A Lady and Her Husband by Amber Reeves was published in 1914, soon after the establishment of the Lyons Corner Houses in London and the slightly earlier chain of ABC (Aerated Bread Company) tea rooms. The novel provides a fascinating insight into the world of the fictional 'Imperial' tea rooms but from the angle of employer and employees. These vast businesses employed large numbers of female staff including the waitresses, nicknamed 'Nippies' in 1926, and, in doing so, freed many from going into service (although there were still many downsides, as Amber Reeves shows).