Michael watched as everyone congratulated Violet on finding work. He’d been pleasantly surprised by Lila’s offer to accompany Violet to work, even though he’d been hoping she would. Had she not, he’d been prepared to suggest it.
What he hadn’t been prepared for was the relief he felt that Violet had gotten the position, which meant that she would be staying with them. She’d never given any indication that she would go back home, but he’d wondered if she might if she didn’t find something right away. Many who came to New York City did just that if they couldn’t find employment quickly. He was glad Violet wouldn’t be one of them, because his mother seemed to have perked up considerably since Violet’s arrival and he wanted to make sure she stayed that way.
He had to admit he liked having Violet around, too. But he and his mother had to keep in mind that she would be leaving at some point. Her only reason for coming here in the first place was to find a job to be able to pay off her family home and go back to Virginia. And Michael had no intention of moving back to Ashland. His life was here in the city now. If his sister was still alive she was out there somewhere, and he’d never find her if he left. Besides, his mother’s life was here, helping other young women. So he’d best keep reminding himself that Violet’s stay here wouldn’t be permanent. It wouldn’t be wise to let himself become too attached to her.
“Did you go on other interviews, Violet?” Julia asked.
“Yes, I did. The first three came up empty, and I was sure Butterick wouldn’t be any different. But I was hired before I left.”
“Oh! I thought perhaps they’d telephoned you to let you know you had the position.”
Violet looked lovely—her face was flushed with color and her eyes sparkled. She looked as relieved as Michael felt about her getting the position.
“Well, actually, you did receive a telephone call this afternoon. Gretchen remembered to tell me just before dinner,” his mother said. “There seemed to be no hurry to let you know, with you getting the position at Butterick. It was the personnel director at Macy’s asking that you come in and have another interview tomorrow. Gretchen told her she’d give you the message.”
“Thank you for letting me know, but you were right that there needn’t be any hurry to tell me. I’m quite pleased that I was hired by Butterick.”
“And I’m so glad you and Michael celebrated your good news by going to lunch and Macy’s, since I didn’t get to go with you,” Mrs. Heaton said.
“Oh? Michael took you around?” Lila raised a thin eyebrow and looked at Violet. “That must have been a real treat.”
Michael had a feeling Lila wasn’t very happy about the time he and Violet had spent together. And in spite of the fact that she seemed to be trying to befriend Violet, he didn’t feel any of it was genuine. But at least he wouldn’t have to worry about Violet finding her way to work and home alone, and for that he was thankful.
“Oh, it was—at least after Violet had an unexpected tour of the tenements,” Michael said.
“How did that come about?” his mother asked.
“There was an awful accident and our hack driver was trying to avoid the worst of the traffic, but I think he went entirely the wrong way about it. Needless to say, Violet saw that mansions and wealth are not all this city is made up of. It is something one needs to know. I just hadn’t planned on her seeing it all up close yet.”
“But after that we saw the other side of life,” Violet said. “I couldn’t believe the size of Macy’s. I’ve never seen so much merchandise in one place. Do society women really need all of that finery?”
All the men at the table chuckled, including Michael.
“They seem to think they do,” John Talbot said with a laugh.
“Well, you would know, covering all the society goings-on as you do,” Elizabeth said, cocking her head to the side.
John only smiled at her. As always, there seemed to be an undercurrent between those two, and numerous times in the past few months Michael had caught them stealing glances at each other when they didn’t think the other was looking. He couldn’t help but wonder if Elizabeth was sweet on John or if it was the other way around, but they’d certainly make a nice-looking couple if they ever became one. At least John wasn’t hanging on to every word that came out of Violet’s mouth as Luke and Ben were.
Michael didn’t like the attention the two men were giving Violet tonight any more than he had the first night she arrived. Not one bit. He told himself that it was because he felt responsible for her...as he always had his sister, Rebecca. But that didn’t ring true either and, deep down, he knew it. There was something about Violet, something—
“Michael, what are you so deep in thought about down there?” his mother asked.
“I’m sorry. I was just woolgathering, I suppose.” He laughed and hoped he’d thrown his mother off track. She was very good at reading him, and he wasn’t ready for a barrage of questions he didn’t have the answers to.
Being on time the next morning was not a problem for Violet. She woke just after dawn and was in and out of the bathroom before she heard anyone else stirring. She took time dressing with care, at last feeling confident she was dressed in the same manner as the women she’d seen at Butterick the day before. She’d chosen a gray-and-black-striped skirt and a crisp white shirtwaist with a black ribbon trim. She tied her mother’s cameo with a black ribbon and wore it around her neck.
