She pulled her hand away. “Nothing will make this better.”

“I won’t disagree,” I said.

Her eyes were hard. “What do you want from me?”

“Tell me what you saw that night.”

“The courtyard in which Ceyden was... that courtyard is one of my favorites. I like to read there on a comfortable bench near the fountain.”

“Were you reading that night?”

“No. It was already dark. I only meant to say that it wasn’t unusual for me to go there. That’s all.”

“Was Ceyden there when you arrived?” I asked.

“Of course she was.”

“Did you see the attack?”

“No! Wouldn’t I have told the sultan? Or the guards? Why would you ask such a thing?”

“You might have been afraid, Roxelana,” I said. “It would be understandable.”

She stared at me, her eyes still hard, but curves returning to her lips. “I nearly tripped over her.”

“And she was dead?”

“I suppose so. I was scared and ran off screaming at once.”

“Why?” I asked. “Why didn’t you assume she’d fallen or fainted?”

“Everything about her pose looked wrong. Nothing seemed natural, and I could tell at once something terrible had happened.”

“But you didn’t know she was dead?”

“No.” Her pupils were tiny dots. “Instinct told me it was bad—which is why I went for help.”

“Was there anyone else in the courtyard?”

“Not that I saw,” she said.

“But you’re not certain?”

“It was dark. I imagine it’s not impossible that someone was hiding in the shadows. Is that what you’d like me to say?”

“I’d like you to say the truth.” I bit the inside of my cheek, frustration pushing against me. “Do you have a reason not to want to?”

“No one ever wants to tell the truth in the harem,” she said. “But in this case, I’ve nothing to hide. I wish I’d seen something more.”