Jenny listened to Denise explain for a while before she understood the background of the couple. It felt like a tongue twister.
No wonder the shareholders, partners, and high-level executives of Dawling often intermarried within the company.
In the company, executives were eager to get close to family members, flattering every aunt and cousin.
And these non-main-line family members aimed to restore the glorious surname of Dawling for their descendants.
So Stamer Byron's sister Daphne Byron married her cousin Remiel Dawling.
The protagonists of this wedding were marginal figures to the family, but their family connections were complicated.
Several Mr. Dawlings planned to attend out of respect for their relatives.
Jenny looked at the chart. The entire second-floor hall of the Litz Hotel would serve the banquet. They used round tables that seated twelve, not long tables. There were about twenty tables.
Denise said about ten colleagues would be guiding guests tomorrow, so they shouldn't be too nervous. If tired, they could find an empty spot in the hotel to hide.
Jenny felt confident about this job. She also wanted to take the opportunity to learn the faces of these important people.
If she could recognize them at work later, it would be more efficient.
That night, Denise and Polly returned to the dorm very late.
Whenever Polly went out, she definitely stayed at Fujena's dorm on the third floor.
Jenny had washed up and gone to bed early.
The next morning, as soon as the sky began to lighten, Denise knocked on the door. Jenny quickly got up, unlocked her trunk, took out her formal evening gown, and changed into it.
Evening gowns were usually short-sleeved with a low neckline, so Jenny wore a short, thin wool jacket over it.
Since she had to wear a bustle today, and having things inside the petticoat would look bulky, Jenny brought a small clutch purse and stuffed it with odds and ends.
As Denise had advised: a small sewing kit, smelling salts, perfume, eyebrow pencil, change, and three or five handkerchiefs.
Not for their own use, but to hand to guests when needed. Those who received service would give tips, which would go into their own pockets.
In the morning, the wedding was still being held at the church. The hotel wouldn't get busy until afternoon tea break, then the festivities would continue until late at night.
Jenny went to the hotel with Denise and the others in the morning to familiarize herself with the specific environment, so as not to direct guests incorrectly.
Manhattan, in the morning, was shrouded in white mist and light rain, with damp, cold air.
"Look, we're there."
Denise pointed from the carriage at the magnificent hotel in the distance. Four or five carriages were already parked at the entrance, carrying dozens of junior clerks from the distribution department.
They had all come to help, handling various tasks.
"I heard that even the chef team for the banquet was found by the distribution department themselves. The hotel only provided the venue. The decoration and process were all done by distribution department staff.
This wedding would be covered in the newspapers. They thought the hotel's taste was too tacky, which would make Manhattan's literary elite laugh."
Monique wore a light-colored evening gown inside, also covered with a coat. She got off the carriage and walked arm in arm with Jenny into the hotel.
Jenny looked at the crowd of young men and women from the distribution department in front of her, amazed at the sheer number of Dawling employees.
In the second-floor hall, the banquet hall was being set up. Jenny followed Denise to meet many people from the distribution department.
In Jenny's view, these salespeople couldn't be more outgoing. With just a few words, they tried to pry out her secrets.
Fortunately, Jenny wasn't easy to deal with either and handled them all gracefully.
When those junior clerks and salespeople couldn't get the inside scoop, they muttered behind her back.
"Those editorial people are so slick with their words..."
"Aren't they? But she looks unfamiliar. Seems like she works under that troublesome Eliot."
"No wonder. Otherwise, she wouldn't last three days with Eliot."
Nearby, Denise took a wrist corsage from a basket and put it on Jenny.
This fabric corsage indicated she was a company helper, not a guest.
In the morning, Jenny familiarized herself with the table arrangement, the location of the restrooms, the men's and women's cloakrooms, and knew where the kitchen and utility rooms were.
She also helped two female clerks from the distribution department inspect all the tableware on the round tables.
Busy until afternoon, through the hotel's tall arched glass windows, Jenny could see the rain getting heavier, almost blurring New York's skyline.
A distribution department clerk named Donnie was with Jenny as they returned to their designated storage room to store their coats.
Donnie was a clerk under the secretary of sales manager Mr. Kant. She carried some weight among those young women, being older than Jenny by seven years.
Seeing how meticulous Jenny was, even when helping out, Donnie took a liking to her and even asked if she wanted to switch to book sales.
"The New York International Book Fair is coming next month. I'm really short-handed."
Jenny quickly shook her head, modestly saying she couldn't handle accounts and could only write.
The two put away their coats. Jenny looked at the rain outside and said to Donnie:
"Should we go get some umbrellas from the adjacent storage room? In case the hotel waiters don't have enough. We seem to have prepared a lot."
"Yeah, it's not good to keep guests waiting in their carriages."
Donnie immediately went with Jenny to get a few umbrellas and distributed them to several colleagues at the main entrance on the first floor. They were also quick-witted.