'Will you come with me?' she asked, suddenly nervous. She had never left her fantasy apartment other than to go back to her reality.
'I'm not invited,' Kyle said. 'You'll be alright, Nora, and I'll be waiting for you to get back. Remember, we have a couple of hours left.' His hand went beneath her elbow, and he led her to a double door of heavy bronze. It was an elevator. Rolf came this way. Kyle pressed the button, and the doors opened soundlessly.
The elevator was of polished pecan wood. There was a mirror in its rear, beneath which was a small red leather bench. A little crystal chandelier was fitted into its ceiling. He ushered her in and, leaning over, pressed a button. 'It's okay,' he said as the doors closed softly. She couldn't feel any movement, and yet she knew the elevator was going down. For a moment she grew claustrophobic, and then she took a deep breath. It was all an adventure, and she suddenly realized she could hardly wait to see what came next. The elevator stopped suddenly, and its doors opened. Nora stared at what was in front of her.
Chapter Six
She wasn't certain exactly what she had expected, but certainly not this. Stepping from the elevator, she found herself in a big room with a pale creamy carpet so plush she wasn't certain she could stand up in her high-heeled shoes. The lower half of the walls was paneled in oak. The upper half was wallpapered in a large elegant floral pattern in quiet tones of greens and coral on a cream-colored background. The ceiling was oak coffered, and the lighting was subdued. There was a couch covered in a pale gold silk brocade, a row of matching single chairs, and a mahogany coffee table on one side of the room. On the other, there were two beautiful wood desks with matching computer workstations, where two women of indeterminate age worked. They did not look up as the elevator opened and Nora entered the room.
A third woman, however, dressed in a nicely tailored wool tweed suit in shades of gray and lavender came forward, smiling. Her hair was salt-and-pepper in color, cut short, and styled beautifully. 'Mrs. Buckley?' She held out her hand to shake Nora's hand. 'I'm Margaret, Mr. Nicholas's personal assistant. Come this way, please. He's waiting for you.' She turned and moved down the room toward a set of carved and paneled mahogany doors at the other end of the room.
Nora followed, amazed that she could actually walk in her stylish sling-backs. There was an empty desk next to those doors, opposite the other two. As she moved by those desks, neither of the women seated bothered to look up. They seemed to be very busy with whatever it was that they were doing. What were they doing? Nora wondered a little nervously.
Margaret knocked on one of the carved doors and, opening it immediately, ushered Nora inside. 'Mr. Nicholas, Mrs. Buckley is here.' Then she turned and retreated through the doors, closing them behind her.
Once more Nora was surprised. She had thought Mr. Nicholas would be French or Italian perhaps. She pictured a man in his early forties, suave and sophisticated, tall and well tailored, with dark hair and a lean body. The man who now came smilingly forward, his well-manicured hand outstretched in greeting, was nothing at all like that, except perhaps for his well-tailored dark pin-striped suit. He was short. Perhaps five feet and seven inches. He was in his late fifties, or possibly early sixties. His hair was wavy and gray, and obviously styled. His feet, she noticed, were small and he wore beautifully polished dark leather shoes. Her father had always worn shoes like that.
'My dear Mrs. Buckley, how very nice to meet you,' he said. His voice was cultured, with just the slightest hint of a British accent. 'May I call you Nora?' He took her hand and, tucking it in his arm, led her to a mulberry-colored velvet brocade couch that was set before a blazing fire. On the butler's tray before the couch was a silver tea tray. 'I thought you might be ready for a small nibble, my dear.'
'Thank you,' Nora managed to say.
'Green or black?' he asked her.
'Green would be lovely,' Nora responded. 'Would you like me to pour?'
'No, no, my dear, I shall do it.'
He picked up a delicate china cup and saucer in one hand, and a silver teapot in the other. Nora watched, fascinated, as the pale green gold tea poured from the silver spout into the round cup. She reached out to take it from him. He then poured himself a cup of tea from the other pot.
'Milk? Sugar? Lemon?' he inquired politely.
'Lemon, please,' Nora said, reaching out to take a tiny silver fork to snare the round, and put it in her tea.
'At this time of night I far prefer cambric tea,' Mr. Nicholas said, liberally adding sugar and milk to his cup. He smiled at her, and nodded to another plate on the tea tray. 'Biscuit?'
Nora reached for a chocolate biscotto. 'Thank you,' she said. 'I love these, but they are so expensive. It's a lovely treat.' She took a bite, crunched it down, and then sipped at the tea, which had the faint aroma of peach.
They sat in silence for a short while, drinking their tea and eating the cookies on the plate. It was a bit, Nora considered, like the Mad Hatter's tea party. She had to swallow back a giggle at one point. Finally her companion spoke.
'Kyle tells me you have some questions regarding The Channel,' Mr. Nicholas said, engaging her with his dark eyes. His eyes were mesmerizing.
'I would like to know,' Nora said, coming right to the point, 'if it would be possible for me to remain in The Channel for a short time.'
'Why?' he asked her.
'I am in the midst of a rather nasty divorce,' Nora began, but he stopped her, waving his hand.
'I am aware of that, my dear. My question was, why do you want to remain within The Channel for a time?' he said.
'I have never been happier than when I am here,' Nora said. 'I just want to get away from my reality for a little while. Not forever. Just for a little while.'
'Anything is possible here,' Mr. Nicholas began. 'Yes, you could remain with us for a time.'
'How would my absence be explained in my reality?' Nora wanted to know.
He smiled a brief cool smile. 'You would appear to be unconscious,' he answered her.
'They would move me if I were unconscious,' Nora said. 'How would I return to my own reality if that happened?'
'When you wished to leave us you would indicate your desire to do so, and you would wake up wherever you were, my dear. There is really no mystery to it.' He took a deep sip of his sugared tea. 'The use of the television is a technology you understand, but it is not really necessary to The Channel.'
'If my son came home, and found me in front of the television, what would he see on the television?' Nora asked Mr. Nicholas.
'Of course you would not want J. J. to see you amusing yourself with Kyle, I understand, my dear. These are private pleasures you enjoy, and not for general consumption. Your son would see what appeared to be an unavailable channel, as if you had punched in the wrong station. The zigzagged screen,' he explained.
Nora did not bother to ask him how he knew her son's name. He would have said what Kyle said, she suspected. 'Is The Channel available everywhere?' she queried him.
'We are given different names in different locations, but yes. We can be accessed all over the world in one way or another,' Mr. Nicholas told her as his dark eyes danced with amusement. 'Do you know when you would like to join us?' he said to her. 'Now that I know your wishes, we need no further notice. You may come when you choose to come, my dear.'
'Not yet,' Nora said. 'I just wanted to know if it were possible, and I may never remain longer than an evening.'
'Ah, but I think you will,' Mr. Nicholas told her. 'Kyle is very charming, and so much nicer than what you have been used to, my dear. Since you have not changed him, I can assume he is performing his duties in a satisfactory manner. Have you grown bored with Rolf? You have not used him recently.'
Nora felt a blush heating her cheek. 'Rolf is delightful,' she said coolly, 'but Kyle needed more of my time. Rolf
