Despite Prescott offering her less than the salary advertised—he'd presumed he would be hiring a man—at nine dollars a week, she'd now earn fifty percent more than before. Struggling to contain her excitement, she had accepted the job on the spot.
"Who are you here to see?" the receptionist asked. That the young woman had no recollection of Harriet's visit the week before was unusual. Her bowler hat, conservative attire, and mannish features—a broad nose, thin lips, and square jaw—stood in opposition to the look common among women in downtown offices, exemplified by the petite receptionist's own stylish clothing, chorus-girl looks, and abundant blond curls pulled into a tidy knot atop her head. The woman would surely draw admiring looks from any man—or woman who, like Harriet, preferred a female's curves over a man's straight and uninspiring frame.
"I'm not sure who to ask for," Harriet admitted. "You see, I am a new employee. I'm to be a junior field operative."
The receptionist's tidy brows lifted. "Oh? Are you quite sure you haven't confused us with another firm? This is the Prescott Agency."
Over the puffed shoulder of the receptionist's white shirtwaist, Harriet could see the large Prescott agency sign. "Yes, I am quite aware."
"But we have no female detectives."
"Would you please notify Mr. Prescott of my arrival?" Harriet asked. "My name is Harriet Morrow."
The young woman glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner. It's only eight o'clock. Mr. Prescott never arrives before nine."
"Then his secretary perhaps? Might she be available?" Harriet recalled meeting her when she applied for the job. "Madelaine. We didn't have an occasion to speak, but I'm sure she will remember my interview with Mr. Prescott. Maybe she is expecting me?"
"Madelaine?" the woman said, looking like she'd been pinched.
"Yes. If you'd be so kind as to let Madelaine know that Harriet Morrow has arrived for her first day of work. I'm sure Mr. Prescott would prefer I begin straightaway than to sit on my hands for an hour until he arrives."
"If you insist," the receptionist said, "I'll relay the message." Heels clacking, she headed down the corridor to where the secretary's desk sat before the tall double doors leading to the principal's inner sanctum.
As Harriet waited, she took in the lobby. Someone had selected the spare furnishings—the receptionist's desk and chair, a small austere sofa for guests, and the imposing grandfather clock—with purpose in mind. The message: the Prescott Agency was a place of work and efficiency, not of frivolous comforts.
Hearing fast-approaching footsteps, Harriet looked up and immediately recognized the principal's secretary, who, easily two decades her senior, exuded self-importance based not on her own authority but rather on her proximity to it. Madelaine carried an excess of two dozen pounds and moved with the determination of a locomotive. With the receptionist racing to keep up, Madelaine started talking before reaching the lobby. "I'm afraid there's been a mistake. This is the Prescott Agency."
"Yes, I'm fully—"
"If you'd like to leave an application for a secretarial position, you're welcome to do so. But at present—"
"Madam," Harriet raised a hand, bringing Madelaine up short. "My name is Harriet Morrow. I was hired by Mr. Prescott last Thursday. Do you not recall my meeting with him?"
Madelaine waved an arm dismissively through the air, wafting a cloying scent of talcum powder. "Then I'm sorry to say you misunderstood. We have no secretarial positions available at the moment."
The receptionist continued to observe the conversation as if watching two shoppers tussle over the last head of lettuce.
Harriet took a deep breath and expelled it silently, trying to project a cordial manner. This woman was her new boss's gatekeeper, after all. "Perhaps it's best then if I wait for Mr. Prescott to arrive."
"You shall do no such thing," Madelaine snapped, surprising Harriet with her abruptness. "Mr. Prescott is a very busy man. I keep his calendar. He has no time for interviews today. As I say, if you care to leave an application, we'll be in touch should you be qualified and something becomes available."
