LoveMakers

by Gould, Judith

  Elizabeth-Anne, Ludmila, Larry, and the children followed, but they took their time. Elizabeth-Anne was taking the opportunity to study the splendid lobby. She breathed deeply as she gazed around, unable to believe that this small, glittering, palace-like hotel was now truly hers. It seemed impossible, like something out of a dream.

  Mr. Smythe was waiting for them outside the elevator, and the uniformed elevator operator was holding the door open. By the way the man was acting, Smythe had clearly let him know just who Elizabeth-Anne was.

  Once they were all inside, the operator shoved the door shut, and pressed down on the brass handle. As they rose smoothly skyward, Mr. Smythe cleared his throat and said apologetically, 'The royal suite takes up the entire top two floors of the hotel. I'm afraid the elevator only goes as far as the first of those floors. There are two staircases, however, connecting both floors of the duplex. One is quite grand, and the other is for the staff and emergency use.'

  'That is quite all right, Mr. Smythe,' Elizabeth-Anne assured him.

  He nodded then stood silently, his fingers ticking nervously against the sides of his trousers. Elizabeth-Anne gazed up at the sweeping hand of the floor indicator above the door. As they approached the eighth floor, a bell chimed and a yellow light went on indicating a stop call, but they rode on without stopping.

  'Just a moment, please,' Elizabeth-Anne said.

  Both the elevator operator and Smythe turned to face her. The elevator bobbed to an abrupt halt between floors.

  'Someone is summoning the elevator on the eighth floor, I take it?'

  'Yes, Mrs. Hale,' the operator said timidly.

  'From now on, unless there is an emergency, I want every elevator to stop whenever and wherever it is summoned. It doesn't matter who is on it. I intend for the guests to be king around here, not me and my family. The guests pay good money to stay here, and we will pamper them and keep them coming back to stay here time and again. Is that clear? No Inconvenience for the staff, or my family, is too great when it comes to satisfying my paying guests. They're going to get more services for their dollar here than anywhere else.'

  'Yes, ma'am,' the operator said in a tiny voice.

  Elizabeth-Anne nodded. 'Fine. Also, I would like to point out that there are smudges on the paneling of this elevator. And the brass needs a good shining.'

  'Yes, ma'am.'

  'I'm going to inspect every elevator in this building at noon tomorrow. I want them all to gleam like new.'

  'Yes, ma'am.'

  She smiled. 'Just so we understand each other and don't get off on the wrong foot. Now, let's backtrack down a floor and pick up whoever summoned this thing.'

  As she looked away, she caught Larry's approving gaze, and she shrugged. As long as she would have her way - and with Hale Hotels she would have her way - one motto would ring out loud and clear: Nothing under the sun would be too much when it came to her guests. She would have them coming back. Again and again.

  And that, she knew, was what would make her hotel shine above all others.

  By the time they reached the royal suite several minutes later, the word was obviously out. The moment the elevator door slid open, a maid greeted them. She was a short Irish woman in her late thirties, and her black and white uniform was crisply starched. 'Good afternoon, Mrs. Hale,' she said in a thick brogue. 'Welcome to the Madison Squire. My name is Moira, and I'm permanently assigned to this suite. Anything you want, you just call me.'

  'Thank you, Moira.' Elizabeth-Anne smiled warmly at her and turned to Smythe. 'I believe that Moira can show us around just fine. I appreciate your taking the time to show us up here.'

  Smythe tried his best to hide the fact that he was perturbed. He didn't like to be summarily dismissed. 'As you wish,' he said, bowing stiffly.

  'Meanwhile, Mr. Smythe,' Elizabeth-Anne said slowly, 'could you tell me when the day shift lets off?'

  'At five o'clock.'

  Elizabeth-Anne consulted her watch. 'Very well. That gives us half an hour. Please see to it that everyone from the day shift is assembled in the dining room at that time. I wish to have a talk with the day staff.'

  'Yes, Mrs. Hale.'

