the elegant marble bathtub in Donna’s bathroom. And when she walked into the dining room with Gilbert riding on her head, she was glad to be beautifully dressed.

The vast room contained a table that could seat a hundred people. It seemed to stretch for miles, covered with gold utensils and porcelain plates and decorated with vases of white roses and heavy gold candlesticks. Only a few candles were lit, and the magnificent room hid itself in half shadow. A small group stood at the open window overlooking the garden. One man detached himself from the group and came to meet her, smiling, hand outstretched. A small black cat rode his shoulder, glaring at Gilbert and hissing.

Silently, Donna shook the hand of the great Caliph, a figure of history and legend, a storybook character from her early ch...

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