Violet made her bed and took one last look at the room she’d come to feel was almost like home before hurrying downstairs to join the others for breakfast. She was pleased to find she’d made it down before Lila this morning in particular, and that Michael was still at the table when she entered the dining room.
“Good morning, everyone. Now I really feel as if I belong, seeing you all here this morning.”
“Good morning, Violet,” Michael said, adding his voice to the others around the table.
He smiled, flashing those dimples, and Violet tried to ignore the way her pulse raced as she hurried to the sideboard and began to fill her plate with bacon, scrambled eggs and a muffin.
Michael stood to pull out her chair and once he took his own, he slid a piece of paper to her. His fingers brushed hers as she took it, sending a spark of electricity straight up her arm to the vicinity of her heart, taking her breath away. She quickly looked at Michael and was relieved that he didn’t seem to notice as he began to explain the map he’d drawn.
“This is the map I told you I would make for you. Just in case you and Lila should get separated at some point. This will show you where the El and trolley stops are.” He pointed them out to her on the map while she tried to get her breathing back to normal. “None are far apart, and you should be able to get back home by yourself easily enough.”
“Thank you, Michael.” Violet sounded a little breathless to her own ears but he didn’t seen to realize the effect his brief touch had on her, and for that she was extremely thankful. “I’ll keep it with me until I know my way around by heart.”
“If it isn’t clear to you, let me know, and I’ll do my best to make it easier for you to read.”
“I’m sure it will be fine.” She was touched that he’d remembered his promise to her. And she felt a little less nervous knowing she’d have the map with her at all times.
“Are you nervous this morning?” Michael asked.
She let out a shaky sigh. “I have to admit that I am.”
“I’m sure it will all go well for you,” he said.
“Having a case of nerves is normal for the first day,” Elizabeth assured her. “You are already doing better than I did on my first day at The Delineator. I was afraid to eat anything, and by noon I was starving. But I’d forgotten to take my lunch with me! Thankfully one of my coworkers shared hers.”
“Oh. I hadn’t thought about what to do about lunch,” Violet said.
“No need to worry, dear.” Mrs. Heaton came in from the kitchen to hear her last words. “Gretchen packs a very nice lunch for all the boarders. She puts them on the table in the foyer. Just pick one up when you leave. I look forward to seeing how your first day goes this evening. I’m sure all will go well, but I think everyone is nervous that first day.”
“Thank you all for your encouragement. I must admit that this is one first I’ll be glad to have over with.” Violet smiled around the table and her eyes came to rest on the woman she’d come to think of as family.
“Well, good morning, everyone!” Lila said as she entered the room.
Somehow Lila’s greeting didn’t seem to match the expression on her face. She looked a bit out of sorts as she went to the sideboard. Violet joined the others in greeting her. “Good morning, Lila.”
“Are you ready for today? I warn you that it will be a busy one,” Lila said as she took her seat across from Violet.
“Good. That means I’ll get the first day over with quickly,” Violet said, grinning at the other woman.
“Hmm. I suppose you are right,” Lila answered. “Actually that’s one thing I like about working there. Most days go by very fast.”
Violet was glad to hear it. Not that she minded working. She was looking forward to making her way in this city. But she was beginning to enjoy the company of the other boarders more each day, and she looked forward to hearing about their days and getting to know them all better.
Michael slid his seat back and stood. “I suppose it is time to go. I hope you have a really great first day, Violet.”
The smile he gave her made her heart beat faster and do a little flip that she tried to ignore, but those dimples were just too hard to avoid. “Thank you, Michael.”
He was on his way out the door when he turned back. “And, Lila, thank you for seeing to it that Violet will know her way to and from work.”
“Why, you’re welcome, Michael. I’m glad to do it.” For the first time that morning, Lila’s smile seemed genuine as she batted her eyelashes at him.
Violet had no doubt that Lila was attracted to Michael, but did he feel that way about her? Suddenly she felt a little sick to her stomach. She quickly put it down to nerves about her first day of work and chided herself for wondering if there might be something going on between Lila and Michael. It wasn’t any of her business anyway. But the thought didn’t sit well with her. Not at all.
Violet was more than a little relieved when they arrived at Butterick and Company. Although Lila had smiled a time or two, she’d barely spoken to Violet once they left the boardinghouse, and Violet wondered if she would ever feel comfortable around the other young woman.
