6-4 A private conversation

"Leave Gülnihal and I alone for a while," says Ibrahim to Hasan and Nur. "Gülnihal is likely to be more receptive to my proposal if you two aren't hovering over her. Return in an hour."

Hasan and Nur seem to have expected Ibrahim's order and leave their house without complaint. When I don't make any move, Ibrahim indicates that I should sit on the chair by the window ... something I would never have been allowed to do in his presence while I was a slave. I can see that it will take me a while to overcome some of the Imperial Harem training.

"I hadn't expected to see you so soon, Master of the Royal Bedchamber," I say to Ibrahim. "Is there a problem with our arrangement?"

"Ibrahim. You should address me as Ibrahim while I'm away from the palace. And no ... there's no problem with your arrangement with Sultan Suleiman."

"So why are you here? I take it that Hasan's intervention yesterday wasn't a coincidence. Did you instruct him to stop me?"

"Yes and no. While it is true that Hasan works for me, his approach to you yesterday was his own decision. As it turns out, it was a fortunate intervention for us all. Even I would have difficulty in rescuing you from some slave market without drawing attention."

While I'm thankful for Hasan's rescue, I'm still not convinced this meeting will work out alright for me. Ibrahim may be a loyal friend and servant to Sultan Suleiman, but he also plays his own murky games on the side.

"Nur mentioned that I had passed some test, and that you had a proposal to offer me," I reply, impatient to find out the real purpose of this meeting.

"Yes. I confess that in Constantinople I had my doubts that you could succeed in carrying out your part of the arrangement. You face numerous obstacles in achieving the goal Sultan Suleiman desires. But so far you have done well. Nur's assessment of your abilities suggests that my earlier doubts about you may have been unduly pessimistic."

"I've only just met Nur," I reply. "How can she tell you about me?"

"Nur is a skilful interrogator," laughs Ibrahim. "Few people are able to keep secrets from her. Yet despite her lengthy questioning of you yesterday, you never once let slip that you are pregnant. Nor did you give her any reason to believe that you are anything other than a concubine who has outstayed her usefulness in the Imperial Harem."

I recall that Nur's questions were more probing than I would have expected from a curious host. More than once I nearly made an error and admitted to being pregnant. But I obviously came through her interrogation successfully.

"And what role does Hasan carry out for you?" I ask, wanting to satisfy my curiosity, even though it has nothing to do with the matter in hand.

"Until recently he was a soldier in the Ottoman army. He and several others like him operated behind Hungarian lines gathering valuable information. Information which was reported to me so that I could advise the sultan on his best course of action. Hasan proved himself to be a loyal and able scout. I like to reward those who do good service in the sultan's name."

"So you have given him work when he might otherwise have difficulty in finding employment," I surmise.

"Not exactly," replies Ibrahim. "Hasan and Nur are both capable of finding work by themselves. However, Hasan is very observant; something which makes him useful as a spy. And his sister is an excellent interrogator. It's those talents which earn them their places in my employ."

Ibrahim's comments merely confirm my existing suspicions about his secret activities. I'm just surprised that he's confessed all this to me.

"If providing employment isn't Hasan's reward, then what is?" I ask.

"You ... if you're willing," replies Ibrahim. "Hear my proposal before you answer."

I'm too flabbergasted to say anything. Ibrahim takes my silence as permission to proceed.

"Firstly, let us consider your own situation," begins Ibrahim. "You are alone with no family to help you. The money Sultan Suleiman gave you will pay for a room to live in and food to eat ... but no amount of money can buy you everything you need. It won't buy you safety. Nor will it buy you acceptance into whichever community you decide to settle. You only have a few weeks before your pregnancy will begin to show. A single woman expecting a child has little chance of being allowed to settle down in any small town or village where she isn't already known. Which only leaves the larger towns and cities, where you are likely to be easy prey for slavers and the like."

Ibrahim pauses his monologue in order to gauge my reaction. So far he has said nothing which I don't already know. My initial plan was focussed on evading anybody who might want to follow me. That plan hasn't worked out as I hoped, and I haven't had time to reconsider my options. Ibrahim continues when he is satisfied that his comments have struck home.

"Whether you like it or not," continues Ibrahim, "you need the protection of a man. The law provides minimal protection for an unmarried woman."

"I'm aware of the risks," I reply. "But I will not be married off to some elderly widower who wants a young wife to look after his children. Besides, how many men want a wife who is expecting another man's child?"

"Hasan is neither elderly, nor a widower. And you are clearly attracted to him. Just as he is to you."

"How do you know how Hasan feels about me? Or how I feel about him?"

"My instructions to Hasan were for him to merely follow and observe you yesterday. His decision to stop and help you was his own choice. A decision probably driven by his attraction to you."

I doubt Ibrahim is telling the whole truth, but I don't see any reason for him to tell an outright lie.

"Hasan could barely see me under the hood of my cloak," I reply. "How could he be attracted to me?"

