“You’re certain?”
“I shall continue to press him for information, but my own efforts will be focused elsewhere in the palace.” He rolled the cigar between the tips of his fingers. “And what about you? Will you search for concubines who were close to Ceyden?”
“Enemies, my darling man, are even more fascinating than friends, don’t you think? I want to find out who despised her.” I rose from my chair and stood in front of him. “Is there anything else we need to discuss?”
“Not that I can think of,” he said.
“The sun’s set. Shall we go inside?”
“The lights of Constantinople aren’t enough to amuse you?”
“I adore the lights,” I said. “But I much prefer you in the dark.”
Chapter 6
“Her Excellency cannot see you now.” The smile on Jemal’s face as he met me at the arched doorway that stood at the entrance to the harem at Topkapı was undoubtedly meant to irritate. “You’re too early.”
“Which is precisely what I wanted,” I said, pulling down on the bottom of the jacket I wore, smoothing it over my fine wool corselet skirt. “I came now so as to have the opportunity to speak to you.”
“I’m sure we have very little to say to each other.”
“Tell me about your friendship with Ceyden.”
“We were the most casual sort of acquaintances,” he said. “And that only because our positions forced us to cross paths regularly.”
“Why, Jemal, must you make this difficult? I know that you were sent here to be kept away from her.”
“I was sent here because the sultan felt my talents better suited to Topkapı.”
“That’s not what Perestu told me.”
“She does not have quite so much power as she likes to think,” he said. “It’s presumptuous to assume she’d even know what my mission is here.”
“What is it?”