SNAP: The World Unfolds

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“Welcome,” the Baron said.  Pen just serenely smiled.

“I hope your trip wasn’t too tiring.  I think it’s easier to break it up so I ordered the pilots to make the refueling stop in Newark longer than usual.  Jean, you have your usual suite.  Ms. Gwenoch, you’ll be in the Marie Therese suite in the same wing.  We’ll let you get settled then we’ll meet in the ground floor drawing room.”  The Baron moved off, with Pen sailing right along.  I could hear her saying something, but she wasn’t speaking English.

Jean-Louis saw me watching.   “Here, we speak Hungarian,” he spoke quietly.  “Many of us speak several languages, it makes it easier to move around.  Come on, I’ll show you your room.”

Two flights rose from the foyer to the open mezzanine above and he took the left-hand one, heading down a long hall at the top.

“This is mine.”  He opened a door to an apartment whose furnishings were early 19th century.  Mary Shelly and the group would have felt right at home.   There were tapestries on the walls, thick carpets on the floors and carved furniture like I’ve never even seen in a museum.  “The Baron has made some improvements.  There’s a modern bathroom through the dressing room and the whole castle has wifi and satellite dishes.  In a pinch, there’s even a satellite phone.”

That certainly made sense, for the owner of one of the world’s largest media empires.

“Yours is along this corridor.  I’ll show you,” and he put his hand casually at the back of my waist.  It tingled, like his touch had when we danced those weeks ago.  But now I knew what he really was; was this a tingle of attraction or fear?  I wanted to pull away.  I wanted to melt back against him.  There was too much new information happening and I couldn’t process it fast enough.  I needed some time alone, time I wasn’t likely to get until we were back in LA.

My rooms, with bed, sitting and bath, were further along the corridor.  Smaller than Jean-Louise’s, they were beautifully decorated with 19th century furnishings.  Both a fireplace and a ceramic heater with painted and gilded Baroque flourishes were in one corner.

“Is it really that cold here?” I asked, pointing at it. 

“That’s a later addition,” Jean-Louise said.  “The castle has been in use for more than 400 years so the Baron has done a few renovations.  Those heaters date back to when this wing was redone, some 250 year ago.  There’s a central tunnel connecting all the rooms so the servants can keep them going without disturbing anyone.”

A knock and the door opened.  One of the guards was there with my luggage followed by another man and woman.

“I’m Josef,” the man announced.  “The Baron wants to see you in a quarter of an hour.  Lisbet will help you unpack and get freshened up,” He nodded at the young woman who looked way too healthy to be a SNAP girl.  She smiled, said “Welcome,” which came out “Velcome” and began taking my things out and putting them away.

I turned to say something to Jean-Louis and found only air.  “Jean-Louis will be back to escort you downstairs,” Josef said and left.

I was pretty well freshened after my time in the plane’s bathroom.  After Lisbet unpacked my bathroom things, I touched up my make-up, gave my hair a shake and headed down the corridor to find Jean-Louis just coming out of his rooms.

“Let’s go down and hear some stories.”  His eyes were violet in the dim light and his skin glowed; it looked as though it had been brushed with something, almost stardust.  He took my arm and we headed into the drawing room where the Baron and Pen were in conversation.