Heiress

“Did Uncle Harrison own the building?”

Curnutt nodded. “And land is at a premium price here, too,” he said as he came around the car and opened the door for her. Allison was doing her best to remain calm, but she felt so weak that she actually welcomed Curnutt’s hand on her arm as he assisted her from the car. What awaited her at this meeting?

“There’s a conference room on the first floor, and that’s where the employees are to assemble. We’ll meet them first and take a tour of the facilities after they go back to their work.”

They walked down the hallway toward a buzz of excited voices that stopped immediately when Curnutt tapped on a half-closed door. He motioned Allison into the room filled with men and women gathered around oblong tables. Allison sat at a table near the door where two other women were already seated. She smiled timidly at them, and they acknowledged her by lifting their hands in silent greeting. She felt ill at ease, but she ran her hand over the fabric of her new suit, thankful that she was dressed appropriately in the latest fashion. Everyone’s attention focused on Thomas Curnutt when he stepped behind a podium in the front of the room.

“I know that many of you have been uneasy about the future of Page Publishing Company, and were even before the owner’s death, but I was not at liberty to divulge any details about his affairs. Now I can tell you that Harrison left the bulk of his estate to his niece Allison Sayre, who accompanies me today.” He paused as a murmur of surprise interrupted him. “That includes this company, so Miss Sayre has become the new owner. She has had two years of experience in the publishing world in her hometown of Chicago. Perhaps you would like to welcome her.”

The applause was perfunctory, hardly cordial, and Allison felt her face flushing. Her embarrassment was so great that she missed Curnutt’s next words and focused only when she heard him say, “Perhaps Miss Sayre has a few words for you.”

Even with her back to them, Allison felt every eye on her, but with a prayer for courage, she stood on trembling legs and, with as much grace as she could muster, turned to face her new employees. Everyone’s attention was riveted on her, and she didn’t see any sign of welcome, though some of the people looked amused. And no wonder—her youth and inexperience must be apparent Others seemed in a state of shock, as Allison was. She hurriedly judged there were about forty people present, and not one of them as young as she. A few of the men’s faces were belligerent and she figured they would refuse to work for her.

Surmising that the less said the better, and praying that her voice wouldn’t tremble, Allison began, “I arrived in town yesterday, so as yet I know nothing about the situation here. I have nothing to say to you now, but please plan for a staff meeting here on Monday morning. By that time, I will have made some plans.”

After she sat down, gloomy over her inadequate words, Curnutt stood again.

“I’m sure that Miss Sayre will appreciate the same faithfulness and cooperation that you gave Harrison Page. We’ll take a tour of the plant this afternoon, and the supervisors should provide any information that will facilitate Miss Sayre’s adjustment. You may return to work now, except I would like Benton and Celestine to remain for a few minutes.”

As the employees filed out, Allison turned eagerly to see which one was Benton Lockhart. A middle-aged woman remained seated, as did a strong, broad-shouldered young man with a close-clipped beard that matched his tawny hair. When the other employees were gone, Curnutt closed the door into the hallway.

“I asked you to remain to give you copies of Harrison’s will since both of you are named in it. He left each of you 5 percent of his total estate, and since I estimate his assets are nearly three million dollars, that should be an ample amount for both of you.” When he handed them the envelopes, he said, “I’m counting on both of you to assist Miss Sayre as she takes over the reins here.”

Celestine dabbed at tearful eyes with a tissue, but she smiled at Allison as she left the room. Benton hadn’t moved and Allison walked toward him. He observed her approach with cool, steady gray eyes sparkling with tiny golden flecks that matched the mellow tints in his hair.

“I’m wondering if you’re the same Benton Lockhart I met several years ago in Indianapolis.”

“I’ve been in Indianapolis several times, so that’s possible.”

“You wouldn’t remember me, but the man I met spoke at an evangelical youth crusade. If you were that person, I want you to know you made a tremendous impact on my life.”

Benton’s gray eyes didn’t change expression, but Allison sensed a chillness settle around him, and his lips twisted in a sardonic smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“Let me assure you, Miss Sayre, that I am not the same man you heard speak in that spiritual crusade.” He looked past her at the attorney. “If that’s all, Mr. Curnutt; I have a client calling in five minutes.”

