Chapter 24: Party Time

The birthday party for the Emir was not a major event as he was only forty-seven and it was not a significant occasion. Nevertheless a number of local dignitaries assembled in the Throne Room and each brought a gift, mostly large and opulent, with the intention of impressing the Emir as a preliminary to asking a favour. Several brought virgins to offer as concubines. One brought a eunuch who was a highly skilled chef. One even brought a horse, a very fine Arab stallion which disgraced its provider on the Throne Room floor.

These live gifts were embarrassing to varying degrees. The girls could just be put in the harem and forgotten until the Emir wanted a bit of novelty. One such was built very much to local taste and the Emir thought she probably weighed three times what he did, and she subsequently set a record by wearing white harem gowns for over a year. Even then she was only deflowered by a visiting Turkish diplomat.

The eunuch chef was a problem, as the Emir had personally selected the chefs in the kitchens of the Triple Palace, including its harem, and did not have a current vacancy, nor did he wish to sow discord in any of the kitchens by bringing in an outsider. Finally he decided to install the man on the Imperial Voyager, the royal yacht, which he hardly ever used.

The stallion was simply sent to the royal stables and embarrassed only its donor.

There were other gifts, all of considerable value, of varying interest to the Emir. He was particularly intrigued by a set of sixteenth century navigation instruments. The set consisted of an astrolabe and a compass. Both had been salvaged from a sixteenth century wreck in the Caribbean. There was also a copy of the English translation of the Portuguese cosmographer Pedro Nunes’ book ‘Tratado da Sphera’. They been purchased at auction by a wealthy Kobekistani who hoped to curry favour with the Emir to obtain a diplomatic post for his son in Europe. The compass was unusual in that it had thirty-two points of direction rather than the degrees in the modern compass. What intrigued him most of all though was the astrolabe and how, by measuring the altitude of Polaris, the navigator found latitude.

After the guests took their leave the Emir went into the harem where he knew a party was to be held to allow the concubines, especially the lower ranking ones, an opportunity to chat with their Master. For some of them this was the only occasion in the year when they even saw him, or had an opportunity to speak to him. Naturally those women were shy and tongue tied so he made a point of talking to as many of them as he could.

As the Emir left Princess Zubeydeh took Gwenllian aside and said, “There is something you should know. Sharifa is plotting and your daughter is involved.”