Page 65 of Inconvenient Honor
Liston’s eyes roamed over Richard. His wrinkled nose and pained expression left no doubt about his opinion of the marquess’s appearance.
“Come then. We’ll see if we can find you a tailor,” he said, glancing back to see if Richard followed. “And then we’re at your service. This must be a tale worth hearing.”
“With all due respect, my errand is urgent,” Richard said, coming up beside him. “I need access to the Seraglio.”
Liston turned on his heels. “The Seraglio? All due respect to you,” he retorted, “but no foreigner has access to the Seraglio. No one. Ever. Under any circumstances.”
“There is a woman there, and Englishwoman,” Richard told him.
“An Englishwoman?” Liston asked, astonished. “Who on earth?”
“It’s a long story,” Richard said, continuing up the stairs. He was increasingly sure she was there. Nothing else made sense.
I’ll see her if I have to batter down the walls of the damned Seraglio myself.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Adifferent Sahin Pasha than the sophisticate who had graced London’s ballrooms in the spring greeted Richard and Robert Liston. Clad in oriental splendor, he reclined on cushions in bright silken patterns surrounded by silk-clad servants.
“Welcome, Sir Robert. I see you bring my friend the marquess,” he said with no attempt to hide the amusement that crinkled his eyes.
The old reprobate! No amusement softened Richard’s bitterness. “Where’s Lily?” He demanded.
Sahin gestured to the seats near him. “Such manners, my lord! Come. Sit. Eat.”
Liston reclined on a divan to Sahin’s left. Richard remained standing. He looked around desperately.
“I sat on your uncomfortable English chairs all spring. Come, come. Sit in comfort.”
Liston shot Richard a pleading look. He sank down onto the seat to Sahin’s right.
“Where is Lily?” he repeated through clenched teeth.
At Sahin’s gesture, platters of dates and honeyed sweets appeared alongside a pot of steaming Turkish coffee. The ringed fingers of a servant poured the drink into tiny glasses and faded away.
Sahin and Liston drank. Richard took a sip and grimaced.
“You will adjust,” Sahin chuckled. “Eat some baklava, sweet to counteract the bitter.”
“Lily,” Richard prodded before taking a bite as directed. His eyes widened when the taste of honey exploded in his mouth.
“Such intensity! You should have protected her, My Lord Glenaire.”
“We had her under protection!” Richard snapped.
“Yet she came to me for assistance. Who can probe the mind of a woman?” Sahin mused.
“Is there a story here I should hear?” Liston asked.
Sahin gave him a succinct overview of Volkov’s threats.
“I’ve come from Thessaloniki. You dealt with your traitor ruthlessly?—”
Sahin shrugged. “It is always so with traitors.”
“—putting John Thornton in danger, not to mention Lily herself.”
“You understand, Sir Robert, why I felt obliged to offer the woman protection when she sought employment in the Seraglio.”
