The staff hand leaves Caroline in front of a large black wooden door. As she is about to knock, a voice beckons Caroline inside. Slowly, she wraps her fingers around the handle. Opening the door, Caroline sees Talyah sitting behind a desk, looking over tons of papers.
Without looking up, “please have a seat, or would you prefer to stand there all day?”
Caroline sheepishly gazes at the floor as she closes the door before making her way to the front of Talyah’s desk. Sitting down in one of the plush leather chairs, Caroline watches Talyah work. After a few moments, Talyah raises her head and locks her eyes with Caroline. Pursing her lips, her hand rests under her chin.
“I believe it’s time your training begins. One of the other workers will mentor you until tonight. I hope you find Deidra’s words enlightening and appreciate her wisdom.”
Caroline adjusts in her seat, unsure if Talyah has more to discuss or the meeting had concluded. Talyah’s gaze returns to the papers in front of her, without looking at Caroline, “that is all; you may change if you wish. You’ll find Deidra in the dining hall waiting for you.”
Caroline gets up from her seat, reaches her hand for the doorknob; when Talyah stops her,
“Oh, do be cautious around Jasper.”
Caroline feels her cheeks flush from the mention of Jasper’s name. Biting her lip, Caroline considers turning around to face Talyah but soon decides against it. Caroline exits the room and starts her journey to the basement. Finding her room, Caroline enters and shuts the door. Stripping everything off, she quickly runs the water to the bath. Taking a deep breath, Caroline ponders over last night’s encounter with Jasper and if she’ll see him again. Of course, I’ll see him again; he makes deliveries here and seems to partake in the activities at this establishment. I can’t help but wonder if last night was only a typical time with another whore for him or if it was something more.
Dipping her hand into the water, deciding the temperature is acceptable, Caroline steps in and submerges herself in the warmth. The steam fills the room, as Caroline can feel herself drift off to sleep. A knock on the door soon awakens her,
“Miss, I have brought your garments Madame Talyah has requested. I have left them near your closet. She hopes you will find them satisfactory.” A deep voice utters from the other side of the door.
As Caroline is about to utter a thank you, the door to her chambers closes. Expressing a sigh of displeasure, I guess I’ll get some sleep tonight. She quickly washes before getting out of the bath. Entering into her room, Caroline notices a few bundles stacked near the closet. Grabbing a towel, she dries herself while wondering what she’ll find inside the parcels. She picks up one of the parcels sitting on the bed when Caroline realizes Deidra is upstairs waiting for her.
I don’t have time to unwrap these right now. Deidra is probably furious, having been waiting up there for the past hour or so. I’ll have to look at these later. One of my current dresses should suffice for now. It is only training, after all. Rummaging through her dresser, Caroline searches for anything that will make her appear presentable. Finding a black dress with long sleeves, Caroline gets ready.
After taking one glance in the mirror, Caroline hurriedly puts her long brown hair up into a tight bun. Leaving her room, she rushes up the stairs to the entrance hall before making her way to the dining hall. Once inside, Caroline spots a woman sitting at the long table with a book in her hand. The woman appears to be in her thirties, with long curly brown hair and peach skin. Caroline feels a hint of jealousy over the woman’s appearance. A gorgeous black laced dress drapes the woman’s slender form.
Hearing Caroline’s heels hitting the floor alerts the woman to her presence. Turning her gaze from the book, she meets Caroline’s eyes. Her eyes narrow before the woman emerges from her seat. The woman approaches Caroline, “what took you so long? I have been waiting here for over an hour. Talyah didn’t tell me you were going to be trouble.”
Caroline shifts her gaze to the floor, her face beginning to turn a scarlet red, “I’m sorry. I fell asleep in the bath and scrambled to get ready as quickly as I could. I’m so very sorry.”
The woman purses her lips, “stop apologizing. Let’s get on with this. I’m Deidra; I’ll be showing you how to interact with clients, dining, and anything else you might have difficulties with.”
Caroline’s stomach grumbles in response; this cannot get any worse. Deidra narrows her eyes at her. “We don’t have a lot of time; however, it would allow me to teach you the correct silverware for each course. I’ll see if there’s anything in the kitchen this late in the morning.”
