The Charmingly Clever Cousin (3 page)

W
HILE
A
HMED AND
Y
USUF WERE GONE, THE
princesses explored the palace and shopped in the bazaar. They returned with scarves and ribbons and treats, such as the honeyed stuffed dates Fatima loved so much. Lysandra insisted on paying for all their purchases with the golden coins from the magical purse she wore around her neck—a purse that never went empty.

When they weren't exploring or shopping, the princesses chatted with Selime and played with baby Hassim. Elena taught Hassim the pat-a-cake rhyme, and he grinned when she helped him clap and roll his hands together. Watching them, Fatima felt a pang of jealousy. Hassim seemed to like Elena better than her. Why hadn't
she
thought to teach him any games?

“I'm worried,” Selime announced when Ahmed failed to return home the evening of the second day. She had just put Hassim to bed, and the princesses were sitting by the fountain in the courtyard, gazing at the stars. “What if King Murad is more ill than we thought?”

“Maybe Ahmed just got a late start back,”
Fatima said, hoping to reassure her sister. “He'll probably arrive while we're sleeping.”

“I'm sure you're right,” said Selime. “I'll try not to fret.”

To take their minds off Ahmed's absence, Elena read some poetry and Tansy played her magic flute. Tansy's fingers danced over the holes, creating a lively melody. Everyone's thoughts drifted above them like wispy clouds.
I see the Big Dipper,
Elena
thought.
It looks the same here as it does at home.

Selime thought,
I wish Ahmed were here.

Fatima blushed to hear herself think,
I can't wait to see Yusuf again.

When Lysandra thought,
I'm pooped. I hope we go to bed soon,
Tansy set down her flute.

Selime smiled. Stretching gracefully, she said, “It
is
late. Let's all go to bed. We'll see Ahmed and Yusuf in the morning.”

 

But by breakfast the next day, the men had
still
not arrived. “Maybe we should fly out and search for them,” Lysandra suggested after the princesses had eaten.

“Good idea,” said Fatima. But as she was unrolling her carpet, hoof beats sounded outside the window. Yusuf galloped into view on his splendid black stallion.

“Whoa!” he shouted, reining in his horse.

Dropping the carpet, Fatima raced outside with her friends. Yusuf barely had time to climb down from his horse before the girls crowded around him.

“Hey, give a guy some room to breathe,” he complained. But then he smiled widely. “I guess you missed me.”

Fatima's cheeks warmed, and the other princesses giggled.

Selime appeared in the doorway with Hassim. Her brow wrinkled with concern. “Where's Ahmed? Isn't he with you?”

The corners of Yusuf's mouth curved downward. “Prince Ahmed is attending to King Murad. I'm afraid he may be away for several weeks until…” He paused, dropping his eyes. “I fear I was right, Princess. The king will not recover.”

Selime's hand flew to her mouth. “No!” she wailed.

Yusuf pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. Bowing, he handed it to Selime. “As you can see from this letter, my cousin has asked me to look after his affairs here at the palace while he's gone.”

Selime scanned the letter and sighed. “It's just as you say. There is nothing we can do now but hope and wait. I shall be glad of your help while Ahmed is away.”

Yusuf smiled. “Wonderful!” Ordering a groom to look after his horse, he strode into the palace ahead of everyone.

Fatima had hoped Yusuf would entertain her and her friends with more magic tricks now that he was back. But Yusuf took his new duties quite seriously, and he had a lot of ideas for how to run the palace. None of the princesses knew he'd fired any servants until the Royal Chef cornered Selime in
the nursery. “How can I operate a kitchen with just one maid and one pastry chef!” he exclaimed indignantly.

Covering her own surprise, Selime assured the Royal Chef she'd look into the matter. “Just what does Yusuf think he's doing?” she fumed after the Royal Chef stormed away. “Ahmed would never have done such a thing!”

Fatima had been just as shocked, but now she came to Yusuf's defense. “He must have his reasons. Let's go talk to him.” Her friends said they would go for a walk while Selime and Fatima met with Yusuf.

They found him in Ahmed's library, sitting behind Ahmed's desk. “Ah,” Yusuf said, looking up from some papers. “I expect you're wondering why I've let some of the servants go.”

Selime nodded, her lips a tight line.

Yusuf smoothed his mustache. “This palace has been very inefficiently run. The servants have grown lazy. Why, one servant could easily do the work of two, or even
three
. Just think of how much money you'll save for other things!”

Saving money sounded like a good idea, but Fatima couldn't help remembering how tired Nar had seemed the afternoon she'd watched Hassim. How could anyone do the jobs of two or three people when just
one
job was tiring?

“King Murad has been very generous,” said Selime. “We have as much money as we need.”

Yusuf cocked his head. “Really?” He pointed to the ceiling. “See that chandelier? It's very old-fashioned. The new ones are
much smarter looking.” He paused, examining the room. “And white marble is so…so
common
. All the best palaces have been remodeled with black or red.”

“I happen to like white marble,” Selime said stiffly. “And that chandelier is an
antique
.”

Yusuf frowned. “I could say something about your taste, but I won't.” Then he smiled broadly. “Change is difficult, isn't it? I understand how uncomfortable all this must be for you. But remember, Prince Ahmed asked me to look after things. Believe me, I only have your best interests at heart.”

Did he? Fatima wanted to believe him, but this new Yusuf was someone she didn't know. Where was the old Yusuf who told stories, did magic tricks, and teased her about frogs? “May I ask a favor?” she asked.

