Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Minnie couldn’t sleep.
She wasn’t sure if it was from wondering why Tommy hadn’t sought her out over the past week as he had promised he would, or the concern over her father’s financial woes and just how it would affect their family, but that night, she turned over from one side to the other in her bed until her stomach rumbled.
Remembering that she had barely eaten dinner, she decided she wouldn’t sleep until she ate something.
She crept from her room, intent on seeking out the kitchens.
She paused on the main floor landing, about to continue on to the servants’ staircase, when she noticed a light shining out of her father’s study.
She hesitated, wondering whether to waste her time to see if her father was within, but finally, she couldn’t help but stop to see if he might have some more news to impart, as he had, thus far, been silent on the subject of his potential financial ruin.
She paused in the doorway, slowly pushing the door open.
“Father?” she called, but hearing no response, she pushed it open further, expecting to find him behind the desk.
Instead, the room was empty but for the lamp still burning on his desk.
She was about to back out of the room when she saw the open book on the desk, and while she knew she was likely invading his privacy, at the moment, she didn’t overly care.
Didn’t she have a right to know?
Taking one more look out the door to make sure that no one was coming, she padded on bare feet around the desk, coming to stop behind it, leaning over her father’s chair to see what was sitting on the pages before her.
It was a ledger, but not a business ledger.
It seemed her father, ever meticulous, had kept records of his debts that were as good as he ever had of his business expenses.
There it was, all laid out before her.
Every gamble, every loss was sitting there in red numbers.
At the bottom, there was one line with numbers in black, numbers that zeroed out all that came before it.
Minnie’s eyes travelled across the line to see what could possibly be of such value to pay back all that her father owed.
Her eyes fell on two words.
Two words she knew better than any others.
Minnie Draper.
Fingers shaking, she reached out, lifting the ledger to better read what was within, only to find two papers sitting underneath, papers that had scrawling over them. Her eyes ran over it as she held it before her, keeping it as still as her trembling would allow.
It was a marriage contract.
Her name was there, as was her father’s, with a few notes below. There was no dowry included, no provision for her should anything befall her husband, as had been part of her sister’s dowry to protect her in the future.
No, from this, it seemed that her father was basically giving her away, in exchange for his debts being paid off.
So that was what she was worth to him.
The only question was, to whom was she being sold off? The space for her husband’s name was just a blank line.
Did it even matter?
In the back of her mind, she knew that, of course it did.
The man to whom she was being married off could be the difference between a lifetime of peace or a lifetime of pain, but one thing she knew for sure was that it was not a lifetime she had chosen for herself.
Not for love or for passion or any path she wished to walk down on her own.
She had known that her parents were coming closer to forcing her to marry, but this?
“Minnie?”
She whirled around at her father’s voice in the doorway. His eyes narrowed when he saw what was in her hand.
“Why are you snooping through my belongings?”
“Your belongings?” she bit out, shaking again, but this time with rage instead of concern. “From what I can see, everything before me has my name on it.”
“And everything that belongs to you, belongs to me.”
She threw the paper on the desk in disgust.
“You may own all of my possessions, but you do not own me,” she said, her anger growing quickly.
While she and her father had never been particularly close, she had always thought that, deep down, he had loved his daughters — would provide for them, protect them, as he was beholden to.
“You cannot force me to marry anyone, no matter what rights you think you have.”
“Can I not?” he said, raising a brow. “Tell me, Minnie, what would you do without a husband or a father to provide for you?”
“I would make my own way in the world,” she said, holding her nose high in the air.
He let out a humorless bark of laughter. “With what skills? Needlepoint? Running around a football field with your friend? Yes, I know all about that.”
“Anything would be better than being married to a man who would pay for me and based on what? What I look like? Who are you even planning to marry me off to, anyway?”
“That is none of your concern.”
She choked out her own scoff of disbelief. “Not my concern? This is my life we are speaking about!”
“I will tell you in a few days’ time.”
“A few days,” she replied dully.
“Yes,” he said simply, standing there, staring at her, expecting her to obey.
“Is this what I am worth to you?” she asked as her rage faded, to be replaced by sadness, grief for the father she had known. “Ten thousand pounds?”
“It’s more than that,” he said, only a brief look of pain crossing his face. “It’s that, as well as the reputation of my company, which could be worth thousands more.”
Minnie took the marriage contract in her hands, holding it between her thumbs and fingers.
Even though she knew that it would have no effect, that it would be easy enough to draw up another, she took pleasure in ripping it right down the middle, at least a symbolic gesture to her father.
She held his gaze as she ripped it again and again, until she threw the pieces in the air, letting them rain down on his feet as she stalked past him and out of the room.
A few days.
That gave her a few days to plan, to determine how she was going to run away.
For she would not marry a man who would buy her hand.
Not now.
Not ever.
Minnie’s friends stared at her from their positions around the table.
