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‘Perfect.’ He smiled indulgently. ‘Then maybe we could step around offending our working girls on the floor and call you our geographical adviser.’

She gave a small gust of a laugh. ‘What does that mean?’

‘Well, given that families are busily saving coupons from their Cocoa Elect in order to send their loved one a King’s Tin, we have to make sure the correctly ordered tins are reaching the right trenches. So your fine reading and language skills will be a boon to ensure we pack all the appropriate regiment tins together to go off to various parts of the frontline.’

‘I see,’ she breathed. ‘Well, of course I’d be delighted to help. But at risk of asking too much of you, sir, would you permit one day of handling the chocolate?’

‘Consider it done. We can say you need to understand the process.’ He raised a finger of warning. ‘But only for a single day and providing your parents have no problem with it.’

‘Thank you, thank you. I’ll speak with them this evening and will you allow me to start tomorrow?’

‘Of course. We need as many hands as possible. I’ll let our overseer know to expect you, as I imagine you will be most persuasive tonight with your good parents.’

Her gushing thanks stopped just short of hugging him.

‘I understand, Miss Frobisher. The women in our families have always been permitted to get involved in the business if they chose.’ He noted her surprise to hear this. ‘I’m genuinely happy to help. Come, we should catch up with the others. You’ve yet to see the despatch department, my favourite because it involves the railway that your fine Matthew is helping us with.’

By the time they’d reached the Rowntree fire station, Alex had already begun to construct in her mind how she should present the topic of her working at Rowntree’s as a volunteer. She would need Matthew’s assistance to sell it to her parents, especially to her mother.

Helen spoke on. ‘. . . eighteen on the full-time staff, twenty-four on the auxiliary staff who are paid a retaining fee . . . fifty-five horse power with a capacity of 450 gallons,’ she continued and Alex thought that Helen’s narrative had become rote and that more excitement, more heart, was needed. She couldn’t blame the woman; Alex had already discovered that Helen’s wage helped to keep a large family of siblings fed, as well as her parents and grandparents who shared the same accommodations. She lived out near Strensall Village, where a military barracks had been installed. Helen was responsible for helping to feed nearly a dozen other mouths and presumably her work was a means to an end; Alex had begun to feel herself envying Helen her role, imagining how much better she might be at it.

The idea caught fire in her mind. Being a guide would surely give her access to all areas of the Rowntree complex . . . She could enter any department, speak with any of the staff, and ultimately linger around the actual chocolate-making areas so she could learn the skills. She could easily spend a couple of years learning from that vantage.

‘. . . our factory has the largest fire alarm system in the world,’ Helen went on, with no excitement in her tone.

‘Mr Rowntree?’ Alex murmured, touching Chocolate Jumbo’s elbow to slow his pace to hers.

‘Yes, my dear? Have we bored you senseless with our fire department?’

‘Quite the opposite, sir, but if you’ll indulge me for a moment I do believe I’ve thought of a role that I would sincerely love the opportunity to take on and I doubt it would present any obstacles for my parents. I also think it might be a cunning way for me to learn.’

‘Oh, really? Go ahead.’

‘What are my chances of becoming a tour guide for Rowntree’s? And before you jump to a negative, please hear me out.’

He grinned.

‘You see, I think my enthusiasm for chocolate would show through. It means I wouldn’t have to be formally employed on the factory floor and I think I could convince my parents that it’s a role most suitable for someone of their daughter’s standing. Finally, it would expose me to all the areas of the factory, and with that sort of freedom I suspect I can absorb a lot of important learning on the run, so to speak. I could take a few hours each evening to train. And from the vantage of being a guide I can pinpoint the areas where I need to spend the most time enriching myself, no doubt from the actual chocolate makers themselves.’

‘Tempering chocolate alone takes skill and practice. I’m happy to let you seek out those you can learn from. Use my name, they’ll help. And my word, with your cut-glass voice, who could resist this offer? I think it’s a wonderful idea . . . so long as your father agrees.’

Her eyes widened. ‘Is that a formal yes?’

Rowntree nodded. ‘The Yorkshire accent is generally charming, Miss Frobisher, and we’re proud of our guides. However, I am keen to keep a small group of guides who speak with Received Pronunciation to escort foreign visitors who struggle with the Yorkshire lilt. How good is your French?’

‘I’m fluent.’

‘Well, there we are; we have French and Belgians passing through who have little or no English. We do employ our touring staff from educated applicants. Helen over there is a former governess, but fallen on tough times. We have another couple of women who are daughters of vicars from poor parishes so the role is ideal as they are educated and speak well . . . but they need the income. It would be a boon to have a French-speaking gentlewoman as part of our team. And I take your point, you could certainly roam freely among the departments.’

She grinned. ‘Is that too cynical of me, sir?’

‘Not at all. The Quaker way is to share, Miss Frobisher. Our creed is to look after each other, and to look after the wider community too as best we can. Rich or poor matters not.’

‘Of course I would not require payment.’

‘I couldn’t hire you without it.’

‘Then I shall donate my wage to a cause.’ She didn’t mean to sound so defiant.