“Yes, yes. What is it?” Yusuf said crossly. He sounded as if he was in a hurry to get rid of them.

“Would you please tell us a story after dinner tonight?”

Yusuf rolled his eyes. “Really, Fatima. I'm much too busy for stories these days.”

Biting her lip, Fatima tried not to show her disappointment. Yusuf had changed.

D
INNER WAS SERVED AN HOUR LATE THAT NIGHT.
Fatima sipped her soup slowly. It seemed thinner than usual, with fewer potatoes and carrots and hardly any meat at all. Fatima wondered if this was another of Yusuf's cost-saving ideas, or if the Royal Chef simply hadn't had time to prepare the soup properly with so little staff.

Nar, who didn't usually serve at the
table, hurried back and forth from the kitchen bringing platters of cold chicken and mashed potatoes, and clearing away the dirty dishes. Fatima was glad Yusuf hadn't fired Nar, but she couldn't help noticing how exhausted Nar looked. Her face was red and sweaty, and her long pigtail had become straggly.

Dessert, when it finally came, was a rather lumpy pudding. Fatima noticed Selime left hers untouched, but Yusuf ate heartily. Perhaps he didn't notice the difference in the quality of the food.

Fatima sighed. Why had Yusuf changed so much? Or maybe he had always been this way, and she had never noticed before. If only she knew what was going on inside his head!

Wait a minute, she thought. If Tansy played her flute, they'd
hear
what Yusuf was thinking.

Leaning over, Fatima whispered into Tansy's ear. Tansy grinned. “Sure. Why not?”

Fatima stood. “Isn't it wonderful? Tansy has agreed to play a few tunes for our after-dinner entertainment.”

Selime's eyebrows rose. Fatima caught her eye and winked.

Rising from the table, Yusuf said, “I'd love to stay, but I have much to do.” He bowed to Tansy. “I'm sorry, Princess. I'm sure your playing is quite lovely.”

“Please don't go,” Fatima said quickly. “Tansy's worked so hard on her pieces. Haven't you Tansy?”

Tansy nodded and did her best to look sad. Elena and Lysandra exchanged glances. Fatima was pretty sure they'd figured out what she was up to.

Luckily Yusuf didn't know Tansy's flute was magic. Sighing impatiently, he said, “Well,
all right. But I can only stay for one song.” He sat back down.

Tansy pulled her flute from her pocket and began to play.
Now maybe we'll find out what's really going on,
Fatima heard herself think. The thought popped out before she could stop it.

She glanced at Yusuf. For a second he seemed startled. Then his eyes took on a hooded look. Suddenly the music stopped. Tansy's fingers continued to move over the holes, but the flute made no sound. Tansy frowned. Holding her flute at arm's length, she shook it. But when she put it up to her lips again, it still wouldn't play.

Tansy ran a hand through her hair. “I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with my flute. This has never happened before!”

“I'm sorry too, Princess,” Yusuf said. “I'm sure I would've enjoyed your little concert.
But now I really must go.”

Before he could leave, however, shouting broke out in the Royal Kitchen. A door burst open, and Nar raced into the Grand Hall. Sobbing, she ran straight to Selime. “Don't believe him, Your Highness!” she pleaded. “I'm an honest girl. I wouldn't do a thing like that!” She buried her face in Selime's shoulder.

“Here, here!” Yusuf said loudly. “What is the meaning of this?”

Now the Royal Chef ran in, huffing and puffing, and red in the face. Bending over to catch his breath, he pointed at Nar. “She's a thief!”

Fatima gasped. Please don't let it be true, she thought. She rather liked Nar and felt sorry the maid had to work so hard.

“Really?” said Yusuf. “What has she stolen?”

The Royal Chef wiped his face with a handkerchief. “Food,” he said. “Leftovers. A
whole roast beef from last night's dinner.”

Selime smoothed Nar's long pigtail. “Did you actually
see
her take anything?” she asked mildly.

“Well, no,” the Royal Chef admitted, “but who else could have done it? It wasn't me, and the pastry chef has been home ill the last two nights.” He looked hard at Yusuf. “There are only three of us left to
run the kitchen, you know.”

Yusuf laughed. “I bet it wasn't the girl at all. I bet
rats
have been stealing the food.”

“Rats!”
spluttered the Royal Chef. “How dare you, sir! I keep a very clean kitchen.”

“Of course you do,” Selime soothed.

If Nar
had
stolen any food, thought Fatima, she must've been hungry. The maid had been
working harder than ever lately. As everyone knows, hard work increases your appetite.

Fatima spoke up. “Forgive me,” she said, “but
I
took the food.”

“What?”
Yusuf and the Royal Chef shouted at the same time.

“I…well…I got hungry in the middle of the night,” Fatima lied.

“But a
whole
roast?” the Royal Chef asked doubtfully.

Elena caught Fatima's eye. “It was for all of us,” she said. “We were
all
hungry.”

“That's right,” said Lysandra. “We decided to have a midnight snack.”

Tansy rubbed her belly. “That roast was
delicious
!”

Fatima glanced at the Royal Chef. “Sorry we didn't tell you. I guess we should have known better.”

“Humph.” Grumbling under his breath,
the Royal Chef stomped back to the kitchen.

Yusuf eyed Fatima. “Nice try,” he said. “I honestly believed the problem was rats, but now I smell a cover-up. I went to bed at midnight last night, and when I passed your room, it was completely dark and quiet.”

He turned to face Nar as she raised her tear-stained face from Selime's shoulder. Pointing a long, slender finger at her, Yusuf said coolly, “You're fired.”