Chapter 58: Interview
The day after I selected the three most suitable candidates from a pile of resumes, Edison informed me that he had already contacted them and invited each of them for an interview.
He had thoughtfully scheduled the interviews for the same day, but with breaks in between so that I could take a little rest and think everything over. Yes, sometimes I really felt that without his organization, my affairs would have long since descended into chaos.
I decided to hold the interviews in the living room, where there was plenty of space and the atmosphere was more relaxed.
I wanted the people who came here today to behave as naturally as possible in front of me, without unnecessary awkwardness.
After all, in addition to professional skills, it was also important to me that this person had a good personality. And this could only be determined through direct communication in a comfortable environment.
So, after a little preparation, I was ready to receive candidates in my home.
The first to arrive was Mrs. Eleanor Bridge, who was one of the most famous governesses for noble families in the capital.
She was an elderly woman with a posture as if carved from stone. Tall, thin, with gray hair pulled back into a tight bun, she entered with a straight back and a firm step. Her gaze was stern and penetrating.
"Hello, milady," she said in a cold voice and bowed her head slightly.
"Please, sit down," I said, pointing to a chair.
She sat down with such dignity that even I felt uncomfortable. Subconsciously, I even straightened my back when I met her gaze.
I cleared my throat, immediately sensing the awkward, cool atmosphere.
"Well, tell me a little about yourself."
Mrs. Bridge spent the next ten minutes giving a detailed description of her previous biography and work experience.
"I have devoted twenty years to raising daughters in noble families," she said. "They have all grown up to be worthy ladies, and this is the result of my methods. Discipline and obedience to duty are the cornerstones of education."
Listening to her all this time, I involuntarily felt like a little girl in front of a strict teacher.
In fact, I initially chose this woman as one of the main candidates because she really did have an outstanding resume. Among her pupils were not only girls from ordinary noble families, but also ladies who came from the most prominent families in the empire.
So the quality of her teaching must have been truly excellent.
And since I wanted to give Ruby the best I could, I couldn’t help but seize this opportunity. Such a governess would undoubtedly be able to give Ruby all the necessary knowledge to become the best heir to the family. And yet...
"What is your main principle in education?" I decided to ask after she finished her detailed story.
"I firmly believe that the foundation of proper upbringing is discipline. Children must clearly understand that duty is above their personal whims."
Her words sounded almost like a verdict.
I involuntarily felt even more uncomfortable when I met her cold, penetrating gaze through her glasses.
"What about the child’s personal interests?"
"Interests are only good when they do not interfere with the task of upbringing," she replied coldly. "Excessive leniency breeds laziness and licentiousness."
I involuntarily clenched my fingers.
Mrs. Bridge’s approach was sound, even impeccable from the point of view of the traditions of raising children in noble families. But there was a harshness in this woman’s voice that felt more like coldness than care.
Although I wanted to get Ruby the best teacher, that didn’t mean I was willing to turn a blind eye to everything else. I didn’t want to turn Ruby’s education into a chore. And I felt that, in the end, that’s exactly how it would turn out with this woman.
No, I definitely didn’t want Rubiella to suffer and neglect other aspects of her life in the process of learning. If possible, I wanted her to enjoy her studies. And besides...
Looking at this woman, I couldn’t help but think of my own math teacher from high school.
No, I swear, she had the exact same look in her eyes!
Just remembering that brought back some not-so-pleasant school memories. So, of course, I didn’t want Ruby to have to go through the same experience.
Well, it was a little annoying, but there was nothing I could do about it. In my mind, I had already decided to reject this candidate.
However, I didn’t dare say the word "no" to her face. In the end, this woman’s cold and piercing aura really made me nervous. So in the end...
I cleared my throat.
"Thank you, Mrs. Bridge," I said, trying to be diplomatic. "I will definitely consider your application and contact you as necessary."
After I said that, I could almost hear the woman snort. Apparently, she was unhappy that someone like me dared not to accept her application right away. Nevertheless, with the same cold posture and gaze, she said:"As you wish, Lady Weinstein."
After this woman left the estate, I swear I was finally able to breathe easily. Yes, it was really quite exhausting.
However, I only had ten minutes to recover from this. After all, the next candidate entered the living room after that.
The next to arrive was a young woman named Sophie Loren.
Although she did not have as much teaching experience as the previous candidate, I was attracted by the fact that, at such a young age, she had graduated with honors from a governess training academy.
In addition, Miss Loren was even a year younger than me. So, I hoped that being younger, she would find it easier to connect with Ruby and find common interests.
Besides, when she came here, at first glance she really seemed like a very pleasant candidate to me. She was neatly dressed, her manners were confident, and she had a calm smile on her face.
"Thank you for this opportunity, milady," she said in a soft voice. "I sincerely love working with children and try to find an approach to each of them!"
"Good." I smiled back pleasantly. "Then we can begin our interview."
During the interview, I asked Sophie Loren many questions, and it seemed to me that she answered most of them quite appropriately.
"I am convinced," she said, "that a child should not only know, but also feel. Music, painting, and poetry develop the soul, and a rich soul is always ready for knowledge!"
Yes, I really liked the approach to teaching that she described.
In addition, this young woman really made a pleasant impression on me.
After thinking about it for a while, I even considered not inviting the third candidate and ending the interview there. After all, this young woman seemed to me to be a very suitable candidate.
And yet... Before finally approving her candidacy, I decided to clarify one detail that had inadvertently caught my attention.
Looking more closely at her resume, I noticed that Sophie had previously worked as a governess in three distinguished families. Of course, I knew this already, as I had carefully reviewed her resume before inviting her to the interview. And yet...
It seems that I had not paid enough attention to one detail before.
"Excuse me..."
"Yes?" she replied immediately. "What do you think of my candidacy, Lady Weinstein?"
"Well, um, you seem like a perfectly suitable candidate to me. But could you answer one question?"
"Yes, please, ask me anything!"
"Your previous jobs... Can you tell me why you left them?"
When I asked her directly, her face involuntarily tensed up. Even I noticed it.
"Your resume says that you previously worked as a governess for three families, but your employment lasted no more than a few months," I said. "Can you tell me the reason for leaving those jobs?"
This detail caught my attention precisely because usually, when choosing a governess to teach a child, it always implied a long term — most often, several years. So I was a little puzzled as to why Sophie Loren left her previous families so quickly.
"Oh, I... I..." When the conversation turned to this topic, the girl’s voice betrayed her.
"I advise you to tell me the truth. Otherwise, you know that it won’t be difficult for me to find out all the details myself later."
"Um..."
In the end, Sophie gave in and told me.
"The thing is..." She was clearly embarrassed when she started talking about it.
As it turned out, the reason for her dismissal from her three previous jobs was the same. It was because at some point, the girl was simply caught stealing.
Yes, in other words, this girl simply stole from her employers.
But it was a little strange. After all, like most governesses for noble families, this girl also came from a noble family. In other words, she couldn’t have had the same money problems as commoners. So why did she do it?
"Why did you do it? Wasn’t the salary you were paid enough?"
"Not exactly..." she finally admitted to me, embarrassed. "The thing is, I... I... I suffer from kleptomania."