A Place at the Table
5
Dressing for Success
Meredith
“YOU HAVE CONCERNS?” Mrs. Cyning asked as soon Liam left the room.
“Of course,” I answered. “I am concerned about our ability to work together and worried that the honeymoon, so to speak, will be over before we really resolve our relationship. So far, I believe I have seen Liam on his best behavior and it is difficult to not imagine he will turn around one day and still be a brat. It’s worrisome.”
“Well, we all have our ups and downs. Do you believe you’ll be able to weather the storm when it breaks?”
“Yes. Oddly, I am more concerned as to whether Liam will be able to weather it. I don’t want to destroy what is being built. But I don’t dare let him walk on me. I appreciate your concern and the opportunity to vent about mine.”
“We shan’t have these talks often, I’m afraid. I don’t want Liam to think that you are running to me with stories about him. You report to him. I just wanted to confirm in my own mind that we made the right choice with you.” Mrs. Cyning paused for a moment and looked me hard in the eye. “I am confident we did. You’ve been carefully prepared for this responsibility which I do not place on you lightly. Do what you must to expose Liam’s leadership qualities. Help him to see them in himself. Goodnight, Meredith.”
“Goodnight, Mrs. Cyning.”
I stepped into the hall to find a woman waiting form me in a household uniform.
“Good evening, Miss Meredith. I’m Lupe. I was asked to give you a more extensive tour of your suite and let you know where and how to get meals, laundry, and help if you need it.”
“Thank you, Lupe. Today has been exhausting and I’ve not really taken time to learn anything about Buxton House.” She led me first to the kitchen and explained the protocol there. She also told me I could ask for a meal to be sent to my suite if I wanted. When we got to my room, she pointed out the huge walk-in closet and that she had already pressed and hung my clothes. In the dresser, my lingerie had been neatly folded. Fresh toiletries had been laid out on the bathroom sink. Unlike Mrs. Cyning’s suite, mine did not have a separate sitting and dining area. But there was a small table and chairs where I could eat if I wanted, and a lovely easy chair with a reading lamp. It was obvious the room was not set up for entertaining.
“This is your office,” she said, opening a door opposite the bathroom. “It is not completely set up yet, as we wanted your input on preferred décor and furnishing.” The room was large and had only a desk and chair in it, making it seem even larger. “The door here is to the hall so you need not take guests through your bedroom to reach the office.”
“And what is that door?” I asked. The third door was in the wall opposite my bedroom.
“That is a connecting door to Mr. Liam’s study. It is a security door and must be opened from both sides. You needn’t fear being interrupted or interrupting Mr. Liam.”
“Not much need for that, I think. If Mr. Cyning wishes to come to my office, he can use the hall door, like everyone else.”
“Yes, of course, Miss.”
I rose from bed, showered, applied makeup, dressed, and still made it to the breakfast table by eight o’clock. There was no sign of Liam. I went to talk to Cook.
“What would you like for breakfast, Miss Meredith?” he asked. “I can whip up nearly anything, but if you have a regular sequence of meals, it makes it go more smoothly.”
“Thank you, Cook. I’ll try not to be a pain. I feel awkward calling you ‘Cook.’ Do you prefer to be called by name?”
“I’m James Harrison, but I actually prefer being called Cook. It’s what I was called in the Army.”
“Then Cook it is. I eat lightly in the morning, preferring fruit, coffee, and some type of cereal, hot or cold. I’m not very picky.”
“That is not a problem at all. This morning, we have an assortment of fresh berries and oatmeal. Most of the staff just finished eating.”
“I’ll try to be earlier tomorrow. When does Mr. Cyning usually eat?” I followed Cook’s pointed finger to get a coffee mug and pour my own.
“He’s usually in and out by six-thirty when he’s here at Buxton House. Always has been an early riser.” I groaned. It would be hard enough to get to the kitchen while the other staff were eating but I was not going to suggest breakfast meetings with Liam.
