Page 15 of Glasgow Rogue

An annoying buzz hovered over Annie’s head and she tried to swat the interference away. She wanted to stay nestled where she was, in cocoon warmth against a broad chest, held by strong, muscular arms, enveloped in a delightful scent of fresh soap and leather and floating in a foggy haze.

A face came into focus. Niall. He lowered his head, his lips brushing across her cheek gently. Not her cheek. Her mouth. She wanted his firm lips on her mouth…

The buzz became a faint murmur of voices. Annie burrowed further into her dream. She was content to remain here forever. Niall was about to kiss her…

Someone gave her shoulder a gentle shake. “Open your eyes, Annie.”

A male voice, but not Niall’s. Her shoulder was shaken again, a bit harder this time. “Annie. Wake up.”

She didn’t want to. She liked where she was, if only they would let her alone. A putrid odor suddenly invaded her nostrils and she sputtered, then blinked her eyes open. The physician was waving smelling salts under her nose. She sputtered again. “Take those away.”

He moved back. “She sounds normal.”

“Thank God. We have been so worried.”

Annie turned at the sound of her mother’s voice and then looked around. She was in her bedroom, lying on her bed. Behind her mother, she could see the members of the Progress Club crowding the doorway.

“What happened?”

The doctor looked at her gravely. “How much do you remember?”

Annie frowned, trying to recall. “We…were at a meeting. The Trades Hall. I…I was speaking…” It hurt to think. Her head ached. Annie lifted a hand to her forehead and felt a lump, wincing as the pain increased. “How did I hit my head?”

“I believe something was thrown at you,” the doctor replied.

“A cabbage,” Aileen called from the doorway. “Some lily-livered idiot threw a cabbage.” The doctor gave her a mild look which she ignored. “Niall and Owen are trying to find out which one of the louts did it.”

So Niall wasn’t here then. Annie didn’t know whether to be relieved or sorry.

Had he really kissed her cheek or did she just dream it?

But why would she dream something like that?

It didn’t make sense. But then, neither did it make sense if he really did kiss her.

Her thinking must be muddled. She began to shake her head to clear it, then stopped from the pain.

“Easy now,” the doctor said. “I think you have a mild concussion, so the less you move your head the better.

“A concussion?”

He nodded. “It is fairly normal when someone is struck and loses consciousness. The fact that you remember most of what happened is good.” He picked up the small oil lamp by the table and held it close to her face.

“Your pupils are not dilated. Another good sign.” He put the lamp down.

“But I want you to stay in bed and rest for two or three days.”

“Can we nae talk to her?” Fenella asked.

“Talking is fine. It’s better if she stays awake.” He gathered his things and put them in a satchel and turned to go. “Just do not excite her.”

“That is easier said than done,” Cora said as the women flowed in after the doctor left. “Too bad ye were not awake to see what happened!”

Annie touched her head again. “I am nae sure I want to ken.”

“Aye, ye do,” Deidre said. “Well, maybe not the part about the rotten fruit—”

“Someone actually threw rotten fruit at us?” Annie asked.

Aileen nodded grimly. “Lots of it too.”

“But why? We had permission to speak. Mr. James put us on the agenda.”

“Which just gave the jackanapes time to gather their ammunition,” Deidre replied. ‘They had nae intention of even listening to us.”

“So what happened after I was knocked out?”

“Oh! Well, that’s the best part!” Kiara said.

“Aye! I have nae seen anything like it before!” Nairna added.

“Like what?” Annie asked.

“Niall—Mr. MacDonald—was magnificent,” Inis said. “He—”

“When he saw ye on the floor, he practically flew across the room!” Kiara interrupted.

Nairna nodded. “I’ve nae seen a man move so fast.”

Fenella grinned. “His fists were quick too. He smashed the nose of one of the swine and I think he broke the jaw of another. I heard a nice crack.”

Annie winced. “Were the men still throwing rotten fruit, then?”

“Nae. I think they’d run out,” Aileen answered, “but some of them were coming at us.”

Annie felt her eyes widen. “Why? What were they going to do? Beat us?”

“Who kens? They had become a mob.”

“But doona fash.” Fenella gave Annie another grin. “They didnae get a chance to do anything.”

“Niall stopped all of them?” Annie asked.

“Owen—Mr. MacLean—helped,” Kiara replied.

“I dinna ken a walking stick was a real weapon,” her twin said.

“Ye are nae making sense.” Annie hoped the bang to her head wasn’t worse than the doctor thought. “What did Owen do?”

“He called the entire crowd cowards,” Fenella said, “and then asked who wanted to fight him.”

