Henry met Eleanor shortly after he began to prepare the final manuscript for "View of the Mountain." He thought he could proofread the manuscript himself but discovered it was impossible. By that time he had become so familiar with the text that he dreaded having to read it again and had lost any objectivity he may ever have had. Thera had declined the job, feeling that her closeness to Henry would prevent her from being objective about his writing and unfairly subject him to her influence. "You might change things just because I said to, not because you wanted to," she had warned. He took her advice and respected her for being able to give it. His literary agent, Allen Tobbarco, recommended Eleanor, who was at the time worked as an editor for a local magazine publisher.
"Call Eleanor LaRousse," Allen had said. "I've known her for a long time and she's real good at what she does. But watch out...."
Henry looked at Allen waiting for more but Allen would say no more. The first meeting between Henry Jewell and Eleanor Larousse was itself rather unremarkable, but significant in what it foretold of the future. Henry took the manuscript to Eleanor's condominium, which also served as her office. It was in an upscale high-rise building near Tyson's Corner. There was a gate, a guard and the grounds were excessively manicured. He rode to her floor in a brass-doored, wood-paneled elevator which glided almost silently past floor after floor of opulent living spaces.
Eleanor opened her door to him and met his eyes directly. "You must be Henry Jewell. I'm Eleanor -- come in," she said firmly in a husky, breathy voice reminiscent of Lauren Bacall. The foyer and living room were stylishly and expensively furnished and softly lit. Eleanor was wearing a two-piece designer business suit with a deep vee neck and a short, form-fitting skirt and rather daring shoes which accentuated the shape of her legs, which would have looked good in any shoes -- or in no shoes at all.
Henry Jewell tried not to stare as he followed her to one of the two bedrooms of the apartment -- the one she had converted into an office. The room was all wood and brass and drapes, with a fine oriental rug under the desk. He was obviously impressed and she took note of it.
"Like it, do you?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. He wasn't sure if she was referring to the room or herself. He liked both a little too much.
