3-4. A letter to the Sultan
"Wealth," replies Nilüfer. "With sufficient wealth I can live a comfortable life."
"And how do you propose to accumulate this wealth?" I ask. "Only the sultan can provide the kind of wealth I think you want."
"The sultan gives his jewels to his sultanas and his favourites. They in turn can give some of them to me."
"Surely you aren't planning on stealing them?" I ask, alarmed at the thought.
"No, of course not," laughs Nilüfer. "Only a fool would risk such a thing. But there are many services a person with money may wish to purchase. Messages to be delivered. Information to be gathered. Errands to be performed. The list is endless."
"But delivering messages and running errands won't earn you very much," I say.
"That depends on the difficulty of the task," says Nilüfer. "Let's say, for example, that your friend Hürrem wishes to send a message which she can't deliver herself. If that message is to be sent to the Valide, then the value of the service would be very small. But if she wanted to write a letter to Sultan Suleiman to inform him of her pregnancy, then the value of the service would be much greater."
"I understand what you say, but how would you get a letter to the sultan?" I ask. "If I were paying for your services I would want proof that the letter was delivered before paying you."
"How I would achieve it is for me alone to know," says Nilüfer with a smile. "A letter from the sultan replying to the one I had delivered would surely be adequate proof of delivery."
"I agree. But can you do it?" I ask.
"Why don't we talk with Hürrem and see if she is willing to find out?"
Our conversation is interrupted when Nigar Kalfa enters the harem to rouse everybody from their slumbers. Nilüfer and I are already awake so we are able to get to the baths before the others. We are on our way back when we encounter Fidan blocking the door from the baths.
"Be careful who you make friends with, young Nilüfer," says Fidan. "Making the wrong alliances could cause you a lot of difficulties."
"And threatening someone you barely know could cause you a lot of difficulties, Fidan," replies Nilüfer pushing Fidan aside without stopping.
I follow Nilüfer out of the door before Fidan can overcome her shock. While I admire Nilüfer's fortitude, she is nevertheless walking a dangerous path. Fidan may not be a real threat, but Gülsah is a completely different prospect. And I'm sure that Fidan will be reporting this encounter to Gülsah at the earliest opportunity.
"You know Fidan will report your comments to Gülsah," I say to Nilüfer as we dress.
"It makes no difference," replies Nilüfer. "Gülsah will have already planned on paying me a visit after yesterday's events. I'm surprised she hasn't tried her tricks on me before."
"We can ask Nigar Kalfa and Sümbul Aga to intervene," I say.
"They can't protect me all of the time. Besides, I fight my own battles. I'm not likely to make my fortune by being a timid little girl hiding behind the agas and kalfas."
"And what if Gülsah offers to pay you to be her spy?" I ask.
"From what I've seen of Gülsah's methods I doubt she is willing to pay for my services."
"Hmmm. But Gülsah has Mahidevran and her wealth backing her."
"If Mahidevran was prepared to spend money to get what she wants, then she would have no need for Gülsah's services. Mahidevran has wealth, but she wants to keep it all. If Hürrem has any sense, she'll make sure she handsomely rewards those who provide her with good service."
"Someone like you, for instance," says Hürrem, who has come down from the mezzanine while Nilüfer and I were talking.
"Yes," replies Nilüfer, who is not the least bit embarrassed at being overheard.
I tell Hürrem about my earlier conversation with Nilüfer. Hürrem seems interested at the prospect of sending a letter to Sultan Suleiman. While the Valide must regularly receive and send letters to her son, nobody else in the harem has attempted to send a letter to anybody. I don't recall any of our lessons saying we are prohibited from writing letters, but I'm sure there must be some rule forbidding it.
"Having the letter delivered is the hardest part," says Nilüfer, as though reading my mind. "You could ask the Valide to enclose your letter with her next letter to the sultan, but she may refuse. She may not approve of any correspondence being sent from the harem which she hasn't written herself. Even if she agrees, she is likely to want to read your letter first."
"And how much do you want for delivering my letter?" asks Hürrem.
"Three aspers when you give me the letter," says Nilüfer. "And a further reward when you receive proof that the letter has been delivered. I will allow you to determine the size of that reward."
It seems that not only will Hürrem be testing Nilüfer's skills, but Nilüfer will also be testing Hürrem's generosity. I just hope both of them know what they are doing.
"Agreed," says Hürrem. "I'll give you the letter as soon as it is ready. I expect you to keep my letter secret from the Valide and Mahidevran."
"Of course," smiles Nilüfer. "Though I can't promise that they won't hear about your letter from Sultan Suleiman himself."
"I shall cross that bridge when I come to it," says Hürrem. "In the meantime, if you have any trouble from Gülsah or Fidan, then let me know."
"Fidan has already tried to warn me away from you," says Nilüfer. "I expect Gülsah will make her move before the day is out."
We have our breakfast and set about our daily routine. Nilüfer has different lessons and duties to Hürrem and I, so we don't see her again until much later. We don't know if Gülsah has attempted to intimidate Nilüfer during the day, and Nilüfer isn't volunteering any information.
