The Prodigal Daughter (14 page)

Miss Tredgold
pursed her lips and began to despair when one morning at breakfast Florentyna
was downright rude when asked what she had planned to do for the weekend.

“I’ll Iet you
know if it concerns you,” she said without looking up from Vogue. Mrs.
Rosnovski showed no sign of noticing. Miss Tredgold maintained a stony silence,
judging that sooner or later the child was bound to discover that pride goeth
before a fall.

It came sooner.

“
T
HERE’S
NO REASON FOR YOU TO BE THAT CONFIDENT,” said Edward.

“Why? Who’s going
to beat me? I’ve been on the Council for nearly a year and everyone else on it
is graduating,” said Florentyna, lounging back in one of the horsehair chairs
reserved for members of the Student Council.

Edward remained
standing. “Yes, I realize that, but not everyone likes you.”

“What do you
mean?”

“A lot of people
think that since you’ve been on the Council, you’ve become a bit too big for
your boots.”

“I hope you’re
not among them, Edward.”

“No, I’m not.
But I am worried that if you don’t bother to mix a little more with the
students in the lower grades, you might be beaten.”

“Don’t bc silly.
Why should I bother to get to know them when they already know me?” she asked,
fiddling with sonic papers on the armrest of her chair.

“What’s come
over you, Florentyna? You didn’t act like this a year ago,” said Fdward,
looking down.

“If you don’t
like the way I carry out my duties, go and support someone else.”

“It has nothing
to do with the way you carry out your duties-everyone acknowledges you’ve been
the best secretary anyone can remember-but different qualities are needed for
president.”

“Thank you for
the advice, Edward, but you will discover that I can survive without it.”

“Then you won’t
want me to help you this year?”

“Edward, you
still haven’t got the message. It’s not a case of not wanung you but simply not
needing you.”

“I wish you
luck, Florentyna, and I only hope I’m proved wrong.”

“I don’t need
your luck either. Some things in this life depend on ability.”

Florentyna did
not repeat this conversation to Miss Tredgold.

At the end of
the academic year, Florentyna was surprised to find that she had finished first
in only Latin and French and overall had fallen to third in the class. Miss
Tredgold read her report card carefully and it confirmed her worst fears, but
she concluded there was no point in making any adverse comment to the child as
she had stopped taking anyone’s advice unless it confirmed her own opinions.
Once again, Florentyna spent the summei vacation in New York with her father,
who allowed her to work as an assistant in one of the hotel shops.

Florentyna rose
early each morning and dressed in the pastel green uniform of a junior member
of the hotel staff. She threw all her energy into learning how the little
fashion shop was run and was soon putting forward new ideas to Miss Parker, the
manager, who was impressed-and not just because she was the Baron*s daughter.
As the days passed, Florentyna gained more confidence and, conscious of the
power of her privileged position, she stopped wearing the shop uniforin and
even started to order sorne of the junior sales staff around. She was, however,
sufficiently cautious never to do this in front of Miss Parker.

One Friday, when
Miss Parker was in her office checking the morning petty cash, Jessie Kovats, a
junior sales assistant, arrived ten minutes late.

Florentyna was
standing at the door waiting for her.

“You’re late
again,” said Florentyna, but Jessie didn’t bother to reply.

“Did you hear
me, Miss Kovats?” demanded Florentyna.

“Sure did,” said
Jessie, hanging up her raincoat.

“Then what is
your excuse this time’?”

“For you, I
don’t have to have an excuse.”

“We’ll see about
that,” said Florentyna, starting off toward Miss Parker’s office.

“Don’t bother yourself,
bossy boots. I’ve had enough of you in any case,” said Jessie, who walked into
Miss Parker’s office and closed the door behind her. Florentyna pretended to 93
be tidying the counter while she waited for Jessie to return. A few minutes
litter the young assistant came out of the
office,
put
her coat back on and left the shop without another word. Florentyna felt
pleased with the result of her admonition. A few minutes later Miss Parker
,carne
out of her office.

“Jessie tells me
she’s leaving the shop because of you.”

“Miss Kovats is
hardly a great loss,” volunteered Florentyna. “She didn’t exactly pull her
weight.”

“That is not the
point, Florentyna. I have to continue to run this shop after you return to
school.”

“Perhaps by then
we shall have weeded out the Jessie Kovatses of this world who shouldn’t, after
all, be wasting my father’s time and money.”

“Miss Rosnovski,
this is a team. Not everyone can be clever and bright, or even hard-working,
but within their limited abilities they do the best they can, and there have
been no complainLs in the past.”

“Could that
possibly be because my father is too busy to keep a watchful eye on you, Miss
Parker?”

Miss Parker
visibly flushed and steadied herself on thecounter. “I think the time has come
for you to work in another of your fathei’s shops. I have served him for nearly
twenty years and he has never ojice spoken to me in such a discourteous way. “

“Perhaps the
time has come for you to work in another shop,” said I’lorentyna, “and
preferably not my father’s.” Walking out (
,f
the front
door, she made straight for the hotel’s private elevator and pressed the button
marked “42.” On arrival, Florentyna infOrmed her father’s secretary that she
needed to speak to him immediately.

“He’s chairing a
board meeting at the moment, Miss Rosnovski.”

“Then interrupt
him and tell him that I wish to see him.”

The secretary
hesitated,
then
buzzed through to Mr. Rosnovski.

I thought I told
you not to disturb me, Miss Deneroff.11

“I apologize,
sir, but your daughter is here and insists on seeing you.”

There was a
pause. “All right, send her in.”

I am sony, Papa,
hut this is something that can’t wait,” Florentyna said as she entered the
room, feeling suddenly less sure of herself as the eight men around the
boardroom table rose. Abel guided her through to his own office.

