by Deborah Carr
‘I’m honoured,’ she said, running her fingertips lightly over the area on the plans. ‘It’s going to look very impressive, don’t you agree?’
‘Yes, I do.’
Her mind raced. Florence could just picture the new Pelham Street premises, and a mixture of fear about how they would pay for this, and excitement that it would be Jesse’s biggest venture yet, fought for supremacy. She took a deep breath to calm her mind. She didn’t want to show him any sense of panic now that he had given her such a huge compliment.
‘We’re going to have to think carefully about how we want the store to work.’ She focused her thoughts for a moment, wanting to make the most of this opportunity.
‘Go on, tell me what’s on your mind,’ he said laughing. ‘I can almost see your brain whirring with ideas.’
Florence wasn’t going to let the opportunity to share her thoughts with him pass. ‘The experience we wish the customers to have when they visit Pelham Street … it has to be very much a Boots store, naturally, but I think we need to ensure that we make a bigger statement than usual with this store. It’s an opportunity to appeal to a new type of customer and widen our appeal. Don’t you think?’ she asked, her enthusiasm growing as she spoke. ‘We need to show that although we are still chemists,’ she said to reassure Jesse, ‘we are now much more than that, and Boots offers so much more to customers than ever before.’
He didn’t answer for a moment but studied the plans in front of them thoughtfully. After a while, Florence began to think she might have offended him. It wasn’t something she ever wished to do. She opened her mouth to speak, as Jesse looked at her and shook his head.
‘You are right. What you say makes perfect sense. It is time to expand not just our business but the way we do business.’ He put his arm lightly around her waist. ‘I love your enthusiasm and your talent for innovative ideas.’
Florence sighed, relieved to see he wasn’t upset with what she had said. ‘That’s a relief. For a moment I was concerned I’d said something wrong … again.’
‘Not at all, my love.’ He turned his back to the desk and leant against it, pulling her gently towards him. ‘We might disagree with each other’s ideas at times, but do you know that since we’ve been working together everything about this business has been much more enjoyable?’
Florence leant forward and kissed him. ‘I’m happy you think so.’
‘I do. I enjoy sharing our working life as well as our private times. Most couples only get to share a few hours each morning and evening.’
She sighed. ‘I’m forever grateful that you let me take part in the running of the businesses. It means the world to me that I can immerse myself in your work next to you.’
Jesse’s smile slipped and he cleared his throat. ‘I thought that working next to my mother was special, but I had no idea how much more satisfying it could be to work with my wife. I’m the lucky one, Florence,’ he said gazing at her, his eyes shining. ‘To have found a wife with the business acumen and love for Boots that you do is a gift that I’m certain I don’t deserve.’
‘Nonsense.’ She stroked his right arm. ‘We were meant to be together. It’s fate that has ensured we are here now.’
They gazed at each other and Florence didn’t think she could ever love anyone more than she loved Jesse.
Jesse’s arms dropped from her sides and he turned back to focus his attention on the plans once more. He pointed at a space above the stairs. ‘This is the upstairs gallery. I thought we could display pictures there.’
‘Yes,’ she said, her mind racing as her enthusiasm rose. ‘Maybe also have glass and fancy goods, too?’ Florence was going to enjoy spending time planning how to make this the most fascinating shop in Nottingham.
‘We must get this right.’ Jesse leant forward and pointed at one of the areas near the front of the shop. ‘I thought the pharmaceutical department should go there. Right at the front. After all, it’s what most people visit Boots shops for.’
Florence didn’t agree. She took her time to look at the detail of the new store and knew that whatever they did at this place could set a precedent for what customers expected from the future of their stores.
‘You’re not sure?’ Jesse asked looking at her.
Florence didn’t think that now was the right time to delve into this matter. She decided in that moment to wait until the shop was ready for stock to be displayed to show Jesse what she had in mind for some of the departments.
‘Florence? Tell me what you’re thinking.’
But perhaps saying something now would at least would help her gauge how far Jesse was happy to go when it came to changes for the Pelham Street store.
‘If the customers mainly come to Boots for their medication and herbal remedies, which they do, then why don’t we place the pharmacy at the back of the store? That way everyone coming to the shop would need to first pass our other departments. What do you think?’
He turned his attention back to the plans and stared at them, his eyebrows lowered in a thoughtful frown. ‘Tempt them on their way to buy their medicine, you mean?’
‘It’s merely a thought for you to consider.’ It was something she felt strongly about, but knowing Jesse as well as she did now, she had learnt that arguing with him usually led to a stand-off where no one was the winner. It didn’t come very naturally to her, but she had discovered that using subtlety worked far better than blunt honesty where her husband was concerned.
She waited for him to speak again, not wishing to push her idea onto him, letting him take onboard her suggestion calmly.
‘Hmm.’ He tapped his moustache with his forefinger for a few seconds without speaking. ‘What goods were you thinking of selling at the front then?’
She knew she had to be very persuasive and gave the matter some thought.