  'And I want you to do the same thing for the night shift. And the morning shift. Assemble them after their shift is over so that I can speak with them.'

  'But . . . the shifts are eight hours apart. Wouldn't you care to rest and - '

  'Mr. Smythe,' Elizabeth-Anne said patiently, 'rest is for the guests, not the staff. From this moment on, I am not only the owner of the Madison Squire, but a member of the staff as well.'

  'Yes, Mrs. Hale.' Rebuked, he backed into the elevator. Only once the door closed, did he allow himself to wipe the beads of perspiration off his glistening forehead.

  No one had to tell Elizabeth-Anne what it was like to meet the boss for the first time. She remembered only too well the day she had met Mrs. Winter.

  'Nervous?' Larry had asked her as she'd prepared herself for her first meeting with the staff.

  She'd nodded and shut her eyes.

  'If you like, I'll be there with you,' he'd offered.

  She'd opened her eyes then and smiled painfully. 'Sorry, no,' she'd told him softly. 'This is something I have to do alone, Larry. Otherwise I'll never gain their respect.'

  His look told her that he understood perfectly.

  She could feel the day shift's tension and anxiety crackling like electricity in the air of the dining room the moment she came in. It was a big room, and everyone was seated around the white-draped tables which had already been laid out for dinner. As soon as she made her appearance, Mr. Smythe approached her, and everyone quickly rose to their feet. Maintenance men, maids, book keepers, telephone operators, kitchen help, reception clerk, porters, bellboys, waiters, chefs and the doorman - the entire life blood of one eight-hour shift at the Madison Squire was assembled before her. And life blood of the hotel they were, she well knew, for without the essential human services the staff provided, the Madison Squire would be but an empty shell.

  Slowly she made the rounds of the room, her keen aquamarine eyes appraising everyone as Mr. Smythe introduced her. She shook hands with everyone and tried to remember the faces and names as best she could. There was such a large staff. But in time, she was certain, she would learn to call them all by their names and learn a little about them.

  Finally, the personal introductions over, Elizabeth-Anne stood alone in the front of the room. 'Please, be seated.' Her voice sounded suddenly weak, and she cleared her throat.

  There were the sounds of chairs scraping and starched uniforms rustling, but otherwise the tense silence could have been cut with a knife.

  Elizabeth-Anne took a deep breath. She felt as nervous as everyone else, but she knew that she must not show it. She had to appear in total control. This was her staff, and in order to get them to do her bidding, she must not only gain their respect, but their affection also.

  Swiftly she counted heads. There were twenty-seven employees sitting before her, and they were now her responsibility. The weight of it made her feel overwhelmingly alone. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves. Then she clasped her hands in front of her.

  'Ladies and gentlemen,' she began softly. 'I know you've all had a rough day, and that you're tired and anxious to get home. So I'll try and make this relatively brief.' She paused and smiled reassuringly. 'You do not know me, and I do not know you. That, at least, puts us on an even footing. However, within a few days we'll all be better acquainted with one another. Some of you have been here for a long time, others not so long. It is especially traumatic for long-term employees to find out that the business they have worked for is undergoing a change in ownership, because that usually means a change in management as well. Usually, but not always.

  'I understand the way you feel perfectly. New bosses can be tough, and you'll have to prove yourselves all over again. Some of you will not like me. And I will probably not like some of you either.'

  Sh
e allowed herself a chuckle. At least the ice was broken, she noticed. The staff looked a little less worried already.

  'However,' she continued, 'that is all beside the point. The only persons with whom you must be popular is the guests. I intend to make the Madison Squire the shining star of all the hotels in this city, indeed the country, and in order to do that, I need the help of each and every one of you.'

  She paused, her eyes sweeping the faces before her. They were all sitting at attention, digesting every word.

  'You will find out that I am a fanatic when it comes to cleanliness and services. We're going to glow and sparkle, all of us. And since I live upstairs, I'll have an easy time keeping my eyes on each and every one of you. Which doesn't mean I intend to frighten you. Not at all. It's only to keep you all on your toes.'