"Perhaps it was curiosity rather than attraction. After all, it isn't every day that a young woman walks alone in this part of the city. Particularly one who walks with the grace of a girl trained in the Imperial Harem."

Again my training in the harem has betrayed me without me knowing. I try to remember how I used to walk before I was enslaved, and silently concede that Ibrahim is probably correct in his observation.

"So you admit that Hasan is only curious about me ... not attracted to me," I say.

"No," laughs Ibrahim. "I only admit that it may have been curiosity which prompted him to stop you. His subsequent actions in your defence indicate his feelings towards you have grown into something more. Besides, you have encouraged his attentions since you obviously share similar feelings towards him."

I'm about to deny Ibrahim's comments, but I would be lying to myself. I could put my encouragement of Hasan's attentions down to an automatic response caused by my training, but I know that isn't entirely true. I've made a conscious effort to make Hasan like me. I don't need Ibrahim's remarks to tell me that I've had some success.

"Your plan relies on my accepting Hasan as my ... what? Husband? Guardian? Master?"

"That is up to you, but I believe you might enjoy life more if you marry him," says Ibrahim as though he is stating the obvious.

"You seem certain that I will accept a marriage," I reply. "Hasan and I might not get on together as husband and wife."

"I think you will, and I believe you think so too. Don't forget that I'm Master of the Royal Bedchamber. Part of my job is to help the Valide choose new girls for the sultan's entertainment. I study each concubine for her likes and dislikes. The Imperial Harem isn't a brothel. Sultan Suleiman's standing instructions are that a girl sent to his rooms must go willingly, and not because she has no choice. I understand a lot more about you than you perhaps imagine."

I cringe at the prospect of Ibrahim knowing so much about me, but I shouldn't be surprised. The agas and kalfas in the harem constantly remind us that it requires more than physical beauty to win a place as one of the sultan's favourites. The agas must surely tell Ibrahim what they learn about each concubine's personality. And of course, there's the small window in the dormitory wall where we could be secretly observed at any time.

"What about my baby?" I ask. "Am I to pretend that Hasan is the father and that the birth is early?"

"No," replies Ibrahim. "Hasan already suspects that you are pregnant. As I said, he is very observant."

"How? I've said nothing to him or Nur about the baby."

"And yet Hasan suspects the truth. You should ask him how he has arrived at that conclusion."

"So what am I to tell Hasan about my child's father?"

"Hasan must never learn the true identity of your child's father. It would place you, he and your child in extreme danger if that secret became known. You should tell Hasan that I am the father."

I quickly stifle a disbelieving laugh. To the best of my knowledge, Ibrahim has never been allowed to use any of the harem girls in Constantinople in that way. He's not unattractive, and I know there are some girls who would be willing enough, but the harem rules forbid any such liaison without the consent of Sultan Suleiman or the Valide. Had either of them given their consent, then it would be common knowledge around the harem within hours.

But perhaps the rules are not as strict this far from Constantinople. In fact, something Aybige said after Ibrahim visited the palace here the other day suddenly makes sense. Ibrahim may not be allowed to have intimate relations with the concubines in Constantinople, but he clearly has a deal going with Mercan Aga which had Armin share Ibrahim's bed the other night. Perhaps that's why Ibrahim hasn't put a stop to Mercan Aga's nefarious activities. Another aga might not be so accommodating towards Ibrahim.

"Will Hasan and Nur believe me if I claim that you are my child's father?" I ask.

"I believe so," replies Ibrahim, indirectly confirming my suspicions about his night time activities when he visits the palace in Salonica. "As long as you don't give either of them any reason to suspect the truth."

"You seem to assume that Hasan will want to marry me," I say.

"Then let's ask him when he returns. You underestimate your appeal as a bride. Girls discharged from the Imperial Harem are highly valued as potential wives. The training you received in the harem makes you a desirable companion for any man. A soldier like Hasan can normally only dream of having someone with your skills as his wife. You can easily earn his love by pleasing him in bed. That's surely a small sacrifice to secure your future."

I find Ibrahim's remarks a little surprising. His comment suggests that he's not fully aware of the full scope of the training each concubine receives in the harem. We are certainly trained in how to please a man sexually and drive him wild with desire. But the pleasure isn't a one way process. I have used my skills to drive Sultan Suleiman into uncontrollable lust for me, but I have also brought myself to the giddy heights of ecstasy in doing so. Contrary to the implication in Ibrahim's words, I'm not afraid of using all the sexual skills I've been taught as and when necessary.

However, I don't challenge Ibrahim's remarks, even though I think he is overstating my appeal as a bride. But I secretly hope that he is right. Sometime during this conversation I've decided that marriage to Hasan could be a good outcome. The moment has arrived when everything we have discussed is going to be put to the test. The sound of Hasan and Nur returning signals the end of my private conversation with Ibrahim.