History Lessons (5 page)

He paused. "You'll be supervising your friend, Michelle. Do you think that will be a problem?"

"No," Lucy said. "I think Missy will be happy for me."

"I mean will it be a problem for you, Lucy. Remember, whatever they do reflects on you."

"No, Mr. Ellis. I don't think it will be a problem."

He smiled a small smile.

"I'm glad to hear that. Having friends can complicate things."

Lucy laughed. "That's a curious thing to say. I've always felt that friends enhance our lives. Surely you feel the same way about your friends."

He stood from his desk and walked back to the window, his back straight and stiff.

"Not really," he said. "I prefer not to make them if I don't have to."

"You're kidding?" Lucy looked at him with shock. "How can you live without friends?"

"It's easy, Miss Primm," he said. "Friends are fickle. They are an unknown. The only thing we can be sure of in life is what we already know."

"Like history?" Lucy asked, suddenly curious. She felt as if she were gaining some insight into this man, into what made him so very harsh and rigid.

He turned back and smiled, a real smile this time. "Yes, Lucy Primm," he said.

Lucy chewed her lower lip thoughtfully.

"Perhaps," she ventured slowly. "But the people you admire, the people who walked these halls, they approached each day with new hope, ready to embrace the unknown. Times were harsher then, as you've said."

"Yes, but simpler. The crops may have failed, but there were fewer variables in relationships. Things were arranged, planned. Behaviors were detailed, ingrained. And discipline was sure and certain when warranted."

"They were predictable? Controllable?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied.

Lucy laughed a bit now. "Well, I imagine even in their well-ordered world the Colonists had their share of surprises. Some things can't be predicted, not even with perfect planning."

She stood. "May I leave? I'm quite eager to look at the material you gave me and get started with my new duties."

"Certainly," he said, walking over and handing her a packet of papers in a parchment envelope.

"You should know, however," he said as he handed it to her, "that your new position means we'll be working together at times. Will that be acceptable to you?"

"Of course," Lucy said and gave a quick curtsey before leaving the room.

* * *

She waited until she was down the hall to stop. With her back up against he wall, she held the envelope against her chest and then withdrew it slowly, looking down at it in disbelief.

A promotion. A raise. Insurance. Lucy couldn't believe it.

Missy. She had to tell Missy. Tucking the letter inside her apron pocket she went down to the kitchen to find her friend stirring a pot of boiling bayberries over the fire.

"I thought Mrs. Nusbaum said this would be done outside."

"It's supposed to be," Missy said grumpily. "But it started raining and Mr. Ellis apparently wants the wax extracted by Saturday."

"That's right. I almost forgot. The demonstration."

"Yeah," Missy said. "And we'll be working it."

She rolled her eyes and wiped sweat from her brow. "So what did he want?" she asked, jerking her head towards the upstairs.

Lucy looked around to make sure no one was listening. "You won't believe me when I tell you." She smiled broadly, eager to share her secret with her best friend.

"Try me," Missy said.

"I got promoted!" Lucy studied her friends face for sign of happiness, and when it didn't immediately appear she continued.

"I'm head of the maids now and I got a raise and insurance, too. Now I won't have to worry so much if Kegan gets sick." Can you believe that, Missy? Yesterday I thought my job was in jeopardy and today..."

"Today you're my boss."

Missy took the pot off the fire. "Excuse me," she said tersely and took the pot over to the table.

Lucy looked after her, stunned.

"Are you all right, Missy?"

"I'm fine." Missy gave the pot one last stir. "I'm just wishing you had told me sooner."

"Told you what?"

"The truth," Missy said, her voice laced with irritation. "A man like Mr. Ellis doesn't go from threatening your job one day to giving you a promotion the next. This is why you didn't want to talk to me this afternoon, isn't it? You knew he was going to offer you the job."

Lucy looked at her friend in disbelief.

"No," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "How can you say something like that, Missy?"

