SNAP: The World Unfolds

CHAPTER TWENTY

A knock at the door.  I jumped.  This little chat hadn’t cleared the air.  It was looking like L.A. on an August afternoon, so thick you could taste it.

“Come,” Jean-Louis said.

Josef opened the door and announced it was almost 7.  Because there were so many guests, the staff was trying to start people on their dressing early.

“Thank you, Josef.  I only need you to lay out my clothes, I can manage the rest.  Is Lisbet available?  I think Maxie would appreciate some help.”  He looked down at me with a soft expression.  “I know you’ve been able to dress yourself for several years. When you’re putting on new clothes, though, I always think it’s nice to have someone help with the fitting.”

I nodded.  I wasn’t sure I could trust myself to speak. I touched Jean-Louis’s arm and bolted down the hall.  Once inside my own room, I sat on the bed and took deep breaths for a minute or so.  Well, this was going to be an interesting evening.  I didn’t know what Jean-Louis had planned for the evening or for us, but I was finding it increasingly hard not to jump on him and doing this at the Baron’s formal dinner party for twenty-six people probably wouldn’t lengthen my job tenure with SNAP.  Damn the man.

Lisbet knocked and came in.  “I thought I’d wear the green one this evening,” I managed to gulp.  “There’s a pair of sandals that will look good.”  The dress I was planning to wear was a column of heavy green silk.  It had a circlet of beading around the throat which, in the front, fell into soft Grecian folds and in the back, was almost backless.  Underwear was pretty tricky and I was appreciative of the Neiman-Marcus shopper for guaranteeing I had all that I needed.

By a few minutes before 8, I was ready.  Lisbet had helped me wrap my hair into a chignon and stuck a couple of jeweled pins into it.  If I had to stand all evening, the sandals would be miserable, but I was counting on sitting attractively.  They gave me an extra three inches of height that made the dress fall even more gracefully.  I picked up a pashmina shawl and headed out the door just as Jean-Louis was reaching up to knock.

If he looked beautiful in casual clothes, he was stunning now in an impeccably tailored handmade tux with diamond studs.  Whatever had happened between us earlier, he was absolutely glimmering now as he looked at me.

“I hope you, or SNAP, gave that shopper a massive tip.”  He was admiring.  “That dress looks as if it were designed for you.  Shall we?”

I took his arm.  “We shall,” and we sailed down into the cocktail party.

It was just starting, the noise level low enough that I could still hear the introductions.  There were familiar faces.  Besides the Baron and Pen, Carola Whitsun, Mira Jorges and Francois Sartou were there.  Carola and Mira were attached to men, but Francois was by himself.  Everyone seemed to know Jean-Louis and he carefully guided me through the crowd, making introductions and saying hello.  It was getting easier for me to tell the difference between them and us.   They were beautiful and their skin shown with a burnished glow.  The family members certainly didn’t look anything like each other.  They ranged in age from about 18 to 50 or so and all were polished and healthy.

“Let me introduce you to Bela, Janos, Freidrich and Maria,” Jean-Louis said, coming up to a stunning group.  “They have all elected to stay in the area.”

Maria, a short brunette in her early twenties, had on a chrysanthemum bronze taffeta strapless gown with sash the color of her hair.  The dress rustled as she reached out to take my hand.  “Stefan has told us about you.  He’s very happy you decided to join SNAP.”  Her voice was low-pitched and her accent was heavier; “very” was “werry,” but her charm was unmistakable.  “Are you enjoying the work?”