The Kadin - Bertrice Small [45]
The gardens, free of weeds and brush, were tilled, fertilized, and newly planted with thousands of spring bulbs, flowering shrubs, and fruit trees of every kind. Expectantly they awaited the spring. The air was fragrant with late roses and other autumn flowers transplanted from the sultan’s greenhouses.
Within a month the Moonlight Serai was transformed back to its past glory and sat like a fine jewel amid the green hills. Its exterior had been scrubbed with sand to remove the dirt The broken columns, windows, ironwork, and fountains had been restored. In the kitchens the ovens grew warm again, and the pantries were full. The roofs of the outer buildings were newly thatched, and in the freshly cleaned and painted stalls the royal horses neighed contentedly.
Within, furnishings brought from the storehouses of the Eski Serai had been skillfully placed. Lamps were hung, rugs laid. Cyra, in her first inspection of the palace, had found a small wing overlooking both the sea and the the hills, which she decreed would be the harem.
To gain entrance, one had to pass through large double doors which opened into an inside waiting room. There the local female vendors might come to show and sell their goods to the prince’s women. To the right of the main door was a paneled door opening into a small private anteroom which let to the rooms of the harem. The main room was a large, square salon whose far end looked out through a wall of leaded-pane windows into the harem garden, which faced the sea. Here Selim’s harem could walk in complete privacy. To the left of the salon a hall led to the harem baths. To the rear right was an arch opening into a long corridor. On the left side of the corridor were six small bedrooms, each with its own separate outer chamber for a eunuch or slave. On the right side of the corridor were Lady Refet’s rooms—a nicely proportioned private salon and bedroom, each of which faced her own small, secluded garden.
It was now understood that Cyra, with Zuleika and Firousi, would oversee the running of the household until a competent slave could be trained to handle the situation. Amara and Iris continued to oversee the household slaves, and Sarina ruled the gardeners like a Tartar warlord.
One afternoon, a horseman came galloping up the newly graveled road to the palace. He was immediately brought to Lady Refet
“Prince Selim will arrive by late afternoon,” the soldier reported.
Upon hearing this, the six maidens took action. Sarina went to the gardens. Firousi hurried to the kitchens to inform the cooks that tonight’s meal must be without flaw. Amara and Iris marshaled the house servants and gave instructions that the prince’s rooms must be cleaned and freshened immediately. Cyra and Zuleika flew from one place to another overseeing all the preparations.
Returning to their quarters, the six girls descended to the baths. Lady Refet smiled to herself and wondered how long this era of peace and cooperation would last now that her nephew was returning
Selim arrived and much to his delight was greeted by a beautiful home, his aunt and six lovely girls who smiled shyly at him from behind their sheer veils.
“Well, nephew, do you approve of your house?” asked Lady Refet as she escorted him to his new quarters.
“Frankly, I am amazed. When I left I did not expect to return to such perfection. Even the gardens look as if they had been here forever. How in Allah’s name did you do it?”
“I didn’t”
He stared at her in disbelief.
“Do you not remember? You left Cyra in charge. She and the other women of your harem have created this miracle. If you like the gardens, thank Sarina. If the cooking pleases you, Firousi is responsible. Your slaves are being trained by Iris and Amara. Zuleika has seen to the furnishings, having twice traveled in secret to Constantinople to choose them from the seraglio storerooms. Over it all, Cyra has ruled and administered with