Honor nodded. “His family has a restaurant down on Spring Street, and they live above it. It’s where he works when he’s not here. It might not be the safest part of town, but it’s certainly no rougher than where you girls live.” She seemed about to say something else, then shrugged. “I’ll go get him.”
Florence was silent for a long moment after Honor left. Then, “That’s the woman you work for?”
“Yes,” Vivian said shortly, feeling defensive. “She owns the Nightingale.”
“All on her own?”
“Yes.” Vivian struggled to keep her voice even. Florence worked for a dressmaker who owned her own shop. Owning a jazz club wasn’t somuch more outlandish than that. Vivian was already exhausted from worry as it was; she didn’t have the energy to guide Florence through the evolution of the New Woman that was happening in the world around them. And even that would fail to fully encompass someone like Honor.
Or like herself, Vivian thought with bitter, anxious humor. That was a conversation she definitely wasn’t ready to have yet.
“Oh. She’s… very glamorous,” was all Florence said in response, her voice very small. She stared into her glass again, looking overwhelmed.
Vivian felt a pang of guilt. It wasn’t Florence’s fault she’d been dragged into this world, one she never would have thought about if it weren’t for her sister. She had to be terrified. Vivian reached out and squeezed her hand.
“It’s going to be okay, Flo. We’ll get you somewhere safe, and the police should be on it by the end of the day. It’ll all be fine, I promise.”
There was a thumping sound of someone hurrying up the steps. Without thinking, Vivian stood, putting herself between Florence and the door. There was a quick knock, and then Danny was there, his worried gaze going first to Florence, then back to Vivian. Then he smiled, the friendly, flirtatious smile that said everything was all right with the world, and if it wasn’t, then he knew exactly what to do to fix it. “Hey girls,” he said, stepping aside so Honor could join them. “I hear you’re looking for a place to stay.”
It took a little more work to convince his father.
Just to be cautious, Danny took them out through one of the club’s several secondary exits, this one accessed through a trapdoor behind the bar. A ladder led them to a narrow brick tunnel that wound underground until it sloped up again, bringing them up through another trapdoor into a narrow alley. Danny had them both wait in the alley,jittery with impatience and brushing dust from their clothes, while he stepped out to the street to hail a cab.
“Are you sure it’ll be safe for us there?” Vivian asked as they climbed into the cab.
She was taken aback when Danny gave her a sour look, all his normal playfulness gone. “Why, are you scared of all the Chinese folks?”
“No, I just meant…” Vivian could feel her face heating. “We’ll stand out, is all. Two Irish girls in that part of the city are bound to attract some attention, aren’t we? And that’s the last thing we need right now.”
Danny sighed as he ran a hand through the hair that continuously fell across one eye. “Oh. Well, don’t worry about that, kitten. You won’t stand out nearly as much as you think.”
They rode in awkward silence for a while, Florence sneaking uncomfortable looks at both of them. Vivian was trying to decide whether she needed to say something else when Danny abruptly spoke.
“All the papers can talk about these days is the Tong Wars, and there are plenty of folks calling for the Chinese to be sent packing.” He was stoic as he stared out the cab window. “Never mind we’ve lived here longer than half of them. But they can’t shut up about gang fights.” Seeing Vivian’s curious expression, he added, “Makes a fella sensitive from time to time.”
“They aren’t real, then?” Florence asked curiously. “The Tong Wars?”
Danny laughed humorlessly. “They’re real. Every neighborhood has its gangs these days, and we’ve got ours, too. They’re not all bad, you know,” he added, the look he turned on them defensive and defiant. “They look after their people. They don’t agree on much, though, and they’re happy to fight it out. But there wouldn’t be so much of that if the government stopped making it so hard for Chinese men to live their lives and have families.”
“Have families?” Florence glanced out the window, clearly confused. They were turning off Houston Street now, and the streets and sidewalks were crowded. “There are plenty of people with families here, aren’t there?”
“Some, but not as many as there should be.”
Vivian eyed the clusters of men who stood around on corners and outside shops as they drove past. Some of them looked like shopkeepers or restaurant owners. Others just stood there, smoking and eyeing the people passing by.
And most of them were men, Vivian realized. Children darted in and out of buildings from time to time, and there were women running errands or heading to work, but there were not nearly as many families going about their business as she would have seen in other parts of the city.
“Chinese men who come here can’t bring their wives or families,” Danny continued quietly. “And they don’t let Chinese women in anymore.”
Neither of them had to ask why. Men alone provided labor. But letting women in meant families, and families put down roots. Florence sighed. “And men without jobs and wives and kids have a lot more time to start gang fights?”
Danny nodded, but something else occurred to Vivian, and she frowned. “But your mother lives here.”
“She was born in the United States, out in California,” he said, the defensive note back in his voice. “And anyway, she’s only half Chinese herself. Her mother was Korean.”
“Oh.” Vivian was quiet again, feeling ignorant and not liking it. “I didn’t know all that, Danny,” she said, hoping he believed her. “Honestly, I just don’t want to risk anyone finding Florence. Or cause any trouble for your family because we don’t fit in.”
To her surprise, that made Danny laugh. “Chinese women can’t come to America, so our men end up marrying whoever they can. Half the children in Chinatown have mothers who came from poorIrish and Italian families.” Before she could respond, he slowed and gestured at a tall, narrow building. “We’re here.”
