Roxelana & Suleyman

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE-2

The kayiks darted through the water, hugging close to the shore for many miles. At midday Suleyman, who had been tending to Gulfam and Khanum, came to sit by Haseki. He lounged in the cushions, wrapping his arms around her while Mehmet resolutely suckled at her breast. Tenderly he leant down, kissed Mehmet on the forehead, then brushed his lips softly over the exposed breast. He said nothing, but held Haseki tight as she rested her head on his shoulder and fell into a light sleep.

“Come, my dear, you must eat,” Suleyman whispered.

Ripping a small chunk from a loaf of bread he dipped it in a bowl of meat broth, held by a Moor, and placed it in her mouth. He watched as she chewed the morsel. He savored the way the line of her jaw and lips moved as she tasted the soaked bread. He offered her more pieces, continuing to watch her every movement with delight. He held a goblet of apple tea to her lips—mesmerized by the color and spark of her eyes, the arch of her brow.

“I love you, Haseki Hurrem, with all my heart,” he said.

With tears of gratitude smudging her cheeks, Haseki whispered, “And I will always love you, Dariusz.”

Suleyman pulled back.

Haseki flushed and dropped her attention to Mehmet who was asleep in her lap.

“What did you say, my tulip?” Suleyman responded with uncertainty.

Haseki pulled Suleyman close to her, as tight as she could, and whispered in his ear, “My lord, I love you more than the freedom of the wind, more than the sparkle of the stars or the rays of the sun. In my previous language Dariusz is a word meaning eternal love, a love that can never be eclipsed or forgotten. You, my dear sweet Suleyman, are my Dariusz. My heart beats only for you.”

Suleyman smiled and kissed her tenderly on the mouth. He placed his lips close to her ear and breathed, “Haseki....”

They held each other for what seemed, to Haseki, an eternity. Her heart beat quickly—her thoughts turning inwards at what had escaped her lips in the presence of the man she truly loved. Suleyman eventually released his grip on her. He stepped to the back of the kiosk to again talk in subtle whispers with Khadija and the other women.

Haseki sat alone, curling Mehmet’s black locks with her finger, staring out through the flapping gauze at the water rushing by. But in her vision she saw only Dariusz.

As dusk began to fall and the shadows of a crumbling fort loomed long from a promontory before them, Mahidavran and Khadija came to recline by her.

“How do you fare, my love?” Khadija questioned, taking Mehmet from Haseki’s arms.

“Oh, thank you, Khadija. My arms and back ache terribly—and my stomach was never made to be transported on water.”

Khadija smiled. “No matter.... We will soon be docking at Tekirdag where we will spend the night. And as for tomorrow’s journey by carriage to Edirne, I am certain you will be longing for the smooth motion of our current vessel once more.”

Haseki managed a slight smile, the first in many weeks.

“I am glad to be away from the Polis. Your idea to visit Edirne is definitely lifting my spirits,” Mahidavran said to Haseki, a little too gaily.

Haseki pondered this gaiety for a moment, but then pushed it from her mind as she recollected the sadness of the past few weeks.

Let her be, she thought, let her be happy. But still, surely she cannot be that happy.

As Mahidavran began to hum under her breath, Haseki glanced back at Gulfam and Khanum who both slept in Suleyman’s arms. He gazed at her for a moment and then, resting his head on Gulfam’s, closed his eyes. Haseki quickly turned back to her current company. She listened to the tune that Mahidavran hummed. And she thought of Dariusz, who even in death was very much in her heart.