Chapter 12

“Excellent, sir. I shall return in ten minutes to assist you in your clothing selection.”

When I came out of the bathroom, having showered and shaved with the supplies Lawrence had set out before I had gone to bed, he was waiting in the bedroom. “You look refreshed, sir. Are you feeling well?”

“Lawrence, I’d feel a lot better with about eight hours more sleep. But, I’m anxious to hear more about what Tara’s Mom and Dad have to say about what happened to us. Also, I’m hungry as hell. What do you think I should wear for lunch?”

“Sir, may I suggest the ensemble I have laid out on the bed? If I may offer my opinion, these clothes have a casually dressy appearance which should be well received by the Hawthorne’s.”

I dressed as Lawrence puttered about the suite, replacing the used towels in the bathroom, and hanging my other new clothes in a closet. He brought in all the clothes that had been in my duffle bag, but which were now laundered and pressed, and put them away neatly in dresser drawers. When I was ready to put on my necktie, he said, “I would gladly assist you with that if you like, sir.”

“Sure, that would be great, Lawrence.”

When he was done, I put on the sport coat. “You look fabulous sir!” Lawrence said. “Please take a look in the wardrobe mirror.”

I checked my appearance in the mirror and had to agree. “How did you manage to get clothes for me that fit me this well?” I asked.

“Sir, I used to be co-owner of an exclusive men’s clothing store in town. My contribution to the business had been my sense of style and my eye for fit. My partner’s contribution had been primarily his business acumen. Mr. Hawthorne had become a steady customer of ours, and purchased virtually all of his clothing from us.

“When my partner had succeeded in siphoning off most of the money from the business and had absconded with the funds, leaving me to face bankruptcy, liquidation of the business, and financial ruin, Mr. Hawthorne invited me and my wife Suzette to come to work for him as his butler and maid. We have been in his employ for nearly fifteen years.”

I said, “It sounds like Mr. Hawthorne did you a pretty big favor.”

“Absolutely, sir. One I can never properly repay. But he didn’t do it to enslave me and my wife. Quite to the contrary, sir. Mr. Hawthorne and Dr. Hawthorne are extremely generous people. They have helped many who are less fortunate than they, and my wife and I, along with many others, love them deeply.

“But make no mistake, sir. Mr. Hawthorne can be a fearsome adversary. Those who wrong either him or those he cares about wind up regretting it. But enough of that. I should allow you to form your own opinions. We have some time before I must escort you to the family dining room. May I give you a brief tour of the house, sir?”