Chapter 5
Chapter Five
“See anything you like in here, Tom?”
Tommy raised his eyebrows as he looked around the tavern from his barstool next to Jonny’s.
This was far different from their usual haunt at The King’s Head.
Flickering gas lamps sent a warm glow through the air, which was thick with the mingling scents of pipe smoke, ale, and hearty food. Laughter and chatter echoed off the wooden beams, while patrons — workers and tradesmen alike—crowded around worn tables, sharing stories and camaraderie.
Most were also casting appreciative eyes upon the barmaids who weaved their way through the tavern, as well as the other few women who sat among the men, some clearly seeking paid companionship, others simply enjoying the lively atmosphere.
And, as it happened, Tommy didn’t care much for any of them.
“Just enjoying my drink, Jon,” he said, and Jonny leaned back with a smirk.
“Do not tell me you’re holding out for Minnie Draper.”
“Fine. I won’t tell you.”
Jonny snorted. “Tommy, you’re a good man, but be smart about this. A woman like Minnie Draper… she’s not the woman for you. You know that.”
“I know nothing of the sort,” Tommy said with a shrug. “As it happens, she seems interested.”
“For a flirtation, maybe,” Jonny scoffed. “But Tom, soon enough, the woman will be married off.”
“Then why isn’t she already?”
Jonny just shook his head as though he was giving up on Tommy as he swiveled around on his barstool. “I’m going to give it a go with a young lady across the bar. I’ll leave you with your dreams.”
“Thanks, Jonny, appreciate it,” Tommy said with a smirk of his own as Jonny slid off his barstool.
Tommy didn’t mind. He actually enjoyed watching people around the tavern, although he usually liked having company.
He was just finishing his drink and contemplating whether he would ask for another or head back home when he could have sworn he heard a familiar name from a table behind him.
“Minnie will be enough? Then all will be forgiven?”
It could be another Minnie. What were the chances it was the Minnie of his dreams being spoken about in this bar?
He couldn’t tear himself away, however, and turned around to look at who had spoken her name.
If he was correct, the man speaking about Minnie was an older gentleman, one wearing a rather fine-cut suit, too good for the likes of this tavern. Tommy edged around the corner, trying to remain out of sight, as he considered who the man was speaking with.
His eyes widened when the man’s companion came into sight. If he didn’t know better, that was Reginald Blackwood, one of the most notorious moneylenders and a leader of the underworld in Manchester.
“You give me leave to marry off your daughter to a man of my choosing, and consider your debts paid.”
“I have a few stipulations.”
Tommy wedged himself behind a pillar next to the booth, where he could properly hear everything being said without being seen by the men at the table.
Blackwood laughed at the man Tommy supposed might be Mr. Draper, Minnie’s father, although he prayed that they were discussing a different Minnie.
“You are hardly in a position to make any demands, Draper.”
Well, so much for that hope.
“My first demand is to get final approval of the man you choose.”
“I doubt you’ll approve of any of my selections, Draper. That is the entire point.”
“Fine. If I refuse the man, then my debts remain.”
“I’ll provide you with the name and we’ll discuss.”
“Very well.”
“What’s your other stipulation?” Blackwood asked, leaning back, the smile on his face telling Tommy that there was little chance he would actually agree to anything Draper wanted.
“No one learns of the debt, nor our agreement.”
Blackwood grinned. “You mean you do not want anyone to know that you gambled away your fortune, risked your entire business, and then sold off your daughter to keep it all from falling apart?”
“Why you—”
“Ah, careful, Mr. Draper. Wouldn’t want to make any threats against the man who holds your entire future in his hands.”
Tommy’s hands balled into fists at his side, but his anger wasn’t directed only at Blackwood. Oh no, most of his ire was fuelled at the man who was supposed to be protecting his daughter, but instead was willing to bargain her off, sacrificing any chance of her happiness for his own financial gain.
Tommy had shared with Minnie his own moral concerns, but at least he was considering his own to protect those he loved, not himself. Instead, this man was willing to risk his daughter’s very well-being to save his own reputation.
Sickening.
“When…” Draper paused, at least having the decency, for what it was worth, to seem somewhat disturbed by the deal he had just made with the devil. “When would this all transpire?”
“Give me a week to provide you with the name of your daughter’s husband. Then you will secure a common license.”
“A common license… do you know the cost?”
“Do you know the cost if you don’t agree to what I say? A common license, or you will find your name and your company’s name all over the Manchester Guardian.”
