The Kadin - Bertrice Small [161]
“How can you know all this?” interrupted Cyra.
“Because an envoy of the duchy of San Lorenzo attended the auction to try to ransom her back. She was betrothed to the heir of San Lorenzo. You must have been in the harem at the time she was brought in, and perhaps you can remember her.”
The valideh said nothing for a moment Instead, she removed the second piece of her yasmak and repinned it over the first obscuring her features completely. Remaining in the shadows, she turned to face him.
“Describe her further to me, my lord.” He began, but she did not listen. Instead, her eyes secretly devoured him How he had changed! And why shouldn’t he have changed? He had been nine the last time she had seen him How long ago was it—thirty-nine years! How she had missed him!
He was a tall man, as their father had been. His hair, which had been russet when he was a child, had darkened slightly, and was now liberally streaked with gray. His features were like their father’s, but his blue eyes were a gift from their mother. She vaguely heard his last words.
“Is it possible you knew her, madam?”
“Yes,” she said “I knew her.”
“Then in the name of whatever God you worship, I beg you to tell me where she is?”
“We worship the same God, Lord Leslie, though somewhat differently,” said Cyra tartly. “Allah is simply our name for him. But tell me—how can you be sure your sister still Uves?”
“I am privy to certain information that I cannot reveal to you, but she Uves. I would find her and if she wishes, take her home with me.”
“Why do you want her back? Surely you are man of the world enough to understand that the wife of an Eastern prince is his wife in every sense but the Christian—and only because she has had the good fortune to bear him a son. Is this not considered wicked and shameful among your people? In your intolerant land, our customs are thought of as immoral Your sister would be called a whore, a concubine, or worse. Would you subject your sister to scorn and ridicule merely to satisfy a childhood memory?” She was being harsh, and she knew it; but if her plan was to work, he must have no regrets, nor must she.
“Only four people knew her fate, and two of them are now dead. We have told people that she was bought by a good Christian merchant who took pity on her. We have said they were married. There will be no shame for her when she returns, and we shall say she has now returned because she is widowed”
“How can you be sure she will want to return?”
“Madam. My sister is a Scot She would want to die in her own land if it were possible.”
Cyra resisted the urge to laugh at the coincidence in their thoughts. “And you, Lord Leslie? How do you feel? Do you consider your sister a whore? How would you greet her return? As a Christian soul gone astray and now reclaimed? A duty done? A burden?”
He said it simply. “I would greet her with love, madam.”
She felt tears welling up in her eyes, but, forcing them back, she persisted. “Are you sure? Once you have taken her home, there can be no going back for either of you.”
“I am sure, madam. Just tell me where she is, and I shall prove it to you.” Then his eyes widened in amazement as he heard the valideh’s voice speaking his native Highland tongue.
“When we were children, Adam, you never could find me when we played hide-and-seek. It is comforting to know you have not changed.” Stepping into the light, she removed the veils from her face.
For a moment she thought he would faint, so white had his face become. “Janet?” His voice was choked with emotion. “Oh, Janet! God be praised, I have found you!” Falling to his knees, he caught at the hem of her dress and wept like a baby.