Page 57 of Murder on Cold Street
“But I never agreed with it,” she implored Mrs. Watson, not wanting it to be true.
It could not be true. It couldn’t. Helming Cousins had been herdream.
“Few are truly impervious to the opinions of others; fewer women still. Miss Holmes, perhaps, but the rest of us must make a conscious effort not to let our own judgment be preempted by outside forces.”
Alice had always been proud to follow her own judgment. But if Mrs. Watson was right, then whose judgment had she been following?
“Remember what I said about you having done nothing wrong with regard to your husband? Alas, with regard to Cousins, youhavedone something wrong, my dear.”
Alice’s heart quaked with dread. Yet she yearned to hear the older woman tell her how she’d erred—she had no one else to teach her. “Please, I’m listening.”
Mrs. Watson smiled a little, as if relieved that Alice hadn’t taken umbrage at her words. “Many in this world have little or no power. That is not your predicament. Your circumstances gave you power. Your birthright gave you power. But you, my dear, have acted as a powerless supplicant in front of your subordinates, hoping that if you appear good enough for long enough, the men who already have a place at Cousins would come to accept you.”
Alice squirmed. She would have looked away, but Mrs. Watson’s gaze held hers, refusing to let go.
“Were nothing the matter with Cousins, you might have eventually garnered that acceptance—perhaps. I’m not confident of that. We women have been taught since birth that virtue is our greatest asset. I have nothing against virtues—I’d like to think that there are many virtues I practice assiduously. But power does not yield to virtue. Power yields only to power.
“Over time your virtue might have gathered you enough support to translate into power. But you don’t have time now. Today, when you walk into Cousins, it won’t be to convince anyone of your fitness to hold power, but to exercise the power you already have as the lawful owner of Cousins Manufacturing.
“Therefore, you will not mind your appearance. You look fine. The red rims around your eyes are of no consequence whatsoever. It doesn’t matter even if you walk in with tears still streaming down your face. Do you understand that, Mrs. Treadles?”
Alice’s breaths came in short. Her stomach was already in a knot. Mrs. Watson spoke in such muscular, declarative sentences, but Alice was the one who would need to face the men at Cousins who had been dismissive of her for months on end. “I—I think so.”
“That will not do, my dear. Do you understand that you are not going to plead for power today, but to wield it?”
Alice’s hands shook—she was crushing Mrs. Watson’s handkerchief again. Yes, she was afraid to wield that power. But she was also apprehensive of power itself.Power.To hear Mrs. Watson label it so plainly and openly—it seemed that she, a very ordinary woman, ought not to want it, let alone have it.
The rest of us must make a conscious effort not to let our own judgment be preempted by outside forces.
Was this what was happening here? She’d absorbed the verdict of so many other people that it now spoke to her in her own voice?
She squared her shoulders. With her hands still shaking, she said, “Yes, Mrs. Watson, I understand. I am the owner of Cousins Manufacturing. It is time I acted the part.”
Alice perspired.
The room was warm, flames blazing in two large fireplaces. It was crowded—every single supervisor with some responsibility, it seemed, had filed into the room. The large table held sixteen. But there must have been twice that many men in the room.
But also twice the usual number of women.
All eyes had converged on Mrs. Watson when she walked in. She was no longer a young woman, but she remained a stunning woman, with an almost elemental charisma. She wore an unadorned gown in a muted russet shade, yet the fabric was luxurious and the cut sublime. Without smiling, she calmly surveyed the gathered men, taking their measure.
Alice had supplied her with a quick analysis of what they faced. Her opponents were not a unified pack. Two unequal factions existed. One, formerly led by Mr. Sullivan, consisted mostly of men who had joined the firm after her brother took over. A smaller group comprised the old guard, men who had served under her father. There also remained a collection of those who were not openly allied with either of the other two factions; they were not cohesive enough to be considered a coterie, but not so insignificant in number that they could be ignored altogether.
Alice took the seat at the head of the table. Directly opposite her on the far end was Mr. White, Mr. Sullivan’s chief lieutenant. She was accustomed to seeing Mr. White in that position: When Mr. Sullivan had pretended to be her friend, he’d sat somewhere toward the middle of the table, allowing her to think that Mr. White was her greatest opponent.
Which he would be today.
Mrs. Watson occupied the chair to her right, the place that had once been reserved for Mr. Longstead. Behind Mrs. Watson stood two burly men. They were dressed appropriately, but still gave theimpression that they had perhaps participated in a boxing match the night before—or in something a great deal more illicit.
Mrs. Watson nodded at her. Alice took a deep breath.
“Thank you all for being here.” Her voice emerged squeaky, but she forced herself to keep speaking. “Mrs. Watson, may I present my managers and supervisors. Gentlemen, this is Mrs. Watson, who will serve as my adviser today.”
Still not smiling, but with a gracious expression, Mrs. Watson inclined her head at the assembled men, who nodded or half bowed in return.
“A great tragedy has befallen Cousins,” Alice continued, willing the hands that she’d placed on the table, loosely held together, not to shake. “Mr. Longstead and Mr. Sullivan are no more. Many of you have worked for years with Mr. Sullivan. Some of you have worked even longer with Mr. Longstead. We are all the poorer for the loss of these captains of men. But the work of Cousins must go on.
“Our first order of business must be a thorough audit of the company’s finances and operations. No audit has been performed in six years, which is in grave contradiction of the company’s policy of conducting one every four years. The acquisition of factories under my esteemed late brother, though increasing production capacity in an admirable manner, has left us—”
