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A man with a large nose bobbed his head, drawing attention to his double chin. “If you think it would help, I’m willing to let him speak.”
A few of the other men grumbled their agreement. Burke turned to Guy and lowered his voice. “You have one attempt at this,” he said.
Guy nodded. “I understand.”
“Good,” Burke said, stepping back. “You have the floor.”
Guy scanned the group of men, memorizing each of their faces. “I can understand why you don’t trust me. I work for the bank, and I came here on their behalf. My job is to inspect the conditions at the colliery and report back to them.
“But I have never inspected a colliery before,” Guy continued, “and I’m afraid I am shocked by the poor treatment these workers are receiving. I have heard from Miss Locke and Mr. Burke about first-hand experiences at the mine, and it has touched me deeply. I want to help these workers.”
“What can you do for them?” the lanky man interjected.
“I don’t know,” Guy replied honestly. “I want to believe that my report will result in change, but I cannot guarantee that.”
“Then why are you here?” the man with a large nose asked.
“Because I want to find a way to help you,” he said. “I can’t leave here, knowing what I know, and not do anything about it. I want to do more than just write a report and be done with it. I want these terrible conditions to end, especially the ill-treatment of the women and children.”
Guy saw a few of the men bobbing their heads in response, but he knew he hadn’t swayed all of them yet. He needed to gain their trust, and he knew what would sway them.
“I am just like you,” Guy said. “I am the son of a brickmason.” He could see the disbelieving looks on the men’s faces, so he pressed on. “I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship to Eton and then to Cambridge. Through hard work, I was able to rise above my station and attend university. But I have not forgotten from whence I came. I remember the nights I went to bed hungry because there wasn’t enough food to go around, or when I would be shivering on the cold ground because my threadbare blanket didn’t provide enough warmth.”
Guy saw that some of the men’s faces had softened. “I want to be a part of something that is bigger than me. I want to help those workers so I can ease their burdens. I want them to get a fair wage for their work.” He sighed heavily. “I have reviewed the ledger that the bank gave me, and I am aghast at how little the workers are paid.”
“Hear, hear!” a man shouted.
“Frankly, I don’t know what I can do, but I want to at least try,” Guy remarked with a solemn expression on his face. “I can’t stand by and let the bank grow richer on the backs of these poor workers. They deserve better, and I want to help them any way that I can.”
Guy stopped speaking and turned towards Burke. “If you feel that I can help, you know where to find me.”
He turned and started walking towards the door. As he placed his hand on the door handle, Burke’s voice rang out. “Stop.”
His plan had worked perfectly.
Guy stifled the smile on his lips and turned around. “Yes?”
Burke came closer to him. “We would be fools to not accept your help,” he said. “Come have a seat.”
Guy stepped to a round table and sat down as Burke went to the front of the room. “I have decided that Mr. Stewart will be joining us this evening. Our main purpose is to help the workers at the coal mine, so why would we turn away the one person who could help us do that?”
The blond man spoke up. “How do we know we can trust him?”
“Because there are dire consequences if we discover he betrayed us,” Burke said in a steely tone.
Guy nodded his understanding, unfazed by Burke’s threat. He had been threatened many times over the years. It was just one of the many downsides of working for the law.
Burke began pacing. “The conditions at the colliery have only gotten worse since we stopped working there. How many more need to die before the people rise up and put an end to this injustice?”
“No one cares about the workers,” the man with the large nose asserted.
“But we do,” Burke replied. “We care about every one of those poor souls who are forced to endure grueling hardships to barely make a sixpence.”
“Hear, hear,” a few of the men said.
Burke stopped pacing. “Our brethren are preparing to help us achieve our purposes. Soon the colliery owners won’t be able to ignore us and our demands,” he declared, “and if they don’t agree to our terms, then they will be sorry.”
Guy watched as the men all nodded in response.
