The Bridal Strain: Emily & Colin's Wedding (Lady Emily) by Tasha Alexander

of concubines in the hamam (baths) inspired me to have Emily explore the rituals of Turkish bathing as well. Lady Layard, whose husband was ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th century, became extremely close friends with the sultan, Abdül Hamit—something that initially I wouldn’t have assumed possible for a western woman. But after reading about how she dined with the family in the harem (again, please remember the harem is not a den of iniquity—it was a family—albeit a large and unique sort of family—home, watched the sultan play with his children, and talked to him about his plans to form schools where girls could get western style educations. But they didn’t only travel with husbands or as part of the diplomatic corps. Anna Bowman Dodd, an American writer, also found herself welcomed by the sultan, and wrote in detail about harem life and Turkish women at the turn of the century. Myriads of English women traveled with a female companion to the outer reaches of the Empire and beyond. Gertrude Bell went on her own—and helped map Persia. She traveled throughout the Middle East, often staying in small villages and living with the natives. Her choices were more daring than those most of us modern women would make. I can’t count the number of people who questioned my decision to travel to Istanbul by myself on my research trip. There are ways in which we’re more timid than our Victorian counterparts. As I sat down to start writing the book, I wondered if modern rea