He picked up a thin slice of lamb and offered it to her. This time Jillianna took it in her mouth and found it delicious.
“So you went to America to marry a distant cousin?”
“Yes. I was but fifteen, and Matthew was thirty-five. He and his mother were successful silversmiths, and they were wealthy, though miserly.”
She was only nineteen. He could see that she was losing some of her fear of him and it gladdened his heart. She was
a rare and beautiful flower, and though he wanted to keep her, he knew that if she did not find happiness here, he would send her to England.
“Did you like America, Jillianna?”
“No, I was not happy there,” she admitted. “You see, I was always in a predicament. I have come to believe that the devil was always knocking me down and then kicking me for falling.”
His lips twitched, and his eyes danced with mirth. “So you were always in trouble?”
“Yes.” Her eyes sparkled with a determined light. “I tried to be obedient, but I was always doing things like singing an Irish ballad in the church to the embarrassment of my husband and his mother. Then there was the time I caught my slipper on my mother-in-law’s finest shawl, and most of it unraveled before I discovered what I had done. I once spilled a plate of corn in the minister’s lap. And that’s just the start. I am guilty of much worse. My mother-in-law would tell you that I am most disruptive.”
Simijin found her confession so endearing that a strong urge to protect her took hold of him. “You will not find us so critical of you here, Jillianna.”
“I am certain that my husband had great forbearance, but he had much to contend with in me.”
“And did you come to love your husband?”
She looked at Simijin, not knowing how anxiously he awaited her answer. She had never considered love to be a part of her relation with Matthew Sinclair. “I never really got to know Matthew. We lived in the same house with his widowed mother, and he spent most of his time with her. You see, his mother was a very religious woman, and I fear I was often a great disappointment to her…and to Matthew as well.”
Simijin could read much of what she had suffered in her eyes. It was apparent that she had known little kindness or happiness with her husband. He found himself wanting to see that she had both kindness and happiness from now on.
“So, your husband died, leaving you to bear his child alone?”
“You make it sound like he died intentionally. Matthew had a fever, and he just wasted away to nothing in a matter of two weeks. I was sorry that he died, and I was grievously sorry that his mother had lost her only reason for living. She is a very sad old woman.”
“What made you decide to leave America and return to England? Surely your mother-in-law would have rather you stayed with her since you were having her grandchild?”
Jillianna absentmindedly picked up a ripened pear and bit into it. “Mrs. Sinclair was still grieving for her son when she learned that I was…with child, and I feared she might force me to stay with her. But poor Mrs. Sinclair was wishing for death at the time, and when I suggested that I return to England to live with my father, she readily agreed. She provided me with passage money, and was probably glad to see the last of me. I believe she thought of my unborn child as belonging to me more than to Matthew.”
“Why do you think she was displeased with you?”
Jillianna took another bite of the pear and savored its sweet taste. “I often wondered that myself. Since I am English, I was raised in the Church of England, while my husband and his mother were Quakers. I am certain they found me sadly lacking in humility and what they considered proper Christian spirit.” She took another bite of the pear and smiled at Simijin. “I fear you will soon see those qualities lacking in me as well.”
He reached out and took her hand, studying the delicate bone structure. “I believe your husband was undeserving of you, and his mother was a fool for letting you go.” He rubbed his thumb over her wrist. “Shall I tell you something else, Jillianna?”
She wanted to drag her hand from his grasp, but she dared not. “If you like.”
“I have been unable to get you out of my mind. I had to see you again, just to know if you were as beautiful as I remembered. I fear I shall never be able to let you go.”
Now she did jerk her hand away. “Beauty can be an evil thing, Lord Simijin. You would be wise to be done with me. I have been told that my heart is black with sin.”
He laughed at the thought of this angelic and innocent beauty being sinful. “That is a risk I am willing to take, Jillianna.”
Now her eyes took on a haunted look. “Will you allow me to keep my baby?”
He sat back and gave her a long, searching look. “Not only shall I allow you to keep your child, but on the day it is born, I shall rejoice with you.”
Relief washed over her. She had not expected him to be so kind and agreeable. The only men she had known had been her father and Matthew. Neither of them had ever said a kind word to her. She was suspicious of this man’s motives.
“What will you want from me in return, Lord Simijin?”
“You will learn at a later time. For now, I want no more than to see you smile.”
