Part 35: Queen Ann for a Day
The next day found a relaxed atmosphere at the Academy, and most of the staff had private meetings with Devon during the day. He would explain to each one what he wanted from them for Ann's day.
Devon wished he had more time to prepare for Ann's graduation. With the timeline he'd given though, there just wasn't any other opportunity to do this. In short, it was now or never.
Dominique had agreed to put Carlos up at the Hyatt for the night. She had reluctantly agreed to foot the bill as well. She had also put a limit on the bill, to keep Carlos from spending every dime he'd paid in Room Service.
Devon again looked at the days itinerary for Ann and sighed deeply. It should be enough.
Rebecca knocked and entered when he looked up. "Well Devon, are we ready?"
Devon nodded and handed the document over. Rebecca read it and nodded. "Ok, she'll never forget the day, that's for sure."
"Is it enough?" Devon asked.
"Sure. It's meant to give her a taste of the slave experience, not the true experience of slavery."
"Tomorrow morning. We begin with breakfast in bed, and run through the list until she's passed out and exhausted." Devon said.
"I'll be ready." Rebecca said as she stood up to walk out.
"Rebecca?" Devon called.
"Yeah Devon?"
"Can she do this? Run the Academy?"
Rebecca nodded. "She isn't you Devon, no one is. She can keep this place running. Especially if you can give her another year, or two to really get a feel for it."
Devon nodded. "If you ever have a doubt, please let me know."
Rebecca agreed. She knew Devon, had known him for ten years. He always spent time questioning himself when a big event approached. It was normal human doubts that kept him from swallowing the image of himself as the omnipotent Master of lore and legend.
It kept him grounded, and human enough to tolerate.
Dinner conversation was somewhat muted. There was no training tomorrow, just one test. Ann the subject of that test was at the table, and so no one was talking. The tension was there, but everyone pretended to notice.
After Dinner, Ann spent the evening with Rebecca chatting about books and a thousand little things that really didn't matter. Rebecca spent the time knowing that Ann just wanted company, she was not one who could patiently wait for her experiment to mature, she wanted to know now how and what was going to happen.
Rebecca privately thought that Ann always read the last chapter of a mystery, so she knew how it would turn out before she went through the book. After tomorrow, she would learn to appreciate the building, the teasing, and the anticipation.
After the Dinner chores, Devon had the Slaves in the kitchen for their briefing. "Much of the labor falls on you, and the difficulties are so numerous as to be beyond description." Then he began to brief the slaves on their duties tomorrow. An hour later, they headed upstairs, snickering slightly at the experience that they get to give Mistress Ann.
In Jeannette's room, Diane asked the question quietly. "Is this going to be as much fun as it sounds?"
Jeannette nodded. "I think it is. We all like Mistress Ann, and we all want to do something nice for her. This will give us a chance to show her how much we like her."
Devon was asleep already; he had to get up very early.
At 6:30 Chef walked into the kitchen, and saw Devon at the table, with a number of bottles and jars scattered about him. He was stirring the dark maroon liquid and concentrating on his actions.
Chef leaned over his shoulder and looked at the papers he was consulting. He saw what appeared to be a recipe for the drink on the paper. "Good Morning Devon, what may I ask is that?"
"An Ambrosia." Devon said. "A drink intended for Mistress Ann this morning."
"What in the name of God is in it?" Chef asked looking harder at the ingredients. "I don't even know what some of that is?"
"Herbs, spices, and other all natural elements. Mixed together, they create a drink that will make her feel wonderful."
"How long have you been working on this?" Chef asked as Josh entered from the basement stairs.
"Since four this morning. It takes some time to mix." Devon stopped stirring and then taking a glass and poured a small amount into the glass. He sipped it gently, and then set it down. "Perfect."
"May I?" Chef asked.
Devon handed the small glass to Chef and watched as Chef sipped it himself. "Wine, some sort of port I guess." Chef said as he focused on his taste buds. "A faint hint of a tang, and a sweet aftertaste."
Devon shook his head. "That's the various herbs that are in it."
"Very tasty." Chef admitted grudgingly. He sipped a bit more.
Devon smiled his appreciation. He stood stiffly, and stretched. He glanced at his watch and then said. "Chef, we'll need the sliced fruit here shortly."
Chef nodded. "Josh, please get the fruit out and get it ready for Mistress Ann like we discussed yesterday."
"Sure thing Chef." Josh said and started to open the fridge.