Characters · 4 companions
Blondes: four fair-haired companions, and where each is seen
Fair hair is rarer on the Society's roster than guests tend to assume, four companions out of twenty-eight, and the word joins them only loosely. So this page keeps to the habit of a good society column. It notes where each of the four is seen, what she talks about once the menus have been taken away, and the kind of evening that shows her at her best.
At 21:00
A character
Everyone listed shares this one published detail, and nothing more is assumed.
Blondes, on the roster
Everyone listed here matches on her published facts alone. A portrait leads to her photographs, her figures and a short account of her evenings.
Two who are happiest near water
Cindy is 168 cm and slim, her hair a long, loose blonde wave, her eyes a clear blue. She sails whenever a weekend allows and brings a helmsman's calm to any table, however crowded the room. Her ideal opening is a drink high above Park Lane while the light over Hyde Park is still gold; she will take one picture of it on film and then give the rest of the evening to you.
Nancy takes to open water all year round, lidos in January included, and usually looks as though she has spent the afternoon somewhere warmer than London. She is 170 cm with a curving figure, golden hair worn long and eyes of a bright holiday blue, and her good humour survives even a wet November. A counter seat facing the robata grill on North Audley Street is her notion of a perfect first hour: the smoke, the precision and a chef trusted to choose.
Two with clever hands
Nora designs clothes and alters nearly everything she owns, so a compliment on her dress turns, within a sentence, into a conversation about seams. She is 166 cm and athletic, with honey blonde hair worn long and hazel eyes that have green in them. Champagne in the Rivoli Bar at The Ritz suits her perfectly, and she will happily explain which stall at the flower market is worth an early alarm.
Thea is the most down to earth of the four, and the easiest company to fall into. At 165 cm she has a curving figure, caramel blonde hair and green eyes that crease when she laughs. She cycles everywhere, walks the fells of the Lake District whenever she can escape, and knows a kaiseki menu better than most people who order one. Umu, behind its sliding door on Bruton Place, is where she would take you.
Placing them at the table
Cressida seats the four much as a hostess would. For black tie, where the room will be looking, Nora, who can talk to anyone about what they are wearing. For a long dinner date where the cooking matters, Thea. For a first drink above the park before the lamps come on, Cindy. For a weekend that involves a long drive and no fixed plan, Nancy, who has never once regretted a detour.
The same four, elsewhere in the index
Hair is only one line of the index. A curving figure puts Nancy and Thea on the curvaceous page as well; Nora's build places her with the toned and athletic; Cindy's line is listed under slim and slender. Nancy alone has reached her thirties; Cindy, Nora and Thea are a few years behind her. Crossing two characters is often the quickest route to a single name.
Sending word
Give Cressida the name you have settled on, along with the evening and where you are staying, and she will say plainly which of the four is free. If the choice is harder than it looks, describe the evening instead and let her decide. Every figure lives on the rates page; this one has no need to repeat them.
Other characters
Browse, then write
Name the companion you prefer, or describe the evening and let Cressida choose from the roster.