The Kadin by Bertrice Small

kindly. Her soft brown eyes at once discerned that the facade of bravery worn by each girl covered anxious uncertainty, and perhaps even fear.
    Warned of their approach by her eunuch, she was ready as they entered her salon with the agha. Coming forward, her arms outstretched, she warmly hugged each girl and said in her low, cultured voice, “Welcome, my dears. I am so glad you have arrived safely.”
    “I leave them in your kindly charge, Lady Refet,” said Hadji Bey. “Farewell, my daughters. May good fortune attend you.”
    Lady Refet did not allow them time for tears. “It is the hour of the baths,” she said. “Since we are alone, let us have a cool drink, and while we are waiting, I will show you the oda.”
    She signaled a slave for the refreshment and then ushered her charges to their quarters. “This,” she said, waving her hand, “is where you and the other young ladies in my charge live and sleep.”
    Cyra looked about the room. She saw three round, low, inlaid tables, several piles of colorful cushions, and a chair.
    “Where are the beds?” she asked.
    Lady Refet pointed to the paneling along the bottom half of two of the walls. “Behind the paneling are cupboards. Each girl is assigned one, and it contains her sleeping mattress, bedding, outdoor clothing, and other personal possessions. Each morning after prayers, we air our bedding. It is then put away until night.”
    “Very practical,” noted the young Cyra, much to Lady Refet’s amazement “Do we also eat in this room?”
    “Yes, my dear.”
    “Are we ever allowed to leave our quarters?”
    “Gracious, my child, of course I You are not a prisoner. Naturally, your movements are limited to a certain degree, but is that not so even in your own country?”
    “No,” replied Cyra. “I was free to go where I chose in my own land.”
    Lady Refet placed an arm around the girl’s shoulders. “Then, my dear, perhaps your adjustment to our ways will be a bit more difficult, but we will try to make it as easy for you as we can. There is so much for you to learn that you should not have time to chafe against your fate. We speak French now, but you must quickly learn Turkish, You have no knowledge of our customs, and if you are to be presented to the sultan and his son in five months’ time, you must be proficient in many things. And all this must be accomplished within the daily harem routine.
    “I hope you do not think that all we do is sit about painting our toenails, eating comfits, and waiting for a summons from the sultan. Oh, no! Each girl is assigned a light household task that must be performed daily. And then there are the baths, and exercise periods, and, of course, your studies. You will find your life very full.”
    The next few months sped by. Lady Refet had been correct. There was no time for looking back. The three new arrivals quickly learned Turkish, though it was Cyra who was most proficient Languages were her forte, and she enjoyed them They absorbed the history of the Ottoman Empire because Hadji Bey believed that in order to understand the present and anticipate the future, they must be familiar with the past.
    The manners and morals of the Turks kept them busy for hours on end. They studied music and dancing—an important part of Turkish life. Zuleika shone in music, for Eastern music was not unfamiliar to her ear. Firousi was the dancer and very adept at singing her native songs to her own accompaniment on the guitar. Cyra was neither musician nor dancer, but she studied hard and became adept enough to be considered accomplished. She found the wailing of the reedy instruments not unlike that of her native bagpipes.
    Each girl was expected to embroider—which all three could do—and to read and write. In their own languages Cyra and Zuleika could do both. A scholarly old woman named Fatima was assigned to teach them to write Turkish. Cyra helped Firousi, who at first found writing difficult—and reading worse—but Cyra