A Place at the Table
11
Results and Celebrations
Meredith
POOR MR. WILCOX didn’t survive the accident at Lincoln Arms. Liam told me about what he saw and that Mr. Wilcox had planned the accident deliberately, but that didn’t stop either of us from having sympathy for him. Liam had spent the day with adrenalin pumping into his veins, first with the accident and then with the news from Richard that these guns might not even have been made by Lincoln Arms. The decision regarding what to do about them hasn’t been made, but Richard is continuing to upgrade the crate of rifles he has at the range.
When he got home, the adrenalin was wearing off and he looked sad and somehow much older than he’d been when we were riding the previous afternoon. We sat in the kitchen at lunch and when he looked up from his food, his eyes were filled with tears.
“I’ve never seen someone die before,” he said. “It wasn’t as if I sat by his bed as he slowly died from cancer, nor like I saw blood from a gunshot wound. But I saw a man looking at me as his world came to an end. What was so terrible for him? Why would he choose to end his life rather than face the consequences?” He left his food and I followed him from the table to the library. When he turned to face me again, the tears had let go and ran from his eyes.
I don’t know if what I did was right or wrong, but I folded him in my arms and sat with him as he wept, my own eyes overflowing. I held him against my breast and petted his head and whispered comforting words. When we had cried ourselves out, he pulled himself upright. He saw the wet spot on my dress and leaned in to place a soft kiss on my lips. I responded, welcoming the life-affirming sensation of his body against mine. We broke the kiss and moved apart, both of us embarrassed by our emotional display.
I didn’t mention the kiss, nor did he apologize. I simply opened a notebook and began to organize his thoughts on the day as he spoke them. Did Wilcox have an accomplice? If the rifles were manufactured at Lincoln Arms, it is almost certain that he did. They would need designs and materials and manufacturing. The scale of a coverup that implied would have been like having a shadow company operating alongside the regular work. That seemed to indicate the arms weren’t manufactured here. They could have been brought in and warehoused with no one but Wilcox the wiser.
From where? Small arms manufacturing was common. There were at least three dozen manufacturers in America. The Cynings considered Lincoln Arms to be a second-tier small arms manufacturer, far behind the major names in firearms—Barrett, Remington, Colt, Ruger, Henry, Mossberg, Springfield. They were major defense suppliers as well. Most of the second- and third-tier manufacturers would have as difficult a time manufacturing and then losing 5,000 rifles as Lincoln would. But why would a first-tier manufacturer need to hide weapons in a small company’s warehouse?
“Foreign?” I suggested. “Could these have come from a foreign country?”
“Oh, God. It would mean they’d been smuggled illegally into the country. Stashing them at Lincoln Arms could make us an accessory. Who would imagine the CEO and COO of the company wouldn’t know of such a deal? And with Wilcox out of the picture there is no one else to point to.”
We finished the report and sealed it in an envelope to hand to Liam’s parents.
“He said to wear casual sporting clothes,” Hana said after we’d chatted for a minute. She called me at the office and was agitated about her upcoming date with Liam. “Do you know how big a range that includes? Of course you do. But I don’t think Liam does. What kind of sporting? Indoor or outdoor? Will I sweat? He has to tell me more. How am I to guess what I should wear?”
“My, Hana. You certainly seem anxious about dating Liam. Why don’t you just call him this afternoon? He’s a nice guy,” I said. I was still working on our report from the night before.
“You mean you don’t know what we’re doing or where we’re going? I can’t just call him and demand to know more. Wouldn’t that be awfully forward? It’s not like I think we’d ever have a real relationship. He won’t wait around for an Aspirant to suddenly have time for him.”
“Well, he did seem to favor you at the party last weekend.”
“Ha! Donnie occupied all my time, and nice though Donnie is, I’m not going to try to manage a long-distance relationship and remote deployments. I like Liam. I know we’re not really together. A second date doesn’t imply anything, but he is fun. It could be two months before we have another opportunity to meet. I shouldn’t be taking the time this weekend,” Hana said, working herself up.
“Okay. I’ll let Liam know he needs to call you and give you more details.”
“You’re a doll, Meredith. And don’t worry. When you’re ready to start a relationship with him, I’ll be long gone.”
