by Jacqueline Scott
As the door closed behind the final interviewee, Fiona Hill sat back and relaxed. She was an author whose books had finally started to sell well and she had decided that she could now afford an assistant. Married with a daughter aged 18, she worked from home, but after discussing things with her husband they agreed that they could make an office in a smallish room at the rear of the house without disrupting family life to any extent. So in due course Fiona had drawn up an advert and today had been the day for interviewing the four candidates that she had selected from the dozens of applications received. It had been an interesting if tiring experience, but now she had to make up her mind and choose one. She made herself a cup of coffee, opened a fresh page in her notebook and began to go through the candidates one by one, checking her notes as she did so.
The job, as Fiona saw it, should not be hugely difficult. It would be mainly administrative, probably a mixture of a secretary and a personal assistant, although the latter certainly suggested something much more important than what she had in mind initially. She also wanted someone who could help her with research as well - and that was the problem really, as none of the candidates had any experience of that. Eventually she sat back and thought for a while. Then she decided. Of all the four, Emma Kildare was the youngest and least experienced but there was a freshness and a keenness about her. Fiona thought that she could make something of Emma. It might take longer than with the others, but she decided to back her judgement that in the long run it would pay dividends. She thought again, going over everything in her mind one more time, then reached out for the telephone.
A few miles away Emma Kildare was at home - or at least her parent's home. She certainly couldn't afford a place of her own. She was sitting with a mug of coffee feeling just a little depressed. She thought she had been very open at this most recent interview, probably even a little naive, and once it was over she thought that there was no way she would get the job. The trouble was she wanted it desperately. Not all that long out of university and not really having much experience apart from a couple of internships and working in a shop, she didn't know what she wanted to do with her life yet. However, she liked literature and reading so the chance to work for a writer seemed too good to miss.
In an attempt to sound convincing, she had emphasised her politeness, devotion to duty and sense of discipline, coming as she did from a strict upbringing. What she didn't mention was that her stepfather still spanked her regularly with her mother's full approval! She had admitted to being a little shy but had promised that she would perform every duty given to her to the best of her abilities and without complaint. She had also emphasised that although she was still living with her parents she was within easy reach of the author's house and could be available to work long hours if necessary.
She had convinced herself that all these things would make her an attractive employment prospect, but now she thought they were all a bit shallow. She hadn't really made a case for having the correct skills as opposed to being a 'nice' person. Then the telephone rang. Emma was feeling so down that she scarcely heard it and her mother had to come and tell her.
"Emma, that's a Mrs Hill on the phone."
Her heart leapt.
Having made the appointment, Fiona intended to be completely prepared for her new employee and so was really annoyed when her daughter, Laura, chose that Monday to be even more dilatory than usual about getting ready for school. Fiona told her that if she was reported as being late again for school she would spank her bottom and that at least got her down the stairs. Then the doorbell rang and Fiona shouted to Laura, asking her to answer it. She spent a few minutes trying to get herself together before going to meet her new assistant in the new office. There she found Emma dressed in a very smart navy blue skirt suit with a white blouse and polished shoes. Her hair and makeup were also immaculate without being overstated in any way.
"Emma! I am so sorry to leave you hanging around. You find us in a bit of a mess this morning ... and your first day too. Whatever will you think? Did Laura not offer you a coffee? I'm sure I told her to, or maybe not - my head has been spinning. Come through and we'll sit down and have a chat."
She led the girl through to the front of the house and went into an elegantly decorated room with comfortable sofa and chairs. Some books and papers were scattered around and a lap top computer sat on a coffee table.
Fiona ushered Emma to a seat and said, "My husband is away this week on business and Laura has been ignoring my efforts to get her to tidy the place up before she goes to bed! Having said that I can't blame her for everything - some of this mess is mine!"
She left the room for a few minutes and returned with a tray with coffee and biscuits. Once the two of them were settled, the author looked at her new assistant.
