CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE
Haseki meandered aimlessly throughout the lower gardens of Topkapi. Winter was approaching and already the leaves of the largest trees had withered and dropped to the ground. She climbed the steps of the sea pavilion to peer across the waters surrounding the palace, but no sooner had she spied the soft ripple of waves than she once more ventured back down into the solitude of the gardens. She walked for hours, sniffing at late blooms or running her fingers through the cascading waters of ornamental ponds. Dried leaves rustled under her slippers and she kicked at them angrily.
Khadija had visited the palace the day before, but Haseki had refused to see her.
As distress consumed her heart and wrinkled her brow, Haseki continued to amble through the grounds. She started
