Chapter LXXIV - 1186
We made haste back to al-Quds, reaching the city after an absence of nearly four weeks. I should have gone to see es-Sid, but I left Karl and Hilmi to tell him the news and as soon as I had cared for my horse and refreshed myself I went to the house of Ali ibn Abbas, who welcomed me and called Mustafa to bring coffee. For a while we spoke of other matters such as the trip to Jericho and the latest rumours of tne bazaar, but at last he turned to the matter of Sitt Trudy.
"As I promised, I have spoken to your lord," Ali told me. "I did not say your name, only I asked him if it was not time for him to think of arranging a marriage for his daughter."
"What did he say?" I asked when Ali stopped to drink coffee.
"He laughed and said that she was too young, to which I replied that as she was fully fifteen some might say that she was already too old. Many girls are married when they are but eleven or twelve."
"True, by God," I muttered.
"Nevertheless Sir Guy will not hear of it. He said that he is not minded to marry Trudy until she is eighteen or even twenty, for he thinks that many women die in childbirth because they are married before they are fully ripe."
"It is possible," I said, doubtfully, for I did not know whether it was with women as it is with animals. "We had a goat that conceived at a very young age and was very great. When it came time, the goat could not give birth and perished, along with the kids."
"These things are in God's hands," Ali said, lifting his coffee cup to his lips again. "Myself, I think this is only an excuse and that really Sid Guy is reluctant to lose his daughter, for she is his only child."
I was silent, for that was certainly the case and there was great affection between father and daughter, as I myself had seen.
"There is more," Ali said. "I said to him, 'When the time comes, I suppose you will look for a husband for your daughter from among the Franks?' He said to me that while he would certainly look among the Franks, he would also seek among the Muslims."
"Wallah!" I breathed. "Al-hamdu-lillah!"
"He said that while Franks and Arabs remained separate the Frankish kingdom would always be in danger. Only if Franks and Arabs married freely could both nations become one - neither Frank nor Arab but something new. It is my judgement that he is minded to try this experiment with his daughter."
"By God!" I burst out. "So there is hope!"
"Hope?" Ali looked at me with compassion. "Fuad, you are like my son. Listen then to my words. Among us it is the beduin who have honour, for they come from the desert and are not made soft by living in towns. Among the Franks, however, it is not so. Among them the beduin are considered of very little worth - poor, dirty and vagabonds. If Sid Guy seeks an Arab husband for his daughter, he will surely look among the wealthy merchants of this place or even he will send to ash-Shams for the son of an emir."
"But if you speak to him on my behalf?" I begged.
Ali shook his head. "No, my son. I should merely lose his favour."
"Then I shall have to speak to him myself," I said firmly.
"Let me know when you intend to do this," Ali said. "I will have my servants dig a grave for you."
I kept my countenance, but I left the house of Ali ibn Abbas with great anger, for we of the Bani Ibrim are not subject to any man and to think that we should be compared to some merchant's son or even the son of an emir was intolerable. Indeed, so great was my anger that I even spoke of this to my companions that night.
"It is true," Hamed said. "I myself suffer from this, for though I am the squire of es-Sid and this baker is a low-born fellow who works with his hands, yet he considers himself superior to me just because he is a Nasrani."
"May God curse all unbelievers," Hilmi muttered.
"Apart from the baker's daughter and es-Sid," Babrak corrected him.
We all laughed, but there was little time for anger or laughter, for the winter was mild that year and pilgrims started to arrive early. The others left with groups of pilgrims the next day but I had a day in which to relax with Trudy and tell her of my travels, only I said nothing of my visits to Ali ibn-Abbas and Abd al-Wahid.
As we talked suddenly the door opened and es-Sid stood there. I felt my face grow black with shame, for I had not heard his footsteps and so was still seated with my arm around Trudy and she with her arm around me. Sid Guy said nothing but stood and looked upon us in silence for a moment and then he crossed the room and sat down at the table.
"Fatima!" he shouted.
We both jumped and took our arms from each other. Still es-Sid said nothing until Fatima came into the room.
"Bring me some wine, please," he said and Fatima, after a quick glance at us, ran to fetch wine for him, bringing not only a cup but a jug as well.
"Thank you," he said when she placed these things before him. "Now take your mistress and see if there's some sewing that needs doing or something."
Trudy stood up but to my astonishment she did not seem alarmed or fearful. She stooped and kissed me lightly on the cheek and then went across to Fatima, took her hand and together they left the room. I was terrified, thinking that surely this was the moment when es-Sid would kill me and all that was in my mind was to wonder whether he would do it himself or whether he would summon some of his squires and if so, which ones.
Ed-Sid waited until the door banged shut behind Trudy and then he spoke to me, but I noticed that he did not look at me but studied his hands where they rested on the table.
"Fuad, I think you like my daughter," he said.
I could not say anything and for a moment I yammered wordlessly.
Guy glanced up at me and his mouth twisted in a small smile. "Well, whether you like her or not, she tells me that she likes you." He picked at his thumbnail and looked down at his hands again. "In fact, she tells me that she wants to marry you."
At these words I jumped as if a scorpion had stung me, for this was shameless beyond speech. Such matters are no concern of a woman and if es-Sid wanted to arrange a marriage between us he should send someone to speak to my father about the matter.
"Sid ..." I managed to say, but Guy lifted his hand to silence me.
"Fuad, I won't say that I wouldn't prefer one of my Frankish squires for a son-in-law; I would. However I have always tried to treat all my squires equally and I have brought Ermintrude up in the same way." He laughed shortly. "I suppose I am paying for it now."
He was silent for a moment and I also was silent, not knowing what to say. Guy lifted his eyes and looked at me.
"The thing is, Fuad, my wife chose me against the wishes of her parents and family, yet we were very happy together until God took her. Inshallah you and Ermintrude will also be very happy - but Fuad, not yet. She is only fifteen and she reminds me so much of her mother. Let me keep her for a few years more."
