CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIX
The wedding day set off a month-long celebration which encompassed the entire Empire and its inhabitants. At noon, Sultan Suleyman Khan and his Grand Vizier waited beneath the canopy of the Gate of Felicity. Suleyman could feel only his heart as it pounded within his chest. His palms sweated and he desired nothing more than to behold his bride. He was dressed immaculately in a caftan of black silks, studded with pearls. But the finery could not compare to the glow of his skin and the dazzle of his eyes as he shook in impatient desire for the sweet, delicate flower that permeated his every thought.
In the Second Courtyard, several-thousand Janissaries stood in tight formation—all in reverent silence. He surveyed his men in pride, grinning at the life-long frien
