We didn't return to the study, but retreated back toward the front of the house and through another doorway, into a wide foyer. I saw an open pair of doors on the far side, more light reaching us, and realized we'd only been in one wing of the big house. I pulled my hand free of Piers's as we entered what looked like a dining room. But there was no food on the table, much to my stomach's displeasure. Instead, a large map of the countryside spread over its surface, the palace in the center.
It was even bigger than I thought, if I was reading the scale of the map correctly. Had to be larger than a couple of football fields. Who lived in such opulence?
As much as I loved Charlotte and everything, part of me had to agree with the revolution, which brought down the Romanovs, if this was their idea of a country house.