→ CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE; ARTHUR AND LINDA SHELBY,
DRUNKEN CONFESSIONS,
AND PROMISES.
Due to Alexandra's quick thinking and charming charisma, Mrs. Fisher remained quiet about the little spat that she and Hannah had after too many nasty comments about Michael and the rest of the Shelby family. Alexandra had also promised to not breath a word about the quarrel to any of the Sister's because she knew full well that it would land Hannah in trouble and she did not want to lose her best friend. Despite Hannah's mistakes, she was an excellent midwife and the mother's in the district where she worked adored Hannah, despite their dislike for the man that she was madly in love with. Like Hannah had always said, it was nobody's business and she would continue to love and adore Michael.
The day had started off well. Hannah had spoke about Tommy's latest business venture which included helping the working-class children and for once in her life, Sister Maria seemed reasonably impressed with something that the blinders were doing. Michael had found in the morning; he was a bit iffy, but he soon perked up when Hannah promised to see him sometime in the week. However, the day turned miserable when Sister Margaret informed Hannah that she would once again be nursing Mr. Maxwell who had got into some more bother at his place of work. Betty offered to see Mr. Maxwell for the next week and a bit until Hannah's schedule had lowed considerably. Hannah was extremely thankful for this. She couldn't cope with Mr. Maxwell and his flirty comments that made her feel uncomfortable.
Linda Shelby was last on Hannah's rounds and a good, hot cup of tea was what she needed after spending the whole day on her feet, nursing injuries and explaining to one mother that she wasn't in labour for the fifth time that week. Hannah could only hope that Arthur had remembered to have the brew waiting for her when she arrived at their house, along with a cigarette which would take away the anxieties that she was feeling when it came to Michael.
Michael was getting better - at least that's what Hannah had thought. The terrible mood-swings and detached looks had pretty much vanished but when Hannah had mentioned seeing Father Hughes again to discuss a property that had recently become available in the rural area, the unwelcoming mood began to cloud over their relationship. Hannah was worried about his mental state more than anything. She could gradually see him losing his way and the mumbling that he did in his sleep only worried her more. It was apparent that Michael was not an open man and kept certain things to himself - only to shield Hannah from any harm that could possibly end up hurting her - but she sometimes wished that he would open to her and acknowledge the truth instead of a living a life of dishonesty and damaging their relationship. Whatever happened, Hannah would always have his back and would not give up on Michael; she was too in love with the enigmatic boy.
Polly had been reserved as well. Every time that Hannah popped round to the house to give Polly a hand - either with the dishware or doing the weekly shop - Hannah would take note of the baggy eyelids and messed-up hair. Never questioning Polly, because Hannah feared that Polly may snap back at Hannah and dislike her for life - she continued with her and acted as if nothing was wrong with the older woman. Hannah had secretly interrogated Michael about Polly's state, but he was entirely unmindful and said that it was nothing, probably just due to the stress of the business, Tommy, the grace of death and everything else that seemed to be collapsing around them.
"You've been stood on this doorstep for about a minute now daydreaming," Arthur said, knocking Hannah out of her daze. "Linda and I have been watching you from the window and laughing. No offence."
Hannah waved one hand in the air before smiling groggily. "I'm just exhausted, I am sorry."
Arthur shook his shook his head, dismissing Hannah's apology because there was no need for it before taking her weighty medical bag and showing her through to the kitchen. Hannah just about burst into tears when she saw the cup of tea sitting on top of the red and white spotted tablecloth, steam blowing up from the fluid. "I could kiss you right now, Arthur."
Linda gasped facetiously. "Hannah, I do not appreciate that, and I don't think that your darling Michael would either," she said, light-heartedly.
Hannah giggled before taking a sip, her body instantly relaxing. After dreaming of being a midwife for so long, she never expected it to be so challenging. There was no regrets when it came to the career path that she had chosen and she loved it with every bone in her body but even after months and months of being on Small Heath soil, she was still finding it hard to fall into the routine of getting up in the middle of the night if one of her patients had gone into labour and she definitely was still not used to dealing with the drunken idiots who had turned up to work pissed out of their head and ended up injured.
It was better than being a housewife which was what her mother had wanted Hannah to be there. According to the mum that she no longer saw or spoke to because of the differences in their lives, being a housewife was the greatest job that a woman could do. Hannah disagreed massively, and most nights were spent arguing with her mother about the social norms and values of todays society and how things had changed for women since the suffragettes had tackled the stereotypical society. Her mother, the most old-fashioned woman in the world, continued to disagree with Hannah's view points and refused to even accept the fact that women were now working. Still, Hannah had noticed the one single tear that had slipped from her mother's eyelids proudly as Hannah graduated.
A part of her missed London; the bright lights, the constant chatter that filled the streets and the wonderful market that Hannah would visit with her friends. She even missed her parents a little bit but being with Michael made the homesickness vanish as he held her close, whispering about the future that they would one day share.
Hannah always remembered the first time that she had arrived in Small Heath - no bags underneath her eyes and fully fresh after taking a break once her exams had finished. It had been an experience to say the least; someone had tried to steal her bag; a young boy had kicked a football straight in Hannah's direction and she had bumped into at least two fights during her longish walk to the convent. On the journey to the religious order, Hannah had doubted her choice but once she was settled in, she knew that there was no going back. Small Heath was her home, despite its blatantly obvious and unchangeable flaws.
"Are you alright, Hannah?" Arthur inquired, sincerely sounding worried which warmed Hannah's heart. Hannah had once thought that she would fear Arthur the most out of the Shelby brothers due to his intimidating and overpowering ways, but it seemed as if Linda had tamed him and she was starting to learn that he was one of the sweeter brothers, despite what others had said.
