The Lioness of Morocco by Drosten Julia

Author:Drosten, Julia [Drosten, Julia]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
ISBN: 9781503941922
Publisher: Amazon Crossing
Published: 2017-06-01T04:00:00+00:00

“You cannot return to Aghmat, Sayyida! You know your father will punish you!” Tamra, Aynur’s servant, anxiously paced the floor of the small room in which the two women had slept these last six weeks.

“But what am I to do?” Aynur stood at the window and stared into the inner courtyard, then pushed away from the windowsill, making her bangles jingle. “He does not want me. He has not looked at me even once!”

She had been seven years old when her father sent her to the sultan’s harem in Marrakesh.

“My little flower, you are more beautiful than the full moon when it rises over the top of the Atlas Mountains,” he had told her. “Make sure that your beauty catches the sultan’s eye. Then he will follow you like a little dog follows its mistress, and he will do whatever you wish—for the benefit of our family.”

During the following ten years, Aynur had received a thorough education. She could recite poems by Al-Jahiz, as well as the fables of Ibn Al-Muqaffa and the erotic verses of the Persian poet Hafez. She played the lute and sang. She was fleet-footed as she danced to the flute and the riq. She could prepare traditional spiced coffee and serve it gracefully, and it was while doing so that she finally caught the ruler’s attention. Just as her father had predicted, the sultan was enchanted. That very evening, she was bathed, made up, bedecked with jewels and pearls, and sent to Abd al-Rahman’s bedroom, smelling of precious oils. As soon as he started to touch her, she had hidden behind the bed like a frightened kitten and, when he had yanked her onto the cushions and pawed her with his greedy fingers, she had fought him with all her might.

After this unsuccessful night, she had been ostracized at court. All the women of the harem, from the favorite concubine to the lowliest of slaves, had laughed at her. Abd al-Rahman had issued an order prohibiting her from ever coming into his sight again. Her family, fearing that the entire clan had now fallen from the ruler’s favor, shunned her.

The foreigner, her new lord, represented her last chance. This man was no longer very young either, but he was handsome and well built. He appealed to her. But even more appealing was the idea of becoming the mistress of Qasr el Bahia.

“He has not even looked at me,” she repeated, perplexed. “And I don’t have crooked teeth or warts on my face, and I am a virgin!”

“There must be another woman who has captured his heart,” Tamra explained. “We have to make him forget this woman. There is no other way for you.” She studied Aynur. “Where are you in your menstrual cycle?”

Aynur did a quick calculation. “The moon is full in two weeks. That is when it begins again.”

“That means you are now ready for his seed!” the servant said with excitement. “You must lure him into your bed this evening. Remember: you have this one night to save your life!”

Aynur lit up as Tamra’s words sank in.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.