by Rosie Clarke
Mrs Craven had served her customer and now she approached, looking a little uncertain.
‘Mrs Craven?’ Jenni Harper offered her hand. ‘I am Mr Harper’s sister and the buyer for this store – for the present anyway. My uncle helped and it is too big a job for one, so we’ll be delegating in future. I’ve been consulting Miss Ross and what she has to say is interesting. I should like to hear what you have to say about the rest of the stock…’
‘I am pleased to meet you, Miss Harper,’ Mrs Craven said and smiled. ‘I was concerned – Miss Ross isn’t in trouble?’
‘Far from it,’ Jenni said and smiled at Sally. ‘I think you’ll find she is to be offered a promotion. Now, tell me, how do you feel about the millinery and the scarves?’
Mrs Craven walked off with their visitor and Sally turned to a new customer, feeling a tingle of excitement but not quite believing she’d heard right. Did Miss Harper really mean they were thinking of giving her a better job?
Pulling her thoughts together, she concentrated on her customer, a young woman wanting a leather bag. Sally showed her several and she finished up buying a tan leather bag with a flap and a plain brass clasp. She then asked to see some silver earrings and bought those too, which meant by the time she’d been served and gone, Jenni Harper had left the department and Sally realised she hadn’t given her an answer about having supper with them that evening.
However, Mrs Craven came up to her a few minutes later and told her that Miss Harper would call for her at closing time. ‘You’re to go up to the office and she will be waiting for you and she says she won’t be changing for the evening, so you’re not to bother.’
Sally would have liked to go home and change, but perhaps it didn’t matter. She was after all just an employee and it was a business meeting rather than an invitation to dine.
‘It seems that you may be leaving us soon,’ Mrs Craven said. ‘I shall be sorry about that, Miss Ross – but if it means a better job for you, then I am, of course, pleased for you.’
‘What kind of a job?’ Sally asked, not sure whether to be nervous or excited. ‘Did she say anything?’
‘Miss Harper did not explain, but she said that she must spend most of her time in New York. It is therefore her intention to stay here a little longer and train you to do whatever it is they need you to do… All very mysterious.’
‘Miss Harper buys for the New York stores. She asked me my opinion of the stock and I told her honestly – but I have no idea where to source what the shop needs. I’m just a sales assistant.’
‘Well, she didn’t say she wished you to do the buying,’ Mrs Craven said. ‘If you feel the work offered is beyond you, you can always turn it down.’
Sally nodded. Her stomach was fluttering with nerves and she felt on edge. Perhaps she ought to have kept her opinions to herself. She’d always been outspoken and now she’d got herself in too deep!
Sally bought a new lace collar so that it was clean. She washed her hands and face in the staff cloakroom and used a tiny drop of lavender water behind her ears. It was forbidden for work, but surely in the evening she was allowed to wear perfume if she chose?
Miss Harper opened the office door immediately Sally knocked. She had her smart coat on and carried a large leather bag and a sheaf of files, smiling as she saw Sally. Now that she was less nervous, Sally had time to notice the difference in her style. English women tended to go for prettier, softer styles that were feminine as well as stylish. Miss Harper’s clothes had a sharp crispness about them that gave her a style all her own.
‘Good, you are prompt and I have a car waiting. My brother will join us after his meeting finishes, but it will give me a chance to go through certain things before he arrives.’
‘Are you returning to America soon, Miss Harper?’ Sally asked as they walked down the stairs together.
‘I had planned to travel on the Titanic on its maiden voyage,’ Jenni said and sighed. ‘It would have been an exciting trip, but I’ve managed to sell my ticket to someone who desperately wanted a stateroom and I’ll stay another few weeks. If you’re to take over my job, you’ll need help for a start…’
‘Take over your job as a buyer for the store?’ Sally gasped and felt her spine tingle. They had reached the front of the store and she saw an expensive car waiting at the kerbside. Its paintwork was yellow and black and it gleamed, the chauffeur dressed in sober grey sitting up front. ‘Are we going in this?’ She laughed. ‘I’ve never even seen a car like it, let alone ridden in one.’