“Why a week?”
“Well, I need the time to share the word about your daughter’s pretty face and find the highest bidder.”
Tommy was going to be sick.
It kind of looked like Draper was going to be, too, but he had gotten himself into this mess.
“What do I tell my family?” Draper asked, his voice just above a whisper, but loud enough that Tommy could still hear it.
“Not my problem,” Blackwood said without any compassion, not that Tommy would have expected it. “I’ll be in touch within a week. Watch for my summons.”
At that, he stood and left the table, passing by Tommy with a smile on his face that, quite frankly, scared him.
Draper followed more slowly, making his way out of the tavern, his shoulders stooped forward and his head practically on his chest.
Tommy would have felt sorry for him had he not known the circumstances.
He quickly stepped out of his hiding place, scouring the bar for his friend, hustling to his side.
“Jonny,” he said, poking him, even though Jonny had one hand on the wall behind a buxom blonde, her red lips curved into a grin as she stared up at him, although she did not have to look up particularly far, for Jonny wasn’t a tall man.
Jonny ignored him, and Tommy poked him again. “Jon.”
“I’m busy, Tommy,” Jonny said through pursed lips.
“This is important.”
“So is this.”
“Jonny,” he said in such a serious tone that Jonny looked up in surprise. Tommy was usually the jovial one of the bunch, not one to give in to dramatics, so Jonny must have realized that it was a grave matter.
“Fine, Tommy, what is it?”
“Just a minute or two of your time.”
Jonny sighed and looked down at the woman before passing a few notes to her. “Buy yourself a drink and wait for me, all right? I’ll be quick.”
She nodded before slinking off, and Jonny turned to him with his arms folded over his chest.
“This had better be good.”
Tommy told him what he had overheard as succinctly as possible. By the time he was finished, Jonny’s eyes were wide.
“You can’t be serious.”
“I wish I weren’t.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to have to tell her, though I’d like to save her from knowing what her father’s doing to her.”
“Why do you care?”
“As much as I’m fine for her father to be found out, I’d rather she not learn what her father values more than her.”
“So, you’re just going to tell her that she will be randomly married off within the week?”
He shrugged. “Something like that. I suppose I’ll try to warn her without telling her that her father is involved.”
“How do you propose to do that?”
A smile tugged at Tommy’s lips as Jonny’s words resonated with him.
“That’s it.”
“What’s it?”
“Propose.”
Jonny’s mouth dropped open, although he still didn’t seem to understand exactly what Tommy was saying.
“Propose what?”
“Marriage, you nitwit.”
Jonny sighed. “I was hoping you wouldn’t say that.”
“Why not? Marriage to me would be far better than to some unknown man who would pay for her, would it not? At least I would treat her right. Let her live her life.”
“How would you get around the banns? You don’t have enough time as it is, and her father is bound to find out.”
“I’ll have to think on it,” he mused. “But I’ll come up with a plan. I always do.”
“Or you could just tell her what he’s doing to her.”
“If it comes to it, I will do that. But I want to try my best to save her. And not disappoint her.”
“It might not hold if you don’t do it properly.”
“That’s a risk we’ll have to take.”
“We?”
“Yes, we,” he said triumphantly. “Me — and my wife.”
Jonny rubbed his forehead. “I don’t know if you understand what you’re getting yourself into, Tommy.”
“I usually don’t,” he agreed. “But this is worth it.”
“And in the meantime, what about your sister? And this bribe?”
“One thing at a time, Jonny,” he said, holding out a hand, his focus now on Minnie as he resolved to deal with the rest later. “Though on that, I’m starting to think I’ll have to pay for Cindy’s medication another way. I thought to myself, what would Colin do?”
Jonny threw his hands up in the air. “I think you need to go back to having Colin as your confidante. It’s too hard for me.”
“He does seem more willing to take on the role.”
“Then all the power to him,” Jonny said, his eyes now settling somewhere over Tommy’s shoulder. “If you’ll excuse me, Tommy, someone is trying to butt in on my woman.”
“Oh, she’s your woman now?”
“For tonight, at least,” Jonny said, shooting him a wide grin. “Best of luck, Tommy.”
With that, he wandered back through the tavern, leaving Tommy alone once again.
Alone — but determined.
He could make this plan work. One way or another, he was going to save Minnie from the fate her father was trying to force upon her.
Even if it meant sacrificing the life he knew to do so.