Bertrice Small - Bedazzled

"I can encourage your appetites as you do mine," she said, comprehending what he was trying to teach and show her.

He drew her down into his arms, kissing her. "Aye, India. You understand perfectly."

"Make love to me, my lord," she said softly, "and instruct me on how I may make love to you."

"That I will do another time. Tonight is for your delight, my love. For I gain pleasure knowing I have pleasured you." Then his lips took possession of hers once more, and it was heaven, India thought, quickly lost again in the fiery passion he engendered within her, and heedless of the world around her.

Azura, however, had noted there was no call from the dey this night for one of the harem women. When the midnight hour had come, she hurried to the apartment of the chief eunuch, saying as she entered, "He has not sent for a woman, Baba Hassan. Never in all the years he has been dey has a night passed when he didn't desire female company."

"Then the answer must surely be that our reluctant protégé has finally succumbed to our master," the chief eunuch answered the mistress of the harem. "Have you not noticed in the past few weeks the glances he sends her way when she is not looking at him? His patience has been utterly astounding for a mortal man.'' Baba Hassan arose from his pillows. "Come, Azura. Let us go and see what has happened between them."

"We cannot! It would be a terrible intrusion on the dey's privacy," she answered her companion.

Baba Hassan chuckled, his dark eyes crinkling almost closed with his humor. "Azura, he will never know we have spied on him." He took up a small oil lamp. "Follow me, lady." Walking across the chamber, the chief eunuch reached out to press his hand against the tile border just above his head. Almost immediately a hidden door swung open, revealing a narrow passage. Baba Hassan stepped through the door, followed quickly by Azura. The door swung shut behind them. "Come along," he whispered, and, flabbergasted, she followed behind.

The passage moved this way and that. The air was fetid, but breathable. How was it, Azura wondered, in all the years she had lived in this place, that she had never before known of this secret passage? Several times they came to crossroads, and the eunuch would turn right or left and once he went straight forward, the flame from his little lamp flickering skittishly upon the walls enclosing them. She was beginning to be uncomfortable in this small space. "Are we almost there, Baba Hassan?" she asked him, and, to her surprise, he stopped suddenly. She watched, as, raising the lamp up, he found a small handle, and, silently rotating it, revealed a tiny opening in the wall of the passage before which they now stood.

Baba Hassan turned his head, and said, "Look, Azura, and tell me what you see."

The mistress of the harem peered through the opening. To her astonishment she saw the dey's bedchamber before her. Her eyes went immediately to the bed, and then she smiled. India was in Caynan Reis's arms, and the dey was making very passionate love to her. And, most important of all in Azura's eyes, India was obviously enjoying her master's attentions. She turned away from her view, saying to Baba Hassan, "It is as you suspected."

The eunuch looked briefly into the room, and then, closing the peephole, led his companion back through the hidden passage to his own apartment again. The two conspirators settled themselves, and the chief eunuch himself brewed the coffee that they shortly drank. As they sat together he said to Azura, "Now we must hope that she has pleased him enough that he will not quickly be bored with her. She must have his child." He looked to the woman seated opposite him. "She has not been given the special sherbet, has she?"

"There was no need for it, as she would not accept his attentions until now," Azura replied. "Unless he orders me to give it to her, I shall certainly not do so." She smiled with her own memories. "He was being so gentle with her, Baba Hassan."

"He is in love with her," the chief eunuch responded dryly.

"Not lust?" Azura replied, surprised.

"No, love," Baba Hassan said. "He is behaving with her the way our late master behaved with you, lady. The girl is fortunate."

"Now let us pray to Allah, the most compassionate, that we have enough time before we are approached by the janissaries," Azura worried. "His heart must be so fully engaged with India that he will act in a wise and prudent manner. Oh, why cannot men be peaceful, Baba Hassan? Why must they always war and plot against one another?"

"It is their nature, lady," the chief eunuch answered her. Then he chuckled almost to himself. "Tomorrow, however, you will find a war brewing in the harem when the other women learn that India has now become a woman, and possibly will be our master's favorite."

Azura frowned, not in the least amused. "Their plotting and planning will rival the janissaries," she grumbled. She arose from her place opposite him. "I had best seek my bed. India will need me come the morning. I will have to protect her from the others. They were more than well aware that he had not sent for one of them tonight, and were pondering upon it when I shooed them all to their beds. By the morning they will surely have deciphered the puzzle."

"You can control them," the chief eunuch told her.

"Indeed I can," she replied, "but I dislike chaos in our little world, Baba Hassan. I will not, however, hesitate to remove any troublemakers." She hurried from his apartment.

When she had gone, the chief eunuch's face grew serious. The emissary for the janissaries had not yet come to El Sinut, but his contacts in Istanbul had recently advised him that a single agent had been dispatched from the capital to the Barbary States. Only one had been sent to avoid both suspicion and detection. It had been cleverly done. Who knew where he would begin his mission. Would he go first to Algiers, or come to El Sinut? And what disguise would he take? And how would he obtain the dey's ear? Aruj Agha was at sea yet. Baba Hassan sighed. He must be patient. It would all evolve as Allah willed it, but he hated the thought of rebellion.