"Right, now I can get my breath back! What do we need to talk about? May I say Emma that you look stunning. I will say that it is not essential that you dress up for this job but if you enjoy being as smart as you are this morning please don't let me stop you. I love smart clothes too, but when working I tend to wear whatever comes to hand, as you can see!" She laughed and looked down at her slightly shapeless jumper and denims. "As I explained, the job is really a bit vague so I hope you can turn your hand to lots of different things. The reason I wanted you this early is because I write best in the mornings. I try and work from just after my daughter goes to school until about lunch time. During that time it would be marvellous if you could answer the phone, go through whatever post has come in and sort it into categories: stuff from my publisher and agent; media stuff, although most of that comes through the publisher; general letters from the public; any household things although they usually are addressed to Malcolm; and of course all the junk. It will take you a while to get used to all that of course so don't worry. I'll spend time with you helping. I would like you to maintain my diary - confirmed bookings can go straight into it but it would be helpful for you to remind me of things. Then there's my website, which I was hoping you might help with. Oh God, Emma, there is so much I think I'm in danger of scaring you off before you start! Actually it sounds far worse than it is. You will have plenty time to yourself really. In the afternoons I won't need you all that much but it would be useful if you could come to some of my meetings - make sure I get there and back! I'm quite excited just now. My main output as you will know has been sort of romantic fiction but I am exploring something new at the moment, something a bit ... racier. I don't know how it will go but I'm putting a lot of energy into it at the moment."
She paused to drink some coffee and looked across at the younger woman, who was looking a bit bemused and a little worried. Fiona laughed. "Oh it will be fine I assure you. I have been talking here nineteen to the dozen and I'm sure I have only confused you. Let's take it slowly. What questions do you have?"
Emma blushed slightly when Mrs Hill praised her appearance, secretly delighted that her choice of clothes met with approval. She listened to the detail of what her duties were to be, nodding and taking some notes in a little book so as not to forget anything. The mention of a 'racier' novel gave her a little thrill and she wondered if she might get a sneak peek at it. When asked about questions, she chewed her lip thoughtfully and nodded once more.
"I think I have the general idea, Ma'am. I'm really looking forward to working for you and helping you in any way I can. I promise I won't let you down. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it as I go along." She paused to glance at Mrs Hill, feeling a little intimidated by her but trying not to let it show too much. "I'm sure I'll have a great many questions later but for now, it might be best if I dived straight in. Is there something I can get to work on to help you? You look like you could do with a break."
As soon as the words were out of her mouth Emma blushed more, hoping that she hadn't been too forthright and caused offence. She tried to recover gracefully. "I mean, I'm sure it must be very hard to combine looking after a teenager with your work and I want to do everything I can to make your life easier."
That comment took the author aback slightly and she gazed at the young girl for a second thinking about what she had just said and at her general demeanour. Then she smiled and responded, "I hope Laura didn't give away too many family secrets when she let you in. She's a good girl but sometimes she needs to be reminded of her priorities. I appreciate what you are offering though and in fact it's probably the best way to learn. Why don't I show you some stuff in the office and then leave you to it for a while? Any phone calls you can't deal with just come and get me. It will take you a while to get the balance right."
They went back through to the office and Fiona showed the young woman how a few things worked and where things were. Then she led her upstairs and showed her where she worked herself. Through an open door it was apparent that that the room led directly into the master bedroom where, to Fiona's chagrin, the bed was unmade. From there she took Emma back downstairs, showed her where the downstairs bathroom was and also the kitchen where she could make herself tea, coffee or anything else she might want. Then she left the girl to her own devices.
Fiona was only interrupted twice during the morning to ask about phone calls and she was encouraged about that. From time to time during the morning she wondered about her new assistant and the way she had spoken about it being difficult bringing up a teenager. That made her ponder a little about her own home life. Then around 12.45 she went downstairs and suggested that they have some lunch. They soon settled and began chatting.
"I wonder Emma if you might help me in a way I suspect neither of us expected. Just say no if you find this outrageous. The book I am working on is quite different from anything I have attempted before, I told you that. You will have heard of or even read 50 Shades of Grey? Although this is not going to be like that, there are some similarities, for example, spanking will come into it quite a bit. You mentioned that you had had a strict upbringing and I wondered if you might be prepared to share any experiences with me? It would be great to get some live background, if you know what I mean. Now maybe there is nothing, maybe you think it is outrageous to be asked such a thing when you have only just started, but I would be hugely grateful."
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