Free Dangerous Sea by David Roberts Page B

aeroplanes and stars, covered almost the whole of one wall. Remarkable though this was, it was made even more marvellous by a model of the
Queen Mary
which passed over the painted ocean between representations of London and New York, enabling passengers to plot the progress of their ship.
    The head waiter, who now approached them, might have been welcoming them to the Savoy Grill or the Berkeley. Without being required to identify themselves, they were ushered the whole length of the restaurant to the Captain’s table which rested on a slight dais. The Captain was not yet present but Verity was delighted to see, half hidden behind a huge swan sculpted in ice and dripping from the beak on to a silver salver, Warren Fairley and Jane Barclay. Proudly, she introduced them to the party and was glad to see the respect and warmth with which Edward greeted Fairley. She admitted, grudgingly, that, whatever his faults, Edward’s manners were perfect. Rather unexpectedly, Edward considered, the Dolmens were also brought to the Captain’s table as was Bernard Hunt accompanied by a lady wearing the most extraordinary coiffure which looked as though an exotic bird had died in her hair. This was Miss Doris Zinkeisen.
    Miss Zinkeisen was one of the best-known names in theatre and film on both sides of the Atlantic. She had designed the costumes for
Nymph Errant
and
Wild Violets
and numerous Cochran reviews. She was a friend of many Hollywood stars who depended on her, on and off the set, to look their best and she had been appointed ‘Personality Creator’ to one film studio. She was also a successful artist and had her first picture hung in the Royal Academy when she was seventeen.
    Hunt introduced her to the company, mentioning that she had been appointed by Cunard to decorate the Verandah Grill, one of the alternatives to the restaurant, in which First Class passengers could eatà la carte.
    ‘What an honour!’ Edward said politely.
    ‘Well, you know,’ she said, sitting down next to Edward, ‘the idea appealed to me but I said I must be allowed to decorate the whole room – curtains, chairs, carpets – not just do the murals. They wanted something light-hearted and gay. What a shock they got when I chose black carpets and deep red velvet curtains! They had in mind one of those awful twirly carpets you get in bad hotels. I said to them, “You’re mad. With a black carpet, when a bit gets worn you can cut it out and replace it with another square of black. You can’t do that with a twirly bit.” They were thrilled. They’d never thought of that.’
    ‘I haven’t had a chance of seeing the mural in the Verandah Grill yet.’
    ‘As for the mural, my dear, everyone says it’s divine, but I wouldn’t know. I was quite exhausted when I’d finished it but I think it
is
a success.’ She cocked her head on one side and looked more like a peacock than before. Edward tried to keep a straight face. ‘Do you know, darling, it was so long it wouldn’t fit in my studio. I had to borrow another one and then people would keep on dropping in to chat. When it was ready I took it to Glasgow and, my dear, I found total chaos. Can you imagine! There was I surrounded by hundreds of workmen, all very jolly, and passing remarks in their broad and oh-so-sweet Scottish accents and exhibiting their even broader humour. One of the dear fellows said to me, “Och aye, she must be a polisher,” because, you see, I had my overalls on. There were wires all over the place and they discovered the clock in the smoking-room below could only be regulated from up there. So do you know what, my dear, they calmly cut a bit out of my mural so the damned clock could be controlled! I do believe you could go through my mural like Alice through the looking-glass.’
    ‘I say, how fascinating! You mean there are passages between the decks?’
    ‘I guess so – service tunnels or something like that. Anyway, as I was saying, when the King came round to look