‘Well, there is always a first time.’ Jenni smiled. ‘Don’t imagine we’ve always been rich, Sally – I may call you Sally, I hope, and you must call me Jenni. We’re going to work closely together and be friends…’
‘You’re taking my breath away…’
‘Am I?’ Jenni’s eyes sparkled with mischief. ‘That was rather the idea, because I know a good thing when I see it and I don’t want you to refuse Ben’s offer.’
‘I have no experience of buying,’ Sally told her truthfully. ‘I spoke out, but it was just my instincts – I know nothing of sourcing merchandise…’
‘You will when my brother and I have finished training you,’ Jenni said. ‘My uncle threw me in the deep end when I was sixteen, Sally. I was told to buy the stock for his latest store and to make sure it was good stuff and then left to get on with it – but don’t worry, I shan’t do that to you.’
Sally slid into the back seat of the stylish vehicle, inhaling the distinctive smell of leather and an expensive perfume.
‘Oh, that is lovely perfume,’ Sally exclaimed. ‘So delicate and yet… intriguing…’
‘Got it in one,’ Jenni said. ‘It was given to me by someone called Elizabeth Arden. She brought it back from Paris, where she went to learn more about cosmetics for women. She is someone you will learn to know as her products become famous. I’ve already bought some of her face creams for the American stores. We do not have it here yet, but I shall rely on you to let me know when the time is right. As she develops the treatments available to everyone rather than just those who use her salon, we shall be able to stock them…’
‘Elizabeth Arden… is she an American?’
‘No, Canadian, but she is going to open her business in America and I’m certain it will be a huge success once she has enough products in her range.’
‘It must be exciting,’ Sally said and her nerves tingled, but with pleasure this time rather than apprehension. ‘To discover new products and introduce them – especially beautiful perfumes and clothes…’
‘Ah, so you like clothes.’ Jenni nodded and smiled. ‘I love fashion, but a buyer for a store like Harpers has to keep up with all kinds of products. I want to introduce more departments as we go along – cosmetics and a children’s department as well as others. We’ll need more staff, but we’re feeling our way just now. It is hard work to buy for a store this size, Sally, and we sometimes make mistakes and then we get the blame if sales are poor. However, you have a good eye and if you learn to listen to those who have to sell the merchandise you will soon learn.’
‘I’d like to try,’ Sally said, even though her stomach was tying itself in knots. It would be fun to research things – and to travel. ‘I suppose it means travelling to various parts of the country to see things before you order?’
‘Yes – you would need to travel by train for the time being. I’ll ask my brother to teach you to drive and then we’ll get you a car or perhaps a van; it’s always nice to bring some new stock back if you can…’
The car had driven them smoothly through the dusk towards the river. Sally looked out at the old-fashioned inn and was immediately enchanted. A gas lamp hissed in the yard out front and she could hear horses in the stables at the back.
Inside, the ceilings were low with smoke-blackened beams and the tables were from another century and polished oak. Harding’s was an old, well-established firm, the building going back to the seventeenth century. Small oil lamps on the
tables gave it an intimate feel and there was a wonderful display of flowers in an inglenook fireplace.
‘I adore places like this,’ Jenni said as the waiter came to show them to their seats and handed them menus and a wine list. ‘It’s Ben’s favourite in London.’ She looked up at the waiter. ‘My brother will be joining us later, Edwin – we’ll have a bottle of your finest medium white wine, chilled please.’
‘Very well, Miss Harper. I know you like the best…’ He smiled at her and went away.
‘It’s chilly this evening,’ Jenni said and shivered. ‘It’s April and I thought it might be a bit warmer by now. New York can be bitter in the winter, but when it’s warm there, it’s warm.’
Sally laughed. ‘Our spring and summers get all mixed up. Even in June you will still get cool evenings sometimes.’
‘Give me Florida or California,’ Jenni said. ‘I usually head for the sun once I’ve got the stock sorted for the winter. I don’t think I’d want to live over here – but Ben says he likes it and if the store goes well, I think he may make London his home.’ Sally caught a twang in her voice then and she sounded more American, but it wasn’t there all the time.