"You're not the only one who needs a raise and insurance," she said, and turned away. "It would have been nice if you'd let all of us know there was a job opening. I don't think what he did was even legal. Aren't jobs supposed to be posted?"

"Missy," Lucy said, upset now. "Even I didn't know about it. Besides, this is a foundation, not a company. They don't have to post jobs."

"So that makes it OK?" Missy asked.

Lucy stood in silence, looking at her friend. The happiest moment she'd had all week had been tarnished and he truth of her own words came back to her. "Some things can't be predicted..."

She'd been defending her devotion to friendship against his devotion to history. Mr. Ellis had said friends were fickle. Perhaps he was right.

"See you after work?" Lucy asked hopefully as Missy removed her apron and prepared to leave the room.

"No, something's come up," Missy replied. "We'll have to make it another time."

* * *

Lucy was given new garb of better quality and stitching and a parking space in the management section closer to the house. She felt guilty parking there, and then even guiltier as she was directed to the private dressing room where she could change alone.

She knew she should not feel guilty. Mr. Ellis was right. She did understand the chain of command and knew she could do the job being asked of her. It still bothered her deeply that her friend wasn't enjoying the perks she was, but in the end told herself that she had to think of herself and Kegan before anyone else.

And this was a remarkable opportunity. The pay was a full ten thousand dollars a year extra, and she'd cried tears of joy when she found out. Paying for Kegan's program had been a struggle. Now she could pay in advance and save money in the process.

"Does the new garb agree with you?"

She jumped as she encountered Mr. Ellis inside the hallway.

"Yes," she said. "It's more comfortable. Thank you."

"These clothes are higher quality," he said. "But that's because they won't be getting dirty. Things like picking berries, feeding geese bringing in sheep, cleaning...those are now tasks you'll be doling out to others."

He paused. And now it's time to call the morning line-up," he said. "Are you ready?"

"I guess so," she said, and walked into the front hall.

The other women were milling around.

"May I have your attention?" he asked.

The women turned and Lucy, who was so used to joining them had to remind herself to stay where she was.

"This morning I'm announcing something of a restructuring here," he said. "Over the next few days I'm announcing a new head of artisans, a head stock person, a head gardener. My intent is to streamline responsibilities so I can have more time to go over this house and grounds with a fine-toothed comb until I ferret out and correct every, single historical inaccuracy I can find."

He turned towards Lucy. "To that end I'd like to announce my first appointment. Miss Lucy Primm will be taking over as head of household maids. You will answer to her, get your assignments from her, and adjust your garb and mannerisms as needed for accuracy."

"Any questions?"

The other women shook their head.

"All right then. May I present our newest Head of Household Maids, Lucy Primm."

There was a polite smattering of applause. Lucy's eyes scanned the row of maids and smiled. When she got to Missy, her friend dropped her gaze.

"Fine," Lucy thought. "Be that way."

"Thank you," Lucy said. "I'm really new at supervising, so this is going to be a learning experience for me. If you have any questions or suggestions, please bring them to me. I know it's always made a difference to me to have an approachable...supervisor. So please, don't hesitate."

"Is the demerit system still in place?" Missy's eyes finally locked on Lucy's. Her tone was challenging.

Lucy looked to Mr. Ellis for help, but he'd dropped his eyes, clearly indicating that he expected Lucy to handle the inquiry.

"Yes," Lucy said. "Mr. Ellis set that system in place. I don't have authority to undo it."

"So you're OK with it? And you'll enforce it."

The eyes of the other maids were flashing from Lucy to Missy and back again. Lucy wanted to cry out, "Why are you doing this," but instead she turned away and addressed the entire group.

"I don't make the rules, but I respect them," she said.

"It's amazing what a change in pay grade will do for someone's attitude," Missy said loud enough for all to hear.

This time, Mr. Ellis did step forward.

"Miss Palmer," he said, addressing Missy. "Do you have some sort of problem with my appointment?"

Missy didn't look so certain of herself now.

"No," she said, demurring slightly.

"Then may I ask why you're taking issue with Miss Primm before she's even had a chance to begin her duties?"