Allison’s disappointment was intense. One of the things that had bolstered her during her goodbyes in Chicago and assuaged her fear of taking charge of her uncle’s affairs had been the thought that she might see Benton Lockhart, who could provide the encouragement and guidance she needed during this tumultuous period of her life. Now that her hopes had been dashed, she couldn’t take much interest in the tour of the building.

As Benton moved toward the exit, his glance caught and held Allison’s, and he held out his hand. She was hardly prepared for the jolt that shot up her arm when she met his outstretched fingers, or the warmth in his voice when he said, “I hope your ownership of Page Publishing will be as prosperous and rewarding as it was for your uncle.” With a nod in the lawyer’s direction, he left the room. Was he or was he not the Benton Lockhart she’d once known?

Behind the conference room was a well-equipped kitchen. “This is used by the employees for preparing their lunches,” Curnutt explained. “The conference room doubles as a dining room. On special occasions the management has food catered for the staff.”

The rest of the first floor was the shipping department, which was supervised by Calvin Smith. A man in his thirties, Smith’s careless good looks were accentuated by bold, baby-blue eyes and thick brown hair. He shook hands with Allison and welcomed her to the company.

“Miss Sayre’s advent has deflated Lockhart, hasn’t it, Mr. Curnutt? He has enjoyed being top dog around here.”

“He didn’t seem deflated to me,” Curnutt said quietly as they moved on, and Allison wondered if Benton would resent her ownership.

Taking the service elevator, Curnutt said, “Let’s go to the top and start down.”

The fifth floor was used for storage, so they spent little time there; the fourth floor housed the printing shop, and although she knew very little about it, Allison was impressed by the functional electronic equipment. “Obviously Page Publishing has the very latest in electronic ware,” she said.

“Thanks mostly to Benton Lockhart. Harrison was more conservative in his methods, and as most people of our generation, he understood very little about the computer world. To give him credit, he knew his limitations and followed Benton’s advice. Benton has an engineering degree, as well as a degree in computer science.”

The bookkeeping and billing departments were on the third floor, and numerous computer stations were grouped around the room. “Harrison placed key people as supervisors in each department,” Curnutt explained, “and he didn’t try to learn the whole business himself, nor should you expect to. As long as the company was making a decent profit, he assumed the employees were doing the job they were assigned to do. I know you’re worried about how to manage the business, but you shouldn’t encounter any problems. Meet regularly with the supervisors from each department, ask for weekly reports from them, and as you study them, you’ll learn all you need to know. Perhaps until you know what’s going on, the supervisors should be accountable to Benton and Benton will be accountable to you. Any firing or hiring in the lower ranks should be handled by the supervisors.”

“But shouldn’t I have the final word in case of controversies between employees?”

“That’s debatable. You remember that Moses of biblical history was trying to handle all the controversies between the Hebrews, and his father-in-law convinced Moses that he should observe a chain of command. The company belongs to you, but I’d be mighty careful about meddling in situations between the supervisors and those who work for them.”

Three offices constituted the second floor, which was the main entrance into the building. The customers came first to Celestine’s office, a large room that contained several chairs for customers, her neat computer station and rows of filing cabinets. The room was carpeted and heavy draperies hung at the two windows and muffled the noisy traffic on Broad Street. Benton’s office was to the left, and since he was busy with a customer, Curnutt told Allison she could talk with him later.

Celestine Handley was dark haired with wide cheekbones, and although her skin exhibited some lines of middle age, she was still a beautiful woman. Her dark-green eyes were clear, steadfast, unfaltering, and Allison felt that with this woman’s support, she could take on the mantle that Harrison Page had cast upon her.

Celestine opened the door into the owner’s office, where a large portrait of Harrison Page hung behind the desk. Allison had forgotten what he looked like, for she hadn’t seen him for ten years, but she recognized him immediately, and his resemblance to her mother was startling. The office furniture in the room was worn, but still in good repair. Celestine went behind the desk and opened a drawer. She handed a key ring to Allison.

“Miss Sayre—” she began.

