Tunisian Dreams Ch. 04

RECAP OF THE PREVIOUS CHAPTERS

This is the story of Sara, a Dutch woman, who is captured by the Barbary pirates on her way to the Dutch East Indies. She is given as a present to the Bey, the ruler of Tunis. His first wife appoints Sara as the nanny of the royal children as the eunuchs deem her too old to be send to their master's bed.

However when they Bey discovers her in his palace garden singing with his children he starts to listen to her stories of the history of her homeland. He realises that her decision to teach his kids foreign languages will help them gain more power. He orders Sara to be brought to his bed as his new concubine.

When he notices the next morning how she reacts to his cat and remembers that that same loving smile was directed to his children he longs to have her smile like that to him as well. He decides to woe her by ordering her to come and wash him in his bath every morning while teaching him all her knowledge. Combining like this ways to learn about new strategies and ways to get her defences down.

In the two following months both seem to really connect. He allows her to share his breakfast and she is getting comfortable being naked in the bath with him. They share stories about their families and teach each other history and languages.

But when he orders her to buy him a slave to act as her assistant raising his family she oversteps the boundaries of her position and buys a family instead. The court gossips about that Christian slave who opposed her lord and master and the Bey is forced to show his authority over her. While the chief eunuch threatens to punish her and prepares to whip her in public, the Bey forces her to have anal sex while the eunuch watches.

However as soon as he has her impaled and crying, he orders the eunuch out and tells Sara to keep wailing without hurting her any further. Afterwards he carries her to his bedroom and attends her discomfort telling her the situation forced him to enforce his authority as her lord and master because otherwise it would have inspired people to disobey his rule.

Sara is completely at a loss. Is the Bey her friend or her foe?

WARNING

This chapter is without sexcenes. I could have continued writing so there would be new ones included in this chapter but work is busy and I think you will like to be able to continue with the story.

----------------------

In the morning Sara dreamed of waking up in a warm and comfortable spot. A feeling of safety and happiness coursed through her. But then she woke up completely and realised she was in bed, the covers tucked up to her cheek and a warm and male body enveloping her. An arm was wrapped around her and a face pressed against the hair at the back of her head. She was in the bed of the Bey!

Suddenly she remembered what had happened the day before. In a flash of panic she tried to rise but he had her firmly pressed against him. The movement caused her to notice a slight burn in her backside and the stiffness of some of her muscles.

The next moment she was pinned down under the man. Hold in a tight embrace. She braced for being taken again when he just kissed her firmly and rose. Laying down she looked up at the man who until yesterday she had become to regard as a friend.

"Let me have a look at your little star my sweet. Turn around."

She lifted her behind up for inspection. A finger rubbed ointment in.

"I am going to send you my hakim. He will treat you and advice you. I am leaving to Kerouan. You can stay here till he comes. Come and lay back down so I can cover you again."

"What is a hakim?" she whispered.

"Not what but who. He is my trusted personal physician. I will order the eunuchs that in this case he is allowed to examine you. Now rest and heal."

"But he will see. He will notice you have not slept with me." Sadness engulfed her and tears ran down her face.

"What of it?"

"They will laugh. They will say I am the only woman in your harem you bedded only once and am completely unaffected by even when I am naked in your company. Leila, your favourite, mocks me all the time. Hyacinth will too. I do not understand what I do wrong. My husband never touched me and with you it is the same apart from when you use it to punish me."

The face of the Bey seemed to turn crimson with anger. Sara realised she might have overstepped her boundaries again and that realisation made her cry even more. Why the hell was she making a fuss over this? Had she not been glad he had not taken her to his bed again? When had this become something she missed?

"Bloody hell woman! Are you now crying because I am not forcing myself on you? Your husband was a sodomite. I am not! The only reason I am not touching you is because I rather had you giving me what I could take freely. Good grief what man can understand women! They cry when you carry them to your bed but they also cry when you leave them in peace. What do you want then? Me to thrust myself in you so a floozy like Leila will not mock you for my regard for you? What is Leila but a nasty whore? Why do you think she gets the herbs so she will not conceive? What is it you want me to do? What? You have me by my balls!"

He stamped out of the room. Sara still sitting up in the middle of the cushions, silks and blankets.

She whispered to the door, to the scent of him still lingering around her: "I want you to love me." And then started to cry again bewildered by her own realisation.

She did not know what to do now. She thought it best to just stay put and do nothing in fear of doing exactly the wrong thing.

After like 20 minutes an elderly gentleman was issued in the room by Desert Rose the eunuch.

"Lady Sara, my name is Sidi Mansour. I am the personal physician of the Bey. It is a great honour for me that the Bey gave me permission to examine his lady. He told me what happened. Please let me have a look. Can you sit on your hands and knees?"

The old man examined her and told her nothing was damaged that would not be healed in a day or two with the help of the ointment her lord and master had already applied. He told her to lay down on her back and his old hands examined the rest of her. Ensuring her she was in perfect health but unfortunately not with child yet. Well that she knew already.

