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“But that would mean I will not be present with you at the meeting,” Leonard protested.
“Don’t worry, Leonard. I will be fine by myself.” He winked at his valet.
Obviously, orchestrating events so Leonard could be on the errand of delivering his letter to Rose while he met with the leaders of the uprising had been a plan he’d formulated only this morning. He remembered the look he had seen on Leonard’s face and interpreted it as dread.
Keeping to his promise of not asking him for more, he had decided to keep him out of the meeting completely.
On their way to the meeting, they both remained silent. When they stepped down from the carriage in front of a dingy warehouse, Leonard announced that this was the place.
Kenneth had proceeded to discharge him, before taking a deep breath and knocking on the door.
The door was opened from within and swung open. Without question, he ventured in as the door shut behind him.
Now is not the time to show fear. Be brave. Be courageous.
He prepped himself for the thousandth time since he had left his study this morning, as his eyes tried to adjust to the dimly lit space in front of him.
There were quite a number of men seated and looking at him as his eyes finally adjusted, taking in the sights along with it.
He walked slowly to the center of the room as every pair of eyes followed, observing his every movement.
When he arrived at the center, someone in the crowd finally stood up and spoke.
“You requested this meeting. You now have our full attention. The floor is yours,” the person said before sitting back down.
Kenneth cleared his throat, then breathed deeply before he began to talk.
As planned, he started with his tales of childhood and how he thought himself better than them. Then he regaled them with tales of his youthful exuberance and how he felt the world was his simply because he had been born into privilege.
He continued to speak until he got to the part of his story that detailed his turning point. At this juncture, he made a quick assessment of everyone’s face in the room.
Apparently, I’ve got everyone’s full attention. This strategy is actually working.
By the time he began his tales of Marie, he could tell that the hard hearts all around the room had begun to melt like ice.
He continued on with his story, embellishing it as he went, making sure to alert his audience to the fact that providence had set him on this path of redemption and he was determined not to stray from it.
By the time he got to the part of the reading of the bill in the House of Lords, he pulled the draft he’d kept tucked away under his arm.
“And this, my friends, is the bill I am referring to, which has succeeded in ostracizing me from my peers. I will now read in part so that you all know that truly, there is someone up there fighting for your cause.”
He was getting certain looks at this point as a majority of the men in the room began studying and making assessments of the papers in his hand.
“Don’t worry. I will be quick about this, as I seek not to bore you, but enlighten you to the moves being made on your behalf,” Kenneth announced.
He proceeded to read the parts of the bill which he was certain would retain his audience’s attention, delivering a wonderful speech that even he himself was proud of.
“So I plead with you all. Yes, you have been wronged and your hurts are valid. Yes, you have been oppressed and your pains are valid. However, this is the first time you will have someone like me on your side, fighting for your cause. All I’m asking is that you put your plans and hopes on me instead. I promise to deliver your wishes without violence.” He rolled the draft and tucked it away.
There was a brief pause in which Kenneth half expected applause to break out till it reached a crescendo of standing ovation.
The fellow who had spoken before, stood up again. The room remained quiet.
Have I made a mess of my only opportunity to sway these men away from their already chosen path?
“We have heard your proposition. And dare I say that it sounds wonderful,” the fellow said. “However, it seems your speech is a pipe dream. You have even admitted that your reading didn’t go as planned in the House. Who is to say that you will prevail the second time around?” the fellow asked.
Without skipping a beat, Kenneth responded.