  She paused again, watching them exchange wary glances.

  'Starting tomorrow, I want the person in charge of each section of this hotel to give me a guided tour. That includes bus stations in the dining room, linen closets in the halls, and even the boiler and heating equipment in the basement. This is all necessary, because I wish to know this hotel inside and out, and no one knows it better than all of you. I also wish to get to know each and every one of you personally, because we are a team. I may happen to own this hotel, but I'm as much a member of the staff as any of you.

  'Now to some rather unpleasant business. When you arrive for work in the morning, I want every one of you to drop by the personnel office. You are all to hand in letters of resignation.'

  A sudden murmur rose from the employees.

  Elizabeth-Anne raised a hand to silence them. 'This is not to say that any of you will be let go. You will be instantly rehired, but on new terms. Each of you will again go through a probation period. This will give us a chance to see how well we work together and if we discover we don't get on, you will not be fired summarily. You shall receive severance pay and references. I know this is not easy to live with, but I believe it will give all of you an opportunity to prove your worth.'

  She inclined her head.

  'By Friday of next week, I also expect the head of each department to prepare a report describing how things can be improved.' She dropped her voice so everyone would have to strain to catch what she was saying. 'You will discover that, although I am demanding, I tend to reward hard work. Those of you who deserve it will get raises. Naturally, I won't be giving any of this away for nothing. It will be up to each and every one of you to prove you deserve it.'

  She stopped and smiled brightly. 'Meanwhile, let me reiterate that I welcome the opportunity of working with you. And don't forget, we are all a team. I'm counting on you to make the rest of us look good. I want this hotel to be filled to capacity at all times, and to do that, our reputation must spread. That is all in your hands. And to give you some incentive right away, despite the resignation letters I expect from all of you, I am hereby raising all salaries by ten percent.'

  There was utter confusion mixed with the wariness now.

  She continued to smile. 'Now, let's hope you all earn it. Good night.' She turned and left the room. In the silence that followed her out, one could have heard a pin drop. Only after she closed the dining room doors did pandemonium break out.

  Larry was waiting outside the dining room for her. 'I caught your speech,' he said with a chuckle.

  'Eavesdropping, eh?'

  'No. I was just on my way out, and I happened to overhear it. You're good. Very good.'

  She smiled nervously. Now that the meeting was over, she allowed her misgivings to show.

  'In fact,' Larry added admiringly, 'you were brilliant. You not only hung a killing sword over their heads to make sure they work their damnest, but at the same time you gave them across the board raises to let them know just how much they stand to lose.' He grinned hugely. 'It seems I've underestimated you. You're quite a businesswoman. Much more of one than I realized.'

  'More than I realized too,' she admitted in a weak voice.

  'Well, now that you've proved it, what do you say we ride up to the house? I still have plenty of champagne in the cellar.'

  She shook her head. 'Thanks, but no. Not that I couldn't use a drink, but it's been one helluva day.'

  'You can say that again.' He leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. 'I'll drop by tomorrow, how's that? Then I'll bring the champagne. A whole case as a housewarming present.'

  Her smile was dazzling. 'I'd like that. And Larry?'

  He raised his eyebrows.

  'Thanks.'

  'What for?'

  'You know what for, Larry. Everything. Everything.'

  The star-spangled night was cool and velvety as Elizabeth-Anne stepped out through the French doors and stood on the terrace. All around her, Manhattan glittered and shimmered, a vertical fairyland of crystalline towers and gleaming lights. She had tried to sleep, but it was impossible; too much had happened too suddenly.

  She was filled with a soaring sense of anticipation and wondrous excitement. Not all that long ago, she and the children had been in this hotel under very different circumstances. It seemed yesterday she had leaned out of a window in this very building, determined to take the city by storm and forge out a brilliant future for herself and the children. Now it was starting to happen, and this terrace, as well as the entire building, a whole square block on Madison Avenue, was hers, and hers alone.

