3-5. Changes

All the girls in the harem want to know what is going on, but we are clearly not going to be told. Not that anything in the harem remains a secret for long. The agas and kalfas all go back to their rooms and only Nigar Kalfa stays to make us to settle down for the night. Hürrem decides to find out what has happened and asks Nigar Kalfa directly. Nigar Kalfa could refuse to answer, but I again witness the result of Hürrem's efforts to win Nigar Kalfa's loyalty.

"One of the agas found Gülsah locked in the bedding storeroom," says Nigar Kalfa. "It seems someone locked the door while Gülsah was inside the storeroom. She didn't see who it was, and nobody heard her cries for help. Weren't you down there with Nilüfer today, Esme?"

"Not today," replies Esme. "Nilüfer and I were assigned to change the bedding this afternoon, but we didn't need to go down to the storeroom. There was sufficient clean bedding in the cupboard on this floor."

"That's unusual," says Nigar Kalfa. "Normally the cupboard isn't restocked until the bedding is changed. Gülsah must have entered the storeroom while someone was restocking the cupboard this morning. Well, it's her own fault. She had no business being in the bedding storeroom in the first place."

"I agree," says Hürrem. "She spends far too much time meddling in things that have nothing to do with attending to Mahidevran's needs. I'm surprised the Valide hasn't taken action before now."

"Well the Valide might take action after today's incident," replies Nigar Kalfa. "She isn't happy at the disturbance caused by Gülsah's disappearance. I think she may have Mahidevran keep Gülsah on a shorter leash from now on."

If Nigar Kalfa is right, then Mahidevran will have suffered another blow to her campaign to rid the harem of her rivals. Unfortunately, I doubt she will give up her campaign entirely unless the Valide or Sultan Suleiman makes her stop. With the sultan away at the war and the Valide busy with important state affairs, it seems we must endure Mahidevran's games for a while longer.

Hürrem returns to her room and the harem settles down for the night. I look at Nilüfer as she lies down to sleep. I can't help feeling she had something to do with Gulsah's disappearance today, but there are no witnesses, and Nilüfer isn't confessing to anything. Gulsah's misfortune could have been an accident, but Nilüfer had the motive and ability to lure Gülsah into a trap. I just hope for Nilüfer's sake that the Valide is too busy with more important matters to bother with a full investigation.

The next few days are uneventful. Now that Gülsah has stopped bullying the new girls, and Fidan is keeping a low profile, the tension that existed between the factions quickly eases. Gülsah is only seen briefly, running errands for Mahidevran. Neither the Valide nor Mahidevran enter our part of the harem for several days. As a consequence, the mood of the girls in the harem improves and the insults and snide remarks that fuelled the tension quickly stop. The whole harem is more relaxed, which encourages Hürrem to spend more time with Nilüfer, Esme and I in the main part of the harem.

The string of uneventful days ends when Nigar Kalfa announces that Ruth, the woman trader from the market, will be visiting the harem this afternoon. It is almost two weeks since she last visited us, and several of the girls are eager to spend some of their money. Perhaps she'll be able to tell us what is happening in the rest of Constantinople. We haven't received any fresh news about events occurring beyond the palace walls since the day of the harem celebration. Even the girls who can usually prise gossip and information from the agas have nothing new to report. It's as though we are deliberately being kept in the dark.

Ruth arrives with her baskets of wares as soon as she has finished trading with those in the Royal Wing of the harem. While the Valide never needs to trade with Ruth, she allows her maids to purchase items. Mahidevran and her maids get the next look at what Ruth has on offer. Only then does Ruth come into our part of the harem. She has her usual range of clothing and jewellery, together with more mundane things like combs and brushes. She is swamped by a gaggle of eager girls as soon as she arrives.

Many of the girls try to plug Ruth for news of the outside world. Ruth is shrewd enough to only answer questions from girls who purchase something from her. Unfortunately for some girls, the prices demanded by Ruth are more than they can afford. No amount of haggling can make Ruth lower her prices.

"The war has created shortages of many goods," says Ruth. "I must pay more for the goods which I buy from the merchants."

We are fortunate that the Valide supplies our basic clothing, although it means wearing the grey and white harem uniforms. Not that most girls mind at the moment. More and more of the girls are choosing to wear the uniforms and save their silk dresses for when the sultan returns. The prices Ruth is demanding for new dresses will mean that even more girls will choose to wear the uniforms. Of course some of us can't afford a silk dress, so we must be content with the harem uniform in any case.

After Ruth has left the harem we gather together to pool what news we have gleaned. It isn't much and some of it is contradictory. The food riots have been quelled and order has been restored for the time being. However, the city is still tense and trouble could break out at any time. The dispute between the Grand Vizier and the rebellious Janissary officers is still at an impasse.