“You have got to be jesting,” Emmaline said, her eyes wide, her jaw as open as Lily’s and Ada’s.
“I wish I were,” Minnie said grimly. “But I saw it sitting there, right there in front of me, and my father admitted to it.”
“So now what?” Lily asked. “You wait to see who he decides to marry you off to?”
“From what I can gather, this man he made a deal with will decide, and my father is to simply fill in the name on the license.”
“And then you just… marry this man and live with him and that’s your life?” Ada said.
“Just like most other women, yes,” Minnie said. “The difference is that I have no idea who will await me. The man will have enough money to pay for me, but that is all that I know.”
“Oh no,” Emmaline said, shaking her head. “That will not do. Not at all.”
They were sequestered at a table in the corner of The King’s Head after the Manchester Central practice that evening. Tonight, Minnie had simply left with Lily, not bothering to provide any explanation to her parents as to where she was going. What was the worst they could do to her?
“What are you going to do?” Ada asked with wide eyes.
“I haven’t quite figured that out yet,” Minnie said, wincing. “But I cannot go through with it.”
“No, you cannot,” Lily said decidedly. “You can come live with us.”
“You have a little one at home now,” Minnie said.
It was a rare evening that Lily spent away from her daughter, but one look at Minnie’s face when she showed up on her doorstep had convinced her to leave her daughter for a couple of hours.
She was in good hands with Colin’s mother.
“You also have Colin’s mother and sister. ”
“So, what is one more?” Lily asked with a small smile.
“I couldn’t,” Minnie said, shaking her head, and Emmaline stepped in.
“You are also welcome with me and Rhys,” she said.
“You are just starting your lives together in your new home. I couldn’t invade,” Minnie protested.
“Even if it’s for a short time, you have space with us. I promise you that,” Emmaline said.
“I would like to say you are welcome with me, except that our parents know one another too well,” Ada said. “But if you must run away, I could always accompany you.”
“You would do that?” Minnie said, incredulous.
“Of course,” Ada said brightly. “At this point, I am only awaiting the same fate as you. And you shouldn’t be alone.”
Minnie blinked away the tears that threatened at the generosity of her friends.
“You are all truly too good to me,” she said. “I’m not sure what I did to deserve friends as good as you.”
“Oh, Minnie, you deserve everything in the world,” Lily said with a small smile as she patted her hand. “Don’t ever think any differently.”
“I’m sure my sister would also take me in, but I don’t want to force her to choose between me and our parents,” Minnie said, biting her lip.
The door to the tavern opened, revealing Lily and Emmaline’s husbands, accompanied by some of the other players. Minnie’s eyes immediately narrowed in on Tommy.
Goodness. Tommy. She wondered what he would say if he learned of her future.
The more she looked at him, however, the more he also appeared rather… concerned. She hoped his sister was well.
“Does Tommy look as though he’s turned rather green to you?” Emmaline asked, cocking her head to the side.
“Yes, I would say so,” Ada agreed. His hair was also all over the place, as though he had run his hand through it a few times too many.
“Interesting,” Lily mused.
The men approached their table, although Tommy hung back for a moment, his eyes locked on Minnie.
She stared at him, wishing that, somehow, he could provide her a lifeline, saving her from whatever horror might await her.
She had been enjoying spending time with him, was excited about starting something with him. It was all for naught now.
Colin leaned in to embrace Lily, his expression showing surprise to see her there awaiting him, while Rhys immediately pulled Emmaline onto his lap. Ada and Minnie exchanged a glance before Ada nodded over Minnie’s shoulder, and she found Tommy standing there, waiting expectantly.
“Minnie, could I have a quick word?” he asked, his glance flitting from her to her friends.
“Of course,” she said, taking the arm he held toward her, allowing him to lead her from the table. Instead of heading to a private table, however, he led her toward the door.
“Do you mind if we take a walk?” he asked, and, while surprised, she agreed.
They headed down the gravel road, the only sound their footsteps crunching on the small rocks and the din of the tavern behind them.
“Is everything well, Tommy?”
“We will find out soon enough.”
“That is cryptic.”
He turned to her, taking her hands in his.
“Minnie,” he said, taking a deep breath. “I have enjoyed getting to know you over the past while.”
“As I have you, Tommy,” she said with a genuine smile.
“You are kind and caring, and you want nothing but the best for everyone around you.”
“Those are lovely words,” she said, though she was confused as to what had brought them on. Was he going to kiss her? She would have guessed it was so, except for the nervousness in his eyes. A man like Tommy didn’t become nervous from the thought of kissing a woman.
“Minnie,” he said again, looking down at their joined hands before raising his green eyes to her blue. “I have a question for you.”
“Of course,” she said, waiting, her heart beating fast, although why, she had no idea. It must be from the nervous apprehension in his own gaze.
“Will you marry me?”