‘Items to attract people who might be looking for a gift for someone, or even a treat for themselves. Handbags, purses, perfume, or picture frames.’ Her excitement grew the more she imagined all the different items of stock she could source for them. ‘The list is endless. And, as we build up the business further, we will no doubt have more ideas of things that should sell well and bring in more customers to the store.’
He stared at the plans and nodded thoughtfully. ‘I do see what you’re saying.’
She sensed he was about to add a but to his comment.
‘But Boots is a chemist, first and foremost. It’s what we do and why people come to our stores. The pharmaceutical items need to be at the front of the store. They always have been and should continue to be.’
She held back from arguing with him. She was a relative newcomer to the business, which was Jesse’s after all. She would have to come up with a way to make him see that her idea would be the best way forward for Pelham Street store.
He studied the plans, once more. After a moment’s silence, Jesse asked, ‘Did I mention that work on the printing department is almost complete?’
‘Already?’ She knew he was trying to distract her, but went along with it. ‘I hadn’t realised.’
‘I felt it was needed urgently,’ he explained. ‘This way we can print our own stationery without outsourcing at extra cost. You know, labels and anything else necessary that the company needs.’
Florence had thought it a brilliant, if initially expensive, idea when Jesse had first told her of it. She trusted his business acumen and knew that if there was a way to save money, then Jesse would find it. She just hadn’t expected him to be working on this idea so soon. But Florence had known Jesse long enough to know that he didn’t care for boundaries. He was fond of saying that every problem had a solution, and he never wasted any time in working out the best way to make it happen.
‘I didn’t want to trouble you,’ he explained. ‘You already have enough going on, what with work and this pregnancy.’
Florence thought back to how nauseous she had been for the first few months with this baby, but had believed that she had hidd
en it from him. Not well enough, it seemed. ‘I understand your wish to protect me, but I’d rather know what’s happening. I hate being left out of your new projects,’ she said, not wishing him to see how hurt she felt at his omission, but unable to help herself.
‘I’m sorry, I only thought …’
She didn’t want him to feel badly, so gave him a smile. ‘It’s fine. Now, about Pelham Street. I’m looking forward to it being opened. Have you decided when that might be?’
‘We need to check that we’re happy with everything first,’ he said, leaning, she thought, a little heavily on his silver-topped cane.
Florence studied her husband carefully. She had been so wrapped up in all her responsibilities that it occurred to her she might not have kept such a careful eye on Jesse. ‘Then we have a lot to do.’
‘We do,’ he said. ‘Hopefully the printing department will be finished in the next few days and I’ll be able to show you around.’ Jesse frowned and rested his hand on Florence’s back. ‘I think you’ve had enough for today,’ he said. ‘Shall we go home now?’
She closed her eyes briefly before nodding. ‘With pleasure.’
Chapter 6
April 1892
Florence couldn’t believe it was already April. They walked around the factory and she made sure not to walk with her usual lengthy stride. She linked her arm through Jesse’s, wanting to take her time and not overexert her husband.
‘There’s no need to rush, is there?’ she asked, smiling to soften her words. She made a point of resting her gloved hand on her stomach, knowing that he would assume she wanted them to slow down because of her heavily pregnant state.
Florence had made a point of keeping an eye on Jesse’s health since their marriage. She was grateful for her husband’s determination to keep as active as possible by doing his rounds to various Boots stores on horseback. But she couldn’t miss the sadness in his voice when he reminisced about how he used to take daily dips in the River Trent and always enjoyed lengthy treks across the countryside, many times walking the thirty-seven miles from Sheffield to Nottingham before his health had broken down just before they had met.
She decided soon after their marriage that as a concerned wife she should care for her husband, as she would expect him to do for her. She knew that Jesse was too proud to admit when he was in any pain, but thankfully his health had held up better than either of them had expected.
‘This is going to save the firm a lot of money in the long run.’ Jesse took hold of her hand with his free one. ‘And we won’t have to wait for printed materials to be delivered to us. We can print whatever we need immediately.’
‘And it will give more people work,’ she said, happy at the thought that by this expansion to the business they were also helping others. She knew that Jesse relished this part of their lives as much as she did. Having the means to assist others to get along in the world was certainly the best feeling, she thought. Well, after having her children and husband in her life. She felt truly blessed to have so much joy in her life, and it made her feel better to think that she was spreading her luck among others.
She had seen first-hand the deprivation some unfortunate families experienced when she had met Lily Buttons years before in Jersey, but nothing had prepared Florence for the enormous scale of the poverty she had witnessed here in the lace district in Nottingham. Florence usually felt positive that she could find ways to help make improvements in people’s lives, and for the most part she was satisfied that she had managed to help a lot of the people she had come into contact with. Sometimes, though, it concerned her that no matter what she or Jesse did to try and help others, there would always be too many people suffering in silence whose names they would never know.
Florence spent many sleepless nights worrying about how best to help people faced with seemingly insurmountable problems that could be lessened if only they had the money or her assistance to help them fight back. She was determined to make it her life’s work to focus her attention on improving the lives of as many women and children as possible. First, though, she needed to deal with today’s issues.
