CHAPTER SIX
Cressida followed her to a large room equipped as a beauty salon. At the far end a girl was having her hair done. Michiko told Cressida to lie on a couch. Another girl in a white tunic appeared. Michiko spoke to her quietly and went away.
“Hi,” said the girl, a pretty blonde with short hair. “I’m Katrina. First you are going to get a facial.”
She covered Cressida with a white cotton gown, cleansed and exfoliated her skin and began to smooth some green gooey stuff on to her face. She was a cheerful girl who seemed willing to chat. Cressida asked her how long she had been at the palace.
“A year now,” Katrina said.
“How do you feel about it?” Cressida asked.
“I cried at first,” Katrina answered. “I missed my mother. But now it’s not so bad.”
“What is he like, Ruslan?”
Katr