  She breathed deeply of the sweet night air and her own heady success, a gleam of sparkling resolution shining in her eyes. Yes, she had come far in a short period of time. But not far enough, she thought. There was still so much to be done. So much more to be achieved and built and forged out of nothing. By God, she would conquer this city, she would tame this cacophonous, teeming giant and call it her own, and after she was through with that, she would conquer the country, and then the world.

  Hale Hotels.

  She savored the sound of those two short words on her tongue, tasting them, letting their power and strength course through her. From up here, high atop the city, it was easy to take strength from the present, and see into the future, to feel the pulse of the entire world. It wasn't difficult to imagine an empire of hotels spanning the earth.

  For a long time she stood alone on the terrace of the Madison Squire, a solitary woman gazing out at a sleeping world, planning and dreaming, determined to make everything she ever wanted come true.

  She did not hear him, but she felt his presence as he came out onto the terrace and stood behind her. She turned slowly to face him. 'I thought you had left,' she said softly, gazing at his moonlit face. 'I thought I wouldn't see you until tomorrow.'

  'I did leave,' Larry answered. 'But tomorrow seemed too far away. I had to come back and see you. I knew you'd be standing out here. Surveying your world.'

  She laughed. 'Guilty.'

  'It's beautiful, isn't it?'

  She nodded, the tears shining in her eyes. 'Larry,' she whispered quietly, 'Oh, Larry. You've made me the happiest woman in the world.'

  He drew her close to him, wrapping his arms around her. She sighed contently as he held her against the rugged warmth of his body.

  'I want you to be happy,' he whispered, nuzzling the nape of her neck with his lips. 'I want you always to be happy. You and I, we're special, Elizabeth-Anne. That's why we're standing here right now, instead of down there. We dare to dream, both of us. We dare to take chances and lock horns with fate to make our dreams our reality.'

  'I love you Larry.' Her voice was the barest whisper in the night.

  'And I love you.' He kissed her, tasting her vital urgency, feeling her powerfully trembling body. They kissed a long time, the lights twinkling all around them, and then he took her by the hand and led her inside, up the sweeping stairs to the second floor of the duplex, to the huge master bedroom where they celebrated success and dreams, achievements and each other by making fierce, urgent love until the sun rose brightly in the east.

  GENERATIONS

  TW
O

  Charlotte-Anne

  NEW YORK CITY,

  March 20, 1931

  1

  At precisely seven a.m. on this Friday morning, just like on every other weekday morning of the year, three sharp, business-like raps on the bedroom door awoke Charlotte-Anne.

  'Go 'way,' she mumbled, which was exactly what she mumbled every weekday morning. As usual, her words were ignored. The door opened and Dallas, Elizabeth- Anne's friend from the Savoy Plaza, whom she had lured away to be her family housekeeper at far better pay, came bustling in full of good cheer. For once she wasn't loaded down with the huge breakfast tray room service normally sent up. Elizabeth-Anne had left strict instructions that the family would breakfast together that morning.

  'Morning,' Dallas sang out cheerfully. She crossed over to the French doors and yanked aside the thick, butter- yellow drapes.

  'Go 'way, Dallas,' Charlotte-Anne moaned irritably. She scowled as she buried her face under the pillow.

  'Now, now, Miss Charlotte-Anne, your Mamma said you got to be up at the stroke of seven, and I aim to get you out of bed just when she said. Breakfast's at the table this mornin'. Your Mamma, she wants to discuss something important with you all.'

  Dallas grasped a corner of the off-white, satin comforter, and pulled. She and Charlotte-Anne had suffered through this daily ritual hundreds of times, and Charlotte-Anne, knowing full well what was coming, grabbed hold of her end of the comforter. A fierce tug of war followed. Dallas won out; she always did. For one thing, she was wide awake, which Charlotte-Anne wasn't; for another, the satin was slick and liked to slip out from between Charlotte-Anne's fingers.