The eunuch’s glance swept the length of her body, her lean thighs, sinewy arms, boyish breasts. The enormity of his love could, at will, summon the many tastes of his beloved, even the flavor of aged wine he imagined pumped in her veins. To endure the memories that remained as painful as on the first day, his fingers played a silent lullaby in Moon Face’s hair. He knew his mistress well, the fury in her eyes, the twitch at the comer of her mouth. The past was seared into her heart. She conjured bygone incidents at will—especially her days with the Shah.

He had sent one hundred and two silk dresses to the harem. Narcissus had marched around and had called out the names of a handful of sultanas, handing each a robe. “The Shah will spend the noon hour with you.”

Like bees in search of nectar, the women buzzed around the halls, swarmed into the baths, and peeped through the latticed windows to accustom their eyes to the light. When the muezzin called the faithful to prayer, the sultanas followed the eunuch past the Hall of Felicity and the Hall of Entertainment, and entered the vast Pool Room. They were disappointed. They had anticipated a day of outing, a warming of their blood, a thawing of their desires. But the Shah had preferred the indoors. They dipped their toes in the water and glanced at the latticed screens from behind which the Shah was in the habit of spying on them.

Eunuchs handed them glass balls that distorted their images, pearl chains that shimmered, and quicksilver orbs with mirrored triangles. The sultanas dove into the water fully dressed. They held the strings of pearl between their lips, passing them from mouth to mouth, sheathing their teeth in fear of breaking the strings. They gazed at their distorted reflections on the glass balls and tossed them from hand to hand.

A hush fell over the hall. The women stared at each other. Their silk garments floated about them, their breasts exposed above the surface. The water had unglued the seams. They stifled giggles, thrust their breasts forward, arched their backs, and began dancing. A show for the king.

Moon Face balanced herself on her toes, exposing the triangle of her pubis to the invisible Shah. Her face swayed above the stem of her long neck. She bit on a string of pearls; iridescent dots punctured the water. Chasing the pearls, she caught them between her lips and concealed them in her mouth. Among a family of pearls, one matured in a poisonous oyster. Neither the color nor the size differed from other pearls, but if ingested, it instantly killed.

The Shah would see her swallow the pearls. Gamble with her life for him.

He invited her to his quarters.