Of the four "distinguished guests" whom T.R. had invited, Frederika Mathilde Louisa Saskia had the highest social rank, as such things were calibrated in books of old-school etiquette. She would be lodged in his home as a personal guest, while others were relegated to the hotel. Alastair and Rufus, as less essential staff, got off at the hotel, while Saskia, Willem, Fenna, and Amelia stayed in the car for a sixty-second drive to T.R.’s place. En route the vehicle passed through deep fords of running floodwater. It was the first time, in Saskia’s experience, that Americans’ absurd attachment for gigantic, high-off-the-ground SUVs had actually served any useful purpose.