As soon as I had finished my meal, I returned to my room. There was no telephone in my office but one sat by the bed. I looked up the number I wanted and called Elenchus.
“Good morning. This is Meredith Sauvage. I am assisting Mr. Liam Cyning in selecting clothing for the coming season and would like to ask about the uniform requirements and other clothing he will need at Elenchus Scholé this fall.”
“Of course, Miss Sauvage. I’m Ray Wellborn, the dorm parent for Mr. Cyning. On matters of fashion and dress, however, it would be better for you to speak to my wife. Will you hold, please?”
“Yes, thank you.” It took only a few seconds for Mrs. Wellborn to come to the phone.
“Miss Sauvage, so nice to meet you. I am Lucille Wellborn, dorm mother. I understand you wish to pick out clothing for Mr. Cyning. May I ask your role in this?”
“Of course, Mrs. Wellborn. I have been hired as Mr. Cyning’s personal assistant as he explores his class potential.”
“Oh, you’re the one. Wonderful! I am so glad he is moving smartly into his class. I’m sure you will have your hands full, but a finer young man you will never find. Here is what we have as our standard list.” Mrs. Wellborn read through the list of clothing. It included uniforms, what she referred to as ‘play clothes,’ and athletic wear. “I hate to see you spend a lot for a full closet of uniforms. We have noted that Mr. Cyning is expected to matriculate to the university after Christmas. I would suggest dropping at least one of the uniforms and preparing to purchase a few items for the less rigid university lifestyle.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Wellborn. I will take your advice. I do hope you have a pleasant afternoon. It has been a pleasure to discuss this with you.”
“Good day, dear.”
I looked at the list and reduced the uniform blazers from two to one. The standard uniform slacks were suitable for casual wear as well as with the uniform but would be boring if he had no other choices. Even though white shirts and ties could always be worn, Liam would need a selection of ties now instead of just the school tie. He would need at least one new suit for dressier occasions. He would look handsome in a Norfolk jacket and wool slacks, and the Norfolk could also be worn with jeans.
Yes, this would be fun.
Our first stop was at the Serenity Garden, a tea shop where we enjoyed a light lunch while I told Liam about the art of shopping.
“You need to drive the conversation when we reach Monsieur LeFevre’s. If he detects you are not in control of your own wardrobe, it will be the same as if you were shopping with your mother. I’ll support you and supply comments about things that would be nice on you or things that you should avoid. Shall we go?” We entered the shop.
“Ah, Mr. Cyning. I see you are shopping for your own clothes. And with a lovely companion. I have laid out all the usual attire if you would come this way.” We followed the tailor into a fitting room where an array of school blazers and slacks were hung. Monsieur LeFevre began by getting a new set of measurements as I browsed through the selection.
“You shan’t need as many school uniforms this year, Mr. Cyning.” I separated out just one jacket and two pair of slacks. “I’m told you will be starting at the University mid-term.”
“Really? I mean, of course. In that case, I’ll need fewer school uniforms and more casual attire for the University, Monsieur LeFevre. I’d prefer the bulk of my winter wardrobe to be more in keeping with the college atmosphere. I’m thinking I will need only one school blazer and would like two appropriate sport coats with an assortment of slacks to go with them. One of the jackets could be another blazer, but I’d like one to be a Norfolk style in an estate tweed. Will that be possible, sir?”
“Of course, Mr. Cyning. Let’s look at a couple of fabrics and see what you like. With your coloring, I would recommend you stick with the blue or gray as your primary colors. Don’t you agree, Miss?”
“For the more formal pieces, I agree, sir. I think though, Mr. Cyning could launch into browns for his tweed.” I fingered a wool fabric and tugged the corner out a bit to show Liam. It was amazingly soft. He smiled.
“I think I like this one, Monsieur. Do you think it would make up nicely in a Norfolk?”
“That is a very good fabric, Mr. Cyning. You have a good eye. This is Suri Alpaca wool from the Argentine Andes. The fabric is woven of natural colors and has not been dyed. It’s more durable than other alpaca wools and considerably warmer so it makes a very good jacket for cool days. Your choice of a traditional Norfolk will go excellently. And for your blazer?”