The next morning Sümbul Aga calls us all together. Hürrem and Ayşe join us from the mezzanine and the girls from the other wing of the harem halt their duties to join us. Daye Hatun joins us once everybody is assembled.

"The Valide has offered the protection of the imperial harem to all the wives and children of the pashas working in the palace," says Daye Hatun. "We expect the first of them to arrive later today. The wives and children will stay in the rooms on the mezzanine. Any female servants they bring will be allocated a space with the hatun, here in the main harem. Ayşe. You will need to vacate your room and move down here. Hürrem. The Valide has ordered that you be moved to a room in the Royal Wing for the time being. You may bring Gülnihal and two other girls to act as your personal maids. Who do you choose to be your maids?"

"Esme and Nilüfer," replies Hürrem.

"Very well," replies Daye Hatun. "The four of you should collect your belongings as soon as we have finished here and report to Sümbul Aga. He will escort you to your temporary quarters in the Royal Wing."

We all want to know why the harem is being used as a sanctuary for the families of the pashas. Unfortunately Daye Hatun has no intention of telling us the reason. We have been taught that no free woman of noble birth will ever consent to live in the imperial harem. We are all slaves, and it is beneath the dignity of a noble woman to live in the same quarters as a slave. It is why all Ottoman royal princes are born to slave mothers from conquered territories or beyond, and never to a woman of a Turkish noble family.

The pride of the noble women might be preserved were the Valide to accommodate them in the Royal Wing. For some reason, the Valide has refused to do so. Perhaps she doesn't trust all her guests, and doesn't want to risk the safety of the royal family. That would explain why Hürrem is being moved to the Royal Wing, while Ayşe is having to move downstairs to the main floor of the harem.

Daye Hatun announces a number of changes to the daily routine to create the illusion of separate living arrangements for the noble guests. It means the noble women don't have to mix with the slave girls of the harem. The baths are to be reserved for the guests between certain hours, and meals will be served to the two groups at different times. We are not to socialise with the noble women.

Hürrem, Esme, Nilüfer and I collect our belongings and Sümbul Aga leads us to a suite of three rooms in the Royal Wing. Compared to the suites allocated to Mahidevran and the Valide, the suite assigned to Hürrem is very small. However, compared to our normal living quarters, these rooms are luxurious. One room is for Hürrem's use, while Esme, Nilüfer and I are to share a second. The third room is furnished as a living room where Hürrem can spend her time and receive visitors.

"Daye Hatun will visit you later to explain the rules while you are living in the Royal Wing," says Sümbul Aga. "In the meantime you must all remain here."

Sümbul Aga leaves, and Esme, Nilüfer and I help Hürrem to put her things away. Hürrem has more belongings than the three of us combined, and it takes some time for her to decide where she wants everything. Finally we finish putting Hürrem's things away, and Hürrem tells us to go and put our own things away.

Despite having fewer belongings than Hürrem, finding space for our things is more of a challenge. Our room contains three sleeping mats which nearly fill the room when they are laid out side by side. Fortunately the mats can be folded to provide low chairs for us to sit on during the day. There is a small cupboard and a couple of small chests for our clothes and jewellery. The small window provides enough light for us to read or sew during our off duty hours. Even so, it will be very cramped if the three of us are to remain in here for any length of time. After the open space of the main harem, living in a small room like this is going to be quite a change.

By the time Daye Hatun arrives, we have finished putting everything away and the four of us have explored every nook and cranny of the suite. To my surprise Daye Hatun doesn't simply walk into our suite like she does when she enters the main harem. She knocks on the door and waits until Esme opens it to admit her.

We all stand in line as we have been taught, and wait for Daye Hatun to speak. She smiles as though she sees something funny in our behaviour.

"This is a most unusual situation that we all find ourselves in," begins Daye Hatun. "Normally a girl isn't allowed to live in the Royal Wing until she has given birth to a male heir for the sultan. Unfortunately the troubles in the city mean we must break with tradition. These are dangerous times and the Valide wishes to help those loyal to Sultan Suleiman while also protecting the royal family, including those not yet born. These arrangements are only temporary and you will move back to the harem once the current crisis is over.

"Hürrem Hatun. The Valide has decided that you will be allowed the privileges of a sultana while you reside in these rooms. However, you are not permitted to use the title and must not refer to yourself as such. Gülnihal or one of your maids must accompany you when you leave these rooms. You are to attend the Valide's audience with the sultanas every morning, and make yourself available at other times should the Valide require your presence. One of the Valide's maids will instruct your maids on the details of their duties."

Hürrem has been temporarily elevated to a sultana in all but name. I now have a position similar to the one Daye Hatun holds with the Valide, and Gülsah with Mahidevran. I suddenly realise how much our life within the harem will change … even if it is only for a short while.