Chapter Five
T he day of the grand opening dawned cloudy, with the threat of rain.
Alicia wormed her way into coming with him to Berkeley Square if only to visit Thorne’s Lending Library. Alicia had elected to leave her maid at home, which Nathaniel agreed to as his sister was often a visitor to the library and felt quite comfortable there.
“I will not interfere in the running of your business.” Alicia remained silent in the coach for nearly five minutes, a sure sign she was upset at being left out of the activities at the registry office. “I wouldn’t want to be in the way.”
Diana had kindly told Alicia there were enough volunteers at the registry. In reality, the employees had complained that the talkative Miss Tilford was a distraction.
The lending library wasn’t due to open for a few more minutes, but the subscription clerk, Robbie, was already in the shop and let Alicia into the building. Nathaniel would fetch his sister in two hours. He sent his coach away and walked down the street to the registry.
The sign over the door read VETERAN’S REGISTRY OFFICE. Short and to the point. There were tall, uncovered windows to each side of the door, letting in plenty of light.
Two doors led from the lobby: one to the back office and the other to a small kitchen area. Upstairs were two rooms, currently occupied as bedchambers by the male employees. The female employee lived off-premises with her son, and Nathaniel insisted on giving her a small stipend for housing in addition to her wages.
“It’s only fair as we have provided the male employees with lodging.”
When he entered the building, it was to see Ashford speaking with his sister Diana.
“You and Ashford should hurry along. We are quite all right without you.” She made shooing motions. “Having male peers of the realm standing about would send the wrong message.”
Nathaniel wasn’t sure what message that might be, but he promptly followed Ashford back out of the building. Although disappointed not to see Edith, he was happy to see the sky had cleared, and the day felt warmer than it had been in London for several weeks.
“What now?” he asked his friend.
Ashford grinned. “Perhaps breakfast at White’s?”
“An excellent idea. I’ve only managed a cup of coffee this morning.” Keeping Ashford company would give Nathaniel less time in his head, which would help stave off melancholia.
They arrived at the gentleman’s club via Ashford’s town carriage to see Cecil in passing.
The viscount exited the white-grey Portland stone structure and waved a greeting. “I’m off to keep an eye on your registry office. From afar.”
Once seated in the back dining hall upstairs, Nathaniel said, “Cecil is the one you should be worried about. I at least have Alicia in Town to keep me company. All Cecil has is Bones.”
The viscount had resigned from the Home Office after the end of the war due to a disagreement with his superiors, in particular, Lord Sidmouth, the Home Secretary. Cecil had maintained there was more to his brother’s stabbing than mere chance, and the agency chose not to allow him to pursue the matter. The viscount didn’t share all of his activities with his friends, but Nathaniel knew the man had become obsessed with trying to find his brother’s killer.
A waiter arrived to take their order. Nathaniel sighed contentedly, looking forward to eggs and a rasher of bacon.
“How is Alicia today?” Ashford asked once the men were alone again.
“She’s at Thorne’s recounting her trials to young Robbie. I made a hasty exit.”
His friend shook his head. “I'm sure the boy has heard many a tale of woe when serving customers.”
“I’ll give Robbie a shilling next time I see him.” He paused. “Or perhaps two.”
* * * * *
E dith stood next to Mrs. Stafford in the lobby of the registry, wondering why Diana had employed a woman to work so closely with the veterans.
As if sensing her thoughts, Mrs. Stafford explained, “I am pleased Lady Diana hired me to work here. I was married to an enlisted man. I know these men. The lady believes I can be a reassuring bridge between their past and future.”
The widow unlocked the door to the registry, and the bell over the door almost instantly started pealing. Edith took up a place near the backroom and watched men looking for work pour into the lobby. Diana had assured her she would grasp the registration process after observing for a short time.
Registry offices were usually divided into two categories: those that collected fees from the employer and applicants or registries that were free for applicants but collected fees from prospective employers. Some free registries might ask the applicant to pay a fee after finding a position.
Ashford and Harbury had decided the employers would pay a fee to acquire workers and weren’t allowed to ask for reimbursement from the hired veteran. The registry was a charitable organization with employer fees used to pay the staff and maintain the building.
Diana mentioned that Ashford and the baron had discussed the registry with their colleagues, rarely mentioning that they owned the business. The registry was managed by Diana, with financial backing from her brother and Lord Harbury.
Edith was impressed by Diana’s management of the registry office. The lady was no mere figurehead.
Client ledgers rested on two tables in the lobby. A veteran searching for a position would tell Porter or Taylor their name, job skills, and the type of employment they were seeking. The men would record the veteran’s information in the ledgers, saving the veteran from embarrassment as many of the men could not read or write.
Two long benches were set against the front wall, one on each side of the front door. Both benches were soon filled with men seeking employment. A tall bookshelf rested against one wall, filled with several old copies of newspapers and periodicals for those veterans who could read.
From what Edith observed, Mrs. Stafford was in charge of the lobby. She directed veterans forward when it was their turn to register and assisted with questions or concerns. The woman had a no-nonsense attitude that the men appeared to respect.
After a few minutes of monitoring the registration process, Diana ushered Edith through the door to the back office, where two oak desks each held a ledger book and a stack of papers.
Diana took a seat on a hard-backed chair behind one of the desks and motioned for Edith to sit at the other desk.
“The ledgers in this room are to record employer information. One ledger is for employer surnames A-L, and the other is for M-Z. The papers on your desk are in alphabetical order. Employer names, addresses, and the position to be filled are to be transcribed into your ledger. And I will want to verify the information in the ledgers is correct before we start matching veterans to employment opportunities.”
She nodded in response. “I’ll get started.” Edith began making notations in her ledger. A few minutes later, she looked up from her work. “You have a lot of potential employers here.”
Diana grinned. “And all without advertising. I’ve put about that every household in London should have at least one war veteran as an employee.”
“Well done! My father has agreed to take on a man as a gardener.”
“I saw your father just last evening at a rout I attended. He spoke quite animatedly with Lady Sandhurst, who was widowed last year. It was lovely to see her laugh again.”
“My father was at a rout?” She frowned.
“Oh yes! We discussed a new first edition he recently acquired.” Diana lowered her head and went back to work.
Strange. She was sure her father told her he was at his literary club last night. No matter, she would ask him about it this evening.