Wild Jasmine by Bertrice Small Page B

Juliana to examine Yasaman to be certain that Salim has not violated her innocence.”
    “Adali shares our secret, my lord, but there must be one other to bear this burden. The priest. Yasaman has been raised within the Christian faith, as her mother would have wanted, but like you, she is eclectic in her religious tastes. Still, we will need the priest’s cooperation in preparing her for this very great change in her life.”
    They swung about to return to the palace.
    “Very well, Rugaiya, I will leave it to your good judgment. Let me eat now and then get about my business. Yusef Khan is here visiting his family, so the matter of Yasaman’s marriage may be concluded swiftly.”
    Making obeisance to her husband, Rugaiya Begum sought out Father Cullen Butler, the priest attached to Yasaman’s household. He had just finished his morning prayers and, as she had with Akbar, she invited him to walk with her along the lakeshore.
    “I need your help, Father Cullen,” she said.
    “You know you have but to ask, my lady,” he assured her in a voice soft with the lilt of his native Ireland.
    He was a tall, slender man approaching his middle years. He kept his dark brown hair cropped close and simple in style. His fine blue eyes, however, were always lively and inquiring. He had come to them when Yasaman was in her second year, for Akbar had requested a priest for his daughter’s household from the head of the Jesuits in India. Although it had caused a mild stir at the time, the fuss quickly died down. Akbar was known to be interested in all religions, and each of the princes had had priests for tutors at one time or another. Cullen Butler had fit easily into the household. He was fascinated with Indian life and, unlike other priests, did not condemn or criticize. It was quickly discovered that he had a ribald sense of humor, which quite endeared him to the servants.
    “For some time now,” Rugaiya Begum began, “I have noticed that Prince Salim’s interests in Yasaman appeared to be more that of a man attracted to a woman, and less of a brother for his sister. I attempted to thrust these wicked thoughts from my mind. I did not want to believe what my own instinct was telling me. It was totally unthinkable!”
    “You have changed your mind, however,” the priest said to her, “haven’t you, my lady? Why ?” His blue eyes were now serious.
    “Last night,” she told him, “Salim began a campaign of seduction. He entered Yasaman’s bedchamber, and … and … Oh! I cannot tell you the wickedness! Had it not been for Adali …” She stopped, unable to continue for the moment.
    “Adali caught them?” the priest inquired, striving to get the whole story before the poor woman dissolved into tears.
    “Adali had become suspicious of Prince Salim,” Rugaiya Begum said, regaining a strong hold on her distress. “He secreted himself in Yasaman’s chamber last night and observed all that went on between them.
    “The lady Jodh Bai brought Yasaman a Pillow Book yesterday. It had belonged to Candra. She was naturally curious. She was looking through the book when her brother arrived. He suggested that together they might emulate some of the paintings in order that she not be totally ignorant of lovemaking when she marry. He told her that there were ways in which a virgin could obtain great pleasure without losing her virginity.”
    “ Christ’s bloody bones! ” the priest exploded, much toRugaiya Begum’s shock. She had never before heard him swear so volubly. Cullen Butler looked so fiercely at the older woman that she almost drew back in fright. “Did he breach her maidenhead?” he asked bluntly.
    “No! No!” Rugaiya Begum assured him. “Adali swore he did not. Speak with him yourself, Father. He believes the prince waits for a more propitious moment to ravish her completely.”
    “Something must be done to stop the devil from his wickedness,” Cullen Butler said. “What is it you propose, my lady, and how