Love and Other Wicked Games (A Wicked Game Novel) (18 page)

“Hear, hear!” Caitlin’s husband said pounding his fist on the table with each word. Everyone gathered around repeated his phrase and returned the gesture. Everyone but the bitter man that was. He rolled his eyes and retreated, but stayed near enough to keep listening.

Cal wanted to kiss Ellie. He beamed from ear to ear at the incredible trust she was building with these people. And the longer Cal watched Ellie, the more real and powerful her compassion, care, and strength became. There was an essence about her demeanor that told the people they could trust her implicitly, and so it seemed, from the conversations he was hearing, that they needed to trust her. They needed someone to talk to and Ellie was filling that impossible void. She was taking to the people here as if she’d known them her entire life and they were taking to her in just the same way.

And she did it with just as much ease as she breathed.

The most amazing part, he realized as he watched her, was that it was in all the little things. It was in the way she broke off a piece of bread with such care for the tired children, it was in the delicate touch of her hand on a mother’s arm as she listened to the woman’s sorrows, and in the truly focused demeanor of her eyes and the timbre of her voice as she discussed the real concerns of the mills with the workers and their families. There was even the occasional bout of laughter, timed just so perfectly, that Cal swore he could actually see the weight being lifted off of the people. And then, just when he thought he couldn’t possible care for her any more, she pulled out a needle and thread and began making minor repairs to clothing as everyone conversed. In this moment he felt his feelings for her increase ten-fold. He was glowing and so was she.

“And they expect you to… how can they expect you to pay so much for—pardon my saying this—but for someplace so sad and run down?” Ellie asked now with a frown.

“Oh, no pardons needed.” Caitlin smiled softly. “We’re well aware of the state we live in. That’s one of the many reasons why we’re here. As far as the costs though… As much as they charge us for those run-down structures they call homes, it’s still less than the cost of halfway decent lodgings. But by charging us what they do, we have nothing left. Sometimes less than nothing, so we have no hope of ever getting out. Because where else are we going to live? How would we pay for it? They charge us that much because they can. It’s that simple.”

“It’s sad but true,” Caitlin’s husband added. “When you own everything around you, and can do anything you want, and take advantage of people as they do, it’s not a far stretch for them to believe that they own us. Some people might say they actually do… but not me. Not any of us here. Not anymore…” He leaned over and embraced his wife and son tightly.

Ellie smiled. “What do you mean to do about it? What would you change if you could?”

“Well, for one, they can stop pitting us against each other.” A third, younger man’s voice now joined the conversation. “The privileged have been doing that for centuries. Making all us workers compete against each other… now that’s an age old distraction if I ever saw one. And it distracts us from the real issues—that it’s not our fellow workers who are the problem; it’s the privileged. It’s those who ‘have’ that are making sure the rest of us ‘have not.’ But that won’t work anymore. They can’t do that if we work together. That’s the first step. That’s why we’re here.”

“Well,” Ellie cleared her throat. “What about any specific goals? Do you have any of those? What exactly is it that you want?”

“That’s a very fine question, and an easy one to answer: an honest day’s work, an honest day’s wage, a comfortable home, and a pretty young lass to come home to… like you.” The young man took a large swig of his ale to the chorus of cheers and whistles.

Cal shifted protectively and Ellie was, once more, the color of embers.

“Oh, well,” Ellie put her hands to her cheeks and looked down, failing miserably at hiding a smile and the color of her skin.

“Ah. So it seems a man already has that privilege. Lucky bastard.” The young man took another drink and held up his hand as if taking an oath. “Is he here? Tell me which man he is who has left you unprotected from men the likes of me and I’ll fight for your honor!”

Ellie’s eyes made a sharp, seemingly involuntary pass at Cal, before quickly moving away. The glance only lasted for a second but it was long enough for everyone to follow her line of sight.

“Ahhh. You’re with that one over there are you? It all makes sense now. Always asking too many questions, that one,” Sean hissed, joining the conversation once more. “Just like you.”

