The door to number 43 was partially ajar. She opened it and looked about. Beside her was a fireplace, unusual for a foyer, and away from that led another long, dark hallway. To her left was a grand library, where bookshelves flanked floor-to-ceiling windows. A Juliet balcony overlooked the park beyond, and a pocket door connected it to the adjoining room. The craftsmanship astounded her. Even the Langham, the most luxurious hotel in London, lacked this sort of detailing.
“Mr. Camden?” Her voice echoed off the walls.
“Right in here.”
She hadn’t seen him, tucked out of view on the side of the library.
Mr. Camden leaned over a draftsman’s desk, a pencil in one hand. He looked up at her and smiled. He was the only person she knew here, and the familiarity, though scant, lessened the panic that had gripped her ever since the Dakota had emerged into view.
“How was your trip, Mrs. Smythe?” The room was smaller than the adjoining parlor, but the eastern exposure granted it a lot of light. He put down his pencil and gestured to the two armchairs arranged on either side of the window.
“My trip was fine, thank you.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
He ran his hand over his chin. He didn’t have a beard, which was disconcerting at first, as most men wore thick, shaggy whiskers. His smooth skin made it difficult to gauge his age. Midthirties, she suspected.
She cringed with embarrassment. The silence had gone on uncomfortably long as she’d studied his face. “The work inside the building is quite beautiful.”
He shrugged off the compliment. “Overwrought is the expression that comes to mind. But I suppose I had better get used to it, as this will be my new home.”
“You’ll be living here?” She hadn’t meant to sound shocked, but she imagined he would prefer to live in the more established part of the city.
“In this very apartment. Mrs. Camden had her misgivings, but I told her the wilds of the West Side were soon to be tamed. The rest of the furniture as well as my family arrive in a couple of months, once the building is up and running. It’s no Langham Hotel, but I’ll manage.”
“I’m sure your family will enjoy it very much, and it will be a delight to meet your children under less strenuous circumstances. I trust they are all well?”
“Indeed.”
Enough with the niceties. She had much to learn before the building opened for business. “How many apartments have been rented?”
“All of them. Fitzroy will give you a proper tour of the building, but I can show you on the plans.” He stood and led her to a table pushed against one wall, and leafed through several white linen sheets until he found what he was looking for. “This is the fourth floor. We’re here.”
The apartment was enormous, with several bedchambers, anterooms with fireplaces, pantries, servants’ quarters, and an expansive parlor.
Sara examined the layout of the entire floor. “Every apartment seems to be a completely different configuration from the others.”
“Initially, Mr. Hardenbergh assigned six apartments to a floor, all roughly the same size. But after the owner, Mr. Clark, passed away a couple of years ago, the building agent took over, and he unfortunately allowed tenants to have a say in the number of rooms they preferred. I can’t tell you how many nights I spent piecing them together like an enormous jigsaw puzzle, but we’ve finally done it. We’re slightly behind schedule, and I have Mr. Douglas breathing down my neck, but that’s where you come in.”
Before he could continue, a man’s voice echoed down the hall.
“Back here, Mr. Douglas.” Mr. Camden gave Sara a smile. “Your boss has arrived.”
She wished Mr. Camden were her boss, and one look at the man entering the room didn’t change her opinion. He had a lumbering body and blue-black hair. He took off his hat when he saw Sara, and she couldn’t help notice the dark stain of hair dye around the inside of the rim.
“Mr. Douglas, I’m pleased to introduce Mrs. Smythe; she arrived from England yesterday.”
Mr. Douglas eyed her much like a horse dealer might evaluate a disappointing mare.
“Right, then, Mrs. Smythe. We don’t have much time left to us, and things are a mess, as you see. We’ll have to make the adjustments quickly.”
“I’m happy to do whatever needs to be done,” said Sara. “It would help, of course, to know how many maids have been hired and how soon we can get them here.” From the minute she’d awoken, her mind had already swum with the best way to direct a crew of girls to do a deep clean of the place, ridding it of sawdust and polishing the mahogany to a shine.
“Right, well, we have a minor problem there.”
She steadied her gaze and placed one hand on the table. “A problem?” If he’d changed his mind, she’d have nowhere to go. Would he or Mr. Camden pay for her fare home? Would the Langham take her back?
“Now, don’t go all pale on me. It’s not as bad as that.” Mr. Douglas was breathing hard, like he’d run the entire way. He had ruddy cheeks and his lips were unexpectedly cherubic, like a baby’s. “The man we hired to manage the building is unable to join us. His mother is ill, and he’s off to St. Louis to care for her. So I’d like you to be lady managerette. With your qualifications from the Langham in London, we figure it’ll be a good fit.”
“Instead of resident housekeeper?”
“Exactly. It will come with an increase in salary and you’ll be in charge of not only the housekeeper and maids, but the entire staff.”
“I’ve never worked as a lady managerette before.” She’d never even heard the term. It sounded ridiculous, overly feminine and precious.
“No matter. The very fact you were brought in from abroad, from some fancy hotel will impress the tenants. I can’t get anyone else on this short notice, and Mr. Camden spoke highly of you.”
“What does it entail, this job?”
He looked at the ceiling and rattled off a list. “As I said, you’ll oversee the entire staff, be in charge of general operations. Make sure everyone from the porter to the chambermaids are doing their jobs, that they get paid on time, that the invoices and such are taken care of. Keep the place humming. The second floor is to be rented to the out-of-town guests of residents, so that sort of arrangement will certainly be familiar to you. You’ll also screen prospective tenants and ensure the move-in process is seamless.”
“Looks like you’ve got a promotion already, Mrs. Smythe.” Mr. Camden began folding up the plans. “Not bad for the first hour on the job.”
She managed a weak smile. The managers at the Langham came and went every few years, never able to please the owners or the guests, blamed for any mishap. And they were always men. “How many apartments are there in the building?”