Thunder and Roses by Mary Jo Putney Read Free Book Online

are at the coal pit. With so much cheap labor available, the mine manager lowered wages. He also sees no reason to buy better equipment, or to pay for even the most basic safety precautions.”
     
    Before she could elaborate, the earl held up a hand to stop her. “How many men have died in the mine?”
     
    “In the last four years, a total of sixteen men and four boys have been killed in a variety of accidents.”
     
    “That’s unfortunate, but is it unreasonable? Mining has always been hazardous. The colliers I’ve known take a certain pride in doing work that requires such strength and courage.”
     
    “Pride, yes,” she agreed, “but they are not fools. The hazards at the Penreith mine are far worse than they should be—everyone who works there says it’s a miracle that there hasn’t yet been a major disaster. Sooner or later, luck will run out, and when it does dozens, possibly hundreds, of people will die.” Though she was trying to be coolly objective, her voice broke.
     
    As she struggled to regain her composure, he said quietly, “I gather that you’ve lost friends in the mine?”
     
    “Not just friends.” She raised her head, her expression rigid. “That’s where my father died.”
     
    Startled, Nicholas said, “What the devil was Reverend Morgan doing in the pit?”
     
    “What he always did—his work. There was a collapse. Two men died outright and a third, a member of the Society, was trapped by fallen rocks. The lower part of his body was crushed, but he was still conscious. He asked for my father. While other men tried to free the miner, my father held his hand and prayed with him.” After an unsteady breath, she finished, “There was another rockfall . My father, the trapped miner, and one of the rescue workers were killed.”
     
    “One would expect no less from your father,” Nicholas said, his voice gentle. “Is it any comfort knowing that he died as he had lived—with compassion and courage?”
     
    “Very little,” she said bleakly.
     
    After an awkward silence, he asked, “Why have you approached me? Though I own the land that the mine is on, it’s leased to the mining company. The owner and manager are the ones in a position to make changes.”
     
    Clare’s mouth tightened. “The manager, George Madoc, is impossible. Since he receives a percentage of the profits, he takes pleasure in pinching every penny he can, even at the cost of human lives.”
     
    “Is Lord Michael Kenyon still the owner? I would have thought he would be responsive to reasonable requests.”
     
    “Attempts have been made to communicate with him, but Lord Michael has not answered our letters and petitions. And no one has been able to talk to him in person, because he hasn’t set foot in the valley in the last four years.”
     
    “Four years,” Nicholas repeated, his expression enigmatic. “An interesting interval. But if Madoc and Lord Michael won’t make changes, what do you think I can do?”
     
    “Talk to Lord Michael,” she said earnestly. “He is a friend of yours. If he can be persuaded to make improvements at the pit, perhaps nothing else will be required.”
     
    “Michael was a friend, but I haven’t seen him in four years. More than that, actually ….was Nicholas’s voice trailed off and he absently crumbled a piece of toast. “I have no idea where he is now, nor do I know if I would have any influence with him. He might be perfectly satisfied with matters as they stand.”
     
    “I’ve thought of that.” Knowing that she was about to find out how far the earl would go to fulfill his part of the bargain, Clare rubbed damp palms along her gray skirt. “If the mine can’t be changed, the solution is to create other kinds of employment. That is something you can do rather easily.”
     
    “I thought you would have a plan,” he murmured. Slouching back in his chair, he folded his arms across his chest. “Proceed, Miss Morgan.”
     
    “To begin with, you are by