Page 5 of A Shop Girl’s Christmas (Pennington’s Department Store #3)
Stephen sat alone in Pennington’s staff dining hall, the day’s newspaper open in front of him as he read the latest articles about the King-Emperor George V’s upcoming visit to India. It was reported that the much-anticipated coronation, or Durbar , as it was called in India, would take place two weeks from now, on the 12 th of December. The procession and celebrations were expected to be of a magnificence never seen before by the British public. It would be interesting to see what images filtered through over the coming days and weeks.
He leaned back in his chair as his mind filled with the comings and goings at Pennington’s. The over-the-top glitz of the place, with its chandeliers, displays of fresh flowers and alabaster columns, Pennington’s décor was a far cry from the surroundings he was used to in his police work, but he’d conceded that the contrast could possibly do him some good. Lord knew, he wanted to embrace anything that provided distance from his life in London.
Men and women chattered and laughed all around him. An air of companionship that wasn’t too unlike the camaraderie he’d enjoyed at the Yard. The staff appeared happy. As though their working lives satisfied them as much as their personal lives. Not that he would know about such things considering he’d always spent more enjoyable hours at work than alone in his lodgings.
Sara, his ex-fiancée, had been gone from his life for two years and the pain he’d once felt at her walking away no longer hurt as it once did, but that didn’t mean he didn’t still feel the void she’d left. She could hardly be blamed for her honesty. For the integrity she showed by admitting the prospect of life as a detective sergeant’s wife wasn’t for her. His often-missed meals, the forgotten planned days out and visits with their families had eventually taken their toll and Sara had told him she was too young, too hopeful of a happy future, to marry someone entrenched in the lives of London’s worst kinds of people.
He hoped she was happy with her life. After all, considering everything that had happened, Sara had been right in her thinking and her wish to be away from him.
Picking up his tea, Stephen glanced at the wall clock and quickly drained his cup.
‘Ah, Mr Gower.’
A male voice sounded across the room and Stephen turned.
Joseph Carter. One half of Pennington’s management team.
‘Mr Carter, sir.’
Stephen half-rose in his seat and Joseph Carter stilled him with a raised hand. ‘No need to stand on ceremony. I’m glad I’ve caught you when you’ve finished your lunch.’
Resuming his seat, Stephen nodded. ‘Is there something I can help you with, sir?’
‘On the contrary. I thought you might appreciate a closer tour of the store. I’ve meant to catch up with you ever since you arrived, but it’s been one thing after another and I have only just found myself with a free half an hour or so.’ Carter smiled, his blue eyes bright and friendly. ‘So, what do you say? Shall we take a walk?’
Stephen glanced around him and caught the curious gazes of a few of his colleagues, while others seemed impervious to Joseph’s presence. Did upper management make a habit of visiting the staff quarters?
He faced Carter. ‘I don’t see why not, considering you’re the man in charge.’
‘Then, it will be a pleasure for us to get better acquainted.’
Stephen placed his cup, plate and cutlery on his tray and carried it to the clearing station, before joining Carter at the dining room entrance.
Carter smiled. ‘Why don’t we start on the third floor and work our way down?’
Following him from the dining room, they strode along the corridor towards the lift and Carter pressed the call button. ‘The fifth floor is the executive floor. As you probably know by now, the fourth floor houses the Butterfly restaurant as well as a few private offices, and the shopping departments are spread out on the ground, second and third floors. It’s on those three floors that you’ll be spending most of your time. Petty theft is a problem in every city, as I’m sure you know. But here at Pennington’s, we intend to keep any such activity to a bare minimum, if not eradicate it altogether. Having said that…’ Carter watched the dial above the lift as it slowly moved down the floors. ‘I appreciate it will be a tough task to ask of you or any of the security watchmen. Even someone with your exemplary skills.’
Immediately uneasy, Stephen stared at Carter’s turned cheek. ‘My skills, sir?’
His employer turned, his genial smile dissolving as his gaze sobered for the first time since he’d walked into the staff dining quarters. ‘You were forthcoming in your interview about your former position at Scotland Yard, Mr Gower, and that experience can only be advantageous to Pennington’s.’
Stephen carefully studied him, annoyed that his police work should be raised so soon. ‘Maybe, but I hope I made it clear that my days at the Yard are to be forgotten for the time being.’
‘Of course, but that’s to Pennington’s benefit and the constabulary’s loss, I’m sure.’
The lift shuddered to a stop before the attendant stepped out and dipped his head. ‘Mr Carter, sir.’
‘Good afternoon, Henry. I trust all is well today?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Glad to hear it. The third floor, please.’
Stephen took a free spot a little away from Carter and the five other people in the lift, as Carter shared a few moments’ conversation with them. A horrible suspicion niggled that his new employer had orchestrated this impromptu tour as a way to discuss Stephen’s career at London, rather than his work at Pennington’s. Well, if that was the case, Carter would soon learn he was on a fool’s errand.
They arrived at the third floor and stepped onto the elegantly decorated landing. The carpet flowed in a full circle around the grand staircase which spiralled down the centre from the fourth floor to the store’s atrium. The bright and inviting departments were each marked by white alabaster columns, the wares displayed in such a way to entice eager customers deeper inside. Pennington’s was, in short, pretty spectacular.
‘So…’ Carter walked to the mahogany balustrade and opened his arms, pride showing in his slightly flushed cheeks. ‘This is Pennington’s, Bath’s finest department store. But, in many ways, it’s more than that. My wife and I want people to come here not just to shop but to socialise, spend enjoyable time and make friends. To return again and again with more and more friends and family. Our entire mission is to make Pennington’s a place accessible to people from all walks of life – male, female, young or old, rich and not so rich.’
‘It seems you are well on your way to achieving your goal, sir. The place is packed to the rafters and has been all morning.’
‘Yes, but still Elizabeth, my wife, and I remain unsatisfied. We want Pennington’s to be a place people feel safe, free of crime and judgement. That’s where you and all the staff come in, Mr Gower. Everyone who works here is an integral part of the machine. One that I do my best to keep running smoothly, but I can’t always do that when other matters weigh me down.’
Carter’s lower, more urgent tone drew Stephen’s focus from the bustling atrium, unwelcome concern rippling through him.
The man’s jaw was tight, indecision clear in his eyes, before his smile reappeared, and he patted Stephen’s shoulder. ‘Come, let us tour the third floor. You have much to learn and get acquainted with.’
Stephen stepped forward, surreptitiously glancing at Carter again. His demeanour was changeable, on edge. Something serious bothered his new employer and Stephen had a horrible feeling that same thing would soon be bothering him, too.