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An exciting tale of travel and adventure,
and - when Ice and Fire combine - romance - in spite of the danger to all concerned.
In the Harem by Osman Hamdi Bey
Lady Hester Stanhope |
An exciting tale of travel and adventure,
and - when Ice and Fire combine - romance - in spite of the danger to all concerned.
In the Harem by Osman Hamdi Bey
Lady Hester Stanhope |
In the early years of the 19th Century
In 1810, Lord Byron and his friend John Cam Hobhouse arrived in Constantinople. During their stay, they accompanied the British Ambassador on a formal visit to the Sultan, Mahmud II. Hobhouse later wrote that the Sultan, dressed in yellow satin, his milk-white hands ‘glittering with diamond rings’, had an ‘air of indescribable majesty’.
This was confirmed by the wife of the retiring British Ambassador, Robert Adair. She had attended the ceremony, disguised as a man.
When Ambassador Robert Adair left in 1810, he promoted 24 year-old Stratford Canning, [ later Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe ], as Minister Plenipotentiary. He was an energetic young man with robust ideas on protecting British interests. He had a wide intelligence network and corresponded with all his counterparts across Europe and the
As the days grow longer, the birds are chirping and a few early bees buzzing among the newly opened flowers, and we also feel the stirrings of Springtime. After the long period of lockdowns, we want to escape, see different places and get away from our local limited area. But we can't risk undoing the progress made so far in quelling the Covid plague, so patience is still necessary.
However, armchair travel is unlimited. And through a book, we can slip away to anywhere in the world, even to any time that appeals.
In the period when war with Napoleon closed off much of Europe to the British, the sea was the route to lands where allies, trade and culture could be found. So, in 1811, Sir Richard Hartford fulfills his dream of studying ancient Greek civilisations, sailing as far as Constantinople.
They set off to join Richard, and at the same time to follow the example of Olivia's role model, Lady Hester Stanhope, who is also in Constantinople.
Olivia's adventures begin at Troy, where she meets a dashing mystery man. Unfortunately, he suspects her of being a spy.
Once she arrives in Constantinople, Olivia is keen to explore. Doing as the locals do, she takes a caique trip up the Bosphorus.
But... being Olivia, trouble is never far away...
The mystery man has her kidnapped for interrogation...and more, maybe... When Olivia won't cooperate, he threatens to have her tied in a sack and thrown in the Bosphorus. After such a cordial start, which way will their relationship go?