An Evil Eye

146

Palewski stood by the fire with his elbow on the mantelpiece.

“And so,” he concluded, “they sped across the frozen lake, the prince and the princess, to the gates of the ice castle. And when the ice maidens flung back the gates to welcome them, they went in, and sat down to the most beautiful banquet there ever was.”

“What did they eat?”

“Yes, what did they eat? They ate, um, tiny kebabs.”

“Why were they tiny?”

“They were tiny because that way they could eat more of them,” Palewski said.

The little girl nodded, as if that made sense.

“Ah, here’s Marta!” Palewski cried. “And that, Roxelana, is the end of the story.”

Roxelana nodded again, and looked serious. “I’d like tiny kebabs,” she said.

Palewski cast a hopeful look toward Marta.

“If the young lady will come with me to the kitchen…” she said with a smile.

Roxelana slipped off the armchair. She bowed gravely to Palewski and slipped her hand into Marta’s.

At the door she gave a little shiver, and turned. “I wouldn’t like to live in an ice castle forever,” she pointed out.

Palewski nodded. “It’s unlikely, Roxelana, that you ever will,” he said, thinking of Egypt.

When the door had closed he turned to Kadri, who was sitting in a window seat, and said: “Any sign?”

Kadri shook his head. “I enjoyed the story, too.”

Palewski ran his hand through his hair. “Good, good,” he said absently, and moved toward the sideboard.

“Here he comes,” Kadri said.

“Yashim?”

“I don’t think so. No. It must be Fevzi Ahmet Pasha.”

Palewski sighed. He picked up a pair of candles from the sideboard.

He heard the sound of someone yanking on the bell; the dry slither of the bell chain in the metal eye, then muttering.

He went downstairs and opened the door.

Fevzi Pasha was standing on the steps, frowning down at the bellpull, which had come away in his hand.

“Please, do step in.”

Fevzi Ahmet dropped the bellpull to the ground. “Where’s my daughter? Where’s Yashim?”

“If you’d be so kind as to follow me,” Palewski said, holding up the candles. “Just mind the first step,” he added, as he reached the stairs.

In the drawing room he introduced his visitor to Kadri. Fevzi Ahmet looked suspiciously around the room.

“Tea, my dear fellow?”

Fevzi Ahmet scowled and shook his head.

“Perhaps-if you’ll allow-a little brandy?”

The hunted man turned and stared at Palewski.

“Yes.”

“Capital! Capital! Do you know, efendi, I think I’ll join you.”