Three Rivers by Roberta Latow Read Free Book Online Page B

Century Ltd.
    The main cabin took up about one third of the plane. There were a pair of doors that opened up to the next section, which had a closed-off kitchen to the left of the entrance, and to the right a small room equipped with desk and typewriter. Straight ahead was the dining room, dominated by a long, oval table with ten chairs on each side. At the end of this room was another pair of doorsthat led to a hall with bathrooms to the left and right. Straight ahead was the last pair of doors. Alexander stepped aside as the servant unlocked the doors and then threw them open.
    Sir Alexis’s private room had the atmosphere of a study in a French country house. There was a large Provincial desk, and two chairs covered in camel-hair cloth and trimmed in chocolate-brown-colored braid. The sofa was a country bed of polished steel with curved ends. The mattress and cushions were plump with down and made up for sleeping, with deep peach linen sheets and pillow cases trimmed in cream-colored lace. Folded at the end of the bed was a lightweight blanket of fine cashmere in a small checkered pattern of peach and white; all four sides of the blanket were scalloped and the edging on the scallops was of thick, white silk thread, so tightly stocking-stitched together it looked like piping. There was a Provincial commode with heavy brass mountings and on the yolk-yellow marble top there were decanters of whiskey, one of water, and glasses on a heavy baroque silver tray. In front of the sofa bed was a long slim table whose top was no more than six inches off the floor. Isabel recognized it as an Arab tailor’s table, one of the finest she had ever seen. She guessed its age to be about 150 years. On the inlaid wooden top of the table was a low bowl filled with jasmine which trailed aimlessly, almost covering the table’s surface in some places. She saw a white card in an envelope among the blossoms, but chose to ignore it for a moment.
    “Isabel, Sir Alexis hopes that you will make yourself comfortable. You are welcome to sleep in this room if you like. Your luggage is in the dressing room beyond, and the bathroom is beyond that.” Alexander pointed to a door at the end of the room as he continued. “This is Gamal, and he is to be your servant until you return to London. If there is anything that you need, he will help you. His English is quite good.” He then turned to Gamal and said, “This is Miss Wells, Gamal. Sir Alexis wants you to help her in anything she needs.”
    Gamal said he understood and smiled at Isabel approvingly. He showed her where the button was to call for him if he was needed. Then he turned to her and asked if there was something she wanted now. Shethanked him and told him there was nothing for the moment.
    Alexander asked Isabel if she would join him for a drink in the main cabin. The other two guests were in the cockpit and would be joining them presently. He went to the desk and picked up the telephone receiver, buzzed through to the cockpit and asked when they were to take off. Turning to Isabel, he told her that the plane would be ready to leave in ten minutes. The only rule that Sir Alexis had on this aircraft was that when the captain announced takeoff, everyone on board had to be in the main cabin, buckled into a seat, which they could not leave until the captain announced that the plane was safely airborne.
    Isabel asked for five minutes to comb her hair. Gamal opened the doors and Alexander and the servant left the room.
    The moment the doors clicked shut, Isabel went directly to the table and reached down to the jasmine blossoms, whose heady scent had filled every inch of the room. She plucked out the little white envelope: It was sealed.
    Isabel felt a flutter of excitement as she tore the envelope open and quickly pulled out the little white vellum card. Written in black ink with a wide nib fountain pen was “Alexis Hyatt.” Nothing else, simply “Alexis Hyatt.” Isabel took the card and her