The Blue Hour

Chapter 22: Peresto

There was no point in wasting more time waiting for the ceremony to start so Peresto hurried back to her apartment. As she crossed the blue salon, a woman emerged from behind a drapery, tall and thin, with a white face that had a sickly, greenish sheen to it. The restlessness of her gestures, the runny nose, the rings of sweat under the armpits were all signs of withdrawal. 

Mustafa pushed aside the woman who collapsed on the floor.

With bony fingers, she grabbed the hem of Peresto's skirts. "Please, Peresto Princess Sultana, I have something for you."

"I told you not to bother me again."

"I have something to show you, my Lady."

The woman, Ayse, had once been a rising dancing star in the harem, but morphine had robbed her of all talents except for one. By channelling her psychic gift, she could read the future in tarot cards. For this reason, she was often invited to take part in the occult seances of the Valide. Not long ago, Peresto had caught Ayse stealing. Theft, no matter how insignificant, was punishable by whipping and expulsion from the Imperial harem. Instead of denouncing Ayse to the Kizlar Agha, Peresto offered her money in return for information which mostly turned out to be of little interest. "Don't spend it on morphine," Peresto told her every time, but the girl was hopelessly weak. "It numbs the pain, I can't do without," she said.

"Have her brought to my study," Peresto instructed Mustafa. "Discreetly." She thought: this is the last time.

When they were alone, Ayse anxiously scanned the room and whispered: "May Allah bless your wisdom and generosity."

"Speak up. What do you have?"

"You must see with your own eyes or I fear you will not believe me, Princess."

"Only last week, I paid you good money for worthless information."

"I know, my Lady, forgive me, it was a mistake. But what I have for you today, it's good. I swear it."

With a sigh, Peresto dropped a gold coin into the girl's hand. "This is to leave me alone."

Ayse looked at the coin in her palm. "May Allah reward your goodness, my Lady. You told me to come to you if I had information. It's about the Sultan." She spoke in breathless gasps with her haunted eyes on the coin. "For a thousand in gold my information is yours."

Peresto raised an eyebrow. She rarely paid over fifty or a hundred for scraps of information. But, if this was about the Sultan. "Alright, I'll come with you. If your information as good as you say, you'll have your gold. If it's not, for the love of Allah, I will make you regret swindling me."

When she realised Ayse brought her to the selamlik, an irritated scowl crossed her face. If the girl claimed to have seen the Sultan there, with her own eyes, she was telling a tall tale. Ayse did not belong to the select group of women permitted to, unseen, cross over from the harem into the part of the palace which harboured the offices of state, reserved for men only. Peresto's scowl made Ayse agitated and expansive. In a flurry of whispers she insisted the Valide had sent her on a mission to the selamlik that morning.

"My mission required absolute discretion, so the Valide asked me. She trusts me," she said proudly.

"And your mission was to find the Sultan?"

The girl nodded. "The Sultan was to dress for the throne room ceremony but was nowhere to be found. I'm on my way to the Valide now, to let her know I found him. But I came to you first."

With trembling fingers she brought out a paper from her pocket, unfolded it and showed it to Peresto. It was a pass which admitted Ayse to the selamlik and it carried the stamp of the Valide Pertevniyal.