‘It’s a shame that you had to miss your chance to travel on the Titanic,’ Sally said. ‘I was reading all about it – they say it’s wonderful and has all the luxuries you could think of aboard ship…’
‘Well, there will be another time.’ Jenni laughed. ‘I couldn’t just throw you to the sharks, Sally. Ben seemed to think you could manage, but I’ve promised to stay until sometime in May. I’ll help you meet your first suppliers and tell you how to get a better price out of them. They always start at least twenty per cent above their bottom line.’
Sally looked up as the waiter approached. He poured them a glass of wine each and she took a sip. It was crisp and clean and she liked the taste, which she thought a little fruity. ‘Thank you, very nice.’
‘Do you appreciate wine?’ Jenni asked her.
‘I rarely drink it,’ Sally admitted. ‘If I have a drink, which is only for special occasions, I normally have a sherry or a port and lemon.’
‘Yes, I’ve heard that a lot over here,’ Jenni said. ‘My aunt always drinks champagne, but she was brought up with money. My uncle made his by working his guts out – and my parents had a small hardware store in a one-horse town. They both died of a fever. Aunt Ella asked me to stay with her after our parents died and my uncle sent Ben to college. I started work in the store. I had three weeks working on the counters and then he told me I was the buyer and to get on with it. All I had was a list of names and a store to fill.’
Sally looked at her in awe. ‘That must have been frightening?’
‘I was scared to death at first – but I bluffed my way through and I was lucky enough to find a new dress designer at the launch of his business. His collection sold out in weeks and that gave me confidence. I’ve gone for new designers, new suppliers, as often as I can, and several of them have been winners. I had one total failure, but that was because he cut the quality on his range after I’d bought it – I didn’t take his next collection and no one else did either.’
Sally understood then that buyers could be influential to the prosperity of small businesses and felt the responsibility of making those kinds of decisions.
‘For a start, either my brother or I will be at your shoulder and you’ll need our approval before you place the order,’ Jenni told her. ‘You won’t be dealing with the men’s department or anything on the lower floor. Mr Stockbridge and Ben will see to most of that… so it’s jewellery, bags, scarves, gloves and fashion. I think you should be able to manage that easily. You have common sense and a good eye, I don’t think it will take you long to pick it up, Sally. I have every confidence in you.’
Sally didn’t say anything, because this all seemed too good to be true. Why should Jenni and her brother trust her to buy for the store? She had no experience whatsoever and her casual advice had been meant only as a guide in response to his asking questions. Surely this was a dream and any minute she would wake up!
‘What are you thinking?’ Jenni asked.
‘Only that it is a big responsibility.’
‘I told you, I had no one to help me. You will have us…’ Jenni’s bright eyes seemed to challenge her, setting her on her mettle.
‘Well, if you think I can do it…’ Sally was doubtful, but just then Mr Harper entered the room and her eyes were drawn to him. He was dressed in a very smart suit that she thought must be bespoke and Savile Row, and looked clean-cut and handsome. For a moment, her heart raced as she saw his smile and then he was at their table.
‘Miss Ross,’ he said and offered his hand as she stood. ‘Jenni – I’m sorry to keep you waiting. Have you ordered?’
‘No, we waited for you,’ Jenni said. ‘I should like the salmon and asparagus in aspic followed by Dover sole and sautéed potatoes with peas…’
‘Miss Ross?’ he asked with a lift of a fine brow.
‘Could I have the same please?’
‘Of course – and I think I’ll have a steak and chips with mushrooms…’
The waiter was summoned to take his order and a glass was brought for him to share the wine.
‘So, Miss Ross,’ Ben Harper asked, his eyes bright with anticipation. ‘Jenni has told you of our idea for you to take over the buying for the London store – jewellery, bags, fashion; all the things you women adore?’
‘Yes – but I don’t know why you thought I was suitable,’ Sally said honestly. ‘I gave you my opinions based on what I’d seen, but I know nothing about buying.’
