The Venetian Palace

The heavy carved walnut doors of the Doge’s master suite clicked shut, sealing Duke and Duchess inside their private Venetian sanctuary. Through the floor-to-ceiling arched Gothic casements, the midnight breeze from the Grand Canal billowed the sheer ivory silk curtains into graceful, ghostly waves. Moonlight poured across the polished terrazzo floor, illuminating the massive four-poster bed of carved antique Italian walnut draped in rich Venetian gold damask and pure Egyptian…