Джеффри Арчер - The Prodigal Daughter

Mother obeyed child for the first time.

When Miss Tredgold tucked Florentyna into bed that night she asked if she had enjoyed the experience.

‘Oh, yes,’ said Florentyna. ‘I had no idea clothes could make you look so good.’

Miss Tredgold smiled, a little wistfully.

‘And did you realize that they raised over eight thousand dollars for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra? Even Papa would have been impressed by that.’

‘Indeed he would,’ said Miss Tredgold, ‘and one day you will have to decide how to use your wealth for the benefit of other people. It is not always easy being born with money.’

The next day, Miss Tredgold pointed out to Florentyna a picture of her mother in Women’s Wear Daily under the caption, ‘Baroness Rosnovski enters the fashion scene in Chicago.’

‘When can I go to a fashion show again?’ asked Florentyna.

‘Not until you have been through Charlemagne and the Council of Trent,’ said Miss Tredgold.

‘I wonder what Charlemagne wore when he was crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire,’ said Florentyna.

That night, closed into her room, with only the light of a flashlight to go by, she let down the hem of her school skirt and took two inches in at the waist.

Florentyna was now in her last term of Middle School, and Abel hoped she might win the coveted Upper School Scholarship. Florentyna was aware that her father could afford to send her to Upper School if she failed to win a scholarship, but she had plans for the money her father would save each year if she was awarded free tuition. She had studied hard that year, but she had no way of knowing how well she had done when the final examination came to an end, as there were 122 Illinois children who had entered for the examination, but only four scholarships were to be awarded. Florentyna had been warned by Miss Tredgold that she would not learn the result for at least a month. ‘Patience is a virtue,’ Miss Tredgold reminded her, and added with mock horror that she would return to England on the next boat if Florentyna did not come in in the first three places.

‘Don’t be silly, Miss Tredgold, I shall be first,’ Florentyna replied confidently, but as the days of the month went by she began to regret her bragging and confided to Eleanor during a long walk that she might have written cosine when she had meant sine in one of the questions, and created an impossible triangle. ‘Perhaps I shall come in second,’ she ventured over breakfast one morning.

‘Then I shall move to the employ of the parents of the child who comes first,’ said Miss Tredgold imperturbably.

Abel smiled as he looked up from his copy of the morning paper. ‘If you win a scholarship,’ he said, ‘you will have saved me a thousand dollars a year. If you come out on top, two thousand dollars.’

‘Yes, Papa, and I have plans for that.’

‘Oh, do you, young lady. And may I inquire what you have in mind?’

‘If I win a scholarship, I want you to invest the money in Baron Group stock until I’m twenty-one, and if I’m first I want you to do the same for Miss Tredgold.’

‘Good gracious, no,’ said Miss Tredgold, stretching to her full height, ‘that would be most improper. I do apologize, Mr. Rosnovski, for Florentyna’s impudence.’

‘It’s not impudence, Papa. If I finish top, half the credit must go to Miss Tredgold.’

‘If not more,’ said Abel, ‘and I’ll agree to your demands. But on one condition.’ He folded his paper carefully.

‘What’s that?’ said Florentyna.

‘How much do you have in your savings account, young lady?’

‘Three hundred and twelve dollars,’ came the immediate reply.

‘Very well, if you fail to finish in the first four you must sacrifice the three hundred and twelve dollars to help me pay the tuition you haven’t saved.’

Florentyna hesitated. Abel waited and Miss Tredgold did not comment.

‘I agree,’ said Florentyna at last.

‘I have never bet in my life,’ said Miss Tredgold, ‘and I can only hope my dear father does not live to learn of this.’

‘It should not concern you, Miss Tredgold.’

‘It certainly does, Mr. Rosnovski. If the child is willing to gamble her only three hundred and twelve dollars on the strength of what I have managed to do for her, then I must repay in kind and also offer three hundred and twelve dollars towards her education if she fails to win a scholarship.’

‘Bravo,’ said Florentyna, and threw her arms around her governess.

‘ “A fool and his money are soon parted,” ’ declared Miss Tredgold.

‘Agreed,’ said Abel, ‘for I have lost.’

‘What do you mean, Papa?’ asked Florentyna. Abel turned over the newspaper to reveal a small headline that read: ‘The Chicago Baron’s Daughter Wins Top Scholarship.’

‘Mr. Rosnovski, you knew all the time.’

‘True, Miss Tredgold, but it is you who have turned out to be the better poker player.’

Florentyna was overjoyed and spent the last few days of her life at Middle School as the class heroine. Even Edward Winchester congratulated her.

‘Let’s go and have a drink to celebrate,’ he suggested.

‘What?’ said Florentyna. ‘I’ve never had a drink before.’

‘No time like the present,’ said Edward, and led her to a small classroom in the boys’ end of the school. Once they were inside, he locked the door. ‘Don’t want to get caught,’ he explained. Florentyna stood in admiring disbelief as Edward lifted the lid of his desk and took out a bottle of beer, which he pried open with a nickel. He poured the flat brown liquid into two dirty glasses, also extracted from the desk, and passed one over to Florentyna.

‘Bottoms up,’ said Edward.

‘What does that mean?’ asked Florentyna.

‘Just drink the stuff,’ he said, but Florentyna watched him take a gulp before she plucked up the courage to try a sip. Edward rummaged around in his jacket pocket and took out a crumpled package of Lucky Strikes. Florentyna couldn’t believe her eyes. The nearest she had been to a cigarette was the advertisement she had heard on the radio which said: ‘Lucky Strike means fine tobacco. Yes, Lucky Strike means fine tobacco,’ a theme that had driven Miss Tredgold mad. Without speaking, Edward removed one of the cigarettes from the packet, placed it between his lips, lit it and started puffing away. He blew some smoke jauntily into the middle of the room. Florentyna was mesmerized as he extracted a second cigarette and placed it between her lips. She did not dare to move as he struck another match and held the flame to the end of the cigarette. She stood quite still for fear it would catch her hair on fire.

‘Inhale, you silly girl,’ he said, so she puffed three or four times very quickly and then started coughing.

‘You can take the thing out of your mouth, you know,’ he said.

‘Of course I know,’ she said quickly, removing the cigarette the way she remembered Jean Harlow did in Saratoga .

‘Good,’ said Edward, and drank a large draft of his beer.

‘Good,’ said Florentyna, then swallowed a mouthful of her beer. For the next few minutes, she kept in time with Edward as he puffed his cigarette and gulped from his glass.

‘Great, isn’t it?’ said Edward.

‘Great,’ replied Florentyna.

‘Like another?’

‘No, thank you.’ Florentyna coughed. ‘But it was great.’

‘I’ve been smoking and drinking for several weeks,’ announced Edward.

‘Yes, I can tell,’ said Florentyna.

A bell sounded in the hall, and Edward quickly put the beer, cigarettes and the two butts in his desk before unlocking the door. Florentyna walked slowly back to her classroom. She felt dizzy and sick when she reached her desk and worse when she reached home an hour later, unaware that the smell of Lucky Strikes was still on her breath. Miss Tredgold did not comment and put her to bed immediately.