That evening Hürrem comes to where Nilüfer, Esme and I are sat talking. Hürrem has her letter to Sultan Suleiman written and ready to hand to Nilüfer. I distract Esme while Hürrem hands her letter and payment to Nilüfer. While Esme is one of my best friends and is undoubtedly loyal to Hürrem, I don't want her witnessing something that might get everyone involved into trouble. Nilüfer quickly hides the letter inside her blouse and places the coins in the hidden pocket in her skirt. Hürrem stays to talk for a while.
"I overheard one of the agas saying that there have been riots in parts of the city," says Esme. "Food is in short supply."
"We should be safe enough here in the Old Palace," I reply. "The palace guards and the Janissaries will protect us."
"The palace guards will defend the palace," says Nilüfer. "But some of the Janissary commanders are unhappy and their troops are refusing to leave their barracks. The Grand Vizier is trying to restore order in the city with only a handful of loyal troops."
"Why should the commanders be unhappy?" I ask. "They have sworn an oath of loyalty to the sultan. They are committing treason by refusing to protect the city."
"They have heard stories of how the Janissaries with Sultan Suleiman's army are filling their pockets with war booty," says Nilüfer. "Those left behind to protect Constantinople want a share of that booty."
"Where did you hear of this story?" I ask.
"We both heard the agas talking," says Esme. "Nilüfer and I had chores which meant we were near the agas meeting area for much of the afternoon."
"Was Sümbul Aga with them?" I ask. "The agas natter like old women when Sümbul Aga's back is turned."
"No, Sümbul Aga wasn't there," replies Nilüfer. "Do you think it is all idle gossip, then?"
"Perhaps," I reply. "Besides, there isn't much we can do about it. We could ask the woman from the market next time she visits the harem. She hasn't been for over week, so she must be due soon."
There is a commotion at the other end of the harem. Sümbul Aga and Nigar Kalfa have entered the harem and are gathering the girls together. We obey their summons and join the other girls in the centre aisle of the harem. Nigar Kalfa goes up to the mezzanine to fetch Ayşe. Sümbul Aga waits impatiently until the two of them return.
"Gülsah is missing," says Sümbul Aga. "Has anyone seen her today?"
While few girls would be sorry if Gülsah disappeared entirely, the news that a member of the harem is missing gives us some cause for concern. The harem isn't so large that a person could hide for any length of time. If she left the harem, then she could be anywhere. But even a sultana's maid needs a good reason to leave the harem, and it is difficult for anyone to leave without being noticed. Difficult, but not impossible. There are only three entrances to the harem … through the kitchens, through the Valide's suite, or along the main corridor leading to the rest of the Old Palace. The corridor is guarded at all times, and the kitchens have been in use throughout the day. Nobody but the Valide uses the other route. Sümbul Aga clearly believes Gülsah is somewhere inside the harem.
"I saw her this morning … about an hour after breakfast," says Fidan.
"Perhaps she is running an errand for Mahidevran," suggests one girl.
"The sultana is the one who has reported Gülsah as missing," says Sümbul Aga.
"Has no one else seen Gülsah today?" asks Nigar Kalfa.
"I saw her talking to Fidan after breakfast," says another girl.
"Who else was here when Fidan was talking to Gülsah?" asks Sümbul Aga.
Nobody else says they were in the room. Most of us would have been at lessons at that time.
"Nigar Kalfa, please will you search the rooms on the mezzanine," says Sümbul Aga.
"Did Gülsah not try to approach you today?" I ask Nilüfer quietly.
"No," replies Nilüfer. "I was at lessons all morning, and Esme and I were busy helping to change the bedding all afternoon."
Esme nods in confirmation. With the reduction in the number of girls in the harem, the trainee hatun are sometimes called on to help with the odalisques' chores. Now that I'm a hatun, I'm excused from such duties.
Nigar Kalfa returns from the mezzanine to report that there is no sign of Gülsah. Sümbul Aga has summoned all the agas and kalfas in the meantime.
"Search the entire harem," Sümbul Aga orders. "Leave no room unchecked."
The agas and kalfas give a groan. A full search will take the best part of an hour. The main living area is easy to search, but in the basement there are dozens of store rooms and unused areas. Even on this floor there are several rooms that aren't in use at the moment. A large nursery lies ready for use, as well as the infrequently used harem infirmary.
"She's probably swiped a jug of wine from the kitchen and fallen asleep somewhere," says one of the girls to her friends.
"For nearly ten hours?" replies another girl. "I don't think even Gülsah can sleep for that long."
"Perhaps she's had an accident?" suggests someone.
"We should be so lucky," whispers a girl under her breath, being careful not to be overheard by the wrong people.
We are allowed to return to our own areas to wait for the search to finish. As time goes on we begin to wonder whether Gülsah is still in the harem. While we have no means of leaving the palace grounds entirely, we all know that it is possible to sneak out of the harem through the kitchen. It's just a matter of waiting until all the kitchen staff are busy with their work. Most of us have sneaked out at one time or another, just to walk in the garden. The garden is near the kitchen door and there's little chance of being caught.
Suddenly there's a lot of shouting from the main corridor and I can hear Sümbul Aga giving orders.