A relationship? I couldn’t help but think about how we’d wept together yesterday afternoon. And then that long gentle kiss. Well, that’s not enough to base a relationship on, is it?
I told Liam he needed to call Hana and explained why simply saying sporting clothes was inadequate for a date to prepare properly. He finally got it.
“Meredith, I’m… I mean, about dating… It’s just that… What I’d really like…”
“Liam, don’t struggle with it. Enjoy it. Isn’t this your first second date? Soon it will be more comfortable,” I laughed.
“That wasn’t what I was struggling with, but I suppose you’re right. I should concentrate on what’s before me and not worry about the future for now.”
“Instead of the library, why don’t we pick up soft drinks and go to my office for our work this afternoon. In fact, make your call and I’ll fix a bit of afternoon snack for us and meet you there.”
“Is that all right?” he asked.
“I can’t see why not. I run up and down the stairs to my office two or three times every afternoon while we’re working. I suppose it is good exercise but I don’t think I need it. Do you?”
“Ah. No. Of course, I’ve been terribly inconsiderate of you,” he said. “Certainly, we should use your office. That’s what it’s there for.”
He went to his room to make the call to Hana and I headed for the kitchen.
“Miss Meredith, are you here for a little snack?” Cook asked.
“Liam and I will be working in my office this afternoon. I thought we could use a little more energy,” I said, heading for the refrigerator.
“I have just the thing. Why don’t you go ahead and I’ll send Lupe with your snack in half an hour?”
“Really? That would be so kind of you.”
“Truthfully?” he whispered. “Lupe is afraid you don’t like her because you never ask her to do anything. This will make her feel important.”
“I had no idea! I just don’t want to abuse her service. I’m only an assistant.”
“You are an assistant and Lupe is a maid. Her job is to clean and serve for you. Any little errand you can send her on, she would be thrilled.”
That shocked me a little. I’m simply not used to having household staff. At home we did for ourselves. I knew Lupe came into my bedroom each morning while I was working. I’d tried to make her job easier by being sure my bed was made and my clothes were hung. Did she think that meant I didn’t like the way she cleaned? I wondered about Ray in the stables. I went out to ride two or three times a week and always insisted on grooming Dancer and saddling her myself. I’m not so small nor she so big that I can’t handle the task. But did Ray think I didn’t like the way he worked with the horses? I would need to rethink my relationship with the household staff.
I was in my office, facing the door between our rooms, when Liam knocked. I turned quickly and opened the hall door.
“Oh! You’re here.”
“You were expecting me, weren’t you?” he asked.
“Yes, of course. I just… I thought you would simply use the door between our studies,” I said. I was somehow embarrassed that he had come to the hall door. I wasn’t sure why.
“What door between our studies?”
“Oh! Well, that one,” I said pointing at it.
Liam crossed to the door and opened it, facing the blank door on the other side. “This goes into my study?”
“You were unaware of it? Lupe told me when she gave me the first tour.”
“I don’t have a door on that side. I need to talk to Erich about it. My entire wall on this side of my study is bookshelves.”
“Oh, that’s funny! You didn’t even know a door was there? It makes no difference. We have this door and we are not engaged in clandestine activity.”
“Clandestine? Uh… People might get the wrong idea if I was using a private door between our quarters. That’s true. I’ll discuss it with Erich. Now, shall we get to work?” Just then Lupe knocked at the door.
“Miss Meredith? Mr. Liam? Is it convenient to serve your snack?”
“Yes, Lupe. Thank you. Please place it on the table.” I turned to Liam. “I’ll get my steno pad and you can tell me how we are outlining the final report while we eat, Liam.”
Lupe set the sandwiches and a teapot on the table with napkins and spoons. It was a far more elegant setting than I would have brought up. The egg sandwiches were trimmed of crust and cut in neat triangles. They were served in the center of the table so Liam and I could reach them from either side. Our teacups and the pot were on a serving tray and she poured for us, setting a cup and saucer on the table next to us with our napkins and spoons. She curtseyed to us and left the room, closing the door behind her.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Lupe look so happy,” Liam said. “I wonder if she has a boyfriend.” I simply smiled.
Liam
I WAS VEXED to discover I there was a door between our studies I knew nothing about. It was like having a secret passage in an old castle. My imagination was quick to create adventures through the secret door. Yes, I am a fan of magical tales and secret adventures.