‘Jenni knew less when my uncle gave her the job,’ he said cheerfully. ‘Besides, she will show you the ropes before she leaves London – and I’ll still be around. Mr Stockbridge and Marco are good at what they do and they will buy for the other departments until we find the right men for the job – though your opinions will be valued if you feel they’re going wrong…’ He grinned at her and her heart took an odd leap. ‘Whenever you want to try a new supplier, you convince me or Jenni first. That way, I carry the can if things go wrong.’
‘I should like to try,’ Sally said. ‘I know I have a lot to learn – but it should be exciting.’
‘It’s hard work too,’ Jenni said. ‘I’ll be in touch when I can, but don’t expect another visit for at least four to six months after I leave…’
‘Jenni has two stores to stock in New York,’ Ben Harper said, looking at her fondly. ‘She is the best sister in the world, Miss Ross – and I know she gave up the voyage of a lifetime to do this for me.’
‘Yes, you owe me,’ Jenni said and threw him a look that spoke volumes. ‘I’ll think of a way for you to make it up to me, little brother.’
Sally laughed at the banter between them. They were both vibrant, dynamic people and she’d never met anyone quite like them. Both were attractive and made their clothes, rather than the other way round. Sally had never been part of a family and the warm teasing that went on between them made her feel good. They were warm people, she sensed that both were shrewd when it came to business – but Jenni was firmly on her brother’s side. She wanted Harpers of London to be a success and so she was willing to give up a maiden voyage on the wonderful new White Star liner.
‘Well,’ Ben said as their salmon was brought. ‘So you’ve accepted the position, Miss Ross, and was the salary acceptable to you?’
‘I don’t think it was mentioned,’ Jenni said. ‘We thought twenty pounds a month to begin – and if the store flourishes we will double that in six months’ time…’
‘Twenty pounds a month…’ Sally swallowed hard. She wasn’t sure she’d heard correctly, because it was far more than she’d ever earned in her life. ‘That is quite a lot…’
‘Not for a buyer,’ Jenni told her. ‘I make a hundred and fifty dollars a month now and I’m thinking of pushing for a raise. It’s a huge responsibility and you will earn your money, Sally. You will be responsible
for sourcing new goods, getting stock to the store, pricing and making sure that the newest lines get prominent positions in the windows. It means longer hours, Sally. The extra wage will be earned, I promise you…’
‘Yes, I’ll want your opinion on the window displays too,’ Ben Harper told her seriously. ‘I think some of the windows we’ve had could do with improvement. Jenni rearranged one herself the minute she got here… Marco has flair, but he needs new ideas, as we all do.’
Sally came back down to earth. She would have to put in lots of extra hours to get on top of a job like that – but it was just what she needed. She’d spent hours just wandering at night, not wanting to go back to the dump she lived in, but now she would be able to stay in her office until later… and she could look for somewhere better to live.
‘I might look for a room nearer the store,’ she said. ‘I don’t mind working after hours. I’ve nothing to go home for…’
‘Don’t you have a family – or a boyfriend?’ Jenni looked sympathetic.
‘No, I was brought up in an orphanage,’ Sally said. They could have got that from her records if they’d looked it up; they probably knew it already but wanted to hear her story. ‘I have no one of my own.’
‘Well, you do now,’ Jenni said. ‘I want us to be like family, Sally. If you feel passionately about the store, you will do your best and that’s all any of us can do…’
Sally nodded. She was enjoying her meal, she’d never tasted anything quite like the salmon before this night and the Dover sole just seemed to melt in her mouth. The rest of the evening rushed by and before she knew it, Ben Harper had driven her back to the hostel and was bidding her goodnight.
‘I’m glad you’re with us, Sally – really on my side.’ He got out and opened the door for her, giving her his hand to help her out. His eyes went disparagingly over the hostel. ‘No wonder you want to move – I’ll see what I can find closer to the store. You can afford something decent now.’
Sally thanked him. It was only when she was inside her own room that she realised Mr Harper had called her Sally and held her hand a second more than he needed to.