Lila had hurried her along, saying they must rush or they’d be late when they got to the trolley stop. But it turned out that they waited about five minutes before the trolley arrived and there were several others waiting with them.
Violet had expected to ride the El as she and Michael and Mrs. Heaton had, but she found the trolley ride quite interesting. At this time of the day, she was sure that most of the men and women were on their way to work just as she and Lila were. She enjoyed wondering what kind of jobs they held and if they’d all get off at the same stop. But each time they came to a standstill, one or two got off and several more hurried to get on.
Perhaps it was all the stopping and starting, but for some reason the traffic didn’t bother Violet quite as much today. Maybe she would get used to it, after all.
When they arrived at Butterick, Miss Carter was at the base of the stairs. “Good morning, ladies. Traffic must not have been too bad this morning. You’re right on time.”
“Good morning, Miss Carter,” Lila said before Violet had a chance to say anything. “Traffic wasn’t nearly as awful as usual.”
Her tone was much more exuberant than it had been that morning. Perhaps Lila was the kind of person who needed time to wake up and get her thoughts together in the morning. Violet didn’t know her well enough to be sure.
“Violet and I live at the same boardinghouse. I’ve taken her under my wing to show her how to get here and back home,” Lila informed Miss Carter.
“That’s good of you, Lila. It’s always nice to have company on the way to work and home.”
“I really appreciate it,” Violet said. “Everything seems so different to me.”
“I’m sure it does, just moving to the city and away from what is familiar.” Miss Carter smiled at her. “Well, let’s get started. I’ll show you around and then assign your work duties and introduce you to your supervisor.”
Lila was still standing listening to what Miss Carter had to say. The older woman turned to her. “Lila, dear, you may go on to work now.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll look for you when the lunch bell rings, Violet. Good luck!” With that she pivoted and headed in the other direction. Something about her demeanor made Violet wonder if Lila and Miss Carter didn’t quite get along.
“Have you and Lila become good friends?” Miss Carter asked as they watched her walk away.
“I don’t think you could call us that. At least not yet. But we do reside at the same boardinghouse. She was kind enough to tell me I could use her as a reference when I applied for the position, but I forgot to mention it yesterday.”
“You made a fine impression on your own, Violet. I’m not sure a recommendation from Miss Miller would have done as much as just talking to you did.” Miss Carter smiled and motioned for Violet to follow her up the same stairs she’d climbed the day before.
For the next half hour Miss Carter gave her a quick tour, showing her where the designers and pattern makers worked. They watched for a while before going out into the hall once more.
“The templates are then sent to the cutting room, where they’re placed on a stack of tissue paper and cut out. The markings are then transferred to each piece by hand. The pieces are identified by letters marked on it with small holes. Once that is done, the pieces are sorted, folded together and labeled with an image of the garments and brief instructions.”
“I never realized just how much work went into making the patterns I’ve come to count on,” Violet said.
“It is a lot.” Miss Carter chuckled. They went down another floor and entered a room where seamstresses were working on different outfits, and then they entered another room where artists were sketching the finished products that were placed on mannequins.
“This is where the drawings you see in The Delineator and other magazines come to life. After the sketches are finished, some are done in pen and ink and others are colored in for templates to make into prints that are then put into the magazine.”
Miss Carter led Violet around the room so she could get a good look at what was being done. She’d never imagined how many steps it took to get a pattern made and to be able to show it in a way that made her and her mother think that an outfit would look good on them.
Everyone she met was very nice and Violet looked forward to getting to know them all better.
“Come along. We’ll go to the cutting and folding room and get you started.” Miss Carter led her to a huge workroom. “This is where the cutting and folding operations take place. As you can see, it takes a lot of people to keep up with it.”
Violet looked at the floor below and saw both men and women at work. She saw that most of those doing the folding were young women of about her age, including Lila, who looked up and gave her a wave before whispering to the girl next to her.
Violet followed Miss Carter down the stairs and into the room where she introduced her to Mr. Hanson, the floor supervisor. “Mr. Hanson, this our newest employee, Miss Violet Burton.”
Mr. Hanson sported a dark brown beard and mustache, and he had a nice smile. “Pleased to meet you, Miss Burton. How do you like what you’ve seen of our operation?”
“Oh, I am quite impressed. I never dreamed of how much work it took to make a pattern. I’m looking forward to working with everyone.”
“Now, that is the kind of attitude we like around here. I’m sure you are going to fit right in, Miss Burton.”
Violet was beginning to feel that she might.