Meredith and I worked on the final report for my parents all afternoon and well into the evening after dinner. We included a chart of conclusions and possibilities, which I drew out on the chalkboard and then went to my own study where I had a drafting table and could draw the chart more carefully for inclusion in the report. I also had the diagram Richard had drafted of the new machining it would take to convert the D-270 rifles to D-270A, magazine fed semi-automatic.
Then I rejoined her in her study and we assembled the report. I was quite happy with it and thought this might be the end of my internship at Lincoln Arms. I thanked Meredith sincerely and took the report with me when I retired.
“An excellent report,” Father said. “I have launched a full investigation into the origin of the rifles and have found no design or manufacturing records here in the plant. We can only conclude, as you did, that they were delivered here for some clandestine purpose and without our one link, Mr. Wilcox, there is no way we can track down the culprits.”
“After considering the legal aspects of it, we’re putting a team on stripping them all down to components and melting down the barrel and chamber pieces,” Mother said. “As you have pointed out, the stocks are good quality maple and we see no reason not to build a different rifle on them. This was truly excellent work, Liam. Your grandfather would be proud of you.”
“Thank you, Mother and Father. I’m glad you find it acceptable,” I said.
“Now, tell us what you learned,” Father said. What? I’d just given him the report. Did he want an oral presentation?
“I learned there were crates hiding in plain sight,” I said hesitantly.
“No. No. Not the result of your investigation, but what you learned for yourself. What important discoveries did you make by being an intern at Lincoln Arms?”
“Oh. I see. I learned the importance of our family name. When I was simply William Thomas, an intern, people were friendly and open, willing to help. But when it came out this week that I was your son, I felt people grow cautious around me. I could call it respectful in some instances, like Mr. Daniels at the range. But the line workers—even the ones I’d shadowed to learn what their jobs were—looked at me suspiciously, as if I’d been spying on them.”
“In a way, you were,” Mother said. “But you became the spy revealed this week.”
“What you discovered was a fundamental problem with management. Your mother and I had suspected something was wrong for several months, but whenever we walked the floor of the factory conversations hushed and people were focused on their jobs. We hold their jobs in our hands and there is an automatic division that results from having that kind of power.”
“I’m not certain my father had that same division. He worked side-by-side with many of those people on the floor. They built the business together and had mutual respect for each other. Even after three years, in which we have made no major changes to the operation, we are still considered outsiders and a threat. I’m afraid we will never be on an equal footing with the workers.”
“I think that is sad,” I said. “I understand the division of labor and management, but it seems a closer alliance between the two might have prevented an incident like we just discovered.”
“Very possibly. What else did you learn?”
“I learned that I learned more by listening than by talking. I know that’s obvious and I’ve always believed it, but I’d never experienced it as I have over the past four weeks. Everyone I spoke with wanted to know why I was asking questions. I learned the shorter the response I gave, the more information the person was willing to share with me. It didn’t require me asking questions or explaining what I wanted to know. It was while listening to a driver that I discovered there were crates of weapons in the warehouse that weren’t even listed on inventory. That showed that some of the lowest people in the organization also had information to share,” I answered. “I think the same is true of having asked Richard to just take a look at the weapons so I could describe them accurately that led to his enthusiastic response and discovery of both the jamming problem and the lack of serial numbers and manufacturing information. It was a case of bowing to someone else’s expertise.”
“I think you’ve done well,” Father said. “I’m concerned, though, about the paper you will present to Mr. Peoples when you return to school. I don’t believe he should be privy to proprietary information that is contained in your report to us. Do you have information to pass on that will not implicate the company in any wrong-doing?”
“I think Mr. Peoples is more interested in what I learned than in the actual information contained in your report. The questions you are asking now will help me formulate my thesis for him.”
“Anything else?” Mother asked.
“Um… Yes. It’s more personal.”
“If you can share it with us, it will help us know how to support your continued growth as a Leader,” Mother said.
“Well, I guess I learned how valuable a personal assistant can be. Meredith helped clarify my thoughts, suggested avenues of inquiry, proposed methods of evaluation, and did a bang-up job preparing the finished report,” I said. “I’ve come to respect and value her in ways I hadn’t imagined when she joined my staff. Working with her has been challenging—in a good way—as well as being very pleasurable. I find I look forward to seeing her each day and that I miss her on her days off. I’m looking forward to working with her for a long time.”
