Chapter 45: Inappropriate Behaviour

At least the agas who are to escort Aysun to Ahmed’s room arrive on time. I spend my final few minutes with Aysun trying to calm her nerves. Then she is gone. Ready or not, she is walking the golden path. Fadime and Didem don’t linger and they go to find Afife for their next assignment. A kalfa’s life isn’t an easy one. A working day can often extend to fifteen hours or more.

I join the other women in the harem. Our evening meal will start shortly and everyone is returning to their own dormitories and preparing the tables. Nuray tells me that Gülriz has finally been allowed to return to her dormitory, and likewise, Anna von Erdödy has been able to return here. I sit next to Anna and check that she’s alright. She’s wearing a new dress, which she admits is a reward from Irem. I don’t intend to probe about her time with Irem, but I make myself available should she have a desire to talk. She reassures me that she is fine, but she is very subdued. She doesn’t show any further inclination to talk at the moment.

The food arrives and, as usual, the ten of us around our table begin a discussion about what has happened during the day. Today has been more unusual than most. There has been no official statement about what occurred between Kadir and Ramazan, but there are plenty of rumours. As usual many of the rumours are inconsistent, but they generally agree that Kadir attacked Ramazan after a brief argument. The consensus is that Kadir was seeking revenge for Ramazan leaving with Emete immediately after the dancing. Much to Kadir’s surprise, Ramazan put up a fight and injured Kadir. How badly injured is one of the details on which the rumours don’t agree. Clearly his injuries weren’t serious enough to stop him lashing out and wounding Melek in the process. Melek is apparently in the harem infirmary, but nobody is allowed to visit her at the moment. There are several other rumours which add to the story, but they from less reliable sources or simply too unlikely to be true.

After the meal Anna asks if we can talk alone. There is nowhere completely private within the harem. At this time of night the rooms we use for the lessons will be locked, and the passageways downstairs frequented by married couples. Nevertheless I think I know a place where we will be relatively free from eavesdroppers. I learned from my time in Constantinople that it’s useful to know the location of such places.

We reach the place I found in my earlier explorations of the harem and I check nobody else is nearby.

“Şah Sultan is angry with me about last night,” begins Anna. “She didn’t like Irem and me leaving the party early and spending the night together. Irem and I received a stern lecture this morning, and tomorrow I’m to receive a harem punishment. I don’t understand what that means. Irem wouldn’t tell me.”

“Oh!” is all I can manage to say at first. But I know I must say more. “It means that you are to be punished in front of the whole harem. Did Sah Sultan say why?”

“For engaging in lewd acts with Irem,” says Anna. “I know you warned me about inappropriate behaviour with other slaves in the harem, but Irem is a sultana and she made the first move. Besides, you know as well as I do that there are women in the harem who regularly engage in such practises. The agas never do anything about them.”

“Don’t expect fairness in your dealings with sultanas and hanimsultans,” I reply. “Irem is only a hanimsultan, so she can’t blatantly ignore the harem rules. She may receive the same punishment as you but in the privacy of her own room.”

“What punishment do I face?” asks Anna.

“Probably a beating with a cane on the soles of your feet,” I reply sadly. “They call it bastinado.”

“And then what? None of the girls will want anything to do with me after that,” says Anna, close to tears.

“A harem punishment is a warning to other women as much as a sentence on you. Endure your beating and you’ll find nobody will think any less of you. It’s the way the system works. There’s no lasting stigma once a punishment is delivered.”

We talk for a while longer before returning to our dormitory. Anna sits with Şenay and Tülay for a while and seems to relax despite the ordeal ahead of her.

Aysun returns to the harem after breakfast the next morning. She seems physically okay; just the expected soreness and light bruising from a night of passionate games. She’s still excited and eager to talk, but her language limitations prevent her from telling me everything she wants to say. To my mind she has done exceptionally well in spending the whole night with Ahmed. I hope she receives a gift worthy of her efforts. Ahmed is too young to have acquired wealth, but hopefully his parents will provide him with some money to buy a suitable reward for Aysun.

Araj Aga appears a short while later to escort Anna to the dungeon. She is to be held there until the rest of the harem is assembled to witness her punishment. I still feel that her punishment is unjust, but that’s a slave’s burden to bear. Şah Sultan will probably punish Irem in private, but she obviously feels a more public display of her disapproval is necessary for the harem. If only Anna hadn’t danced the way she did. If only ... no! What is done is done. Wishing things were different gets you nowhere.

There hasn’t been any announcement about the punishment, so Anna and I are the only ones aware of what is to occur. Unfortunately the delay in getting the women together means the punishment won’t be carried out until later in the day. I doubt Şah Sultan will want to disrupt work routines too much, so it’s possible we won’t be called together until later this afternoon. Although it is difficult for me to concentrate I know I must carry on as usual.

Today’s language lesson at least enables Aysun to tell us more about her experiences last night. The other girls listen carefully and I observe a wide range of emotions to Aysun’s story. I can see that Nuray is jealous, while Esmeray is fearful of being called on to do the same. Mehtap, Şenay and Tülay are more guarded in their reaction. I’m about to hand over to Didem for her session when Araj Aga enters the room.