Last night at supper had merely proved the point. For some unknown reason, Owen’s remark about Niall being quiet had seemed to pique his ire. Not only had he started talking, complimenting everything from the gravy she’d made to the gown she was wearing, but he’d sliced the cake and heaped extra frosting on her plate and then insisted on pouring her more wine—a gesture that nearly spilled the whole bottle on her mother’s linen tablecloth since Owen reached for the bottle at the same time. A tug of war had nearly ensued.
Even now, they had stationed themselves outside the door, assuming wide stances with arms folded across their chests, looking like two feudal warriors in their tartans. Annie sighed again. “I hope they are nae scaring customers away or we will be asked to leave.”
Cora looked around. “I doona think we need to worry about that. I think they may actually be drawing in customers.”
Inis nodded. “’Tis nae every tearoom that has two good-looking men standing at the door.”
“Aye. I think more women have come in since we’ve been here,” Fenella said.
“Of course the place if full of women. Ye doona expect men to come to a tearoom, do ye?” Annie asked.
Both twins giggled. “I doona think Annie’s beaus will allow men in,” one of them said.
“They are nae my beaus!” Good Lord in heaven. She certainly didn’t need that kind of a rumor to get started. Niall and Owen might be giving her compliments, but she knew better than to believe smooth words. Besides, it was obvious there was some unspoken rivalry between the two, probably relating to some feud that could be decades, if not centuries, old. All Scots had long memories, but Highlanders had acquired special acumen in that area. “They are guards, if anything. Not that they are needed as such.”
“’Tis true,” Aileen had not spoken until now. “Is it possible to slip away from them on Monday evening? We are scheduled to give a speech at the Trades Hall and I’d rather we try to persuade the tradesmen that we are sincere about wanting—and having the ability—to work alongside them. If we’re shadowed by your two armed guards, we will appear weak and nae able to fend for ourselves.”
Annie grimaced. She didn’t need to be told that Aileen was right. They needed to appear strong, not in need of benefactors. “I will find a way.”
Chapter Eight
Aileen looked past Annie’s shoulder as she entered the Trades Hall Monday evening. “Did ye actually convince Mr. MacDonald nae to escort ye?”
“I said I would find a way,” Annie answered, although she didn’t elaborate. She hadn’tconvincedNiall of anything since he didn’t know she was coming here, but she didn’t want to add a lie to her somewhat dubious scheme. Not that it was totally deceitful. She had told both Owen and Niall that Mr. Haines had planned a meeting for this evening, which was partially true since he would be in attendance tonight. And she’d asked Kingsley to send a rented hack, so she could at least claim the carriage was arranged by the office.
“Good,” Aileen said. “The men here, especially the weavers, need to understand we women are capable of the same work they are.”
“Ye doona have to convince me,” Annie replied and switched the subject before Aileen could question how she’d managed to elude Niall. “Where are the others?”
“They are waiting down the street,” Aileen said. “We thought it best to have the men arrive first and allow the meeting to get started, unlike last time.”
Last time. Niall had been here. Annie glanced over her shoulder, half-expecting to see him on the steps. That somehow he’d found out where she was headed. But he wasn’t there.
She remembered his scolding them that they were lucky to have gotten out of that meeting with just boos and jeers. But tonight was different. Mr. James knew they were coming. They were even on the agenda of the meeting, so the tradesmen would not be surprised as they had been the last time.
“Ah, here they are now,” Aileen said as the rest of the women came through the door. “We are last to speak, so we have a bit of time to gather our thoughts.”
Even though they were well-prepared, with Aileen doing most of the talking and the rest providing support, Annie still felt a bit of queasiness as they entered the Grand Hall upstairs twenty minutes later. A sudden hush fell over the audience as the women appeared, but that was to be expected. In a way, they were breaking ground simply by being here. Annie looked for Mr. Haines and spotted him at the far end of the hall. She didn’t see Kingsley anywhere, but then the warehouse foreman probably didn’t need to attend a tradesmen’s meeting.
This time, Mr. James gave a proper introduction, requesting the men to refrain from booing and jeering. But Aileen had only begun to speak before the shouting began.
“We doona want women in our workplaces!”
“Why nae?” Aileen shot back. “We can do the work.”
One man stood up. “Weaving is a skill that takes years to learn. Ye cannae just step in.”
“Many women ken how to use a loom,” Aileen answered.
“Stick to making dresses,” another man called out.
“Seamstresses doona make good wages,” Cora said. “The weavers’ union has forced the government to bring back decent pay.”
“Aye,” the man standing said. “Because wearea union. We pay dues and we stick together. We had to go on strike to make the government believe us. Those wages support our families.”
“Women have families to feed too,” Cora replied. “We should be paid as well as men.”
“Nae in the weavers’ trade,” the man answered. “We fought for those wages. We’ll nae let someone—man or woman—come in and steal from us.”
