CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN
In the shadowed colonnade Haseki re-read the scroll she had taken from the French Ambassador. The words of deceit were scorched into her mind, yet she could not take her thoughts from the flourishing script. She pushed the scroll into her sleeve when Khadija ran into the courtyard and thumped onto the bench at her side. “I have received word that our husbands shall enter Istanbul by twilight.”
My dear, you have no idea of the deceit and manipulation that I hold within my sleeve. Must this snake also break your heart?
“Khadija, long ago I asked you if you were happy. As your sister, I ask you once more.”
Confusion slackened Khadija’s face. “Why would you ask that? Ibrahim and Suleyman are returning and will be within our embrace by nightfall. How could a
