It was halfway through their second week of trading and the first rush of customers at Harpers had tailed off. The newspapers had made a big splash, giving the new store the thumbs up, but now they had fresh stories. Harpers still had lots of shoppers coming and going, but the sales were more infrequent. In the first few days it had seemed that almost every customer bought something, now some left without making a purchase. Sally was still making the most sales, but the customers at Beth’s counter seemed more difficult to please. Several times she’d shown them the expensive silk scarves, only to be told that the customer could buy better at Selfridges or one of the other department stores. Beth didn’t think it was necessarily true but reported the trend to Mrs Craven.
‘Well, I think that is just annoyance speaking,’ her supervisor said. ‘One thing I cannot fault is the quality of our stock. I shall pop into some of the other shops in Oxford Street on my half day and have a look at the scarves. If I agree that ours are too expensive, I’ll put in a report to the management.’
‘It’s not something I’m doing wrong?’
‘I don’t think so for a moment,’ Mrs Craven said as the floor supervisor entered the department. ‘Return to your counter. I suggest you do a stock-take on your scarves. I should like to know what has sold so far…’
Beth returned to the counter. Miss Hart walked up to Mrs Craven and began to explain something to her.
Sally was busy at her counter. She made a sale of a leather bag and then a piece of silver jewellery. After her customers and the floor walker left, the department was empty apart from the assistants. Mrs Craven beckoned to Beth, Maggie and Sally.
‘There is to be a meeting this evening in the restaurant,’ she told them. ‘Mr Harper is going to make an announcement, so I would advise you all to be there.’
‘Let’s hope everything is going well,’ Sally said. ‘Otherwise, we could all be lookin’ for a new job soon…’
‘Don’t jest,’ Maggie shivered. ‘I like my job here.’
‘We all like our jobs,’ Mrs Craven said. ‘Maggie, you and Sally may go to your lunch break. Beth and I will keep the flag flying…’ She suddenly realised she’d broken her own rule as Sally laughed. ‘That is enough of that, Miss Ross. Off you go – Miss Gibbs too.’
‘Yes, Mrs Craven,’ Sally said, but her eyes were dancing with mischief.
Beth smiled but shook her head. It showed that their supervisor was getting to know and like the girls that worked in her department and she’d made a simple mistake. Beth thought it showed she was human and she liked her all the more for it.
Three customers entered the department the moment that the others had departed and two of them made a beeline for Beth’s counter. The first was one of the customers who had refused to buy the previous day, claiming that the silk scarves were cheaper elsewhere.
‘I think I’ll buy that pretty green scarf with the wavy lines,’ she said to Beth. ‘It is expensive, but my husband says he will buy it for my birthday and I haven’t seen one I like as much anywhere else…’
Beth felt vindicated and smiled inwardly. She took the scarf out and displayed it over her hand. ‘Is this the one, madam?’
‘Yes, and it is as lovely as I remembered.’ The customer nodded and looked pleased. ‘I thought I’d seen something better for less money, but it wasn’t as nice as this when I went back…’
Beth took her money, sent it off in the pulley system to the cashier’s office and then wrapped the scarf carefully in tissue and placed it in one of the distinctive black and gold bags. She returned the change to her customer, checking it carefully, bid her goodbye and turned to the next.
‘I am sorry to keep you waiting, madam. How may I help you?’
‘I want a good-quality scarf,’ the woman said. ‘I can just see something in that drawer – I think the colour is magenta…’
‘Oh yes, that is one of our very best,’ Beth told her with a smile. She took the scarf out and displayed it and her customer asked if she could try it on, preening in front of the small mirror on the counter.
‘Lovely, just what I wanted – and the price is reasonable too,’ the customer said. ‘I’m so glad Harpers has opened. I used to have to go to Knightsbridge for what I wanted, but I shall shop here in future.’
Beth thanked her and she went away with her purchase, smiling. Beth made a note in her stock book with a feeling of satisfaction. She’d thought that particular scarf would lie in the drawer for ages, but, as she was fast discovering, there was a customer for everything. You just had to be patient and wait.
‘What would you do if the store did close?’ Maggie asked Sally as they sat over their pot of tea and sandwiches. The two of them shared a snack at Bessie’s when they got the chance, because it was cheaper than eating in the shop restaurant and taking sandwiches from home to the nearest park would eat into the time they were allowed for lunch.