Hell.
Cal hoped to stay out of this one as much as necessary and just let Ellie do what she could, especially now that he saw how well she was interacting with everyone. In this one night she’d managed to gain more useful information than he had in the last month. He didn’t exactly have enemies here but he wasn’t nearly as adept at making friends as she was. Unless of course, he was playing the part of a rake, which wasn’t helpful in this setting. He didn’t want to risk the progress she’d made by letting their association be known. That was no longer an option.

“She’s protected, as is her honor,” Cal said stepping forward. The younger man graciously backed down with a nod. Cal nodded to him in return and then took Ellie by the hand, helping her to stand. Her fingers quivered in his and her face shone with pride at his claim. “I wasn’t aware that being social and caring was so suspicious…” he said in Sean’s direction.

“It’s not!” Caitlin answered before turning around with a wagging finger. “And I’ll say it again, Sean. Nothing wrong with questions. I’d rather someone ask questions than just make an assumption about the answer. Thank you for that, dear.”

Ellie stood next to Cal now, holding his hand tightly and happily. “No, thank you. Thank you for allowing me to ask the questions and for gracing me with answers. I—” she looked down nervously. “I do hope I will be welcomed back for a chance to get to know more about you. And help in any way I can.”

“Anytime. Just tell that man of yours to bring you along,” Caitlin said with a wink.

“Oh… he’s not really my—”

“Of course. She’ll be back.” Cal glared at Sean and the younger man. “And so will I.”

Caitlin laughed and stood up, hugging Ellie deeply, before bidding her good night as Cal led her away.

“These people are just so… I don’t even know what I imagined, but it wasn’t this. They’re truly incredible. I couldn’t be happier to be doing this for them. I just can’t thank you enough for bringing me—”

“You brought a needle and thread?” Cal asked.

“Of course,” she answered as if he had asked an extremely ridiculous question. “I never know when I might need to repair something. Turns out I was more than right this time…”

“Oh lord.” He wrapped her in his arms and held her tight.

“What?” she asked quizzically.

“You.”

“What about me?”

“Oh, you know.”

She exhaled and when he looked down at her he saw her biting her lip. “Am I doing it? Again?”

“No,” he laughed. “Not that. But everything else. Everything so wonderful and kind and surprising and just so… Ellie.”

“Did you just use my name as an adjective?”

“I suppose I did. What of it?”

“Well, that seems like a very big burden, to have one’s name used in that way.”

“Not a burden. An honor. And you carry it with poise and dignity.”

Ellie snorted into his side. “Poised and dignified?
Me?
”

“In this case, yes.”

He felt her shrug against him in disagreement.

“No. I mean it. Sometimes it takes looking at ourselves through another’s eyes to really see who we are.”

“And just who am I, then? Tell me.”

“You’re stronger than you know.” A pause. “Who am I?” he asked though he was afraid of the answer.

“You’re a better person than you know.” Now she paused. “But I’ve told you that before. Haven’t you been listening?”

“I will from now on.”

“Good. Because I meant it the first time I said it and I mean it even more now. You’re a good man, Cal… whatever—Your—full—name—is.” He saw her smile in private amusement and then twist her mouth in an attempt to hide it. “And I’ll make a better point of listening to you, too. I expect anyone who’s taken as much time getting to know me as you have in such a short time, flaws and all, must know a thing or two about me.”

Cal was again overwrought with guilt for the secrets he was keeping. His stomach churned and growled, loudly and painfully and before he knew it he said, “Good because there’s something I really should tell you.”

“What is it? Are you alright?”

“Yes. No. Yes. I—” He gulped loudly. Maybe this wasn’t the right time. No. He was sure this wasn’t the right time. Not here. Not now. What if she ran off alone into the dark night? He needed to wait until this evening was over, once he had safely delivered her home and then—

“Good evening!” A loud voice called out to the crowd and saved Cal from sure disaster. “Good evening everyone!”

The assembled people cheered and yelled out greetings.

“What’s going on? Who’s that?” Ellie asked, clearly distracted from what Cal had been about to say as she looked up to the balcony where the voice was coming from.

“That’s Liam McTavish. One of the union leaders in this area. He’ll be talking to everyone now about the current causes and the current state of everything. He does this every time they meet to get everyone more motivated and involved.”

“How exciting,” Ellie mused with wide eyes.

