Heiress. Irene Brand
drew back the curtains and looked out on a high laurel hedge that hid the house next door. Two white iron benches were grouped around an oval matching table, and a tall Greek statue overlooked the scene.
“Oh, what a lovely place! When we look out our kitchen window at home, we see the house next door.” Donald’s house, she thought quickly and pushed the memory aside. “I’ll love having my meals here.”
“Do you have time for a serving of banana cream pie?” Minerva asked.
“I am in a hurry,” Curnutt said, “but I’ll never turn down your pie.”
They sat in the dinette alcove, and while they waited to be served, Allison said, “This is the most fabulous home I’ve ever seen. I’ll try it for several months anyway. It may prove too much for me, and I may feel lost here. Our whole home in Chicago isn’t a quarter this large. It scares me in a way, but I do feel at home already.”
When Minerva brought the pie and a beverage, Curnutt pulled out the extra chairs and said, “Sit down, Minerva, and you, too, Adra. You should be involved in any plans we make for this house.”
Adra declined pie, but drank a cup of coffee.
“First of all, Allison, when do you want to move in?” the attorney said.
“Why not tomorrow? I don’t see any reason to pay for a hotel room when this house is standing empty.”
Minerva nodded approvingly.
The attorney turned to the McRameys. “I assume that you’re willing to stay with Allison under the same arrangements you had with Harrison.”
“More than willing,” Adra said. “We like it here.”
“What are the arrangements?” Allison asked.
“They are paid a salary of one thousand dollars a month, which is all they can earn and still draw their Social Security, but they have free room and board, so it’s a good deal for them. In return for this compensation, Adra takes care of the outdoor work and does general maintenance work. Minerva is the housekeeper, and she did Harrison’s cooking.”
“That sounds like more of a bargain for me than for you,” Allison said. “This house is too large for one woman to take care of. You should have additional help.”
“A cleaning service comes in twice each year to wash the windows and give everything a thorough cleaning,” Minerva said, “but I manage well enough the rest of the time, though you’re sweet to be concerned.”
Curnutt looked at his watch. “Let’s see the rest of the house. I don’t want to be late for my appointment.”
They climbed the wide stairway, Allison in the lead, with the three adults trailing her, each eager to point out interesting things about the house.
Mrs. Page had occupied the turret bedroom and Allison liked it best. A white delicately scrolled iron bed with paleblue dust ruffle was covered with a handmade quilt. The small desk, rocking chair, bookshelves, nightstand, dressing table and a storage chest at the foot of the bed were all white wicker. The rocking chair was cushioned with a delicate fabric, and richly ruffled curtains enlivened the windows that overlooked the back lawn.
“And my own private bathroom, too,” Allison exclaimed when she saw the room with modern pastel-blue fixtures. “This is a suite any woman would enjoy, and it looks like paradise to me.”
Two other bathrooms and four bedrooms were located on the second floor. The third floor, occupied by the McRameys, was reached by a narrow stairway that opened from the kitchen or through a small door from the second floor.
“Those steps are steep to climb several times a day, aren’t they?” Allison said as she scanned them.
“I don’t mind the walking,” Minerva said, “but there’s a service elevator that Mr. Page put in several years ago for his wife’s convenience, so we don’t have to walk if we don’t want to.”
“There’s a full-sized basement for utility purposes,” Adra offered.
“I’ve seen enough for one day. I’m so excited now that I probably won’t be able to sleep tonight.”
Allison glanced around the upper hall one more time, and Curnutt looked at his watch as the hall clock struck five times.
“For the present, just plan on preparing my dinner,” Allison said to Minerva. “I’ll take care of my own breakfast and pack a lunch to take to work with me. I’m used to looking after myself. And if it’s all right, I’ll move in tomorrow morning. I will have lots of unpacking to do, and that will give me two days before I go to work on Monday.”
“Which room should I prepare for you, Miss Sayre?”
“I want the one previously occupied by Aunt Sarah. And will both of you call me ‘Allison’? I want to consider you friends rather than employees, for I have a feeling I’m going to need all the friends I can find before this first year is over.”
Curnutt and Allison rode in silence back to the hotel, and when he stopped his car in front of the entrance, he asked, “Do you want me to help you move?”
“No, that isn’t necessary. I didn’t unpack my car, and Adra can help me when I get to the house.”
“I’ll check with you tomorrow to see how you’re adjusting. I hope you can sleep tonight.”
“I doubt that I will. Right now, I’ve been elevated to the heights, but I’m levelheaded enough to know that only a little jolt can topple me to the other extreme.”
He patted her on the hand. “Allison, you’ll be fine. I predict that within a year you’ll know as much about Page Publishing as Harrison did.”
His encouragement was welcome, for while she didn’t feel as desolate and afraid as she had this morning, Allison knew she was heading into an uphill marathon.
When she reached her room, Allison kicked off her shoes, dropped down in the lounge chair and pulled the lever to elevate her feet. She welcomed this evening alone to sort out her thoughts and impressions. Right now, her mind was a hodgepodge of crystal chandeliers, opulent furniture, cut crystal, chintz wall hangings and leaded-glass windows. How could she get past all that glitter and grapple with the real issues that confronted her?
It would be easy to succumb to the worries and frustrations of coping with Page Publishing Company, working with an investment broker to keep from losing her uncle’s money and supervising numerous employees, as well as living in a fabulous home that plunged her mentally into the nineteenth century. To be so overwhelmed, in fact, that she could forget about the important things in life. At this point, she was more worried about losing her identity and her purpose in life by becoming Miss New Rich than she was about managing a million-dollar business.
God, she prayed aloud, I can’t cope with this alone. Show me how I can bring myself down to earth when I tend to lose sight of my eternal destiny.
Allison reached for the Bible on the table beside her and turned on the table lamp. For the next hour, she pored over the Scriptures, searching for the doctrines she must heed to stay on the right path, and she was amazed at the abundance of Bible passages that dealt with her immediate concern—how she could balance an abundance of worldly goods with the riches of God’s blessings.
“Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth.”
Had her uncle followed this precept? Did he recognize the power of God in his life? How she wished she knew more about her benefactor.
“Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings.”
A good proverb