“If I smile, may I return to the women’s quarters?”
His amused laughter filled the room. “Careful that you do not wound my pride past mending.”
She blessed him with a smile. “Now may I leave?” she asked.
His eyes moved over her face. “Only if you will promise to return tomorrow.”
“If it is your command.”
“It is my hope.”
“Very…well,” she agreed reluctantly. “I shall return tomorrow.”
Simijin stood up and moved so his face was half in shadow. “Go now, Jillianna. You will find a servant waiting outside the door to return you to your quarters.”
As if he had lost interest in her, he turned away and moved back to the window.
Jillianna rose to her feet and stood there for a long moment, wondering what kind of man Lord Simijin was. She had come here not knowing what to expect, but he had
shown her only kindness and had agreed that she could keep her baby.
Even so, her footsteps quickened as she moved across the marble floor, least the Grand Vizier should change his mind and force her to remain.
When Jillianna returned to the women’s quarters, she lay down on her couch and stared into the night long after silence fell across the harem. How strange was this man who tugged at her heart. She was frightened of her feelings for him, although she dared not examine those feelings too closely.
When she at last fell asleep, she dreamed of soft brown eyes that seemed to look into her very soul.
The carefully manicured gardens that Jillianna walked through were Lord Simijin’s private gardens, where the women of the harem were seldom allowed. The grounds were magnificent. There were seven terraces with a reflecting pool that flowed down through all seven levels. But Jillianna knew the palace was more than a place of beauty: it was a fortress where none could enter or leave without permission from the Grand Vizier himself.
She looked at the marble-domed buildings decorated with art work cut deeply into the stone. The arched doorways that led to the interior of the palace were layered in the purest gold. This might be a dream palace, dazzling in its splendor, but to Jillianna, it was no more than a prison.
It had been over a week since Jillianna was first summoned before the Grand Vizier, and since then, she had dined with him every night. She had long since lost much of her distrust of him, but she was still unsure of what he expected of her. Their conversations were lengthy, and he questioned her extensively about her home in England.
The sun was setting, and her footsteps hurried toward the bath, for it was time to prepare to be received by Lord Simijin. She hurried along, wondering what there was about her that attracted the Grand Vizier. Would he soon tire of her and cast her aside? She had seen the envious glances the other women cast her way, and she wondered if each of them had also received this special notice from their lord at one time. Did he so easily tire of women that he needed so many of them to entertain him?
Jillianna reclined on a soft yellow divan, and Lord Simijin was seated next to her. “My lord,” she began almost hesitantly, “why do you insist that I come to you each evening? It is causing great distress to the women in your harem. I fear they do not like me very well. I believe they suspect my motives are devious, which of course they are not.”
His eyes were alert. “None of them have dared to reproach you or have threatened you in any way, have they?”
“No. The women have kept their distance, but all the same, I can feel their hostility in every glance they cast in my direction. Would it not be better, my lord, if you dined with one of them instead of me?”
“I thought you were beginning to enjoy our time together. Was I mistaken, Jillianna?”
“I…find you most informative. You are the first man who has ever treated me as if I had a serious thought in my head.” She smiled mischievously. “I have even learned to eat with my fingers.”
“But it does not come easy to you,” he said seriously. “I have sent for all that you will require to make you feel at home here.”
She felt a warmth spread throughout her body. “You have shown me such kindness. How can I ever repay you?”
His smile was sad. “I will think of a way, my English Rose. I wonder if you will bloom in my garden of flowers.”
She avoided his probing glance and chose to move on to another subject. “My lord, I will never like living in a harem. And if my child is a daughter, I do not want her growing up in that kind of environment. My husband would have been horrified to think of his child growing up in such a manner.”
Simijin took her hand, and this time she did not pull away when he raised it to his lips. “I know you feel that way, and I doubt that you will ever change your mind. Soon you will never have to enter the harem again unless it is your desire.”
Jillianna could not believe what he was telling her. “Are you going to let me go?” she asked hopefully.
“No, Jillianna,” he told her simply. “But you shall have your own quarters, as well as your own slaves, and anything else that will make you happy. But do not ever ask me to allow you to leave.”
She felt an unknown sensation tighten the muscles in her stomach as Simijin’s lips brushed against the palm of her hand. “Why would you allow me to live apart from the harem?” she wanted to know, still suspecting his motives.