Annie lifted both brows. “With only his walking stick?”

“Aye, but the way he handled it, it could have been a sword. He felled two men practically in the same move,” Fenella answered. “I think maybe he broke the knee of one of them. Maybe we can get a count of the number of bones broken?”

Aileen frowned. “That hardly matters.”

“It was amazing the way Niall and Owen fought with bare fists and a walking stick. They acted like knights of old.” Inis smiled. “If they’d been dressed in their tartans and carrying their regular weapons, those men would have turned tail and run.”

Fenella nodded. “Some with wet trousers, too.”

“That does nae matter either.” Aileen shook her head. “Having four of them passed out on the floor stopped the rest of the mob.”

“Thank God,” Cora said.

“But what do we do now?” Deidre asked. “How can we make our voices heard if we are nae safe speaking in front of what was supposed to be a civilized group?”

“We cannae back down,” Fenella replied.

“Nae. We cannae let them think they frightened us,” Cora said.

“We could organize a protest march,” Aileen answered.

“We can use what happened to shame those men. We’ll make signs and gather in front of Glasgow Cathedral on Sunday.

Pelting innocent females who had permission to speak at their meeting is both dishonorable and base.

If we take the righteous stance of being wronged, their wives will no doubt make them pay for it, even if the ladies don’t believe in our cause. ”

“And as a follow-up, we can march down George Street in front of the city chambers on Monday,” Fenella added.

A chorus of “ayes” went up from the club. Annie didn’t even want to think of what Niall was going to say about that. She’d no doubt be in for the lecture of her life as well. In fact, she’d be lucky if he let her out of his sight to use the necessary room.

****

Annie didn’t see Niall until the next evening since her mother insisted she follow the doctor’s orders and stay in bed.

She didn’t really mind having a breakfast tray brought up—dining in bed was a rare luxury, especially with a boardinghouse full of guests, but by the time the noon meal came, Annie was already restless.

There was no way she could stay cooped up in one room for another two days.

Niall was seated at the dining table in the small room off the kitchen her mother used for their private meals when she entered. He stood. “Are ye well enough to be out of bed?”

“I will go stark raving mad if I have to stay inside four walls.” Annie motioned him to sit as she helped herself to mutton stew from the cauldron on the table. “Why are ye eating alone?”

“I wanted the peace and quiet,” he replied, breaking off a piece of bread. “I had two ships arrive today and every worker on the dock wanted to ken what happened last night. I could barely get them to unload the wares. When I got home, every boarder hounded me as well.”

“I suppose they are curious, especially since I’ve been tucked away out of sight.”

“Curious is putting it mildly. Owen said they were worse than London’s ton scenting scandal.”

Annie looked around. “Where is Owen?”

“He and Aidan are making the rounds of clubs this evening.”

“Carousing? I’ve only met your brother once, but he dinnae seem the type.”

“He is nae. And they are nae. Carousing, I mean.”

“Then why are they visiting the men’s clubs?”

Niall chewed a bit of bread and swallowed before answering. “MacLean thought it might be wise to get the feel of things. See what pockets of unrest are still there.”

“That could lead to brawling.”

Niall shook his head. “That is why Aidan went with him. My brother prefers to negotiate and smooth things over when possible.”

Annie smiled. “Are ye sure he’s your brother?”

“I dinnae say he could nae fight,” Niall replied. “When we were lads, he could beat all of us. Well, except for Alasdair.”

Annie remembered Alasdair’s rescuing Bridget and herself. He’d arrived just in the nick of time, much like Niall had last night. She shifted uneasily in her chair. So far, Niall had been pleasant. That didn’t mean a storm wasn’t brewing and about to be unlashed.

“So let us talk about last night.” Niall laid down his spoon.

Annie nearly toppled off her chair. Had she spoken her thoughts out loud? He couldn’t have read her mind. “Ummm. It seems I owe ye a big thank ye.”

Niall watched her. “I doona want thanks.”

“Ah…the girls told me that ye were quite magnificent to watch.”

He shrugged.

Annie swallowed hard. “It was verra good of ye—and Mr. MacLean—to come to our defense.”

“We are Highlanders.”

As if that explained everything. Well, it probably did to him. But he wasn’t giving any quarter in this conversation. His eyes were turning even darker, like a squall line forming. She tried not to wiggle. “I doona ken why the men got so angry.”

Silence. Niall’s face could have been chiseled in stone.

She tried again. “We did have permission to speak at the meeting.”

One black brow went up. “That dinnae matter much now, did it?”