Page 32 of The Beauty and the Boxer
“And you won?”
“In the fourth round,” he said with somefalse modesty. “It was an upset.”
“And Mr. Tate? Was he very angry?”
“Furious. I had cost him a fortune. Butthen, I made mine, so I wasn’t terribly worried about him. Untilabout three days later.” Jack paused, momentarily surprised that hewould share so much. “After big wins like that, I would get a bitout of hand. I don’t think I left the club for those three days. Iwasn’t a member, yet, but they afforded fightersaccommodations.”
“What were you doing there for three days?”The implicating silence that followed made her cheeks turn pink.“Never mind.”
He chuckled at her discomfort.
“So, what happened next?”
“Well, afterwards, I was leaving the club,trying to make my way to the rooms I was renting when three bigblokes grabbed me and beat me bloody.”
Meredith’s feet stopped.
“Oh, no.”
“Oh, yes. They knocked me around prettygood. If I had been ready for them, they wouldn’t have stood achance, but then I was tired and ill from drinking for three daysstraight.”
“Drinking to excess like that isn’t good foryour health.”
“Neither is getting attacked.” Meredithnodded in agreement. “Still, I wasn’t really prepared and they wereable to carve me up.” His hand went to the scar. “I didn’t feel it,though. I saw the blade covered in blood. I remember looking downand my shirt was covered. Too much blood for a cut lip or brokennose. I think the sight of the knife surprised me. I had beenexpecting a beating, but not being killed.”
“Oh, my goodness,” Meredith said. “How couldyou be so willing to fight? Even now after all you’ve been through.It sounds horrible.”
Jack shrugged.
“I don’t know why, actually. I’ve alwaysbeen rather good at it.” He paused thoughtfully. “Fighting wasalways something that interested me. The anatomy of a fight, thepower, the physicality of it all. I was always intrigued byit.”
“It seems bizarre.”
“Everyone’s passionate about something, eventhings that don’t make sense to others.”
“I suppose so,” she conceded. “What happenednext?”
“My mind went blank and I must have gonemental because the next thing I remember, I was standing over threebroke and bloody bodies with Simon yelling at me to go home. Imanaged to find my way back to my rooms and when the adrenalinefinally subsided, the pain set in.” He shook his head. “I had a fewbruised ribs and some minor injuries elsewhere, but the cut on myface was deep. Nearly cut me all the way to my back teeth, but thedoctor was able to stitch me back together.”
Meredith put her hand to his shoulder in acomforting gesture. His shoulders moved back slightly as herealized that she didn’t seem uneasy to touch him. All of the womenhe paid for hadn’t been able to not flinch when they touched him,but then coin was coin.
“I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
“Was my own fault, wasn’t it?”
Another gust of wind came sweeping acrossthe tree lined fields, down the road that led back home. Jackcontinued walking, glancing behind them towards town. Just then, abubbling roll of thunder sounded from far away.
“There’s a match in a few weeks,” he said,his eyes following the sound across the sky. Dark clouds began toreel towards them. “You should come watch.”
“I will not,” she breathed, slightly amused.“Besides, ladies do not attend pugilist matches.”
“Of course they do. In the back ofCanterbury club.”
She appeared startled.
“You cannot be serious.”
“I am. Many ladies attend the fights. Justlast month Madame LaMont and her ladies came—”