My parents just smiled.
“Welcome. I’m so glad you could join me for dinner,” Grandmother said when Meredith and I arrived at her door Friday evening. I’d asked Meredith if she was okay working into the evening on Friday instead of taking off for the weekend as she normally would. I found dining with Grandmother to always be an experience and I looked forward to sharing it with Meredith. She seemed pleased to be invited.
“Thank you, Grandmother. You know I always like dining with you and feel the past few weeks have been shorting me on family time. And thank you for inviting Meredith as well,” I said.
“Welcome, Meredith.”
“Thank you for inviting me, Mrs. Cyning.”
“Let’s sit for dinner. Erich arrived just a few minutes ago.” I hadn’t known Erich was invited to this dinner but he was smiling at us when we entered the dining room.
“Hi, Erich. Fancy meeting you here,” I joked. I’d seen him just half an hour ago when he laid out my clothes for this evening. I wore my gray blazer with black slacks and the lavender shirt and narrow tie Meredith had chosen as my ‘edgy’ clothes. Meredith had chosen a turquoise cocktail dress. The top, with a classic round collar, was fitted exactly to her shape but at the waist the skirt fell in gentle waves to her knees.
“Cook has outdone himself for our little dinner,” Grandmother said. “He has sent up hors d’oeuvres that we should partake of at once. Let us sit at the table.”
The hors d’oeuvres were splendid. Each place was set with a lacquered tray. In the four compartments were garlic shrimp, seared scallops, codfish balls, and hollandaise sauce. Chopsticks were the utensils.
“I think Cook is showing off,” I said as I snatched a codfish ball, dipped it in hollandaise, and popped it in my mouth. “He sent up a lovely afternoon snack yesterday while Meredith and I were working on the final report for my parents.”
Erich chuckled. “I daresay, Cook has upped his game since Miss Meredith began here. Your father has quite a reputation and Cook wants to be sure his food measures up to your standards.”
“Oh, dear. I must go to the kitchen after dinner and thank him personally for the effort. And to assure him he need not worry about my father. He never cooks continental or Asian cuisine like Cook does. He is an all-American sort of chef.”
“The pot pie was certainly the best I’ve ever had.” I smiled at Meredith, remembering how surprised I was to find the chef at Rangers was her father. He was a jovial man and you would think ‘cook’ immediately upon meeting him.
“Hmm. Perhaps we should arrange a cookoff. We could invite half a dozen of the top chefs in the county to participate.” Grandmother nodded as if she were actually considering such a contest. Meredith looked both horrified and honored that her father would merit such attention. “Of course, then someone would need to judge the contest when all we really want is to sample their food. Perhaps a food fair would be more appropriate. I’ll have my secretary investigate the possibilities. It sounds like a good event to have next summer when everyone can be out of doors.”
“Grandmother, perhaps we could make it a charity event. We could have the proceeds donated to the children’s hospital.”
“Excellent suggestion, Liam. Oh! I do love these garlic shrimp.”
The meal continued with good natured conversation. The main course was lamb boulangère garnished with fresh herbs and a side of roasted brussels sprouts. Flatware was set by Ricardo for this course. He also poured each of us a glass of pinot noir which accented the lamb perfectly.
“What courses have you registered for at the University, Meredith?” Grandmother seemed keen to discuss her schooling.
“There are a few required courses. I think the University has come to realize people come from a wide variety of educational backgrounds and they use these courses to level the playing field. For example, I am required to take an English composition class.”
“Writing and composition are skills every student needs. If the student cannot express herself in writing, she will not succeed in composing essays for history, reports for science, or philosophical treatises. What else, dear?”
“I will continue my Social Studies with a view to achieving a master’s degree. Supplemental to that, I will study sociology and psychology. I am intentionally carrying a light load this fall as I find I have other responsibilities.”
“Am I such a difficult task for you?” I grinned at Meredith and she lightly tapped my shoulder.
“And how are the two of you getting on?” Grandmother asked. “I don’t need to discuss your report to your parents. They gave a favorable review. But is your relationship beneficial to both of you?”