“I’ll go with your recommended gray,” Liam said. The shopping continued until Liam had selected the bulk of his fall wardrobe.
“Shall we deliver these to you at school?”
“I’ll be at Buxton House for another few weeks before I return to school. Can you have them sent up to me there?”
“You can expect them in seven days.”
I walked ahead of Liam to the door where I paused and let him open it. Erich met us with the car and we proceeded into the larger retail area of town.
“When was I supposed to find out I was going to the University this winter?” he demanded. “That was a bit of a shock.”
“I apologize. I assumed that since it was information so freely given to me, it was common knowledge. I had no idea you didn’t know!” I was surprised and worried that I’d let out news that was not supposed to be public.
“I suppose this is Grandmother’s doing. Why do you suppose she’s having me wait until mid-term to transfer?” Liam mused, somewhat mollified.
“I would think they have a transitional course planned for you this fall. Aside from that, how are you surviving the day so far?”
“I feel a bit like a mannequin,” Liam laughed. “But I do like the combinations we selected. The charcoal pinstripe suit is sure to become one of my favorites.”
“Let’s see if we can’t add a little color to your choices with the casual wear. You needn’t always dress in black and white and shades of gray. You handled Monsieur LeFevre very well. It’s your confidence that changes things.”
“I did not feel confident and thank you for giving me subtle hints where he could not see them. Oh! I will need new shoes, as well. I believe my feet have quit growing, so at least new dress shoes, a pair of loafers, and a pair of tennis shoes would be good. And I suppose athletic shoes, too.”
“Your confidence is strong even when I am the only audience. Very well done. Let’s head for Browning’s.”
“I’m heading home now,” I said when Erich dropped us off in front of Buxton House and indicated he would take the boxes to Liam’s room. “It would be good for both of us to list out some of the things we want to accomplish in your few months before enrolling at the University. Also include any topics you would like to discuss. Subject areas you want to investigate. That sort of thing. I’ll plan on spending more time here next week as we establish more routines. This was all sprung on you rather suddenly.”
“Are you supposed to be my teacher now? Giving me assignments?” Yes, he could still be a brat.
“As a matter of fact, that is part of my job. I can scarcely prepare to either assist or mentor you if you don’t share with me your interests. It will be best to increase our exposure to one another gradually so we don’t come to blows at once.” I did laugh to lighten that little sting. He smiled.
“There are things I would like to discuss, but I’m not quite comfortable doing so yet. I will make sure they are on my list.”
“For my part, if we are having a serious discussion, I promise not to be judgmental or patronizing. I’m sure we’ll work it out.”
“Thank you, Miss Sauvage. I will see you at the park on Saturday for the festival.”
“I’ve given Erich the necessary information on timing and meeting places. I’ll see you then.”
I sank into the driver’s seat of my car and breathed a sigh of relief. I’d acquired the automobile as soon as I was hired. I was thankful for the guidance of Erich while Liam was still in England. I would not have been able to afford the used Studebaker Commander, but it was deemed as necessary for my job and I was thankful to have it.
I needed to return to my dormitory and make an appointment with Dr. Parolini. One half of a week and I felt incredibly tense. I knew I needed to guide Liam with a firm hand but I didn’t dare attempt to manage him. He would definitely respond negatively to that. Yet I knew it was not only Liam but Mrs. Cyning who was observing how well I handled this.
I needed to figure out what I was assisting him with as well. I was going to be very careful how I approached what an eighteen-year-old boy might want help with.
I had left a list with Lupe this morning, indicating what I needed in my office. I would spend more time this week gathering together references about state and local history, interesting sights, a business profile. It would need to be quite general until I learned more about his interests. I just needed to be where I could focus without being in the next room over from him.
