Angels at War Read Online Free PDF

archly remarked, with what might pass for a smile.
    Livia was led into a room little bigger thana broom cupboard. This was evidently Miss Caraway’s private sanctum, stuffed as it was from floor to ceiling with catalogues, dress patterns and order books. It also contained a table piled high with rolls of fabric, but no chair, so Livia was obliged to stand. It was only now, faced with bringing her dream to reality, that it occurred to her it wasn’t simply from ambition that she was about to ask for a job, but necessity. Yet not for the world would she allow this woman to know how desperately she and Jack needed the money.
    Clasping her hands tightly before her, she faced the woman feared by all who worked at the store. How she managed it Livia could never afterwards recall, but she put forward her request to be taken on as a shop assistant in something of a breathless rush, making it very plain that she wished to be treated exactly the same as the other girls.
    It was quite obvious that the woman had been primed in advance, no doubt by the new manager, as Miss Caraway coolly remarked that she saw no reason to deny her this opportunity. ‘Normally I would require references, and a good deal of information concerning previous experience. Obviously, that will not be necessary in your own case. If Mr Grayson has no objections, then neither do I.’
    It was on the tip of Livia’s tongue to cuttingly remark that she did not need Grayson’spermission, but she managed to stop herself in time. She’d no idea what the extent of her own powers were, in legal terms, and the business was undeniably in dire straits.
    ‘I shall look forward to welcoming you onto the staff,’ Miss Caraway was saying. ‘I assume you will continue to live at home.’
    ‘I’m currently making enquiries about renting a house close by.’
    The door opened and Grayson himself stood there, filling the tiny office with his towering presence. ‘I think not. Miss Angel will reside in the living quarters above the store, along with the other shop girls.’
    ‘Oh, but—’ Livia began to protest, it not having occurred to her this might be a requirement, but he kept on talking, giving her no time to finish.
    ‘Miss Angel will live with everyone else, at least until she’s reached her objective of learning how this store operates. And since she informs me that she is a quick learner and will soon get the hang of things, she will not be inconvenienced for long, I’m sure. Remember she is to be treated exactly the same as every other employee, is that not so?’
    Livia spoke through gritted teeth. ‘It is exactly as I would wish.’
    * * *
    Livia knew Jack would not be pleased at the prospect of her living away from home, on top of everything else she’d inflicted upon him in the last few days. She would simply have to convince him that it was worth the sacrifice. In fact, she couldn’t wait to get started.
    She made a great fuss of him that evening, cooking him a delicious supper of pork chops followed by rice pudding. Afterwards they made love with a sweet tenderness, all quarrels forgotten. It was almost like their early days together.
    And then she told him.
    As anticipated, he did not take it well. ‘So all that talk of a free-thinking union was just so you could move out, was it?’
    ‘No, of course not. This is only temporary.’
    ‘Because you’ve taken against Fellside?’
    ‘It wasn’t my choice, it’s the rules.’
    ‘Rules? You own the flipping store. You can make your own rules.’
    ‘No, I can’t. Well, in theory I suppose I could. In practice the store hovers on the brink of disaster. Try to understand, Jack, I need to do this, and I need to do it right. There’s a great deal to learn, so it’s probably better that I live on the premises. It’s only for a short time, I promise you. And I’ll be home on Sundays, and Thursdays of course, which is closing day.’
    ‘I’ll mark it on my calendar,’ Jack drily remarked, never