El Sinut had been peaceful for some time now. The smallest of the Barbary States, it was always in danger of being swallowed up by its bigger, more powerful neighbors. Only a succession of intelligent, strong, and clever deys had kept it independent. That, and the fact that its fleet was larger than its size warranted, and was extremely lucrative for the royal coffers. But a serious rebellion against the sultan was something it had never encountered. Pray Allah, the all merciful, that they could avoid the anarchy when and if it came, the chief eunuch thought to himself.

“Good morning, my lord. It is time for you to arise. I have brought the morning meal," Baba Hassan said, his smooth brown face impassive.

Caynan Reis rolled onto his back, and his blue eyes opened lazily. "Thank you, Baba Hassan," he said. "Must we get up now?" Propping himself up on an elbow, he leaned over, and kissed India awake.

"It is the general audience today, my lord," the chief eunuch reminded his master. "I could, of course, say you were ill, but that would cause consternation, I fear. Shall I escort you to the bath?"

"That is my task, Baba Hassan," India said, sitting up, and totally unabashed by her complete nudity.

"Your duties have changed, my precious," the dey told her with a smile, and then he kissed the tip of her nose.

"But I enjoy bathing you, my lord Caynan," she told him.

"So be it," he answered, and together they arose from their bed, walking hand in hand from the chamber toward the dey's bath.

A broad smile split the chief eunuch's face. This was very good. They were caught in the throes of love. Then his smile faded as quickly as it had come. But would India cooperate with them to aid the dey in avoiding treason? The English were very independent, but then they were loyal to their monarch, too. Still, the girl was no fool. But if they explained everything carefully to her, she could not fail to see the wisdom in their plan of action and convince the dey of it as well. He hurried off to the harem to speak with Azura.

His associate, however, had her hands full, and when he entered the fountain court of the haremlik. he was immediately surrounded by the dey's women, all chattering at him at once. "Be silent!" he thundered at them, and they stepped back, momentarily frightened.

"You see what I must put up with," Azura murmured.

"What has happened to the dey," the dark-haired Samara boldly demanded.

"Oh, Baba Hassan! Please tell us if our master is all right?" the beautiful blond Mirmah pleaded, her blue eyes teary.

"The dey is in excellent health and spirits this morning, ladies," the chief eunuch reassured them.

"But he did not send for one of us last night," the flame-haired Sarai exclaimed. "He always has one of us to warm his bed."

"He was not alone," Baba Hassan replied.

"The English girl?" Samara spoke the words with loathing.

"Oh, not the English girl," blond Deva half whispered. "She is so beautiful."

"I will scratch her eyes out!" Samara snarled.

"Attempt it, and you will find yourself in the open slave market within the hour," Azura replied sternly. "How spoiled you have all become! Your duty is to please our master, and if India gives him pleasure, then you should be glad for him. I will not tolerate jealousy in this harem, and neither will Caynan Reis. Resign yourselves to what was meant to be. Or would you prefer to provide entertainment for the janissaries?" She turned away from them, saying, "Come, Baba Hassan, we have business to discuss." Leading him to her own quarters, she asked, "Have you eaten yet? Come, and sit with me. Where is the dey?"

"I awoke them myself," the chief eunuch said. "I brought the morning meal, but India insisted on bathing her lord herself as she has been doing these past several months. Last night I told you that he loved her, but this morning I tell you that she loves him as well. This is just as we hoped, but now, my dear Azura, we must make certain that India follows our plan else we all find ourselves in jeopardy from the irrational and foolish behavior of the janissaries."

"I will go to the dey myself, and see what plans he has for India," Azura said. "I am certain that now he will no longer expect her to serve him as a body slave. I shall bring a beautiful kaftan for her to wear today. If she is to become his favorite, then she must have her own apartment, and everything that goes with such an honor. We have been friends since her arrival. Now I shall build upon that friendship. She is an intelligent girl, and can be brought to see reason. If she loves him as you believe, Baba Hassan, she will want to protect him from all harm. Melon?" She offered him a plate, and together they ate their morning meal, all the while planning how to protect the dey and El Sinut from chaos. When they had finished, Azura went to the main wardrobe for the harem and chose an exquisite turquoise-blue silk kaftan, embroidered with gold thread butterflies and creamy pearls, as well as several pale gold veils for India's head, and to shield her beautiful face should she go from the harem today.

Hurrying through the palace, Azura entered the dey's apartments, greeting her lord with a smile and displaying the finery. "I thought, perhaps, my lord, that you would want India garbed somewhat differently today. I have brought these garments for your approval."

"What think you, my precious?" Caynan Reis asked India.

"They are lovely, my lord. If it pleases you, I will wear them, but please let me come with you to the general audience. I love watching you judge and settle disputes. I will be happy to ply my fan today that you not become overheated."

"Nay, you will sit by my throne," he said. "Someone else will ply the fan. Now go and put on your new clothing for me while I speak with Azura," the dey commanded her, and India, taking the garments from the older woman, hurried into the bedchamber. "I want you and Baba Hassan in the audience chamber today, as well as the ladies of the harem. Seat them behind a carved screen so they may see, but not be seen," he told her.

"Is this a special occasion I have somehow overlooked?" Azura asked.

He laughed, and the sound was so happy and carefree that she was surprised, for she had never heard him make such a noise in all the years they had known each other. "I am going to marry her," the dey said. "Do not feign amazement, you lovely creature," he teased Azura. "You and Baba Hassan have dangled her before me since the day she arrived. You wanted this to happen, and while I believed you both mad, it would seem you know me better than I know myself."