'A fair number,' replied the prince affably. 'Yet I feel there is always room for at least one more-especially when that one brings such great cheer to the bleakness of the dark season.'

It was blatant flattery, but lightly spoken, and Cait decided it would be churlish to object to it. She decided to ignore it, and instead asked, 'What of your family, Prince Hasan? Is it large, or small?'

'Very large, Ketmia. Like all good Moors, our family is both numerous and industrious. Some of them live here with me, some on the lower estates in the valley, and some in Al-Maghrib.'

The corridor turned and they came to another pair of polished wood doors and, as the maidservants opened one for Cait to pass through, the prince halted. 'Here I must leave you,' he said. 'This passage leads to the women's house. It is not permitted for men to enter beyond this door.'

'Why ever not?' wondered Cait.

'In a Muslim palace,' the prince explained, 'men and women do not share the same apartments-a practice which creates some small inconveniences, as you might imagine. Yet we find the virtues far exceed any difficulties, and the separation promotes an ease of life which is commendable in many ways. I trust you will find the women's house to your liking.'

Addressing the two maids, he spoke in rapid Arabic; they bowed in response, and he said, 'They will bring you to the banqueting hall when all is ready. I leave you in their capable hands.'

He turned and walked away, and Cait stepped through the doorway and into a dream.

Beyond the threshold, the corridor opened on to a great oval-shaped inner courtyard with a double-tiered gallery running around the perimeter; in the centre of the courtyard, an alabaster fountain splashed into a round pool. Lanterns glowed from the gallery posts, and lamps burning with fragrant oils lined pathways on which patterned carpets in red, blue, and green were laid over smooth stone. There were small palm trees and broad leafy plants in huge painted jars and, here and there, low tables and cushions where the inhabitants of the women's house might meet to recline and talk.

Cait's maidservants picked up lamps and started along the right-hand pathway beneath the overhanging gallery. Cait followed, passing a series of small doors before coming to a flight of stairs leading to the level above. The maids indicated that they were to climb the stairs; one went before Cait, and one after, to light her way. There were but four doors opening off the upper gallery; they passed two of these and, stopping at the third, the foremost maidservant motioned for Cait to open the door.

Instead of a latch handle, Cait saw only a silken cord with a tassel on the end. Encouraged by the maid, she took the tassel and pulled -the door swung open and she stepped into a room unlike any she had ever seen. There were lamps and candles by the dozen-hundreds of them, large and small-filling the room with gleaming, shimmering light. The walls were covered with glazed tiles in gem-like colours, the floors were polished wood, and the ceiling! The ceiling was wood, too, but carved into a fantastic, dizzying pattern of intersecting lines; each place a line crossed another was inlaid with a mother-of-pearl boss in the shape of a star. In the flickering candlelight the ceiling seemed to glitter with a thousand slivers of light.

The room was spacious and open, divided only by a few pierced wooden screens. As in the courtyard below, there were low tables surrounded by cushions, and these were placed on thick wool carpets displaying impossibly intricate designs. There was a woven rug hanging on the wall, too, and a row of small round windows covered with glass. Behind one rank of screens was a low cushioned platform covered in glistening blue silk. This, Cait guessed, was her bed.

She stood for a long moment, taking in the bewilderingly beautiful sight, and then gasped, 'It is magnificent!' Her maidservants appeared to enjoy her amazement, and smiled behind their hands. 'It is the most wonderful room I have ever seen!' They laughed at this, and Cait asked if all the rooms were as sumptuous as the one she had been given. It was then she realized her servants neither spoke nor understood Latin.

At the end of the room opposite the bed stood another screen, and behind it a carved panel set in a niche. While one maid busied herself with a wooden chest beside the bed, the other led Cait to this panel. Taking the silken cord in her hand, she pulled, and the panel slid effortlessly aside. A rush of warm, moist air flooded over Cait as she stepped into the doorway to see a smaller room-the interior of which was almost entirely taken up by a pool of water. Curling tendrils of steam rose from the surface of the pool and one look sent a melting feeling through Cait.

The next thing she knew the maidservant was removing her cloak and boots; her swordbelt, girdle, and mantle followed, and Cait found she could not shed her clothes fast enough. She moved to the edge of the pool, and shrugging off the last of her clothing, stepped down into the delicious hot water. The blessed warmth made her weak in the knees and she gave herself to it, sliding in, submerging herself slowly.

The pool had a stepped ledge at the bottom on which she sat, feeling the heat seep into her cold and weary bones. With a splash, her maid Mahdi entered the pool; in one hand she held a small brass jar, and in the other, a lumpen, loaf-shaped object. These she placed at the side of the pool and, with a stirring gesture, indicated that Cait was to sit with her back to her.

She did so, and Mahdi began laving water over her head using the pale lumpy object-Cait's first encounter with a sponge. Mahdi then poured some liquid from the jar into her mistress's wet hair and began to wash it for her. More intimate ministrations followed wherein Cait's body was lathered and washed and dried and her flesh perfumed with fragrant oils rubbed into her skin. Although sorry to leave the warmth of the bathing room, she allowed herself to be wrapped in a great fluffy cloth and led back into the bedchamber where Pila'i had chosen clothes for her from the chest beside the cushion bed.

The garments were, so far as Cait could tell, most exquisitely made and of the finest fabrics in shades of scarlet and deepest crimson -some woven with gold thread to form glittering stripes-and all of them, somehow, to be worn. Lifting one gossamer length of cloth after another, she admired each in turn, but, try as she might, she could not discern how they should be assembled.

Her maidservants soon took her in hand, however, and dressed her in the manner of an Eastern princess. Layer upon layer, the loose-fitting garments were wrapped and draped and secured here and there by way of ties and laces. Cait relished the smooth, liquid sheen of the cloth and its delicate texture against her skin as each new piece was added to the others. The maids worked together with quiet efficiency, clearly enjoying their labours, and Cait began to feel as if she were a young bride, dressing for her wedding.

Just as they were finishing, there came a knock at the door, followed by the entrance of a tiny old woman bearing a lamp. At her appearance, both serving maids bowed, giving Cait to know that she was their superior – the overseer of the women's quarters, most likely. The old woman moved forward with small, quick steps, and came to stand before Cait and, by the soft glow of her lamp, proceeded to make a lengthy inspection of the newcomer, examining Cait's hands, feet, and face. She untied the cloth belt around Cait's waist, smoothed it between her fingers, then carefully rewound and retied it.

Satisfied, she spoke a word of command to the two maids, pointing to Cait's bare feet. Pila'i scurried to the chest and brought out a pair of thin black sandals, the soles of which were soft leather, and the tops black silk with tiny pierced pearls sewn in spirals over each instep. Cait waited as the sandals were slipped on to her feet, whereupon the old woman stepped back and cast a sharp, critical eye over their efforts. Then, with a sharp nod of her head, she turned and led them from the room.