A waiter at Jules Restaurant (Rules) came walking gracefully from the side door, carrying half a dozen chilled oysters on a silver tray.
Blackwell stared at the cold platter in the waiter's hand.
The edges of the oyster shells gleamed with fine frost, lemons were neatly arranged, and diced red onions in vinegar were served in a small silver dish.
For a moment, he felt somewhat dazed, as if the clock had turned back a few years.
Salon dances in St. Petersburg, crystal chandeliers cascading down like waterfalls, candlelight reflecting on the gilded frames of the walls.
He was dressed in a snow-white dress shirt, shiny boots, wearing exquisite fox fur gloves, and the new silver buttons on his vest were able to reflect the light.
The hostess of the ball was Duchess Yekaterina Golitsyna. Blackwell still remembered how, that night, she personally led Sir Arthur and him into the antechamber, introducing them briskly to the daughters of five Dukes and the sisters of three Ministers.
