7: The Hunting Lodge

7-1 Return to Constantinople

Fortunately Nur has anticipated that Hasan and I aren't going to be ready to set off for Constantinople as early as we originally intended. Ibrahim has arranged for us to travel with a small group of merchants transporting their wares to Constantinople. Merchant caravans with an armed escort are a common sight on the roads leading to Constantinople. It's a slow but safe way to travel through the sections of rugged country where bandits often lurk.

Nur rouses us from our slumber at nine o'clock. She tells us that she's told the merchants that we'll catch up with their caravan later in the day. Fortunately for us the merchants' pack animals and wagons move no faster than a walking pace and the caravan makes frequent stops for one reason or another. Hasan estimates that despite their two hour head start, we should catch up to the caravan by mid-afternoon. Nevertheless we walk at a brisk pace. Bandits may be rare this close to a large city but there's no point in taking chances.

Hasan is right and we catch up to the merchants while they are busy fording a small river. In fine weather this well travelled road wouldn't normally present any major obstacles to vehicles. However heavy rain overnight has caused the river to rise and the merchants aren't willing to wait until the river level drops. To make matters worse, the merchants have loaded their wagons to capacity and one of the heavier wagons has become stuck in the muddy river bank. Freeing the wagon takes nearly an hour. The wagon master doesn't seem unduly concerned by the delay despite the merchants' repeated pleading for his workers to make haste.

Our journey to Constantinople takes much longer than the one Seker Aga and I took in the other direction. Not that I'm complaining. It gives Hasan and I plenty of time to get to know each other better. There are few opportunities for us to be intimate, but we nevertheless manage to snatch some time alone. It's through these brief interludes that I discover the real potential of my harem training in the art of sexual intimacy. I soon begin to use my ripening powers to keep Hasan in an almost perpetual state of desire for me. Nur notices the change in Hasan's composure, but she doesn't identify my actions as the cause. Instead she jokes about Hasan being a randy soldier lusting for his new bride. It's a good-natured joke which soon spreads throughout the caravan. The joking only emboldens me to greater efforts to increase Hasan's lust for me. Hasan is more than happy to play along with the game as he knows the likely reward when he and I are next alone.

The people we pass on the road, and those we see during our occasional stops in villages, opens my eyes to what life might have been like for me if I hadn't been sent to the Imperial Harem when I was enslaved. Many of the slaves we see on our journey suffer a much harsher life than the one I experienced in Constantinople. Seeing a slave girl my age wearing threadbare clothing and carrying water urns from the well sticks in my mind. She could easily be me had fate dictated otherwise.

Hasan and I part company with the merchants on the outskirts of Constantinople and make our way to the house where Ibrahim told us to go. It's a huge mansion, obviously belonging to some pasha or wealthy merchant. We are greeted by an elderly man who, after examining the letter of introduction which Ibrahim gave to Hasan, shows us to a small servant's bedroom which is to be ours for our short stay here. Despite our slow journey from Salonica, Hasan and I are among the first of the assorted gardeners, cooks, maids and other servants Ibrahim said are being hired to look after the hostages at a hunting lodge not far from Constantinople.

It doesn't take long before we have a sense of unease. As soon as I learn he name of pasha who owns this house, I realise we face more challenges than Ibrahim implied. Heyreddin Pasha has a reputation for being selfish and greedy. I've never met him, but the women who took refuge in the Imperial Harem during the janissary revolt some months ago spoke about Heyreddin Pasha with a mixture of lothing and disgust. I tell Hasan what little I know about Heyreddin Pasha.

"The Grand Vizier is probably punishing Heyreddin Pasha for abandoning Constantinople during the janissary revolt. It wouldn't surprise me if Heyreddin Pasha is being expected to dig into his own coffers to pay for the upkeep of the hostages. It probably explains why Ibrahim wants Nur and I to keep an eye on the situation."

"Then this is more palace politics at play," I grumble.

"Undoubtedly," agrees Hasan. "But Heyreddin Pasha hasn't refused the task, so he must value his political position among the governing pashas more than the financial burden he is being asked to bear. Nor will he want to fail in this duty, or the other pashas will delight in his downfall. All the pashas play a high stakes game where power and influence await those able to scramble to the top of the slippery political slope, and who can stay there."

Over the next few days, Hasan Nur and I are joined by five men, Bekir, Kemel and Nebi, as guards, and Mursel and Yazid, as maintenance staff; and four women, Emine, Huban, Nefise and Safiye, who are to be the cooks and housemaids. The number of additional servants for the lodge are far fewer than Ibrahim lead us to believe. I suspect Heyreddin Pasha is intending to spend as little money as possible. I hope we aren't going to be expected to do the impossible as a consequence.

"You will all be departing for the lodge in the morning," says the elderly man who is our main contact with Heyreddin Pasha's household. "You will be travelling on foot in two separate groups. Bekir and Kemel will be told the route to the lodge."