“Rights or privileges? What are your expectations?” Dr. Parolini addressed her three students at an informal roundtable. For the past year, it was how most of my classes were held. Some few were one-on-one with an instructor. My classmates had been with me for eight years. Peggy Anne and Karen—the same girls who had been invited to Liam’s tenth birthday party. All three of us had received a full scholarship and allowance to attend Green Hill. We all knew we were being groomed as a mentor and assistant to Liam. We had all three been interviewed by Mrs. Cyning before I was selected. I was a bit concerned about their reaction to me now. Dr. Parolini continued.
“We all have basic rights: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Our constitution guarantees certain other rights that fall in the category of civil liberties. But society gives privilege to some and not to others. We all have equal rights but not necessarily equal privileges. Privilege is afforded to people with rank, wealth, or class, and it often comes with attendant responsibility. A study of any civilization would show that people with wealth, rank, office, or authority seem set aside as special. And some societies even perpetuate classes like Royalty, Bourgeoisie, and Serf that are nearly impossible to break free of.”
“Our class system is not hereditary, though,” Peggy Anne said. “Any person might be chosen for any class.”
“That’s true. Nearly a hundred years ago, when the nation was in turmoil over perceived divisions of society and privilege as a result of the Civil War, a select commission was chosen to study and define a class structure for America. They examined, as you have, the class and caste structures of many societies to determine a set of characteristics that would lead a person to be considered a member of a class. They were careful to define the classes in such a way that they would not be based on wealth, heredity, or occupation. In that way, anyone might be chosen for any class. Does it work?”
“The idea of choice enters the picture,” Karen said. “I can’t just choose to be a Cognoscente. I had to work very hard to shape myself into the characteristics of the class I wanted to be part of.”
“It is actually your own volition that helped reveal the characteristics of that class in you. The desire to be something and putting forth the effort to become it is an indicator of proper class assignment,” Dr. Parolini continued. “Still, the three of you were all trained for the same occupation—to be a personal assistant and mentor—even though you are all three of different classes. Cognoscente, Creator, and Advisor.”
“Doctor Parolini, now that Meredith has been chosen, what is the likelihood that Peggy Anne and I will ever find a mentor or assistant role? We’ve known from the outset that the Cynings would choose one of us or one of the boys, but we have never considered what will become of the others.” Karen was the most outspoken of us, focused on a career as a lawyer. She was advancing quite nicely through her studies and I wondered how she would have responded to Liam now that we were older and supposedly more mature. When we were twelve, we’d all been somewhat intimidated.
“That is a difficult question. You have the opportunity to have a career that has been afforded by your education. You might apply your education to any number of things. Perhaps you would one day want to teach law. Or to become an advisor and mentor to a Commander or Promoter or even an Inquirer. It is not only Leaders who can use such guidance. Peggy Anne might become a mentor to any number of people who are soothed by music, including another Creator. And either of you might yet be called upon to mentor a Leader. Liam Cyning is not the only one in the world.”
Dr. Parolini had worked with us for eight years. She was not much older than we were now when she began teaching. “I was also trained as a mentor, though my class is Inquirer. Sadly, the young woman I was brought to was a frail girl. She succumbed to a fever when she was just growing into womanhood. Let me tell you that losing your disciple is an emotional tragedy I would wish on no one.” I was shocked. I considered Katherine to be more than a professor; she had become my best friend.
“Dr. Parolini, how did you cope with it?” I had no emotional ties with Liam aside from the intensity that we had all trained to become his assistant. Occasionally, I still wanted to teach him a lesson. He could be charming one moment and aggravating the next. But I’d worked hard for this position and was not about to consider losing it.
“I was invited to stay in the household and await the blossoming of a second child but I chose to leave. I was brokenhearted. Everywhere I looked there were reminders of my precious Leah. I wandered for a year, simply traveling. I got my advanced degree in Social Studies and was contacted by this college to mentor three bright young women. You three have made me very happy. I am so proud of all of you.”
“Dr. Parolini, I understand your grief but what does this have to do with rights, privileges, and expectations?” Peggy Anne seldom challenged her teachers but she did want to get to the point.