Deidra walks away towards the kitchen. Caroline takes the opportunity to sit at the table. When
Deidra returns, a waiter follows her with a tray of various dishes and silverware. Caroline stares in unease. The waiter sets the table across from Caroline as Deidra motions to get up from her seat. The server sets the table identical to the one across from where she was sitting. Deidra sits across from the opposite place setting. Once the server finishes, Caroline pulls out the chair and takes her seat.
“Now, I’m going to walk you through the type of dinner we had last night. Most dinners are not twelve courses. The only reason the previous night involved so many, it was a celebratory dinner.” Deidra explains, watching Caroline.
“With that said, you always have one central plate and a bread plate. The main plate is the biggest one, and the smaller dish is the bread plate.”
Caroline nods in response, staring down at the setting. “The large fork is your dinner fork; the smaller fork is the salad fork. Do you need me to explain what foods they are for?”
Without lifting her head, Caroline raises her eyes to glare at Deidra. “I’m not stupid.”
“I never said you were,” Deidra snidely responds.
Caroline shakes her head, trying to ignore the apparent distaste Deidra has.
Deidra closes her eyes for a brief moment, “on the other side of the big dish is a large knife. That is your dinner knife. The smaller one next to it is the salad knife.”
Glancing between the different silverware pieces Deidra mentioned, Caroline recognizes the ones Deidra has mentioned. Guessing this is why no one is supposed to leave their silverware with the dishes. I was wondering why everyone kept their forks and knives.
“The big spoon is for soup, and the smaller one is your standard teaspoon. Most people use the teaspoon for their coffee. The silverware above the large plate near the bread dish is your dessert spoon and fork.” Deidra explains as she shifts her attention to the three glasses.
Caroline raises her gaze to watch Deidra. “The thinner tall glass is for champagne, the somewhat wider based glass is for white wine or sparkling wine, and the much wider glass is for wine.”
Caroline looks at each glass, marking them in her mind. “I have a question; what are the typical courses?”
Deidra sighs, “did you grow up on a farm or something?”
Caroline’s cheeks flush, “no, I didn’t grow up wealthy if that’s what your asking.”
Deidra nods, “well, that explains a lot. Guess Talyah will hire anyone these days.” Shaking her head in distaste, “the first course is the amuse-bouche, which is similar to an appetizer but different. The second course is soup, then an appetizer, salad, fish, poultry,” Deidra pauses, appearing to tick off a list.
“After the poultry course, the sherbet course, then a red meat course, cheese, and fruit. Then dessert and finally the mignardise, a small pastry or dessert served with brandy or coffee.” Caroline stares at Deidra in shock. Deidra smiles for the first time since Caroline’s meeting at her reaction.
“As I said, it’s not common for us to have twelve courses. Most of the time, Talyah only serves one or five courses to our clients.”
Caroline nods when the server responds to clear the table. Another waiter is behind him with breakfast. He places the dish in front of Caroline and a coffee for Deidra. Picking up the large fork that remained on the table, Caroline helps herself to the eggs. “You’ll do fine since most dinners are basic silverware and glassware. When you finish, we’ll discuss conversation starters with clients.”
Deidra sits back in her seat, picks up her book, and begins reading. “Where are you from?”
Looking up, biting her lip, “I grew up in a small town called Montelupo Fiorentino. It’s in the east of Florence. However, later I made Prato my home.”
“How did you end up here in Florence?” Deidra puts her book down.
Shifting her eyes, “Long story, I don’t want to discuss it.”
“Hmm, well, I can tell you if it’s something bad, it’s a commonplace here. You don’t choose this line of work because it’s the career choice you’ve dreamed of since childhood. Most of us are escaping from something. Bad parents, horrible conditions, or wanting freedom.”
Caroline nods, “running from an arranged marriage to a horrible man?”
Letting out a sympathetic sigh, “yes, even that. I know all too well about that; you’ll do fine here.” Deidra smiles a mischievous grin, gone within a moment. “Looks like you finished; how about we enter the ballroom since it’s where you’ll have most of your encounters. Unless it’s a slow night, then we tend to meet in the study, but those are mostly by appointment only.”
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