He picked up his soup spoon and was mortified to see that his hand was shaking, but he got the chicken soup to his lips. It was delicious! So good, in fact, that he could say he’d never tasted anything as good. The bread was just as good too, hard crusted and thick and warm in the middle. Conversations were happening at the table, but he heard little of it, concentrating on his food until he heard his name mentioned and looked up at the elder sister.
“I imagine someone will be here for you shortly, Mr. Pendergast.”
“Excuse me?”
“I sent a note to your parents’ home a few hours ago informing them that you were injured and would need help getting home. The messenger said that the woman who read the note told him to wait for a reply and the message she sent said someone would be over as soon as she could reach her husband at his factory.”
“You contacted my mother?”
“I did, Mr. Pendergast. Did you think we were some family of barbarians? Unable to be Christian-like in our thoughts and deeds? You are unable to travel on your own and don’t have a conveyance.”
Then they heard a knock at the front door and heard the housekeeper open it and speak to visitors. Shortly after, the dining room door opened and his mother, father, and Annabelle followed the housekeeper inside. The eldest sister rose and went toward his family. He rose as well, flinching as he tried to straighten his back. He put his hand on the table to steady himself.
“Mr. and Mrs. Pendergast? I’m Muireall Thompson. I sent you the note.”
“Stand up, Payden,” Mrs. Murdoch hissed. “There are females standing in the room.”
Alexander caught Payden’s eye as he stood quickly. The boy grinned and then looked down when he realized his aunt was still watching him. The housekeeper was adding chairs to the dining room table, and his sister had already seated herself beside Kirsty and accepted a cup of coffee. She glanced at him in concern. It was then Alexander realized his mother was hurrying around the table even as the eldest sister was introducing everyone.
“Oh my goodness! Alex! What happened? We shall call for a doctor immediately!”
“I’m fine, Mother. I’m going to be sore, but I don’t think there’s anything life threatening.”
“Did you break a rib, Alex?” his father asked and gestured to the side he didn’t realize he was holding.
“Mrs. Murdoch said just one. She believes it will stitch together.”
“It will heal if he is careful and does not move it out of place. His face will recover in time, of course,” Mrs. Murdoch said and stood. “Although I doubt he will be quite as pretty as before.”
He smiled at the old woman. He couldn’t help himself. She was as wily as any con man could ever be, and her victims would be mostly unaware. “Ah, Mrs. Murdoch. You thought I was pretty? How quaint.”
“What happened?” his father asked.
“Alexander got caught in a riot at the bare-knuckle match my brother James was fighting in. He’s upstairs ’cause the lily-livered one who fought him had iron balls wrapped around his hands. He punched him right in the throat!” Payden put his hand to his neck to demonstrate.
“Oh dear,” his mother said.
Mrs. Murdoch told the boy to be quiet, and Muireall came to stand behind his chair, as if she would muzzle him if necessary. Kirsty and Annabelle were giggling, and Elspeth was just looking at him as if to say that this was her family, the good and the interesting both.
“A bare-knuckle match?” his father said. “I’ve always wanted to see one of those.”
“You’d never see a better one if you saw James fight! He’s the Philadelphia champ!” Payden said.
“But how did you get injured, Alexander?” his mother asked.
“Two men followed Elspeth and me when we went in the ring after James was knocked out. MacAvoy, he’s James’s corner man, was fighting off the crowd until he could get James out of the building, and that’s when Mr. Pendergast got in the ring. He and MacAvoy gathered us all up and hurried us out,” Kirsty said. “But then those men chased us, and Alexander was injured helping us get away.”
“You were at the fight, Miss Thompson?” his mother asked.
Kirsty blushed. “I’d always wanted to see James win a fight, and this one was held very close by.”
“Do they let ladies into the bare-knuckled matches?” his father asked.
“Oh no,” Kirsty said. “We wore pants and stuffed our hair up in our hats.”
“Ah,” his father said and turned to Muireall. “I’m so sorry to have disturbed your luncheon. Are you ready Alexander ?”
“I’m going,” MacAvoy interrupted as he stuck his head in the dining room door. “James ate a little, and I ate a lot. Thank you, Mrs. McClintok. Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had . . . Mr. Pendergast!”
His father turned around completely. “Do I know you?”
“Not likely, sir. But I know you. I work at the mill moving the bales. I’ve seen you there, and the others said you own the whole thing,” MacAvoy said while turning his hat in his hand.
“It’s nice to meet you,” his father said and stretched out his hand, “Mr. . . . ?”
“Malcolm MacAvoy, Mr. Pendergast,” he said and shook his hand.
“And you were part of this daring rescue of Mr. Thompson and his sisters?”
MacAvoy nodded to Alexander. “He came in the ring and landed a few punches on those rats, Padino’s men. I got the sisters out the door and he got James out, as he was barely walking by then. We split up as there were a couple of big clods following the sisters. I took James home in the wagon, and Pendergast here took the girls. I didn’t make the connection between the two of you, but I should have. But the clods caught up and gave him what for.”
“We were supposed to make our escape, Elspeth and I, while Mr. Pendergast let them hold him and punch him and break his ribs, but Elspeth couldn’t leave him, and so we went back and clobbered one of them with some boards we found in the alley,” Kirsty said.
Alexander was smiling as much as his mouth would allow, looking at Elspeth. She was smiling back at him, her eyes laughing with him, but then she looked around the room at the others watching them and blushed and lowered her head.
“Well,” his mother said. “I’m so grateful that you . . . clobbered them in Alex’s defense.”
“MacAvoy? Go see Mr. Witherspoon on Monday. He is always looking for smart young men to move up in the company. He may not have anything right away for you, but introduce yourself anyway. I’ll tell him you’re coming,” his father said and turned to Alexander. “Now let’s see about getting you in the carriage.”
Chapter 10
“I don’t understand you,” Elspeth said.
Muireall did not take her eyes from the long column of figures before her on the desk, her pencil ticking away as she added. “Concerning what matter, Elspeth? You’ll need to be more specific.”
“Why did you send a note to his parents? I believe Mr. Pendergast was embarrassed.”
“There was nothing to be embarrassed about. He was injured and needed to go home. He certainly didn’t want to stay here any longer.”