“Meredith, how do your rights compare to your disciple’s rights?”
“I believe our rights are the same. Isn’t that what you’re getting at? Rights are guaranteed to all of us. Everyone has the same rights. But he still confuses his privileges as rights. His wealth and his family ensure he has more or different privileges than other people who have the same rights.”
“Wanting great privileges for all is a fine trait in a Leader. In a Dexter, that expectation might cause great frustration and anger. In essence, even though we are an egalitarian society and no class is considered better than the others, the occupations and inheritance of wealth or social status often make a great difference in the way we are treated.”
“Meredith, please stay a moment.” I returned to my seat at the table with Dr. Parolini. “We are going to graduate you. I believe it will be best if you begin at once at the university.”
“Isn’t it too late for me to get enrolled? Classes begin in less than a month!”
“Arrangements have been made. Your tuition and expenses will continue to be covered. Your major task this term will be to find suitable housing for yourself and for your disciple. You need to think carefully about what is suitable. Your quarters should be near but not the same. Liam will need private quarters, to enhance his maturing as well as to entertain his… ah… dates. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Katherine. I can’t say I’m comfortable moving to the university, but it is clear why it’s necessary.”
“When you locate suitable housing, the Cynings will rent it or buy it.”
“I will make it a topic for us to discuss as we are both floundering a bit regarding what my job is supposed to be,” I said. Moving to the University. I suppose I should have expected it, but I’d been very happy here at Green Hill Women’s College. It would be a big adjustment.
“I am very proud of you, Meredith. You have one of the most difficult and at the same time rewarding tasks possible. You may not become wealthy, but by association, you will be afforded many of the privileges accorded to Liam.”
“It has many rewards. I have discovered a few. I will serve the family by advising the son. And that, frankly, is reward enough.”
“You should prepare for your move. Temporary housing will be available in a University dormitory. I don’t, however, believe that is the right place for either you or Liam to stay. Blessings on you, Meredith.”
“What are you doing back? Isn’t this your first week working for Mr. Wonderful?” Hana demanded of me when I walked in.
“Puh-lease! It’s just a job. He’s not quite the indolent little kid I remember from eight years ago, but he still has his moments,” I said, hugging my roommate. “And I’m not going to live with him. All the time.”
“You’re going to live with him part of the time?” Hana laughed.
“Well, as a member of the staff, I have a room and an office at Buxton House for convenience when I’m working on a project. They’ve all been very nice to me so far.”
“Mmm. That would make it convenient!”
“Hana! Don’t embarrass me.”
“Sweet Meredith. We’ve roomed together for five years and across the hall from Peggy Anne and Karen. In that time, I could have made a fortune if I had a dollar for every time any of you mentioned his name or started a sentence, ‘When I’m working for Liam.’ You may be able to tell the rest of the world it’s just a job, but you can’t tell me that.” Hana led me over to sit down. Our apartment had two bedrooms, a bath, and a sitting room study.
“It’s different than I thought it would be. I pictured us… doing things—solving world problems. The truth is that neither of us know why he needs an assistant at the moment. We talked ourselves out on Tuesday, went shopping on Wednesday, and I came home to have a session with Dr. Parolini. The only thing we have planned is that he will volunteer on Saturday for the Children’s Hospital festival in the park. I don’t even know what he’ll do.” I was more concerned about that than not knowing what I should do as his assistant.
Hana was right, though. For eight years, six of us—three boys and three girls—had been thinking of working for Liam Cyning. He wasn’t really always a brat, when we were all in school together. There was something about his presence. Kids always looked for him to organize a student art show or suggest a game or to explain a concept. He didn’t like girls at the time, but we knew that would change. I was two years older and expected a different level of maturity from him.
“Well, at least if he’s volunteering Saturday, I’ll finally get to meet the man. Maybe I’ll just take him for a test drive for you.” Hana always had a solution to my problems that involved her getting lucky. Unfortunately for her, none of the solutions were long term.
“Careful. I might just suggest he ask you out.”
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