He ensured her she was fit to travel to the palace on the seashore although the ride might be a bit uncomfortable in the covered chair on the camel now her anus was still a bit sore.

She could understand why he was the Bey's personal doctor. The man oozed calmness, kindness and wisdom. He smiled slowly and said: "Do not cry sweet lady. All will be well. You will give our lord many healthy children. If you need my help just send for me." Then he left the room.

Desert Rose the eunuch stayed. "I am sorry Sara. I should have told you what you did was wrong. But I am an African from Fatma's tribe and I think I was just completely overjoyed how you helped her and her children. I was told you begged our master not to send her back or sell her children and offered to be punished for what you did wrong pleading her case. She is so grateful. I am too."

Sara looked in his honest face. "But Hyacint..."

"Hyacint got his position by being a nasty piece of camel dung. What he thinks is not what others think. You are blessed by what you did. And look what our lord did: he even sent for his physician and took you to his bed as his chosen one."

Sara kept quiet. The man thought she was special to the Bey. Well the Bey was bloody angry with her this morning and had not touched her. But she would not say that. It seems the hakim did not want to mention she was not couched and Hyacint had written down her name for the night.

--

It was a grey day. Sara was staring out over the bay. Storm was making waves in the water. The palm trees around her created the sound of papers rustled. She pulled her camel wool cape around her. Her silk kaftan too flimsy even with the embroidered overcoat on top.

She had walked out of the room full with happily playing children and tea sipping mothers. The sound of the musician drowned by their voices. She was so sad.

She had walked into the harem garden and was now sitting on a part of the Roman ruins looking out over the water.

He had gone to Kerouan, the famous holy city, some hours inland from the coast. She had only had heard stories about it. About the famous mosque and the shrines of holy men. Of roads lined with cactus scrubs on which the delicious cactus fruits was said to grow.

But he had stayed in the palace in Tunis afterwards. Preferring his palace in the medina over his much beloved sea shore hide away.

She had so missed him. Their ritual of breakfast and bathing. She had considered him more or less a friend. Feeling lousy and alone she had spent her days teaching his children with Fatma taking care of most of the feeding and washing of the bunch of happy tigers. She had noticed their father's legacy in their personality. The smile, the beautiful wavy hair of his sons, the gesture of his daughter. She had cuddled them as if she was kissing their dad.

He had ordered Leila to the main palace to take care of his needs. Only to return today to visit his wives. And then he had left again. She had not even seen him let alone talked to him. How could she tell him she missed him? How could she tell him she wished he loved her?

Rain started to fall. Sara wondered how this country could be that cold. In the back of her mind she remembered him telling her that the hot desert could be subzero during the night. Her cloths started to soak but she seemed to lack the energy to rise.

"Sara", said the voice of a young child. "Please Sara come inside. You will get ill."

She noticed the small daughter of Fatma, the slave she had bought, standing next to her.

The child grabbed her hand and proceeded to walk her back to the summer palace.

The Bey's first wife was standing in the corridor. Her heavily pregnant belly protruding. She ordered some of the servants to get dry cloths and stripped Sara of her wet clothing then and there.

"You silly girl! Did you want to die? What is it with the two of you? Both of you are totally miserable. Is it that difficult to tell each other your feelings? He looks like he is ill and so do you. Give yourself to him like a good slave would. Rejoice that the Bey of Tunis is in love with you! He does not want to force you so give yourself instead. Admit your love to him. Do you need me to tell you two you both love each other?"

Sara had the feeling her jaw was on the floor. She knew culture was different here and a man could have many wives and concubines. But to have the first wife who had a very high position in the household play matchmaker?

Her surprise must have been obvious. "Come girl", the first wife said and took her sitting room that was now empty because all the children and the other women had gone to their private quarters to eat and sleep.

"Sit!"

"You know that I am married to my husband for over 20 years and that we knew each other as children? He is dear to me. He is good to his wives and children. But what I see when he looks at you is something special. And you have that same look in your eyes when you see him. In the case of you two it is not respect, endearment, family love or lust. It is burning love like in the stories the travelling storytellers tell in the market squares or that are written in the books. He loves you so much he refrains from taking you to his bed because he thinks you do not want to be told."

"Mistress, I am so sorry."

The woman placed both hands around Sara's face.

"Sweet why would you be sorry. I like how happy you make him normally. And you are a lovely girl. Look at how the kids love you."

She kissed Sara on her forehead.

"I love you too my sister. Go to the hamman and get yourself hot and steamed. Have a good massage. Tomorrow will be a day of celebrations because all day I have pain in my back. I am sure this baby is coming. And my son will bring his father here. I will send him to you and you then embrace him remember and love him. We women will make this happen. Tell him you love him and we will make sure you will have a son as well."

She smiled like a born conspirator.

"I...my lady."

"Run and get yourself beautiful".

"My lady," Sara laughed and wrapped her two arms around the soon-to-be mother. "I will. I will love him. ... The baby. Do you need help?"

"Just send in my eunuch. I have done this three times before. He will call for the midwife and the physician. You get warm before you catch a cold!"