Mr. Clark arrived back at North Mansion
“Mr. Clark,
milord.”
The thing about Mr. Flanders was that he knew when to be
formal and when to loosen up. Now, he portrayed the stiff butler, one the tutor
was unused to. James followed the butler’s lead by dismissing him with a nod of
his head
“Mr.
Clark.” He shook his hand in a somewhat reserved manner
“Lord
North, may I extend my deepest sympathies on the passing of your father….”
“Thank
you.”
James didn’t offer him a seat, but returned to the chair
behind the massive desk, perfectly spotless after the recent purge
“Have you
references? Your file has none listed.”
The man fumbled with the briefcase he carried and hastily
removed a rather creased piece of paper
“Here is
one from my previous employer.”
“Did he
provide you with this creased paper? It is most unprofessional.”
The man made no response as he removed another from the
briefcase
“I’m afraid
this one is no better.”
“I assume
that you are teaching my sister not just the basics, but giving her other life
skills.” The insinuation towards the creased papers and
unorganized briefcase would hardly have been missed, but somehow, the tutor failed to notice.
“Of course,
milord, Miss Eleanor is thriving under my guidance in all she learns.”
“From what
I understand from her, your courses do not allow her to learn at her own pace,
which is, I may add, is faster then you are teaching her. From what I see in
her, she is capable of so much more.”
The man seemed surprised by the hard critic of the new lord.
He didn’t exactly know what to say in reply to it.
“So, I am
giving you two weeks to improve your teaching skills. If, by the end of this
period, my sister and I are not impressed, you will be dismissed.”
“Understood, milord.” The man said
“I will be
checking in periodically to ensure the material she is being taught is up to
par.”
The tutor quickly assured the man that this would be a fine
arrangement and left the office as soon as he could.
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