“Well, what is
it that can’t wait, my darling?”

“It’s Mi~s
Parker. She’s stuffy, incompetent and stupid.” said Florentyria, and she poured
out to her father her version of what had happened that morning with Jessie
Kovats.

Abel’s fingers
never stopped tapping on his desktop as he listened to her tale. When she came
to the end he flicked a switch on his intercom. “Please ask Miss Parker in the
fashion shop to come up immediately.”

“Thank you,
Papa.”

“Florentyna,
would you be kind enough to wait next door while I deal with Miss Parker.”

“Of
course, Papa.”

A few minutes
later, Miss Parker appeared, still looking flushed. Abel asked her what had
happened. She gave an ac curate account of the altercation, confining her view
of Flo rentyna to the fact that she was a competent assistant but she had been
the sole reason that Miss Kovats, a long-serving member of her staff, had left.
And others, Miss Parker pointed out, might resign too if Florentyna persisted
with her attitude.

Abel listened,
barely contro
‘ Uing
his anger. He gave Miss Parker
his opinion and told her that later that day she would receive a letter by hand
confirming his decision.

“If
that is what you wish, sir,” sitid Miss Parker, and left.

Abel buzzed
his ,ecretary
.
“Would you please ask my
daughter to come back in, Miss Deneroff. “

Florewyna strode
in. “Did you tell Miss Parker what you thought, Papa?”

“Yes,
I (lid.”

“She’ll find it
hard to get anotherjob.”

“She won’t need
to.”

“Won’t need to?”

“No. I gave her
a raise and extended her contract,” he said, leaning forward and placing both
hands firmly on his desk. “
if
you ever treat a member
of my staff that way again, I’ll put you over my knee and thrash you and it
won’t be a gentle tap with a hairbrush. Jessie Kovats has already left because
of your insufferable behavior and it is obvious no one in that shop likes you.
“

Florentyna
stared at her father in disbelief,
then
burst into
tears.

“And yoti can
save your tears for someone else,” continued Abel remorse less) y. -They don’t
impress me. I shouldn’t have to remind you that I have a company to run.
Another week of you and I would have had a crisis on my hands. You will now go
down to Miss Parker and apologize for your disgraceful behavior. You will also
stay away from my shops until I decide you are ready to work in them again. And
that is the last time you interrupt one of my board meetings. Do you
understand?”

“But, Papa-”

“No buts. You
will apologize to Miss Parker immediately.”

Florentyna ran
out of her father’s office and returned to her room in tcar~, packed her bags,
left her green pastel dress on the bedroom floor and took a cab to the airport.

On leaming of
her departure, Abel phoned Miss Tredgold, who listened to what had taken place
with dismay, but not with surprise.

When Florentyna
arrived home, her mother was still away at a health spa trying to shed a few
unwanted pounds. Only Miss Tredgold was there to greet her.

“You’re back a
week early, I observe.”

“Yes, I got
bored with New York.”

“Don’t
lie
, child.”

“Must you pick
on me as well?” said Florentyria, and ran upstairs to her room. That weekend
she locked herself in and only crept down to the kitchen at odd times for
meals. Miss Tredgold made no attempt to see her.

On the first day
of school Florentyna put on one of the smart pastel shirts with the new-style
button-down collar she had bought at Bergdorf Goodman. She knew it would make
every other girl at Giris Latin jealous.

She was going to
show them all how a future president of the Student Council should behave. As
no member of Council could be elected for two weeks, she wore a shirt ofa
different color every day and took upon herself the responsibilities of
president. She even started to think about what type of car she would talk her
father into when she had won the election. At all times she avoided Edward
Winchester, who had put his own name forward for Council, and she laughed
openly at any comments made about his popularity. On the Monday of the third
week, Florentyna went to morning assembly to hear herself confirmed as the new
student president.

When Miss Allen,
the headmistress, had read out the full list, Florentyna could not believe her
cars. She had not even finished in the first six.

In fact, she was
only barely the runnerup, and of all people, Edward Winchester had been elected
president. As ihe left the hall, no one commiserated with her and she spent the
day in a silent daze at the back of the class-room. When she returned home that
night, she crept up to Miss Tredgold’s room and knocked gently on the door.

“Come. “

Florentyna
opened the door slowly and looked toward Miss Tredgold, who was reading at her
desk.

“They didn’t
make me president,” she said quietly. “In fact, they didn’t even elect me to
the Council.”

“I know,” Miss
Tredgold replied, closing her Bible.

“How c~m you
have known?” asked Florentyna.

“Because
I wouldn’t have voted for you myself.”
The governess paused.

“But that’s an
end of the matter, child.”

Florentyna ran
across the room and threw her arrns around Miss Tredgold, who held her tight.

“Good, now we
shall have to start rebuilding bridges, Dry your tears, my dear, and we shall
begin immediately. There is no time to he lost. Pad and pencil are needed.”

Florentyna wrote
down the list dictated by Miss Tredgold and did not argue with any of her
instructions. That night she wrote long letters to her father, Miss
Parker-enciosing another letter for Jessie Kovats-Edward Winchester, and
finally, although the name was not on her list, to Miss Tredgold. The next day
she went to confession with Father O’Reilly. On returning to school, Florentyna
helped the newly appointed secretary with her first minutes, showing her the
system she had found to work most satisfactorily. She wished the new president
ILIck and promised that she would help him and his Council if she was ever
needed. She spent the next week answering any queries that came up from the
student councillors but never volunteered advice. When Edward met her in the
corridor a few days later he told her that the Council had voted to allow her
to keep all her privileges. Miss Tredgold advised her to accept Edward’s kind
offer with courtesy but at no time to take advantage of it. Florentyna put all
her new New York shirts in a bottom drawer and locked them away.