Chapter 10
"Mrs. Weston." The doorkeeper nodded as Katherine and Flora walked into the store. The Paradise was somewhat quiet this morning; hardly anyone wandered between the aisles. Katherine noted that with great dissatisfaction and headed for Moray's office. She stopped before knocking on the door and smiled down at Flora.
"Why don't you stay out here, my dear, while I discuss something with Mr Moray?"
"Can I go up to Ladies' Wear, Mama?"
"Sure you can, my dear." Katherine kissed the top of her daughter's head then watched her as she disappeared behind a display of exquisite flowers. Suddenly, Katherine had a strange chill go up her spine. She turned around, nervously looking up and down until she found Jonas staring at her behind his counter. She quickly averted her eyes. There was something in that man that had always unnerved her. She knocked on Moray's office's door and without waiting for a reply she bolted in, trying to escape from Jonas's penetrating gaze.
Moray looked up from his desk at the sound of her entrance. A look of surprise and mild confusion crossed his face. "Katherine, to what do I owe this surprise visit? How can I help you?"
"Moray, I only came to read the weekly report."
"Oh...?" Moray's eyebrows went up in question.
"My husband was...unable to attend." Katherine looked around the office then sat down opposite Moray. He poured a drink to himself then began searching through a stack of papers. He finally found what he was looking for and handed Katherine a document full of figures. The numbers didn't look so good, even to her laic eyes. "I noticed the store is quiet today and I see it has been for the last weeks. Wouldn't it be time for one of your grand ideas, Moray? Or were they always Denise's?" She shot him a challenging glance. Moray stared back at her then drank his whiskey in one gulp. He said nothing. "Speaking of Denise, I heard about her soon-to-be departure. Very ambitious of her." Katherine continued, a malicious gleam in her eye.
"You think so? I do too." Moray answered cheerily.
"Too ambitious, one might say."
"One might." Moray crossed his arms and leaned back into his chair. "But not me."
The silence stretched between them as they tried to stare down each other. Katherine was the first to look away. She gazed out the window, suddenly very interested in the going-ons of the street. Moray stifled a triumphant smile.
"Miss Flora!" Dudley perched up an eyebrow in question. "Are you here all by yourself?" he said looking around searching for anyone who might be a chaperone to the girl. "Oh, no, I came with Mama, Mr Dudley. But I am to wait for her here while she talks with Mr Moray. I have already been to see Ladies' Wear..."
"Hmm."
"And she had been gone quite a long time, too." she said while drawing circles with her fingers on the counter. "How about some company, while you are waiting?" Flora's face lit up and she nodded eagerly. "Maybe you could teach me some more about the Paradise, Mr Dudley? There is a lot more I can fit into my head!"
"Oh, I am sure that is right, Miss Flora." Dudley chuckled "Only, unfortunately I have some business needing attending myself, but…" he looked up and caught sight of someone who would be perfect for the job. "Arthur!"
"Yes, Mr Dudley, sir!" The boy rushed to his side.
"Could you keep Miss Flora company, while she is compelled to wait here?"
"Of course, Mr Dudley, sir." he sounded a little reluctant, but then a reassuring smile appeared on his face and Dudley bid them goodbye.
"So..." - Arthur scratched his head, trying to come up with something to say - "how about a private tour while you're waiting?"
Flora looked unimpressed. "I have been to the Paradise before, you know."
"But not with me." He sounded a little affronted. "I was born here, actually. I know everything there is to know about the place. All the secrets, shortcuts, everything." he boasted.
"Ok." she shrugged. Anything would be better than standing here, she thought. They began to move, Arthur cleverly manoeuvring between the hurrying customers and staff and soon they found themselves below stairs. "So, this is the storage room, where we...store the goods that arrive." Arthur pointed to a room full of neatly packed boxes and packages of different shapes and sizes. Flora popped her head in and looked around. Her eyes settled on a big, oddly shaped package. "What is that?" she asked Arthur. "It has such a strange shape. And it is almost as big as a man."
Arthur looked then shook his head. "To be honest, I don't rightly know it myself, but it has arrived with the morning delivery. Mr Moray warned us to be very careful with it. It must be one of his great schemes, I say!" He smiled then escorted Flora out of the room. They started down the hallway.
"Were you actually born here, in the store?" she asked him a moment later.
"Well, not in the store but just outside, in the loading bays. There." He pointed into the dark alleyway as they passed it. "But it was not called the Paradise then, but Emmerson's." Flora started to listen to him with genuine interest, which gave Arthur enough confidence to continue. He straightened himself and cleared his throat. "And the place was much smaller then, as well, if you can imagine it. All that you can see here, well, that is all Mr Moray's doing. He is a mighty fine businessman! He built up the Paradise from nothing and I have been here the whole time to see it." He smiled proudly. "And he will do many grand things yet! I'll be here for those too, wouldn't miss it for the world! No one can run the Paradise like him!"
Flora stopped in her tracks and looked at Arthur. The boy couldn't understand what went wrong, but he could feel the atmosphere had changed between us. Suddenly he felt chilly. Then he realized who is he talking to and what had he been saying to her.
"Oh, I didn't mean it like that..." he said, red in the face "Mr Weston is a fine businessman, he is! I just...well.."
"I think I should go back. Mama must be wondering where I have gone. I wouldn't want to worry her." Flora turned around and headed back for the main entrance. She hesitantly took one step to the right, then to the left. She realized she had never been below stairs before. "I can walk back with you." Arthur rushed to her side, desperately trying to make right. "If someone is not familiar with the grounds it is easy to..." He stopped short and chastised himself for speaking out of turn once again. "What I mean is, I know a shortcut."
Flora nodded reluctantly but didn't say a word the whole way back.
"Since you asked, Katherine, I do have something to stir up the Paradise a little. Or, I rather hope it will incite the ladies enough to come to the store and take a look at it. And it might inspire them to purchase."
"And what is it?"
Moray looked at her with a mysterious smile. He remained silent, which made Katherine more annoyed than she should have imagined. She has thought he wouldn't affect her this way, ever again.
"I can see you have regained your old confidence, Moray. Good for you." She pursed up her lips. "Well, fine, don't tell me then. I'll be back to see it sooner or later, anyway."
"Oh, I know. But I wouldn't want to rob you from the pleasurable experience of a surprise."
"How thoughtful of you, Moray." She said bitterly, then bid goodbye. She was fuming with anger even as she stepped into the carriage with Flora tailing close behind her. The girl sensed her annoyance and said nothing. In any case, she had her own thoughts to keep her occupied.