The Kadin - Bertrice Small [162]
She stooped down and hugged him “You still weep easily, you great boob!” Pulling him up, she commanded, “Stop it, you clod. Are you so sad at finding me? What of all your fine talk? Bah! You do not really want me at all!”
The big earl wiped his eyes on his sleeve. “The lady Esther told me I was to speak with the sultan valideh Hafise. I am stunned to find you instead.”
“Adam.” Her voice had grown serious now. “I am the sultan valideh Hafise.”
“You? You are Sultan Suleiman’s mother?”
“I am.”
“But then how can I take you home?”
“You can, and it will be arranged. I shall communicate with you through Esther. When do you leave?”
“In three weeks’ time.”
“Good. I shall have the time I need. Now listen to me, my brother. No one must know of our meeting or what has been said in this room In this land the sultan is all-powerful. Only his mother may influence him. I am the most powerful person in the empire next to my son, but even that power could not save me or you or the Kira family should anyone find out our secret. What I am doing violates all our traditions.” He gazed at her questioningly. “Yes, Adam. Our traditions. I have lived all but thirteen years of my life in Turkey, and though I am Scots-born, I am more Turkish than my own son. Speak to no one of this. Go about your mission, and Esther will advise you. Do you understand me?”
He nodded.
“Very well Go now. When you leave Turkey, I shall be with you. Trust me!” Kissing her cheek, Adam Leslie left the salon.
One hour later, the valideh concluded her visit with Esther Kira and returned to the Eski Serai. She had spoken brave words to her brother, but for the first time since she had come to Turkey, she had serious doubts. She had not realized until recently how dependent Suleiman was on her. In a sense she had failed him with the very strength that had helped to put him on his throne. Only if she left him could he become his own man—and how convenient, she thought, that her reasoning coincided with her plans.
For almost a week, Cyra thought about the meeting with her brother. She pondered the correct way to approach the problem with her son. Yet it was Suleiman who provided the opening she needed.
One evening while they sat sipping their sweet, burning coffee, the sultan told his mother of the Scots lord to whom he had that very day promised the concession of coming twice yearly to Constantinople for trade.
“A large man, and quite open and friendly as Christians go, but I could not dismiss the feeling that we had met somewhere before.”
“I am not surprised you felt that way,” said Cyra. “He is your uncle.”
“What!”
“The earl of Glenkirk is my younger brother. Suleiman, he is your uncle,” she repeated.
“Allah,” he whispered, “if he but knew yon were alive—” He stopped, then turned wonderingly to her. “Is there nothing that goes on in my empire that you do not know about?”
She laughed happily at his chagrin. “No, my son. Very little escapes me.”
“If this large, bluff man is my uncle, then perhaps I should double the concession,” he answered her teasingly.
“You could scarcely acknowledge each other, my son. Besides, Scotland is a small, poor country. Turkey already has the worst of the bargain.”
“Always, you place the empire first,” he said admiringly.
“Yes,” she replied. “I do. That is what I must speak to you of tonight Lord Leslie’s visit presents me with an opportunity I cannot overlook. I am growing old, my son. I want to live the years left to me in peace, without responsibilities. I want to die in my own land.”
“Mother—” Her hand stopped his mouth.
“Within the last year, two attempts have been made on my life, but in each case fate has intervened. Is this not proof that Allah would grant my desires? How much longer can I tempt fate? I would retire as Firousi and Sarina have.”
He tore her hand away. “Who has done this, mother? Tell me, and I shall punish the offender. If you would retire, you may choose any palace I have and go in peace. Only stay near me!”
“Do you think if I wished punishment upon the offender, she would still live? Nay, my