NYC 26 April 2011

Dearest Cate,

Just returned your Mother to her suite at the Carlyle and thought I'd fire off a note and catch you up on our foray into the world of NYC antiques.

We've been beating down the doors of the Big Apple's finest emporiums on a quest for the perfect 18th Century mantle for the apartment's Living Room. For you see, this has been the focus of our dear girl's obsession since giving her nod of approval to the Ziegler carpet (yes, the divine turquoise number) I mentioned last week. it seems that with one decision in the bag (her terminology, not mine) her new Living Room is all she can think about.

Early Monday morning I woke to her panicked telephone call. It seems she realized, somewhere around 5a.m., that her current mantle was beyond ordinary and completely unacceptable. Biding her time until 6 am, she dialed me with instructions to "call my best people" and meet her for drinks at Café Carlyle at 6 p.m. I was told to be prepared with plans for a big shopping day on Tuesday during which she expected to find her new (to her) old (torn from an 18th century Parisian Townhouse) mantelpiece. During cocktails later that same day I learned of her urgency on the matter. It turns out she was boarding a plane Wednesday for London and the big wedding. Seems she could never enjoy the ceremony without this detail being resolved.

Happy to report a decision has been made. Early in the afternoon, at our friend Guy Regal's little shop on East 60th Street, we struck decorating gold; and we didn't leave the shop's first floor! Cate, your mother is many things; indecisive is not one of them. As soon as she spied the rich burgundy tones of the highly figured marble and its neo classical lines she stopped dead in her tracks and exclaimed "My work here is done".

A late lunch at Café Boulud, a few random stops along Madison Avenue and I was soon directing the car to return us to the Carlyle. Seems your mother wishes to supervise the packing of her bags for her flight abroad. I can only say "God Save The Queen".

A cocktail has my name on it somewhere in this Big Apple. Have no fear; I

shall find it!

Xoxo

James