The party was going on as expected. Acquaintances to Tony and their wives walked around in the big rooms drinking and talking to one another. I walked beside Tony with my arm around his, smiling at every couples we passed.
"What a lovely wife you have Mr Blyth" they would say and smile at me. Someone called that the dinner was ready, and we took our seats by the table. The gentlemen were discussing the current situations in the factories.
"It is not right of the workers to strike. Do they not understand that we can find new workers within seconds if they do not return to their positions? If they cared about their families, they would not do this" One man close to Tony said and the men all mumbled in agreement.
"I had to let five workers go last week because they went to strike instead of doing what they were paid to do" Tony said, and the men all shook their heads. I sat quietly and ate the potatoes on my plate, but for some reason I could not hold my tongue.
"Maybe they strike for a fair reason?" I said and noticed every man looking towards me. Tony gave me an angry glare. I looked down on my plate and took a breath.
"No man wishes to put their work in jeopardy, and if they go on strike, it should be because what they experience is not fair. No man should work twelve hours with a thirty-minute break for example." I said and took a new bite from the food. It was quiet around the table, and I could hear myself shewing.
"You have quite an interesting wife, Mr Blyth. Maybe she should join the suffragettes" one of the men said and they all laughed at what he intended as a joke.
As the guest had left the house, Tony closed the front door and gave out a loud sigh. Then he turned towards me. I stood quietly by the stairs.
"You," He said and raised a finger towards me while walking up to me. "Never do that again." He raised his voice.
"Do you understand what your words did to my career, to my character?" he shouted and pointed his finger in front of my face. I looked into his eyes that had turned a darker colour. "I'm a gentleman, and you are the wife of a gentleman!" His words beat in my ears, and I closed my eyes as he almost spitted in my face.
"I expected you to learn how to treat gentlemen, but it shows that you can never be part of this world. I should never have married you, your bastard." His hand touched the side of my face and his hand grasped around my hair.
"Now, you go upstairs and wait for me. When I get up, I expect you to do exactly as I say, because what you did at the dinner is not how you treat gentlemen" He said and pulled my hair before pushing my head towards the stair. I felt myself get smaller and I walked with slow and heavy steps up towards our room, waiting for whatever Tony expected a gentleman would do when his wife disobeys him.
......
At 7 O'clock, I heard a loud knock on the door downstairs. I looked in the mirror and put on the broader green hat. I had worn it at me and Tony's anniversary last year. We had been to the Ritz with his family. I grabbed my purse and went down the stairs.
"I hope you know what you're doing Clara." I heard Ruby's voice from the kitchen.
I took a deep breath and walked up to the door to open it. Outside stood Will smoking a cigarette. I stepped outside and he nodded in a direction for me to walk with him.
The streets began to wake up and the morning fog almost opened like the red ocean as we walked along the streets. After a few minutes of walking, the fog got thicker indicating that we got closer to the water.
"Now, this is a business appointment. I've brought you as a way to reach a good deal. These meetings can end in blood, but with a woman's presence it is not as likely." Will sad and stopped in one of the alleys. He took up his pocket watch and looked at it for a while before looking at me.
"Alright, let's do this." He said and we walked around the corner towards the harbour. People were filling their boats and loading different boxes and bags on to the decks.
Two men in expensive coats stood smoking further away. I walked calmly beside Will and stopped a step behind him as we reached the men.
"Good morning gentlemen." Will said and nodded slightly towards them. They threw their cigarettes away and looked at Will and then me.
"Who's your friend?" One of the men said and nodded towards me.
"This is miss Blyth. My economic advisor." Will said and looked at me. I looked at him and then smiled towards the men.
"Working with women now, are we?" The other man said and laughed. But neither Will nor I smiled or laughed.
"Let's go straight to the point, shall we?" Will said and looked at the men. "I have men who can get you a boat. They will deliver the boxes in Liverpool and bring back your supplies two days later." Will looked confidently at the men and then examined the boat next to us.
"And this will cost us what?" One of the men said. "There are other men who are ready to do this job for thirty pounds." Will raised his eyebrows and grinned.
"We'll do it for fifty. Each way." Will said calmly and observed the men. They looked at him and then me. I looked at Will.
"You know. Your whores seem to be more sophisticated every time we see you, Willy. They must be given quite the money to be able to afford such nice dresses." The man on the left said and nodded at me while smiling. The other laughed.
"Forty pounds each way, nothing more." The man who laughed said and looked at Will. Will breathed out a heavy breath and I thought I was about to see him agree to the offer when I looked up and opened my mouth.
"Gentlemen, you came to us for a reason." I started and the men looked surprised but amused at me. "This is not a simple task. Liverpool is one of the best guarded harbours in Britain and you are asking our men to travel there and back for forty pounds- A very small price when they risk their own safety." I took a pause and saw Will examine me in the corner of my eye. Had I once again opened my mouth at the wrong time? But his gaze did not show the anger I was used to from Tony. Instead, it showed surplice and interest. So, I continued. "Yes, I do have nice dresses, but you also have nice suits, which tells me that you two are very much capable of paying fifty pounds each way for the work to be done by the best men in Manchester. So no, we won't settle for forty." I looked straight at the men and didn't move my expression or gaze before I received an answer. The men looked at each other and then laughed and nodded.
"As you wish, young lady. Fifty pounds. But don't expect this to be a habit. Angus won't be happy" The men held out their hands and shook Will's before nodding to me.
"Give Angus my best. Always a pleasure doing busines with the skinners." Will said and gave them a nod with his cap before turning around.
As we walked away from the harbour, Will lit a cigarette, and stopped behind a corner to face me. He looked me straight in the eyes for a long time before speaking.
"Did I give the impression that you could negotiate with them?" He said with his eyebrows raised and I watched his eyes flick between mine. I looked into his deep eyes.
"You didn't. I just thought you brought me with you to get a good business deal. And fifty pounds is better than forty if I'm not wrong." I said and kept my eyes at Will's. He kept looking at me for a few seconds before turning away and taking a blow from his cigarette.
"Very well. You'll get your share of the money once it's done." He said before he started walking again. I followed silently behind him.
The streets were alive as we entered the main street. Children ran over the streets chasing a ball and someone was carrying a wagon of coal towards the factories. The ball crossed our paths and came to a halt before us. Will looked over at the young boys before giving it a kick in their direction. In that moment I could not believe the dangerous man he was painted up to be. I only saw a businessman who loved his city.
"There's a dinner meeting the day after tomorrow. It's one of the fancy restaurants in town, we'll pick you up at three." Will said while glancing over at the pub further away.
"I thought this was the only thing you wanted me for." I said and turned to face him. He looked over at me.
"You'll get your money once the job is done. Me or Curtis will come and pick you up." He said before turning away from me and walking towards the dark pub.
I sighed and walked towards my own house. The kitchen was empty which meant Ruby had left for the market.