"I---I..." Missy began, and then Lucy saw her friend's eyes automatically go to her, imploringly. This time, however, it was Lucy who looked away.

"If it is a problem with policy that you have, Miss Palmer, then you're welcome to come discuss it with me. And if the demerit system isn't something you can live with then I'll happily give you a letter to take to your next prospective employer. As Miss Primm said, I make the rules. She simply helps me carry them out."

He looked around. "Is that clear?"

Everyone nodded and Mr. Ellis backed away.

Lucy's mouth felt dry, but she found her voice after a few moments.

"Your assignments are on the board," she said. "So if you'll all be to your duties I'll be around to talk to you one by one today."

The other women filtered out, leaving Lucy standing alone with Mr. Ellis.

"You failed," he said.

"I did?" Her heart sunk.

"Am I..?"

"Fired? No. But I will not tolerate your allowing others to walk all over you."

"That was just Missy," she said. "She was upset."

"By what?"

Lucy should have known by his dark tone that her next words should be chosen carefully, but instead she spoke without thinking.

"I told her I got the promotion and..."

"You
told
her?" His tone was incredulous.

"You didn't say I couldn't," Lucy said defensively. "If I'd have known it was supposed to be a secret..."

"When someone in a position of authority vests you with a share of it, you should immediately act the part. By fraternizing..."

"She's my friend!" Lucy said.

"Is she?" he asked. "She certainly didn't seem like it a moment ago."

Lucy started to reply but realized she had nothing to say.

"Miss Primm, please come to my office at the end of your workday. I'd like to continue this conversation, but I prefer to do it in private."

"Yessir." She curtsied slightly, and then blinking the tears from her eyes, Lucy Prim went off to begin her first day as the head of household maids at Hartford House.

Chapter Four

Lucy stepped out of the receptionist's office, watching as the last of the other employees of Hartford House walked in small, chatty groups to their cars parked behind the tree line.

Kegan's preschool director had been more than accommodating when Lucy had told her she'd be a bit late picking her son up. It was amazing, she cynically observed, how much more agreeable the woman was once she found out Lucy would be paying tuition a month in advance.

She was alone now in the office and stood there for a moment staring at the pattern made by the late afternoon rays shining through the simple lace curtains. Above her she could hear Warren Ellis walking about in his office and could tell by the sound that he was pacing. But why? Was he thinking of what to say to her? Of what he was going to do to her?

Lucy wasn't sure she could take another session with the cane. Even now her stomach twisted with fear when she remembered the brutal bite of pain she'd felt when it met her vulnerable backside, and how deep that pain had seeped into her skin. She'd spent the night sleeping on her stomach, staring at the digital display of her alarm clock as it ticked off the minutes. With each passing one, she told herself that no matter what she endured I was worth it.

"I need this job. I need this job. I need this job," she'd repeated over and over until sleep had finally claimed her a little past two in the morning.

Over breakfast Kegan had regarded her with serious eyes.

"You look sleepy," he observed.

"Mommy is sleepy," she said.

"Why?"

"Because I didn't sleep last night very well?"

"Why?"

She smiled, ruffling his blonde hair. "My head was too full of thoughts."

"Why didn't you empty it, the way you tell me to?" he asked. "Like this?"

He tipped his head to the right and gently tapped his left ear, displaying their quirky bedtime ritual.

"Now see," she said with a smile. "That's what I did wrong. I forgot to empty my head."

She leaned over and kissed him. "I'll remember tonight."

"You can do it with me!" he suggested.

"That," she said, "is a great idea. Now hurry up and eat. You don't want to be late for school."

He'd been content with this simple solution and she'd packed his lunch as he ate, marveling at his uncomplicated view of life. For Kegan, everything was a matter of trust. But then again his world was so small and orderly. She took care of his every need. Lucy could not help but envy her son's innocent existence. Insulated as he was, he was free to grow and dream and enjoy just being. Too bad it can't be like that for adults, she thought.