Chapter 4
Four years later
"Come in."
Nervously I walked into the managers' office. The plaque on the front of the door read:
M. Poligny
Another plaque beneath it read:
M. Debienne
"Well, Jamie, we have come-" M. Poligny started.
"We?" I interrupted. "I thought M'sieur Debienne had died!"
"He had." Said M. Poligny, looking slightly perturbed at being interrupted."But his son decided to carry on with the business." For the first time since I entered the room, I noticed another man in the office. A familiar, well dressed young man.
He winked at me.
I glared at him.
"Yes, this is Remus Debienne." Said M. Poligny. "Rather young, but he has finished school. . . ."
I was amazed.
How could such a stupid boy become a manager of the beautiful Opera house?
"As I was saying, Miss Redwood, you have procured a job. A job that would enable you to live here."
I stayed silent.
"You are hired."
"As what?" I burst out.
"As a maid." Said M. Poligny, smiling.
I nearly groaned with disappointment. Why, why must I be a maid? I would have accepted any other job position! I bet M. Poligny was enjoying this.
"Your salary will be eight francs a day," He continued, "And Joseph Buquet will show you to your living quarters. You are dismissed."
Buquet did show me to my living quarters. As we walked, I wondered why the managers couldn't get anyone better than Buquet. Did they know how incredibly stupid he is? In front of me, he stopped walking. Unfortunately, I didn't.
That resulted into a very awkward incident.
After we had untangled ourselves from the butler, Buquet showed me down a staircase.
And another.
And another.
Eventually we ended up at a small closet.
A small, familiar closet.
A closet that had tons of stuff in it, with a small, cheap bed in the middle.
I regretted ever coming to work here.