He released her hand and picked up an almond sweetened with honey and placed it in her mouth. “One day I shall tell you why. For now, let us say I enjoy being with you.”
She shook her head with disbelief. “You do not want me to…to…”
“To share my bed?” he offered. “No. I have an aversion to reaping a field that has already been sown by another man.”
Jillianna was shocked by his words, but at the same time she was disappointed, which shocked her even more. “You do not desire me, my lord, because I have been with my husband?”
“That is not what I meant, Jillianna. I merely stated that I would not touch you while you carried a child within your body.”
“I know that I am very clumsy and ugly now,” she said, wondering why it should matter to her how he perceived her.
Simijin stood up and helped her to her feet. Taking her arm, he steered her out into the garden before he answered.
“I find you the most beautiful woman I have ever known. More than that, my desire for you is great, but it is of the lasting kind. When you come to me, I want no man’s child between us, and I want it to be because you also desire me.”
“I do not understand you, my lord. Why would you want me when you have so many beautiful women who would be happy to please you?”
He merely smiled. “I wonder if
you
would be willing to do something to please me, Jillianna?”
Suspicion lit her eyes. “You will have to tell me what you want before I decide.”
“Fair enough. It is a very simple request really. All I ask is that you willingly come to me as you have been. We shall talk, and you will tell me many things about your world.”
“Is that all you require of me?”
His eyelashes lowered, masking his eyes. “That is all for now.”
“I will be glad to visit with you, my lord…provided you do as you have promised and give me my own quarters.”
“Agreed. Later perhaps you will grow to trust me a little more. There are many things I want to teach you, and I would like to learn many things from you.”
She smiled reluctantly, not really comprehending his meaning. “I fear I have little to teach you, my lord.”
For the first time since Simijin’s beloved wife had died, he felt alive again. Even though he had taken many women to his bed to ease the pain of his loss, his heart had never been involved. Now he found himself unable to curb his impatience to take this English beauty to his body. She must never know the power she had over him.
“You will be happy in your new life, Jillianna.”
“I am not certain I know what happiness is. My husband often reminded me that happiness was sin’s companion.”
Simijin’s words came out in a harsh whisper. “After this day, you will no longer mention the man you were once married to.” His eyes darkened with hidden passion. Although Jillianna had been married, Simijin could tell she knew nothing about lovemaking. He would be the one to spark fire in her eyes and to melt her untouched English heart.
He pulled her stiff body into his arms, and was encouraged when she did not pull away. “Jillianna, my Jillianna, the day will come when you will desire me, this I promise you.”
She felt the warmth of his breath on her cheek as he laid his face against hers. “Oh, yes, my little English Rose, I will light a fire inside you that will consume us both.”
She twisted away from him, and shook her head. “I will never allow that to happen. S-stay away from me.”
His eyes took on a sadness. “There is no need for distress, Jillianna. I will bide my time and not rush you. Have I not given you my word?”
She turned away and fled, fearing he would try to stop her retreat, but he did not. When she returned to her quarters, she found her heart was racing, and she lay on the bed until it quieted.
It was but three days later that Simijin kept his promise, and Jillianna was moved into the main part of the palace. She had five slaves to tend her needs, and a eunuch named Achmed to stand guard at her door.
Since the night Jillianna had ran away from Simijin, he had not asked her to come to him again. She was surprised to find that she missed the visits desperately. At first she blamed herself for being so suspicious of his motives. Then she moped about, fearing she would never see him again.
Jillianna missed Simijin’s stimulating conversation, and he had treated her as a valued friend, rather than as a mere woman. She had been love-starved all her life: first ignored by her father, and later by her husband. Now she found herself wrapped in the warmth of Simijin’s kindness, and though she did not know it, she was beginning to fall in love with the man who held her captive.
December
The cold wind blowing off the Sea of Marmora stung the face of the slave as he rushed down the pathway that led to the great pavilion where the Grand Vizier was closeted with none other than the Sultan himself. The man hoped he would not come to grief for disturbing his master. But had not Lord Simijin’s mother, herself, sent him to deliver the news that the English Rose would soon give birth?
Jillianna twisted in agony as pain ripped through her body. She was seated in a birth-chair with three midwives attending her. There would be no physician in attendance since no man but the Grand Vizier himself was allowed near any of his women.
