CHAPTER 15“I gave her a Bedouin dress from the Northern Sahara,” Hubert wrote in his letter to Eric. “A garment with the most beautiful embroidery. I'm not sure if you've seen one of those before. I bought it years ago on my trip to Tangier. On the dress, there are geometric ornaments in brilliant orange and carmine red. Attached somewhere on the seam, off to the left, is the tiny image of a scorpion stitched in fine silk. The scorpion is seen in the precise pose, curved like a question mark, when it inflicts the sting. The image of the beast in its deadly pose is the artificial blemish designed to spoil the beauty, lest -- as the Bedouins believe -- the garment and the body it clads be consumed by the forces of evil.
“She wore it once for me when we went to a concert. I remember a moment
