"Ahhh." India smiled. "I thought the accent not quite right. I am the stepdaughter of the duke of Glenkirk, Meggie. I grew up north and west of Aberdeen. Where are you from?"

"Ayr, my lady, where the laddies are braw, and the lassies are bonnie, 'tis said," Meggie told her new mistress.

India turned to Baba Hassan. "The girl will do excellently. You have chosen well, Baba Hassan, but then, I would have expected no less of you. She is not however, English, but a Scot. As I was raised in Scotland, I am comfortable with her. Now, where is the dey?"

"He dines tonight with Aruj Agha, who has this afternoon returned from his voyage. He will come to you afterward, my lady."

"Is my cousin, Osman the Navigator, with Aruj Agha? I would inquire after his health, Baba Hassan," India said.

"I will see, and then bring you word, my lady." He bowed himself from her chambers.

"Come," India said, leading Meggie to a divan. "Tell me how you came to be in El Sinut?"

"My da is a sea captain, my lady," Meggie said. "I was always begging him to take me on a voyage like he did me ma when they was young. So as I was to be married to Ian Murray this coming summer before the clans gather, Da said he would take me to Bordeaux where he was to pick up a cargo of wine. We was attacked in the Bay of Biscay." The girl's eyes grew teary. "Me da was killed right before me eyes, lady. Sliced right through him, they did! Me and the sailors that survived was carried off. I was nae harmed, though. Indeed, they was most careful of my well-being." Then a rush of tears slid down her freckled face. "Now my Ian will marry that smug Flora MacLean, who's always been after him like a cat wi a bird."

"Aye, he probably will, lassie," India said bluntly, "and there is little you can do about it, I fear. Women are rarely, if ever, ransomed from Barbary, and, besides, who would there be to claim you? You are fortunate, Meggie, that the chief eunuch of the dey's household purchased you. You might have been sold to a cruel master or mistress, or, worse, into a brothel. You will be safe with me, and as the dey's first wife, you will have a position of status among the servants."

Meggie wiped her tears with the back of her hand, and, giving a final sniffle, said, "I'll be faithful to ye, my lady, I promise."

"I know you will," India reassured the girl. "Do you know your way to the kitchen?"

"Aye, my lady."

"Then go to Abu, the cook, and tell him that I desire my supper. Bring it back, and I shall eat in the garden. My husband is dining with an old friend."

"Very good, my lady," Meggie said, and hurried off.

Baba Hassan returned to tell India that her cousin was not with Aruj Agha, but had remained aboard their ship. "He has proved himself worthy of trust, my lady, and will soon begin to teach our sailors how to manage his round ship. We have captured two more in the last few months, one from the French, and another from the Dutch. Is the girl satisfactory, my lady? She cannot seem to learn our language, but had enough French that I was able to guide her. She seems willing enough."

"She saw her father killed when their ship was attacked," India told the eunuch. "He was the captain, and she was to be married soon. She is just getting over the shock of it all. If she is not stupid, I'll try to teach her the language. At least enough to get about. She will, I believe, be a good companion for me. Thank you, but tell me, Baba Hassan. You say you purchased her for me over a month ago. I was still the dey's body slave then."

"But you were falling in love with him, my lady, and he with you. I could see it and Azura, too. I knew it to be a matter of time until you succumbed to his passions. You are young, and you are beautiful, and the juices of life flow deep within you. If I had waited until today to seek out a suitable servant for you, I might not have found one for months."

India laughed. "You are a clever man, Baba Hassan. I believe the dey is fortunate to have you looking after his best interests so carefully. I am glad you and Azura are my friends."

"Lady," the chief eunuch said, "I know this is your wedding day, but may I speak with you seriously for a moment?"

India nodded.

"I must ask you to say nothing to your husband about the matter I am bringing to your attention. It is in your husband's best interests, I assure you."

India was intrigued. "I will keep your confidence, Baba Hassan."

