spacious, the roof arching overhead, the muted colours in the decor rich in their subtle hues. Thewoman lifted an exquisitely hand-crafted silver teapot in one elegant hand with a look of enquiry tothe man opposite her. Everything-the woman, the penthouse apartment, the expensive and tastefuloriginal oil paintings strategically positioned-all suggested a restrained opulence, an unerring elegance,and an occasional, surprising slash of dramatisation.The woman was as flawless and as perfectly groomed as the beautiful, shadowed room behind her. Inthe muted elegance of the room she stood out in -a vivid