‘I’d find another job in retail somewhere,’ Sally said, looking thoughtful. ‘I hope it doesn’t happen, because I need decent references and a steady job or future employers will think I never stop anywhere.’
‘I doubt I’ll get a job I like as much,’ Maggie said. ‘Muma will make me stay at home and help her. She says she could earn more if she went out to work and I stayed home to look after my dad.’
‘Perhaps she could,’ Sally agreed. ‘That would be a shame, Maggie love. You need to get out and make friends. If you could get away on a Sunday, we could go for a walk together – listen to a concert in the park and have tea.’
‘I wish I could.’ Maggie sighed. ‘Muma expects me to be there – she pops out to see her friend on Sunday afternoon. She says it’s the only chance she has to have some time to herself…’
‘It’s a pity,’ Sally said. ‘I like you, Maggie, and I’d like to share a flat with you – Beth too, if she would…’
‘Beth’s aunt expects her to help out at home,’ Maggie said. ‘I think she gets nagged if she’s late back.’
‘I don’t have anyone to care what time I get in,’ Sally said. ‘I always thought it would be lovely to have a family – but I sometimes wonder if I’m better off being free to do as I please.’
‘I’d rather live at home than in a hostel,’ Maggie told her. ‘You’ve told me it’s not very nice. At least Muma keeps everywhere spotless. She never used to nag as much before Poppa had his accident, but she’s changed a lot since then.’
‘I suppose it’s worry,’ Sally said and Maggie’s eyes stung with sudden tears.
‘I don’t mind so much for me – but I hate it when she hurts my dad’s feelings. I’ve seen it in his eyes and I want to shout at her to stop, but he shakes his head at me and I know arguing would make things worse.’
‘Nothing is straightforward, is it?’ Sally’s eyes flicked across the café as she saw two girls come in. ‘Don’t look over there, Maggie. I don’t want her to notice us…’
Maggie wasn’t sure what she meant, but then the two girls came up to their table. ‘So this is where yer get to,’ one of the girls said with a nasty little sneer. Maggie instinctively disliked her. ‘You don’t mind if we share yer table – all the others are full…’
Sally got to her feet at once. ‘As a matter of fact, I do,’ she said. ‘Come on, Miss Gibbs, we’re leaving. I’m not sure why, but there’s a bit of a stink in here now…’
Maggie felt herself flushing hotly. She saw a look of hatred in the other girl’s eyes and allowed Sally to lead her up to the counter to pay.
‘Who was that?’ she asked as they went outside. The sky was clouding over and it felt as if there might be some rain before long. ‘I didn’t bring a coat. I hope it doesn’t rain before we get back…’
‘Her name is Jean – I don’t know her friend – but she is a nasty piece of work. If she approaches you when you’re on your own just ignore her, Maggie.’
‘I wouldn’t want to know her,’ Maggie assured her. ‘We should find somewhere else to have our sandwiches for a while.’
‘I’m not going to let her scare me off,’ Sally said. ‘If she causes trouble I’ll ask Bessie’s husband to get her to leave next time.’
Maggie nodded. Her mother had always warned her to stay clear of that kind of girl at school.
‘Common girls! They use bad language and they can be violent,’ Mrs Gibbs had told her daughter. ‘We’re a decent family and we keep ourselves to ourselves – so mind what I say and have nothing to do with that sort.’
Maggie would certainly stay away from Jean and her friend. If Sally hadn’t been with her, she would have been too embarrassed to just get up and walk away. If she had to take her lunch break alone, she thought she might try somewhere else, even if she could only afford a cup of tea.
Sally frowned as she tidied her hair in the cloakroom. Jean had deliberately chosen their table just to make things awkward for her. She was spiteful and a bad enemy and Sally wondered if she ought to think of moving away from the hostel where she was staying. Yet it was close enough to Oxford Street to be a cheap bus ride in the morning and she could walk home at night, providing it wasn’t pouring with rain. If she moved she might have to go much further afield to find anything as cheap.
If Beth and Maggie were able to share a small flat with her, she would leave the hostel in a heartbeat, but they were both tied to their homes. She wouldn’t mind sharing with Mrs Craven, although perhaps that wouldn’t do because her supervisor might feel it was inappropriate. Sighing, she thrust Jean’s spiteful leer out of her mind and focused on the meeting with Mr Harper that night. What would he have to say?