….Surely they would not harm someone of her obvious wealth and breeding. They would ransom her, of course! She felt a wave of relief roll over her and she raised her chin slightly higher.
A barked command brought the soldiers to silence and they parted to allow passage to a tall man who’s rich clothing identified him as a noble.A further command saw Tatiana and her women bundled into the wagon. Fresh horses were hitched and the wagon moved off accompanied and surrounded by the remounted and jubilant Turks.
They reached the castle as night fell and halted in the courtyard. Looking through the gap in the wagon’s curtains Tatiana saw the Turkish noble dismount and speak to a sentry at the great door.
The noble waited by the door until another man, clearly of equal or superior rank emerged and entered into conversation with the first who pointed at the wagon. The two men approached the wagon and Tatiana drew back away from the curtain which was suddenly torn aside. The second noble stared at the group of women and then centred his concentration on Tatiana, staring into her eyes as his face broke into a smile of such pure evil, that she felt as if her very soul had frozen. More orders were barked. The women were hauled roughly from the wagon each accompanied by two soldiers restraining them by the arms.
They were taken to a descending flight of stone steps to the right of the main entrance which led to the main hall of the castle. The steps ended at an iron studded wooden door. They entered a plain stone room about 20 feet long and 16 feet wide with a rising flight of stairs leading to a trap door at it’s farthest end. The door slammed behind them and the five women were alone in complete darkness. Tatiana felt her way in the darkness to the steps leading to the trapdoor and mounted them.
She tested the door with her hand. It was solid and immovable. If she had known what awaited beyond it she would have been less eager to try to open it. This close to the trapdoor she could hear the distinct sound of merrymaking. It sounded very much as if a banquet was in progress. She could hear the ringing laughter of excited women.
Time passed. Maybe an hour. In the darkness one of the ladies in waiting sobbed quietly. Tatiana sensed, rather than heard, a change of atmosphere and rushed to the trap door. The sounds of merriment had been replaced by a buzz of anticipation.
A sudden loud rattling of whatever mechanism secured the trap door startled her and she fell back as the door crashed open. A lighted torch was thrust into the room, blinding them for a moment after the darkness. An order was shouted, repeated. They were to come out. Were they to be freed? Yes that must be it. A ransom has been demanded and paid! They mounted the steps, Tatiana leading and found themselves being pushed through a doorway Leading to a short vaulted stone corridor.
She could see figures waiting at the end of the corridor with light behind them and she could hear the murmuring of what sounded like many people. As she reached the end of the corridor she was grasped firmly by the arms and brought forwards into what was she realised, the great hall of the castle but she had never seen a castle decked out in the style of a moorish palace. She was amazed at the opulence of the silk wall hangings, the cushions, the divans And the people! The exotic Turkish clothing of the men! The scandalously brief and flimsy apparel of the women….

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