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Authors: Kelly Gardiner
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do,’ I said.
‘For once?’
‘I promise.’
He cast a sceptical glance my way, reached across the table to grab a handful of raisins, and tossed them, one by one, up into the air and into his mouth.
Al-Qasim ignored us and went on. ‘The new Sultan is only a child. They say the empire now is ruled by his grandmother as Queen Regent. She takes the title of Valide Sultan, although that honour really belongs to the Sultan’s mother, Turhan Hadice, who holds a great deal of power in her own right. They call it the Sultanate of the Women.’
‘Sounds perfect,’ said Valentina with a wink at me. ‘Women in charge of an entire empire? For the first time, I believe we are heading to the right place.’
‘I hope so,’ said Al-Qasim. ‘On the other hand, the political situation may be unstable. We will find out soon enough.’
‘Are you looking forward to returning?’ I asked him.
‘To be honest, I’m not sure. My last appointment did not end happily. It was impossible, working for a madman. That is partly why I ended up hidden in your attic, making maps.’
‘What happened to this Ibrahim fellow?’ Willem asked.
‘He was strangled. With a silken rope.’
‘Charming,’ I said.
Al-Qasim shrugged. ‘Such things are known.’
‘Not in Venice,’ said Valentina. ‘At least, not often.’
‘When great power is at stake, men will take many risks.’
‘So will women,’ I said.
I was joking at the time — I had no idea how true my words would turn out to be.
‘If we have time,’ said Al-Qasim, ‘I will teach you a few words of Ottoman Turkish, the formal language of the court. I don’t suppose you will need it, but it may be useful.’
‘I thought all you Saracens spoke the same language?’ Willem asked.
Al-Qasim laughed. ‘That’s like saying all the peoples of Europe share the same tongue.’
‘They should,’ said Willem. ‘Make my life much easier, although we’d make less money from translations.’
‘Yet they do not. Just as the peoples of the deserts, east and west, have different languages and traditions, so the Ottomans have their own language of the mountains. Though they rule over us all, it is an empire of a thousand nations.’
‘Like ancient Rome?’ Valentina asked.
Willem rolled his eyes. ‘Them again? You are all besotted with the Romans.’
‘In some ways,’ said Al-Qasim. ‘But the Ottomans are far less inclined to try to change everyone else to their ways.’
‘Very enlightened,’ I said.
‘We are all one under the one God,’ said Al-Qasim. ‘Anyway, it’s better for business.’
‘That’s more like it,’ said Valentina.
‘And, Willem, I must warn you,’ said Al-Qasim, ‘many Turks will not appreciate being called Saracens.’
‘Why on earth not?’
‘Should I describe you as German? Or perhaps Spanish?’
‘Don’t be absurd.’
‘Well, then?’
‘I’ll never understand all this,’ Willem said with a sigh. ‘I’m sick of having to learn about a whole new world every few years.’
I had to sympathise, at least a little. What if there was a limit to the amount of information one mind could hold? What if eachnew Arabic or Turkish word pushed out one of the Latin or Greek or even English words I had so painstakingly learned as a child?
‘You will do very well, I’m sure,’ said Al-Qasim. But he didn’t sound entirely convinced.
Our captain didn’t drop anchor in a single port en route to Constantinople. I couldn’t believe that I’d come all the way to the Aegean Sea and wouldn’t set foot on Greece or any of the islands of legend. So in spite of the cold winds, I spent as much time on deck as I could, with my cloak wrapped tightly around me. Al-Qasim was often by my side and we talked of the old legends of the ocean, of the adventures of Ulysses and Jason. He told me about sailors from Barbary who painted maps of exquisite beauty and intricate detail. We watched sea birds dive deep and burst from the water to take
‘For once?’
‘I promise.’
He cast a sceptical glance my way, reached across the table to grab a handful of raisins, and tossed them, one by one, up into the air and into his mouth.
Al-Qasim ignored us and went on. ‘The new Sultan is only a child. They say the empire now is ruled by his grandmother as Queen Regent. She takes the title of Valide Sultan, although that honour really belongs to the Sultan’s mother, Turhan Hadice, who holds a great deal of power in her own right. They call it the Sultanate of the Women.’
‘Sounds perfect,’ said Valentina with a wink at me. ‘Women in charge of an entire empire? For the first time, I believe we are heading to the right place.’
‘I hope so,’ said Al-Qasim. ‘On the other hand, the political situation may be unstable. We will find out soon enough.’
‘Are you looking forward to returning?’ I asked him.
‘To be honest, I’m not sure. My last appointment did not end happily. It was impossible, working for a madman. That is partly why I ended up hidden in your attic, making maps.’
‘What happened to this Ibrahim fellow?’ Willem asked.
‘He was strangled. With a silken rope.’
‘Charming,’ I said.
Al-Qasim shrugged. ‘Such things are known.’
‘Not in Venice,’ said Valentina. ‘At least, not often.’
‘When great power is at stake, men will take many risks.’
‘So will women,’ I said.
I was joking at the time — I had no idea how true my words would turn out to be.
‘If we have time,’ said Al-Qasim, ‘I will teach you a few words of Ottoman Turkish, the formal language of the court. I don’t suppose you will need it, but it may be useful.’
‘I thought all you Saracens spoke the same language?’ Willem asked.
Al-Qasim laughed. ‘That’s like saying all the peoples of Europe share the same tongue.’
‘They should,’ said Willem. ‘Make my life much easier, although we’d make less money from translations.’
‘Yet they do not. Just as the peoples of the deserts, east and west, have different languages and traditions, so the Ottomans have their own language of the mountains. Though they rule over us all, it is an empire of a thousand nations.’
‘Like ancient Rome?’ Valentina asked.
Willem rolled his eyes. ‘Them again? You are all besotted with the Romans.’
‘In some ways,’ said Al-Qasim. ‘But the Ottomans are far less inclined to try to change everyone else to their ways.’
‘Very enlightened,’ I said.
‘We are all one under the one God,’ said Al-Qasim. ‘Anyway, it’s better for business.’
‘That’s more like it,’ said Valentina.
‘And, Willem, I must warn you,’ said Al-Qasim, ‘many Turks will not appreciate being called Saracens.’
‘Why on earth not?’
‘Should I describe you as German? Or perhaps Spanish?’
‘Don’t be absurd.’
‘Well, then?’
‘I’ll never understand all this,’ Willem said with a sigh. ‘I’m sick of having to learn about a whole new world every few years.’
I had to sympathise, at least a little. What if there was a limit to the amount of information one mind could hold? What if eachnew Arabic or Turkish word pushed out one of the Latin or Greek or even English words I had so painstakingly learned as a child?
‘You will do very well, I’m sure,’ said Al-Qasim. But he didn’t sound entirely convinced.
Our captain didn’t drop anchor in a single port en route to Constantinople. I couldn’t believe that I’d come all the way to the Aegean Sea and wouldn’t set foot on Greece or any of the islands of legend. So in spite of the cold winds, I spent as much time on deck as I could, with my cloak wrapped tightly around me. Al-Qasim was often by my side and we talked of the old legends of the ocean, of the adventures of Ulysses and Jason. He told me about sailors from Barbary who painted maps of exquisite beauty and intricate detail. We watched sea birds dive deep and burst from the water to take
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