NESRINA ESCORTS US DOWN A long hallway, passing half a dozen doors before stopping at the one at the very end. She twists the gold and crystal knob and pushes the door open.
“For the Queen,” she says, inclining her head toward me. “We hope that it is to your liking.”
I step inside and the room swallows me. It’s an expansive space, with high, vaulted ceilings painted with clouds and cherubs and so big I think merely walking from one side to the other would take some effort. In the center is the biggest bed I’ve ever seen—a family of six could sleep in it comfortably—draped in fire-coral satin with a jewel-box array of pillows covering most of it. Yards of matching silk canopy over it, dancing in the breeze coming through the open windows that line three of the walls. Midafternoon sunlight
