Chapter 38 Chapter Thirty-Seven

Now is a good opportunity to see another view of Istanbul, so I wandered in the gardens, courtyards and pavilions.For centuries, the pulse of the empire beat here.To my dismay, I was told that there was very little exhibited from Mohammad's time, just a few decorations from his treasury, however, there was a lot to see and think about in the palace.Helen told me yesterday that in this world, there were more than 5,000 nobles serving the Sultan, and the eunuchs guarded a large number of concubines in those "beautiful prisons". I) reigned in the middle of the sixteenth century, and he made codes and laws here, making the splendor of the metropolis of Istanbul comparable to that of the Byzantine Empire.

It was the Guards that Helen described to me that most fascinated me.In fact, I've seen portraits of the Guardsmen, probably in a picture book.Thinking of their young and indifferent faces, gathered together to guard the sultan, I felt a colder and colder air in the palace, surrounding me. I was walking from room to room and it occurred to me that young Vlad Dracula would have made a fine retinue soldier.The Empire missed an opportunity on him that could have made a history less brutal.They should have caught him when he was very young and left him in Asia Minor instead of sending him back to his father.Later he was too independent, a renegade, loyal only to himself, who killed his followers as quickly as he killed his Turkish enemies.

This uneasy thought followed me through the rooms of the palace, where I felt evil or dangerous everywhere, a testament to the supremacy of the Sultan beyond doubt. In the end, I returned to the outer palace under the green trees bathed in sunlight. Here, I got a little relief from the complex feelings of sensuality and confinement, elegance and oppression. Helen sat in the hall reading the English newspaper. "Have you spoken to your aunt?" I sat down in a rickety chair beside her. "Yeah. She's as good as ever. She's going to give me a kick when we get there, but that's okay. The important thing is, she found us a meeting."

"Meeting?" "Yes. That's great. There's an international conference on history in Budapest this week, and she's sorting out visas for us." She smiled. "What's the topic of the meeting?" I asked worriedly. "European labor problems up to 2016." "Such a broad topic. I suppose we're here as experts on Turkey?" "Exactly." I sighed, "Fortunately, I visited Topkapi Palace." "The meeting is on Friday, and we only have two days to get there. We're at the Toastmasters on the weekend, and you're going to give a speech."

"What am I going to do?" I couldn't help but stare at her, but she pushed back a strand of curly hair next to her ear and smiled more innocently. "Oh, a speech. You're going to give a speech so we can go to the meeting." "Please, what are you talking about?" "I think it's about the Turkish presence in Transylvania and Wallachia. I think that's a good subject for you, because we know so much about Vlad now, and he's been in the Drive out the Turks." "Of course it's a good topic for you," I snorted. "You mean you already know so much about him. You say I have to stand in front of scholars from all over the world and talk about Dracula? Please don't Forget that my doctoral thesis was on the Dutch merchants' guild, and I haven't finished even that. Why don't you give a lecture?"

"It would be ridiculous for me to give a speech," said Helen, crossing her hands in the newspaper, "everyone at school knows me and is tired of my research." I sigh.She is the most incredible person I have ever met.I thought, maybe I was asked to go to the meeting for some kind of political purpose, "Well, what do the Turks in Wallachia or Transylvania have to do with European labor issues?" "Oh, we'll find a way to weave in a little bit of labor. Don't worry, it's going to be a great speech." "My God," I finally said. "No," she shook her head, "please don't talk about God, talk about labor relations."

I couldn't help laughing, "I think Rosie would love this, though." Thinking of Rosie hurts my heart, and for a moment, forever seems long and desolate before my eyes.I pushed that thought aside.We're going to Hungary to talk to a woman.The woman seemed to have known him—closely—long before I knew Rosie, when he was trying to find Dracula.We cannot ignore this clue. Helen could read my mind, "It's worth it, isn't it?" "Yes," I looked away. "Very well," she said softly, "I'm glad you're meeting my aunt." I guess you're less like your mother than this aunt of yours, aren't you? "Maybe the mere imaginary train journey pleases me," I smiled at Helen.

She only hesitated for a moment, "That's right again."Thank goodness I look a lot like my aunt.But you'll be very fond of my mother, as many people are.Now, may I treat you to dinner at our favorite restaurant while we discuss your presentation? " "Of course," I agreed, "as long as there are no gypsies there." One sunny morning, Barry and I boarded an early train to Perpignan at Bourou.