Page 53 of Silver Angel

Thebstilatook all day to make, but Chantelle only had to help with the crusts in the afternoon, after the previous helper had fainted from the heat. During the few hours that she was under the cook’s watchful eye, she received two separate slaps when she broke two of the thin crusts when setting them aside. Fayolo tried to change places with her, for she was the one basting the sheep, a much easier job, but she got a slap for the offer. Chantelle thought the cook was just being spiteful, until she heard one of the other women giggle that Noura had specifically requested that she have a hand in each preparation. And then she learned that this feast was Noura’s idea, a surprise for the Dey, to be attended only by his wives and favorites.

For a split second, she wished she could get her hands on some poison. But by the time this magnificent feast was carried out, she wished only for her pallet. She was wilted, her hair and clothes damp with the sweat that had run off her all day, and so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. She was certainly too tired to eat her own dinner, which wouldn’t be served for several hours yet, since the kitchen slaves didn’t rest until the last concubine had been fed.

Fortunately, the cook must have found an ounce of pity in her large frame, because she sent Chantelle to bed, rather than ordering her to another table where food was still being prepared for the other ladies of the harem. Or maybe she just realized that Chantelle simply couldn’t do any more today without dropping. The reason didn’t matter. Chantelle was asleep the moment her head touched the pillow, her last thought of Jamil’s second wife and how she would have liked to see her roasted instead of that poor young sheep, which she hoped they all choked on, especially Jamil.

Chapter Twenty-seven

“I’m not sure I want to invite you in with that long face, Haji,” Rahine remarked when her old friend appeared at her door. “Didn’t Jamil like Noura’s surprise feast?”

“He seemed pleased.”

“But not enough to mend his temper?”

“On the contrary, he seemed in very good spirits,” Haji replied as he curled his old frame onto the pillow next to Rahine.

She sighed in exasperation when he said no more than that. “Spit it out, then. What didnothappen as expected?”

“He wondered why Shahar was not among his favorites to enjoy the feast with him.”

“What?” Rahine gasped. “But he must have been joking! A concubine cannot reach the status of favorite until she has found favor in his bed.”

“He knows that, Rahine. But this situation is rather unique, you must agree. Never before has a new slave been summoned by him and then returned to the harem a virgin. As far as he is concerned, that first summons changed Shahar’s status, regardless of how their evening ended.”

“More deviations from custom?”

“So it seems.”

“But doesn’t he realize the confusion and resentment this will cause among the other women? You did point that out, didn’t you?”

“Certainly.”

“And?”

“He said he would rectify the situation tonight.”

Rahine groaned. “No! How can he do this to me? Did he think I would do nothing when the girl defied him and made him so furious that he recklessly risked his life? Only by the grace of Allah and Jamil’s own skill did he return that night unscathed. Does he think Shahar has been languishing in comfort just waiting for him to summon her again? He knows me better than that!”

“Perhaps with everything else that is on his mind right now, he simply didn’t consider the possibility that you would punish her,” Haji offered.

“Possibility!” Rahine shrieked the word. “There was no uncertainty involved. The girt deserved to be punished. I am only surprised that Jamil didn’t attend to it himself.”

“Perhaps that alone should have given us pause, Rahine. The fact that Jamil didn’t punish her himself, especially when he has been so quick to deal with the slightest offense lately, should have made us at least hesitate—”

“You agreed with my decision at the time!” Rahine pointed out scathingly.

“I know, I know, and what is done cannot be changed. At least she has been in the kitchens only two days. How much damage could have been done in so little time?”

“But he doesn’t know, does he? Or did you have the courage to tell him where I put her?”

Haji shook his head. “Maybe she won’t mention it,” he said hopefully.

“Don’t count on it, Haji. I will have to tell him myself.”

“Don’t be a fool, Rahine. Why stir the pot to boiling when it is only simmering? If she mentions it, that will be soon enough to bear the brunt of his anger. And you only acted in his best interest. Perhaps these few days have changed the girl’s disposition. If so, he will have reason to be grateful, not furious.”

“Perhaps.” Rahine sighed. “But Allah’s mercy, Jamil hasn’t been the same since he first laid eyes on this girl. He has become completely unpredictable.”

“Which is not a bad thing at this time,” Haji remarked. “If we cannot predict what he will do next, neither can his enemies. He certainly surprised them the other night.”