But Allison interrupted. “Please, call me ‘Allison’. Being addressed as ‘Miss Sayre’ makes me feel ancient.” Turning to the attorney, she said, “And you, too, please. That way, I won’t feel such a stranger.”

“Of course,” he agreed.

“Allison,” Celestine started again, a smile lighting her brilliant eyes, “these keys belonged to your uncle. There’s a key here to everything in this building. I don’t know that Mr. Page had any occasion to use them, but it was simply a symbol of his ownership. He could investigate anything he wanted to.” She dropped the large set of keys back into the drawer and handed Allison a ring with two keys on it. “These are the ones you should carry. They open the front and rear entrances and your office door.”

“This will be your office, Allison,” Curnutt said. “Don’t you want to try on the owner’s chair for size?” He smiled at her.

“No, not today,” Allison said, and her facial features felt frozen. Almost as if it were an animate object, the massive leather chair terrified her.

Perhaps sensing Allison’s stress, Celestine said, “Do you have time for a cup of coffee or tea?”

When the attorney assented, Celestine motioned them to a cozy corner of her office. They sat in easy chairs, and Curnutt took up the morning newspaper, placed conveniently for the company’s visitors. He offered Allison a section of the paper, but her mind was too muddled to concentrate on reading.

Celestine opened a nearby louvered door into a small kitchenette. “I have coffee ready, and hot water for tea,” she said, “but we have juice and soft drinks, too.”

Allison wasn’t normally a coffee drinker, but the stress of the day was wearing on her, and she needed a stimulant of some kind. After Celestine served Curnutt and Allison with coffee and placed a fruit tray on the table before them, she prepared a small tray, tapped on Benton’s door and served him and his customer. Allison munched on some grapes, sipped the hot coffee and contemplated the day’s activities. Perhaps the situation wasn’t as bad as she had suspected. She had detected no outright hostility among the employees, and in time, she might win their confidence. Celestine, who displayed all the charm of a hostess in her own home, had done much to put Allison at ease.

While Celestine was busy at her desk and Curnutt was absorbed in the newspaper, Allison reviewed her conversation with Benton Lockhart. She wished that she had brought the album containing the picture of the Benton she’d met in Indianapolis, for, in spite of his denial, she thought he was the same person she had met there. His neatly trimmed whiskers did cover most of his facial features, but one of the things she had most remembered about Benton had been his tawny hair and warm gray eyes.

Let me assure you, Miss Sayre, that I am not the same man you heard speak in that spiritual crusade. That could be interpreted in various ways—it could mean that he was the same person, but his attitude had changed, or it could mean that he had not been there. She couldn’t figure it out And what good would it do her if she did learn the truth? It wouldn’t be wise to delve into the man’s past. If she learned how to manage this firm, it would be with the help of Benton Lockhart; she couldn’t antagonize him.

After Celestine answered the phone a couple of times and searched out some files, which she delivered to Benton’s office, she joined them with a glass of juice in her hand. “I suppose Columbus seems like a small town to you after living in Chicago,” she said.

“I didn’t realize what a large area Chicago covered until I saw it from the airplane when we flew down here a few weeks ago to see Mr. Curnutt. We live in the suburbs and do most of our shopping in the area where we live. We go to downtown Chicago only for special events. But I think Columbus is a fine city, and I’m sure I’ll like living here. Could you advise me about finding a small furnished apartment? I want something fairly close to this business and not too expensive.”

Curnutt laid aside his paper. “Allison, I know it’s difficult for you to comprehend, but you’re a very rich woman now and you don’t have to be conservative in your choice of living quarters. It will be several months before you have complete control of Harrison’s property, but I’ll instruct the bookkeeper here to put you on the payroll, and you’ll receive a bimonthly salary as do the employees. Harrison drew a modest salary, just enough to take care of his expenses, and allowed the rest of the profit to build up the coffers of the company. I would suggest that you do the same for the time being. Do you have any way to anticipate your expenses?”

“I made twenty thousand dollars yearly at my previous job. On that I lived in my own apartment, had a car and saved a little money.”

“We’ll double that amount until you see how much you need.”