Simijin’s mother, Lady Bija, stood beside Jillianna, speaking words of encouragement and bathing the beads of perspiration from her forehead.
“Jillianna, the pain will soon pass, but the joy you experience in your child will remain with you throughout your life.”
Ever since Jillianna and the Grand Vizier had become good friends, his mother had been kind and generous toward her. Now Jillianna was soothed by the older woman’s words.
“Your time of travail will be long,” Lady Bija remarked, with a worried frown on her face. “This baby takes its time being born.”
As another pain stabbed Jillianna’s body, she dug her fingernails into the arm of the chair. No one had told her that bringing a baby into the world would be so painful.
Hour after hour she labored. The day passed into night, and still the child would not be born. Unknown to Jillianna, Simijin waited in the outer room, pacing the floor, fearful that his English Rose might die.
At last, just as the sun was painting the eastern sky with rosy glow, Jillianna’s daughter was born.
As the infant let out its first lusty cry, Lady Bija smiled and held it up for Jillianna’s inspection. “Allah be praised, you have a daughter,” she proclaimed.
Jillianna was exhausted. All she cared about was that the pain was over and she could sleep. The midwives moved her to her bed, and silken covers were placed over her. She drifted off to sleep with the sound of her newborn daughter’s cries echoing in her ears.
March
The day was cold, and dark snow clouds hung in the western sky. Jillianna had wandered out, into the garden that was devoid of color. The bleak and dismal atmosphere suited her mood, for she was overcome with a strange feeling of melancholy. She had not seen Lord Simijin for such a long time. He had not even come to see her baby daughter, and there had been no word from him. She felt abandoned and alone.
As she walked along the path, she pulled her cloak tightly about her neck to ward off the chilling wind. She had to admit to herself that she was jealous. She was in torment, thinking of Simijin visiting his harem and selecting one of the beautiful women there to share his nights. Her days were filled with playing with her lovely daughter, but she did so miss her talks with Simijin.
When had she come to love him? She could not pinpoint the exact moment, but she did love him most desperately.
Hearing footsteps, she turned to see Achmed, the eunuch who guarded her quarters, walking toward her. He smiled widely as he stopped at her side.
“Mistress, you are to be made ready to go to Lord Simijin. Is that not a great honor?”
She blinked her eyes when they filled with tears. “Yes, a great honor.”
Jillianna’s heart was pounding when she entered Lord Simijin’s private apartment, but this time it was not from fear. When he walked toward her, she was warmed by the glow in his dark eyes. When he took her hand and raised it to his lips, she wanted to throw herself into his arms, but she held herself erect, afraid to let him see how much she cared.
His dark eyes traveled over her face, then down the transparent gown she wore, and she saw admiration in his eyes. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, and
I have seen many, Jillianna." His eyes moved across her breasts that were filled with milk to feed her infant daughter. “Even more beautiful now that the child has been delivered.”
She quivered with delight as his hand trailed down her cheek. “I am told you are now completely recovered from the birth of your daughter.”
“I am well,” she agreed in a whispered voice.
He raised her chin and stared into her misty green eyes. “Even though I sent for you tonight, Jillianna, did you come to me of your own accord?”
She took his hand and raised it to her lips. “I came willingly. How can I repay you for your many kindnesses?”
He led her to the satin-draped bed, and she followed willingly. “I will think of a way. Tell me, Jillianna, do you still wish to return to England?”
“No,” she answered truthfully.
His eyes burned into hers. “Then you will stay with me of your own free will?”
“Yes.”
He closed his eyes to hide the hope that shone there. When he held out his arms to her, she came to him eagerly.
“Your prediction has come true,” she admitted, pressing her cheek against his shoulder.
“What prediction is that?” he asked in a voice that trembled with feeling.
“You said you would melt my cold English heart, and indeed you have.”
Gently he lifted her into his arms and placed her on the satin bed. Her body was on fire for his touch, and when he removed his robe and joined her, she went eagerly into his arms. Softly at first his lips touched hers, and she moved closer to him, seeking his warmth.
Jillianna had never known a man could be so gentle and bring such pleasure. All she had ever known was Matthew’s awkward lovemaking, and she had suffered his touch because it was expected of her as his wife. Matthew had always insisted when they had made love that it be in a darkened
room, and, afterward, he had turned away from her as if he found her repulsive. With Simijin, she felt beautiful and cherished.