The Roster · Paddington · W2
Nora, first flute at the Rivoli Bar
Honey hair, a designer's eye and armfuls of ranunculus before breakfast.
Available todayBest with a day's notice; arrival evenings especially
- Age
- 26
- Height
- 166 cm · 5 ft 5 in
- Hair
- long honey blonde
- Eyes
- hazel
- Figure
- athletic
- Languages
- English
- Home district
- Paddington · W2
The full set
Four photographs, all of Nora herself: glamour and lifestyle shots, some with the face softened, none with nudity. Tap any frame for the larger print. How we photograph.
Nora, in brief
Nora hears clothes the way a musician hears a change of key, instantly and with pleasure. Athletic and 166 cm, she has honey blonde hair that falls long and hazel eyes that flash green in bright light. Her style is resort glamour brought to town: a draped jersey dress, gold sandals in summer, a wool cape in winter, and always something she has altered herself. You will not notice the alteration unless she points it out, and she will, proudly.
Spirited and adventurous, she has an enthusiasm that is hard to resist, and her warmth takes the starch out of any formal occasion. Mid twenties; her English is lively and expressive. Fashion design is her vocation and her joy, and she sketches constantly, able to say precisely why a jacket works or fails. Champagne is her celebration of choice. Early mornings, when she can manage them, belong to the flower market, where she fills her arms with whatever is in season and carries it home on the bus.
Her favourite glass in W1 is poured in the Rivoli, the little Art Deco bar inside The Ritz: walnut, gilt and glass, like the dining car of a grand old train. She adores it. She will order champagne and study the other guests' clothes with an expert and affectionate eye, and the evening often continues across Piccadilly for dinner or into Mayfair for something later.
Nora lives in Paddington and likes a day's notice. Evenings when a guest has just landed are a speciality. Piccadilly is her corner of W1, and Cressida will see to the rest.
The hours, priced
The Society's figures apply to Nora as to everyone on the roster: stated in pounds, given to her yourself at the door, and with her journey inside Zones 1 and 2 already folded in.
| Hour | Length | Fee | Suits | Enquire |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19:00 | One hourThe introduction | £600 | Long enough for a glass at the bar and a proper conversation, and a gentle way to begin. | Enquire |
| 23:00 | Ninety minutesThe nightcap | £900 | The hour with room left over for a second glass and an unhurried goodbye. | Enquire |
| 21:00 | Two hoursThe long drink | £1,100 | An evening in, or an opening two streets away, without anyone glancing at a watch. | Enquire |
| 22:00 | Three hoursThe second act | £1,500 | Supper somewhere small, then the remainder of the evening at a pace you set together. | Enquire |
| 20:00 | Four hoursThe table for two | £1,800 | Shaped around a single good table, from the first course to the last car home. | Enquire |
| 00:00 | Ten hoursUntil morning | £3,000 | From the first glass of the evening to breakfast in the suite. Ask a day ahead where you can. | Enquire |
| Fri | Two nights or moreThe weekend away | from £6,000 | In London or further afield, with one figure for the whole stay once the dates are fixed. | Enquire |
Past Zone 2, airports and changes of plan: Rates
Nora, after dark
Nora's evenings sparkle. She meets you in the lobby in something remarkable that she probably made, and leads you to a bar where the champagne is cold and the room is beautiful. Over the first glass she describes the dress she is designing, the flower market at dawn, the grower in the Montagne de Reims whose tiny production she swears is the best in France. She is game for a new restaurant or a late exhibition, and her energy makes almost anything seem possible. Dinner is lively and full of laughter. She is especially good with guests who have just come off a long flight: she makes the city feel welcoming and turns tiredness into a small celebration. She also knows which hotel bars still serve food at one.
Nora answers
A single ranunculus pinned to a lapel, in whichever colour looks braver that morning. It opens like crumpled tissue paper as the evening goes on.
A blanc de blancs, cold but not frozen. It tastes as though someone has opened a window in a warm room.
The shoulder. Get that right and everything else can be forgiven. Get it wrong and nothing can, however beautiful the cloth.
Remarks in the book
The page is still blankNo remarks have been entered for Nora yet. When a guest writes something worth keeping, and she agrees, it appears here beneath the guest's first name, with the month set beside it. Nothing on this page is ever composed by the Society.
Entered only after Cressida has read them · signed with a first name and the month only · withdrawn whenever Nora asks
A line for Nora
Nora is already named. Fill in the brackets, send it, and Cressida answers every line in a single reply.
Good evening Cressida. May I book Nora for [length] on [date], from [time]? I shall be at [hotel name], and will pass on the room number once you confirm.
Also based in Paddington
Vanessa
Laura
Patricia
Rosa
From After Dark Notes
- 5 min readThe second venue: leaving after the main course, on purposeLeave the restaurant after the main course and take pudding and a last glass somewhere with deeper chairs. Where to go in W1, what to order, and how to leave without breaking the spell.
- 5 min readDining in Annabel's district: the tables within a short walk of number 46Berkeley Square pulls every W1 evening towards it. Where to eat within a few minutes of Annabel's, by direction and by mood, and how dinner here turns into the rest of the night.
Send word about Nora
Mention Nora by name and the evening you have in mind. If she is spoken for, Cressida will say so plainly and suggest someone close in spirit.