A Most Mysterious Gentleman (#1 Sweet Nineteenth Series) VERY SLOW UPDATES

AMMG ~36~

Henry peered out of the carriage window. Dusty shells of proud men and women rioted, faces gaunt with hunger and hopelessness. He sighed when he saw a small child, alone, bar a man beating him on the shop step, flinching, but expression never giving away his pain. He tapped the roof, "I'm getting out. No one else is to move from this carriage, do you hear me?"
Rosalie stared hard at him. "Henry that is the least sensible idea I've -"
He jumped out, pushing men wielding wooden branches out of his way. He turned back, "Rose if you even dare-"
A man attempted to climb in the carriage. Henry cursed and jumped forwards to push him out of the way. "Move along Driver, smartly if you will."
The man nodded and clucked the horses on, Rosalie and her Father's face grim.
He ran towards the child, ignoring the clutches of skeletal hands on his coat. He found what pennies he had left and through them away, and a cheer went up as the crowd surged towards the dismal pile. Left with a clear view, he dived forwards and tackled the man, his belt still in hand. The man roared as the child scampered away, whimpering. Henry felt the belt whip his shoulder, and then lower. He grabbed the man by his throat. "I haven't been whipped on my backside since I was child." He punched the man in the face, and he howled as his nose crunched.
"Do I still look like a child to you?"
The man stared at him and screwed his lips together to spit.
Henry punched him again and the man slithered down the wall unconscious.
Satisfied he was now well stretched, he out his finger to his lips and whistled loudly.
"Listen to me you fools!"
"'Ere Lads! Some gent be sayin' we be fools!" A woman called from the crowd.
"Let's 'av 'im!"
"Wee little man against us?"
"We e ain't all that little-"
"Shut it Donnie-"
He could see that the crowd was about to riot again, so quickly found a step so he could clearly be seen. Whilst only a hundred or so people, it would be enough to get the message round to nearby areas.
"Ladies and Gentleman-"
"We ain't no ladies and Gents, mi'Lord. We be peasants-"
"We be dead soon enough, there'll be no peasants neither!"
Henry rolled his eyes, "In the eyes of the Lord, we are all equal-"
"'E only a preacher? 'E be no help to us!"
"You wit your fancy clothes? Equal with us?"
"I will give you my clothes from my bare back if you just could do me the honour of being quiet!' He shouted over the din. He pulled his collar more nervously when he saw a few women's eyes gleam.
"I'll be a holding you to that mi'Lord."
Good grief. Rosalie was not going to be impressed when he met back up with them in his small trousers.
"Anyway, I am aware that much must be done about your situation."
"Really Mi'Lord? Never woulda guessed whilst me children are starvin' at home, their mother dead." A lone voice called out.
Henry glanced out to the small figure, a boy of a lad, 18 or 19 at the very most. Pity overran him as the lad received several pats and was touched on the arm by those near him.
"Sire, you is the Lords that got us into the mess. And you refuse to help us out of it."
"I know. And I'm sorry."
Another voice from the crowd shouted, "Well sorry ain't good enough is it? When you bury our rotten, starved bodies will ye be sorry? Will ye even give us our own graves? Nae, ye won't! Ye be buryin' us in mass graves, then taking our land for your own profits."
"Here here!"
Henry raised up his hands. "It's all about to change. I'm a Duke, I hold power in Parliament, a lot of it. And my soon to be new Father in Law is also a Duke. We will be your voices." "I'm asking a lot of you, but you need to trust me. I will see to it personally that supplies of food are brought to the city at a cheap price, even if if pay for it out of my own pocket."
The noise quietened. A young woman pushed through towards him," how we know you'll do it?"
"Because I am a man of honour."
"But these laws, they take an awful long time-"
"And many will be against ye!"
"I know, but what else are you to do? Riot? Be killed or hung for disturbing the peace? Continue fighting a losing battle? We must be together, work together to achieve this peace."
Placated some of the people wandered off- he knew better than to think his message would spread across the whole city, he knew better than to think it would stop all rioting acts, but it could slow it down, calm its temper.
He just needed to band together each end of the city, get them to help one another, create Unions, start creating more jobs. He could give subsidies to businesses willing to provide ample amounts of jobs. He would need to get his name known for doing it, so the people would know he was doing something, even it was one city at a time and he ended up totally out of pocket.
Something needed to be done, before the marquess could poison everyone against the English and start another war.
"Right mi'Lord. Your clothes if you please."
Gads.