“Good evening everyone!” Liam called once more as he waited for the sounds of the crowd to dwindle. “Good evening! I’m so glad to see you all here!”

There were a few reciprocating calls but the loud sounds of the crowd soon died down into a low but energized hum.

“I see a few new faces tonight so I’ve decided to start at the beginning, which is a very good place, indeed. I’ll begin with the story of the worker.” He took off his comfortably worn hat. “The worker. The everyday man. He’s quite a specimen, I would say. Hard working. Loyal. Tough as nails and so much more. He’s a staple of this economy. Without him nothing would get done. There would be no textiles. There would be no cotton to make the textiles. There would be no coal…” With each industry he called out several more cheers of acknowledgement rose from the crowd. “There would be no… well, pretty much anything.”

“Hear, hear!”

“The everyman worker is a vital staple of this industry but he isn’t made to feel his importance…. or his power. He’s made to feel insignificant and replaceable and helpless, subservient to his position and the way of life it affords him… he’s made to feel that he’s in no position to do anything about his life conditions. He’s been made to feel powerless, lesser than human—completely inhuman even—and he has internalized it as the truth. He has seen himself as a ghost, in the same way that other people see him as a ghost when they ignore him on the street. For so long he has felt as if he does not deserve change. As if it is above him and completely out of reach.”

Sounds of disapproval, hissing and boos arose from around them and Cal held Ellie tighter against his side.

“
But this is not the truth!
And the way we, the workers, feel is changing now. We are no longer seeing ourselves as the ‘have nots’ and everyone else as the ‘haves’. Now we are beginning to realize that we are not, in fact, powerless! We do not have to sit back while the ‘haves’ make the rules, and we wait to be thrown a bone just to get by. And why should we?” Liam laughed and slapped his sides. “I mean we’re the ones running the bloody mills and factories for God’s sake! Without us, well, where would the owners be? What would they do?”

More cheers arose from the people, a mix of the words “nothing” and “nowhere” and “hear, hear!”

“The owners are counting on us as workers to stay complacent, to not cause any trouble, to sit back and take whatever we are given because we need whatever meager wages they provide in order to support our families. They want us to
think
we need them.
Them!
But they are wrong.” Liam pointed his finger as he paced back and forth along the balcony. “The world is changing. The time is coming soon when it will no longer be necessary to live in fear. The time is coming when we will finally earn our fair share and we will finally be treated how we deserve to be treated. As honest, hardworking, contributing members of society. And that change will come at our hands as long as we all work together!”

Liam held up his hands and then bowed, theatrically, as the crowd rose to their feet clapping and cheering.

Ellie clapped her hands too and yelled out cheers of exuberant agreement. A burgeoning sense of affection pulsed inside of Cal as he watched her become enveloped in the moment. He was becoming enveloped too, but not with the moment or these people. With her. With everything about her and her joy and her affection that stemmed so selflessly from every molecule of her body. Never in his life had he met someone who could give herself over to others in the way she was doing now. It was breathtaking. And he was overcome.

“I’ve been wondering since we walked in but I was just too overwhelmed at the time to ask…” she said as she nestled into him after some time. “How is this possible?”

“How is what possible?” Cal asked.

“This place. It’s so large and well-kept and wonderful compared to what I’ve seen of this area…”

“Oh.” He gave her a teasing squeeze, thinking back to the moment she had shushed him. “Now you want to know more about this place?”

“Yes.”

“Well, this place has never been owned by the wealthy or by businessmen. It’s always been family owned, and passed down from father to son. The man who owns this business now—well, it’s been in his family for years. Generations. And each generation has taken care of it, adding to it as necessary and improving…”

“But now—how did they manage to keep it this way, in this condition—”

“Oh, well that’s the most amazing part. This place has been a staple of this area for longer than anyone alive can remember. It’s been a refuge to generations of families. Even when everything around them was changing for the worst, this place remained a constant. Many of the people here now grew up coming here with their families. So the community of people has done what they can to make sure it stays this way, to make sure it survives the encroachment of the wealthy on this area, in whatever ways they can… they help with repairs, they cook and clean… some of them even give what little bits of money they can spare to keep up with it all. To keep this place here for everyone now and for those who will come in the future.”