The Sultan's Spy

Chapter 10: Husband

Eliska passed the last of the crowds that lay along the street that led out of the district she was in, her basket weighing her arm down, heavy with the fish she'd picked up for dinner. The scents of the city were thick now, the midday sun beating down upon her with only the faintest of breezes as relief.

Finally reaching the area her house was in, Eliska sighed with relief. She was hot, tired, sweaty, and dusty and all she wanted to do was get everything put away and then head to the hamam. She needed to get clean and if she could gather information at the same time, well that would be an added bonus but not one she would count on. She just wanted to rid herself of sweat and dirt.

She had barely made it to her house when she found her path blocked. Eliska didn't bother to hide the surprise on her face when she saw Habiba, Shirin, Maysa, and Kamali move so they stood between her and the door to her house. "Good afternoon," she said, hiking her basket higher, like the weight of it bothered her. She used the action to double-check that she still had her knives within reach. She couldn't imagine she'd need them, but caution was a defense all its own.

Habiba nodded, face hard. "Varina."

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" she asked, figuring she might as well get this sorted as soon as she could.

"Where is your husband?" the older woman asked, eyes narrowing.

"What?"

"Do you even have a husband?" asked Maysa, hands on her hips.

Eliska frowned, feigning confusion. "Yes, I do. He's been busy with work lately, so he hasn't been home much."

Kamali shook her head. "None of us have ever seen him."

"And when we asked, no one else has either," added Shirin, twisting the edge of her kaftan, her eyes on the ground.

"Which makes us suspect you've been lying, that you have no husband and are in fact a runaway," Habiba finished, crossing her arms over her chest. "This is a respectable neighbourhood, and if you've run off, we'll see you returned to where you belong."

Eliska sighed, while inwardly she cursed nosy, interfering neighbours. "He works odd hours and isn't home often, and when he is, it's not for long. He's very busy, but I'll bring him by to meet all of you when he next has time."

"Why can't you bring him out now?" demanded Maysa.

"Because he's not at home at the moment. When he comes in tonight, I'll mention it to him," she said, mind scrambling as she considered people she could force into playing husband for her. She thought Ajani would let her borrow one of his guards for a time, one who could stop by occasionally to make her cover and explanations seem more real. It would mean heading back to the harem tonight, not being able to leave it to notes if she wanted it dealt with tomorrow. The expressions on the women's face told her they wouldn't wait beyond tomorrow.

Habiba stared at her hard, face set. "If you expect us to believe you can produce a husband-"

"Hey there," called a male voice, cutting off the rest of Habiba's words. "What's going on here?"

Five sets of female eyes turned to watch the young man approach, his face showing surprise and curiosity. One set widened and Eliska's lips thinned as her inward cursing hit deafening levels. Things were complicated enough with her neighbours, Tariq showing up was about to make things worse.

"Who are you? You're not from around here." Habiba asked, frowning as she studied his clean, well-coloured cotton clothing.

Tariq raised his eyebrows and moved to stand beside Eliska. "My name's Tariq and I live here," he said nodding towards the house they stood in front of. "May I ask why you're standing outside our home, bothering my wife?"

Eliska turned to slowly look at him, eyes wide, just barely keeping herself from choking. He'd just-

"Wife?" Maysa asked eyes wide. "We thought she was a runaway!"

He gave her a look that made her blush. "Do you believe I'm not taking proper care of her? I admit I've been busy with work of late and haven't been around as much as I should be, but I can assure you, my wife is no runaway."

Kamali coughed, not meeting his eyes. "We were just worried, seeing her alone so often."

"We're glad to meet you," Shirin added, gaze on the ground.

"We just wanted to ensure the neighbourhood was safe and respectable," Habiba added, crossing her arms over her chest.

Tariq swept the four women with his eyes, a frown pulling his lips down while Eliska still stared at him. Her mind raced as she tried to figure out what her best option was, the shock of his announcement making it hard for her to think properly. "Excuse me, but I'm tired and I would like to spend time with my wife, who I've been neglecting due to work."

"What do you do then?" Habiba asked, suspicion in her eyes not yet gone.

He sighed in exasperation. "I'm a trader, now if you're finished interrogating me, I would like to head inside and rest." Tariq glanced at Eliska, who was still staring at him, and reach out to gently stroke one cheek with his thumb.

Before she knew what he was doing, he'd leaned down and kissed her. His lips were dry, soft, warm, and seemed to light a spark in her like wool against amber. He broke the kiss after a long moment and she couldn't stop the red flare of her cheeks as her eyes went to the ground. A man, a strange man at that, had just kissed her. She should slap him, stab him, do something to show her anger at it, how much she disapproved of his assumption that he could just do whatever he wanted. Even if it had been nice.

She shook that thought away, ears pricking up as she heard Tariq speak. "Sorry dear one, he said, sliding an arm around her shoulders to hug them. "I didn't mean to embarrass you in public. Let's head inside now."

Tariq nodded sharply at the women watching them with wide eyes and open mouths before he propelled Eliska forward. She let him, mind still working, trying to figure out what to do to deal with this and keep her cover intact. When she fumbled with her key, Tariq took it from her and unlocked the door, shutting it once they were both inside.

Like the thunk of the door closing had been the signal, her brain seemed to lurch into clarity and Eliska turned slowly to glare at Tariq.