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After a quick pause to consider what I’ve said, Frye says, “Right this way for your orientation. We have to make this brief; I’m headed out of town for a long weekend.”
What follows is not a tour so much as Frye handing me a map and explaining in general terms what the job entails.
Ms. Bryant must have her coffee upon first waking up. She practices yoga early every Saturday morning. That’s tomorrow. She sees a visiting doctor each Monday at noon.
“Her doctor makes house calls? That’s sick,” I say.
“Mistress Bryant is not ill, and I would warn you not to spread such rumors.”
Wow. OK.
“That’s not what I meant; it was just an expression.”
“Do you have something to write all this down?” Frye says, glancing at my hands as if I’m expected to whip out a pad and paper on command as well as haul my luggage around as I follow him from the foyer into the grand hall.
“Oh,” I say, confused. “I figured you were just giving me a quick rundown before I meet Ms. Bryant.”
He blinks at me, his eyes giving nothing but the smallest flicker of contempt. “A quick rundown? No. I’m telling you your job.”
My job? I thought this internship was meant for me to assist the heiress in maintaining this historic property. I was promised access to the Bryant’s art and antiquities collection. I’m also here to study and write about Gilded Age architecture, lifestyle, and historical anecdotes.
When I blink at Frye confoundedly, he gives a harassed, impatient look.
“Your letters of recommendation from the university’s history department claimed you were a quick learner, Ms. Fenwick. Were your professors mistaken?”
Wow. I’ve known him 90 seconds and he’s already the most insulting person I’ve ever met.
I swallow down the urge to say something rude. “They were not mistaken in recommending me to Ms. Bryant.”
“Maybe your professors were not clear about one thing. You are here to assist Mistress Bryant. But you report to me.”
“You?” I say, shocked.
Frye seems to grow taller and redder by the second.
“Perhaps you cannot read an email signature. Or, bless your heart, you don’t understand how major estates operate. I am the house manager and have been for thirty years. You will answer to me first and foremost.”
I think back to the application process, poring over the details given to me by the head of the history department and all the materials sent to me via email. I don’t recall anything that said I was answering to anyone but Esme.
Frye grows increasingly impatient with me.
“We have a lot of ground to cover, so if you are having second thoughts, I hope you will not waste my time. If you leave now, I’ll be able to have another intern here to replace you in time for me to catch my flight.”
I’m so taken aback by this that it’s all I can do not to reply with a snarky attitude and put him in his place.
I drop my head and study the tile floor. I need a minute to think.
If I leave now, I’ll have to go into debt by booking a last-minute flight back to Indy. But it might be worth it to avoid three months of misery.
When I said goodbye this morning to my on-campus apartment and my suite mates, I was bubbling over with excitement for this opportunity. And now this asshole is ready to toss me away like garbage.
Just like everyone else in my life before college.
I have a decision to make, and this is going to hurt either way.
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Rowan