"I was told there would be more servants being hired than the twelve of us," says Yazid.

"I know nothing about that," says the elderly man. "I merely carry out my master's instructions."

Heyreddin Pasha shows no signs of meeting with us here, so we must assume we will be told more once we reach the lodge. Perhaps the additional servants we were expecting will meet us there; but from what I've seen so far, I doubt it.

We set off the next morning in two groups of three men and three women. Hasan and I travel with Bekir, who has taken overall charge of the twelve of us. I would prefer it if Hasan was in charge, but Ibrahim insisted that he keep a low profile. Nur travels with Kemir's group, which departs nearly an hour before Bekir decides that our group is ready to leave.

Bekir proudly announces that he has recently been discharged from the Ottoman army and talks at length about his unit's achievements. Hasan tells me later that Bekir is exaggerating, and that his unit never did more than garrison duty, well in the rear of the leading regiments. Nebi, who is the third male in our group, also fought in the Hungarian campaign, but he is more reticent about his experience.

Huban and Safiye make up our group of six. Both are about my age and come from families living in the poorer districts of Constantinople. Despite her youth, Safiye claims to be an accomplished cook, although the older and more experienced Nefise will undoubtedly be in charge of the kitchen. The promise of steady work in a time of high unemployment has lured our travelling companions here. I think a few are beginning to have doubts about their decision.

We follow a road leading south-west until we reach a huge area of forest. A short while later, Bekir leads us off the road and onto a small track. The track soon becomes little more than a game trail which is difficult to see in places.

"This track hasn't been used for several months," says Hasan to me. "The other group hasn't come this way."

"Shouldn't you tell Bekir?" I ask.

"Not yet," replies Hasan, obviously intent on observing Bekir's handling of the situation for a while longer. "It's possible the other group were sent by a different route to confuse anybody following us."

"But who would want to follow us?" I ask.

"Ibrahim said the hostages were important people. They could be important enough for someone to try and find out where they are being kept, and the strength of the guard around them. Heyreddin Pasha is taking a sensible precaution, although it's not being carried out very well. Any spy worth the name will have been able to follow us so far."

"Do you think we are being followed?"

"No," replies Hasan. "There's no sign of anybody watching us. Those people we passed on the road didn't pay us more than a cursory look. Of course, the other group left before us, so they may be being followed."

The trail soon reaches a river flowing eastwards. We follow the river upstream, taking several detours around obstacles, but always keeping close to the river. Bekir strides out in front of us, and more than once Huban asks him to slow down. He slows down briefly, but moments later he resumes the brisk pace. It's as though he is trying to beat the other group to the lodge. The rest of us do our best to keep up.

Our journey has taken several hours, which has provided Hasan with ample opportunity to observe each of our travelling companions. As much as I would like to know what he's discovered, I know he won't tell me unless he believes it is necessary for me to know. I suppose Hasan thinks he is protecting me by keeping me away from his and Nur's secret work, but I've had enough of living in ignorance of what is going on around me. Fortunately, my harem training has taught me how to use seduction to get what I want.

Bekir is delighted when he discovers that we have arrived at the lodge before the other group. It's a hollow victory since the lodge is deserted and we must wait for the others to arrive. Hasan is clearly uneasy at the absence of any activity at the lodge. We take a look around while we wait.

The lodge consists of a large main building with several smaller outbuildings at the rear. The main building looks as though it is used by the pasha and his guests while three of the smaller buildings provide accommodation for servants and slaves. The other buildings appear to be stables and storerooms. While the main building is in excellent repair, the other buildings are in a much poorer condition. I'm not the only one who fears that we will be expected to live in one of these ramshackle buildings.

We don't need to wait long before the other group arrives. They have taken a longer route and have travelled at a more leisurely pace. Like us, they have no idea what we are expected to do next, so we all settle for exploring the area around the lodge. Hasan uses the opportunity to travel a short way back along the route Nur's group took to see if there are any signs of them being followed. He finds nothing but, as a consequence of his search, he's the first to hear horse riders approaching the lodge. Hasan quickly returns to the lodge and, on hearing Hasan's report, Bekir recalls the rest of us from our own explorations.

We gather outside the main entrance to the lodge. A minute later we can all hear the sound of several horses and wagons, approaching along the route used by Nur's group. It's unlikely to be bandits, but Bekir orders that we take no chances and tells the men to ready their weapons. Bekir ignores the women and it's left up to Nur and I to find somewhere out of the way for the six of us.

We have barely readied ourselves when ten well-armed horsemen come into view. Behind them are two covered wagons. The horsemen are wearing a uniform of some sort, but it's not one Hasan or any of the other former soldiers recognise. Then Bekir notices their uniforms are emblazoned with Heyreddin Pasha's family crest, and he walks towards the carriage. Seconds later he topples over with a crossbow bolt protruding from his upper left leg.