By Western standards the conference room bordered on the archaic. Deep, claret-colored brocade lined the walls, enlivened by ornate gilded mirrors, spotty with age. Doors, windows, and baseboards were white, the carpet gold and cream; the curtains matched the brocade. The two pictures were on opposing walls: Karl Marx stared at Lenin, who was too busy orating to look back. From across the center table, covered with a deep red chenille cloth, Tatyana looked at the two most powerful men in her vast country: the president and the premier — also general secretary of the Communist Party. Although her expression remained impassive, her heart beat that much faster. The president, formal and polite, smiled and offered her a cigarette. She nodded her thanks, taking in the two men, both clad in dark blue suits and white shirts. On the president’s left lapel were three small medals; the premier had two. Tatyana drew comfort from her own Order of Lenin.