"I have many contacts throughout the sultan's realm, my lady. It was brought to my attention several months ago that a plot was afoot in Istanbul to assassinate the sultan and his mother, the valideh. The instigators of this perfidy are the janissaries. Already they have dispatched an agent to the Barbary States. This man will seek to gain the Barbary rulers as allies, promising them freedom to rule without answering to the Sublime Porte, and freedom from tribute. It is a generous offer, but I do not believe this plot can prevail. Those who associate themselves with this treason risk death. The janissaries will be forgiven after some punishment. They always are because they are strong. Anyone else involved will not be forgiven, for an example must be made. El Sinut is the smallest of the Barbary States. It is possible we may not be approached, but if we are, Azura and I will need your aid in dissuading the dey from throwing his lot in with the conspirators. Remember, Aruj Agha is his closest friend, and Aruj Agha will be loyal to the corps first even if he disagrees with them. He cannot, will not, betray his fellow janissaries."

"If I were the valideh," India said, "I should punish the janissaries in the Barbary States. They are the least important men in the corps, yet, as janissaries, can be held liable for the betrayals of their fellows in Istanbul without really offending those traitors. I would punish the rulers of the Barbary States, and set men loyal to me in their place. Is that not right, Baba Hassan?"

"That is precisely what the valideh will do, my lady. How astute you are to see it all so quickly and clearly," he told her.

"If my husband is approached," India said, "I will help you and Azura to foil any plots against El Sinut. In the meantime, I will remain silent, for why should Caynan Reis be distressed by that which may not even happen. How will you discourage the agent of the janissaries?"

"If he comes here first, the dey will be advised to tell him to go to the other deys in Tunis, and Algiers, and Morocco, and then return to El Sinut. Caynan Reis will say, as the smallest of the Barbary States, he is the most vulnerable and must be certain the bigger states will involve themselves first before he commits El Sinut. If the agent comes to us last we will simply kill him so he may not return to Istanbul, but we will send his head to the valideh, telling her of the plots to dethrone her son, and that we did not betray the sultan."

"Why not kill him if he comes here first?" India inquired.

"Because if he goes to the others, and they are willing to betray the sultan, and we are not, Caynan Reis looks the better for it. Perhaps the sultan and his mother will reward him in some grand manner, my lady."

"And Aruj Agha? What of him?"

"He will not know until after the agent is disposed of, my lady. We can keep his loyalty and his friendship if we do not ask him to divide those qualities within him," the eunuch answered her.

"I can see that I have much to learn from you, Baba Hassan," India replied quietly.

He bowed low to her, smiling. "I am honored that you think so, my lady India," he responded.

Meggie now returned, struggling beneath the weight of a tray. Staggering across the day room, she placed it with a clunk upon the cedar table. "Abu wasn't certain what would please my lady's palate," she said dryly, "and so he has sent almost everything in the kitchen."

"I will leave you to your meal, my lady," Baba Hassan said, and he withdrew.

India walked over to the table, and began inspecting the foods the cook had sent her. There was chicken, a bowl of what appeared to be lamb stew, saffroned rice, steamed artichokes, a bowl of yogurt with peeled green grapes, flat bread, a honeycomb, a bowl of oranges, figs, a pomegranate and bunch of grapes, and a decanter of fresh sherbet.

"You will eat with me tonight, Meggie," India said.

"Shall I fill your plate, my lady?" the girl asked.

India shook her head. "I will do it," she replied, and cut herself several slices of the roasted chicken, which she lay upon her plate along with some saffroned rice and an artichoke.

When the servant saw her mistress was content, she spooned some of the lamb mixture onto her plate, and tore a piece of the flat bread off the round for herself.

"Is it good?" India asked her.

"Aye! 'Tis certainly flavored better than my mam's," Meggie admitted, "and 'tis true lamb, not mutton, I'm thinking."

India took her spoon, and lifted a chunk of the meat from its gravy. "It is good," she agreed. "Try some chicken. Abu has flavored it with onion and sage, I believe."

The two young women finished off their meal with the yogurt and the fruit. Meggie poured them both some of the tart-sweet sherbet to drink, and when it was consumed, she gathered all the dishes up, and returned them to the kitchen.

When she returned, she asked India, "Where am I to sleep, my lady?"

"That small cubicle is yours," India told her, pointing across the day room. "Make certain there is a pallet for you there, and then come and help me prepare for bed. As my husband is entertaining, I do not imagine he will call for me this evening."