He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. ‘It will certainly do that.’
They strolled into the printing department and Florence stared at the large machinery in awe. This was all theirs and should save them a lot of money. She was impatient to see it all working.
‘The staff you interviewed for this department,’ she asked thoughtfully. ‘When do they start working?’
‘Monday. I thought they should begin as soon as possible.’
Florence was pleased. She always enjoyed adding new names to the employee register. It gave her a sense of comfort to know that she was sharing her blessings with others and giving more women a way to earn a living and thereby feed their family.
He withdrew his gold half-hunter pocket watch from his waistcoat pocket and clicked it open. ‘It’s getting a little late. I think we should return to the office so you can have some time sitting down and maybe take tea. I don’t want you to overdo it and tire yourself. You still need to visit the factory today, and we’re going to stay with friends at Snig Hill this evening, don’t forget.’
Florence was struggling more than usual for some reason today. Her back ached and she had a slight headache coming on. She wasn’t certain how she was going to deal with the manager and her worker who had recently been repeatedly late to work. The manager had wanted to dismiss the woman, who she believed was causing a disruption in the team where she was positioned, but Florence had decided that she would speak to the younger woman first to ensure they weren’t missing a good reason for her change in behaviour.
‘Good idea,’ she said, happy to agree to Jesse’s suggestion. She wished she could forget about the situation at the factory and go home to relax. Florence was aware that the manager was used to dealing with issues such as this one, but the employee in question had sent a note to Florence’s office appealing for her to step in and treat her leniently over the matter. Florence felt obliged to at least go and see for herself what was going on. ‘Let’s go.’
They took their time walking back to the office. She relished these quiet moments alone with him. It reminded her a little of the strolls they used to take in Jersey before they were married. Those days seemed so long ago now and Florence wondered at how much her life had changed since then. She was amused to think how busy she had supposed herself to be before her marriage. Now, though, she was a mother and responsible for a household consisting of both her growing family and several members of staff.
Florence could not help wondering what she must have done with her time before she had married her husband and moved away from Jersey. She linked her arm with his. They had so much to look forward to – a new baby and a huge store in Pelham Street. It was sometimes difficult to imagine that she had once thought herself fulfilled.
It broke her heart to think that women were scorned for having a baby out of wedlock. How, she wondered, could the thought of bringing a new life into the world be so joyful to some and so shocking and vile to others, simply because a woman either did or did not possess a marriage licence? It seemed so cruel and unfair.
They arrived home just over an hour later. Meadows took their coats.
Jesse thanked him and turned to Florence. ‘We have an hour to ready ourselves before the carriage takes us to the Bradshaws’ at Snig Hill. I wish it was longer and you had time to rest first.’
Florence shook her head and smiled. ‘It’s fine. I can rest in the carriage on the way there. Don’t worry, I’ll soon be ready.’
Florence hurried up the stairs. She checked on the children, giving them both a cuddle and then explained to Harriet that she and Jesse would be away from home overnight. She hated the thought of leaving the children, but thankfully she rarely needed to. This time, however, it would be too far from to return home at the end of the evening.
‘Please don’t worry, Madam,’ Harriet said. ‘I’ll take good care of
the little ones.’
The carriage ride was tedious, probably more so because Florence’s back ached for the entire journey. It didn’t matter how she placed herself on the padded seat, she could not find a position that gave her any comfort.
‘You’re here,’ Helena Bradshaw exclaimed, welcoming their carriage as it drew to a halt outside the pretty but modest home that was so like Florence and Jesse’s former home on Wellesley Road.
Florence waited for Jesse to step out of the carriage and take her hand. It was good to be back among old friends. She hugged Helena, glad to see her once again. They had been good neighbours when she and Jesse had lived in the area.
She accompanied Helena into their comfortable home, listening as her friend chatted to her excitedly and shared the local gossip that she had been saving up.
Half an hour later, the four of them were in the warm living room exchanging their news and having a reviving cordial when pain shot through Florence’s stomach. Groaning in shock at the intensity of it, she instantly realised that it was a contraction. No wonder she had been experiencing backache all the way to Snig Hill, she thought. She was in labour.
‘You are unwell?’ Jesse rushed to her side from where he had been standing in front of the fireplace.
Florence shook her head. ‘I think this baby has decided to make an untimely appearance.’ Mortified, she gave Helena an apologetic look. ‘I’m so sorry, this is dreadful timing.’
‘You must not concern yourself,’ Helena said. ‘I am excited to welcome a new baby into this house.’ She waved her hands to get her husband’s attention. ‘Gerald, instead of staring at Florence, why don’t you go and tell one of the servants to make the second spare room ready for Florence.’
His eyes widened and after slamming his glass down so hard on the occasional table next to him that it cracked the stem, he carried both the top and bottom of the glass and left the room. ‘Mabel,’ he bellowed, the panic in his voice obvious to them all.