice caught my attention and I turned back to him and looked into his, once again, laughing black eyes. "I fear there is nothing that can be done for my injury for it is an injury of the heart. Your beauty has so pierced it, that I am afraid I shall never recover from the damage that has been done."

I stared at him, speechless, unable to decide if I should slap him for his impertinence or laugh at his teasing. In the end, I was saved by Nadir.

"Christiane?" Nadir called, his expression alarmed. He hurried toward me, nearly running, to get to my side.

"Christiane," Ahmad said, softly, his voice caressing the word in such a manner that I could not help but blush. "It has been lovely 'running into' you, today,Mademoiselle." He reached for my hand and, grasping it, brought it to his lips before I could utter a word of protest. I felt the brush of his lips momentarily before he dropped my hand and turned to face Nadir.

"Uncle Etienne," I said, my cheeks on fire by now. "I'd like you to meet Monsieur Ahmad. I stopped for a moment to admire the jewelry in the window here and when I turned, I'm afraid I nearly ran Monsieur Ahmad down and caused him to spill all of his packages. Fortunately, he doesn't seem to be injured."

Nadir did not stop until he was directly beside me and had grasped my hand and placed it securely on his arm. He glared at Ahmad, but his words were polite enough. "Monsieur Ahmad, I am pleased to meet you. Are you certain that you are unhurt, then?"

"I am, indeed, physically unhurt, Monsieur Dubois, thank you." Ahmad flashed a quick look at me as he replied and I wondered if my cheeks could possibly grow any hotter. I was embarrassed and decidedly uncomfortable, so I was grateful for Nadir's presence.

"That is good, Monsieur Ahmad. Again, I am very pleased to make your acquaintance. I would love to stay and chat, but my niece and I must be going. We wish you a very pleasant morning." Nadir steered me around the smiling Ahmad, who winked at me wickedly as we passed. I ignored him, but I could hear him laughing as we walked away toward the carriage.

Nadir held his peace until we arrived at the house. I carried in some of the packages and was about to return to the carriage to gather more when Nadir stopped me. "We must speak of this, Christine."

I sighed, not even pretending that I didn't know what he was talking about. "Yes, Uncle." I said, attempting humor to lighten the situation, but Nadir's expression did not change.

"Christine, you must not talk to strangers!" Nadir sounded much like a father scolding a young child and I couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed that all the men in my life up until now seemed to treat me that way. I forced the annoyance down, however, because I knew Nadir was only concerned about me.

"I know that Nadir," I said calmly. "Unfortunately, in this situation, I nearly ran the poor man down as he walked past me, so I had to apologize. It would have looked quite strange if I had bowled him over, then run from the scene, no?"

"I suppose it would have, but you must be careful, child. The Shah has spies everywhere and you never know if you may be talking to one of them. If they are aware of our presence, then we may be doomed anyway, but we can at least try to be prepared."

"I will be more careful, Nadir, I promise. I shouldn't have stopped to look at the jewelry, but I wasn't thinking. I am sorry."

He reached over and squeezed my hand in his. "It is forgiven. I am only worried that you will be hurt, dear one. In the future, please stay with me and if you'd like to stop and look at something, I will be happy to stop with you."

I gave him a quick hug and we went back to putting away supplies. I didn't give Ahmad another thought after Nadir and I spoke and that was just as well to me, for I thought I had seen the last of him. I didn't realize then, that it was only the beginning.