“I wasn’t sure there would be anything for me to do when I got here,” Meredith confessed. “It seemed I was making up things to do the first week or two. Then suddenly we were in over our heads in the work for the factory and it has been very stimulating.”
“I had no idea what I needed an assistant for either,” I said. “But this project has shown me how much I value you. You were much more a collaborator than an assistant. I honestly believe I would not have discovered what I did without your prodding, and I believe together we accomplished at least three times what I could have on my own.”
“So, I take it you are pleased with the arrangement and wish to continue it?” Grandmother asked.
“Oh, I very much want to continue working with Meredith!” I said. Perhaps I was a bit too enthusiastic. She smiled at me.
“I am quite in agreement. Do you think we will have as much to do together when school starts as we have the past month?” she asked.
“I believe Liam will need advice on many matters—personal and social, perhaps even academic at times—and making sure his household when not in residence at Buxton House is well maintained and appropriate,” Erich said. “As there is no residence at the University for him, one of your next responsibilities will be to locate suitable housing.”
Grandmother took over from Erich. “We haven’t really discussed your compensation, Meredith, except for the preliminary agreement we reached before you started. We should make that formal so Liam knows your status as well. All your expenses will be taken care of. You will have adequate funds for your personal use as well as an account to meet the expenses of maintaining the household. That will include your personal quarters, which should be convenient to my grandson’s but for propriety’s sake, should not be in the same house or apartment. Similar to what you have here at Buxton House. Do you think you can find accommodations?”
“Yes, I’m sure of it,” Meredith said. I was too stunned to respond. I hadn’t even thought of where I would live at the University. And I had no idea how to look for something. I’d been in a dormitory at Elenchus for the past eight years.
Ricardo entered the dining room from Grandmother’s lounge. “Cook has prepared an exquisite cheese tray for your after-dinner enjoyment. I have placed it in the sitting room and Martin has paired several wines especially for the cheese and fruit.”
“Thank you. Let’s sample these after-dinner treats.” Grandmother led the way from the table, attended closely by Erich. I took my cue from him as proper gentlemanly conduct and held Meredith’s chair for her. She took my arm just as Grandmother took Erich’s. They looked very comfortable together.
The cheese board was elegant and delightful. Seven different cheeses were on the board, interspersed with fruit and nuts. There was a tangy Italian mostarda di pere—not a mustard in the usual sense, but a blend of macerated pears with oil and seeds of mustard. A quince paste from Spain accented the Manchego. Three bottles of wine were open and at the side. I thought we might be drinking more wine in one evening than I had ever before. I hoped I was up to the challenge.
“Martin kindly provided instructions,” Erich said, reading from a note. “We are to start with the lighter cheeses and a Riesling. Then, in the middle of the board are soft and spreadable cheeses. We are to drink the Beaujolais with them. Finally, the hard and strong cheeses are to be accompanied by tawny port.”
“Meredith, my dear, I trust you are not planning to drive home tonight,” Grandmother said. “We don’t want you driving after we have indulged ourselves.”
“Thank you, Madam. When you invited us for dinner, I phoned my parents to let them know I would be staying in my quarters here,” Meredith said.
“Speaking of which, what kind of accommodations should we look for at the University? I’ve been excited about attending ever since I found out but hadn’t given a single thought about where to live,” I asked.
Erich took over the instructions and described several different possibilities as well as a budget for housing I thought was extravagant. Whatever Meredith was able to find would be far better than my accommodations at Elenchus.
We were both a bit tipsy when we left Grandmother’s suite. I wouldn’t say we were quite drunk, but we leaned on each other as we made our way up to our rooms on the third floor, laughing at an insane pun Erich had pulled just before we left. Meredith’s hand slipped into mine as we climbed and she did not immediately retract it when we reached her door.
I don’t know what came over me, but I bent to kiss her and soon found my arms around her and an enthusiastic response to my forwardness. I pulled myself away before I lost all sense of control and kissed her fingers as I looked into those green eyes.
“Thank you for a lovely evening, Meredith. You are a perfect companion.”
She looked at me and smiled shyly. “Goodnight, Liam. Sleep well.” She slipped her hand from mine and entered her room, closing the door gently behind her.
The next morning, I began emptying and removing the shelves that covered the door between our studies.
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