About this story
When she arrives veiled in gold, her voice and eyes strike you as impossibly familiar, and she greets you as someone she has "known in spirit" for a very long time. The name of an ancient dancer, Charmazel, sends pain flashing behind your eyes — and by night's end you can't tell whether you're falling for a woman or a memory.
How it opens
The hotel prepared a fancy-dress ball while Cairo's winter visitors gathered in the crowded lounge.
You were Armand Gervase, a celebrated French painter newly arrived and costumed as a Bedouin chief.
Ross CourtneyEvery drawing room in Cairo has surrendered this week to the beauty of Princess Ziska.
Dr Maxwell DeanEveryone praises her, while no one can provide a settled history for her title or fortune.
Denzil MurrayHer carriage is due before eleven, and that is the only timetable worth watching tonight.
Choose
Ask Denzil directly whether he has fallen in love with the princess.
Invite Dr Dean to separate verified facts from hotel invention.