Hannah nodded her head before placing the cup of tea down and nodding towards Linda. "Let's get you checked over then, Linda." As Linda stood up and walked over to the sofa, Hannah pulled a face and looked back at Arthur. "You told me that she was three months pregnant."
Arthur squinted his eyes and looked at Linda who looked just as confused. "That's what the doctor said. I promise you, I wasn't making it up."
Hannah stood up and walked over to Linda, helping her sit down on the sofa. "I'd say you are about five months pregnant, love. Seems to me like this baby is going to be here sooner than you expected. Still, you have another four months to prepare yourself for motherhood."
"The doctor said three months though, I'm sure that he did."
Hannah leaned up and placed one hand on her hip, staring down at Linda's bulging stomach. "Look, I might be wrong, but I am pretty sure that you are five months pregnant. Which doctor did you go too?"
"One in London, we thought they would be better down there," Linda answered, smirking when Hannah put on a faux insulted expression.
Hannah nodded again after a couple of seconds before grabbing a piece of paper from her medical bag and noting down the name of the local doctor who worked closely with the convent. "I'm sure Dr. Fredrick will be able to give you a precise answer but if you let me do the measurements, I'm sure that I can give you a fairly accurate answer."
"I'd hope so, you are the midwife," Arthur retorted, chortling at his own comment. "Right, I will leave you two ladies together."
Arthur tried to leave but he ended up remaining outside of the door, listening in on the conversation that Linda and Hannah were having as they discussed the different stages of birth. After a while, Arthur ended up walking away and over to the phone to ring Polly. There were some vital things to discuss; mostly Tommy.
"And who is this?" Polly's drunken singing crackled through the phone and Arthur could almost picture her trying to stand up straight with a glass of whiskey besides her and a burning cigarette. "Arthur, love, is this you?"
"Yeah, Pol," he responded before running one hand over the wooden desk. "I wanted to talk to you about Tommy."
Polly scoffed before waving one hand in the air, not that Arthur could see the action. "I don't give a shit about Tommy or any fucker else. I especially don't give a fuck about that bloody Inspector."
"How much have you had to drink?" Arthur questioned, interested as to why Polly was bringing up Inspector Campbell. It had been ages since he was last on the scene and Arthur had thought that Polly had put the phase of her life behind her. He was quite obviously incorrect. "Is Michael there?"
"Not enough," Polly answered, laughing piercingly at her own comment. "And no, he's not. I'm presuming that he's with that midwife."
Arthur sighed loudly, and Polly scoffed, once again, at Arthur's frustration. "Her name is Hannah and she is currently at our house."
Polly hummed before the sound of Polly drinking rang through the speaker. "I have to go now Arthur and deal with the appalling immoralities that I have committed. I will see you at work, bright and early for another fucking tedious day."
The line went dead, and Arthur shook his head before standing up and walking to the living room. He expected to see Linda with her dress pulled up and legs spread apart but fortunately, Hannah and Linda had just finished. "Can you do me a favour?" Arthur asked, directing the question towards Hannah who looked nervous for a quick second before nodding, noting down the fact that Arthur looked more frightened. "I need you to go over to Polly's for me on your way home and make sure that she is okay. I've just had an unpleasantly bizarre phone call with her and whatever she says, ignore it and just make sure that she gets to bed, please."
Hannah nodded; not wanting to reject Arthur's request. It was clear that Polly was the backbone of the family and was the one that kept them together and to see Arthur in a panicked state about his Aunt let Hannah know that she was right to think that things were going badly within Polly's life.
"Of course. Do you need anything else doing?"
Arthur shook his head. "Thank you, it means a lot." Arthur reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a note – bigheartedly handing it Hannah. "I would give you a lift, but I have no petrol and John was meant to be bring some round earlier on. Here's the money for the bus though."
Hannah looked down at the note and then towards Linda who was smiling at her husband's generosity. "Take it, Hannah," she said, taking note of Hannah's awkwardness. She did not like taking money from friends; even if she was close with them.
"It's a lovely offer but I can walk, I don't mind." Hannah outstretched her hand with the money in before pulling it back towards her body. Her feet were killing her, to the point that she could feel the sores rubbing against her tights and the back of her leather shoe with every step. Polly's house was a fair distance away and the bus was enormously tempting. "Thank you, both of you. I'll be sure to give you the money back."
Linda chuckled before waving her hand in the air. "Don't be daft, it's the least we can do."
Hannah finally said her goodbyes, hugging Linda and organising another day where she could pop in and thanking Arthur for his kind-heartedness that was not seen often.
Polly was next on her journey and Hannah couldn't help but feel panicky as she waited for the bus to arrive. It was known that Polly had a furious temper that she usually kept disguised until one of her nephews messed up and she was forced to put them in their place. There had been a few times when Hannah had walked into Polly's house to find Michael sat at the kitchen table, nonchalantly looking at the other wall as Polly screamed at him for getting into some bar fight or for causing some sort of trouble. When Hannah had first come across Polly's anger, she had psychologically decided that she would never get on the wrong side of Polly ever. At least with the boys, she couldn't hurt them but with Hannah, she could have done anything, and nobody would have known.
The whole ride over to Polly's house was full of restlessness – mostly because Hannah didn't know where she was going and, she didn't know if she could handle Polly on her own. It was getting late and the betting shop should have closed for the night meaning that Michael would either be on his way back home or already there but knowing him, he was probably still doing some last-minute work for Tommy. He had mentioned something to Hannah about becoming an official accountant, mostly because Tommy needed everything to be legal, and that a contract would have to be sighed. Therefore, tethering him to the corporation for life – no escape, just continuous menace and apprehension but Hannah would live with that, for Michael's sake.
+++
"Polly..." Hannah's voice trailed off as she walked into the house, finally successful in finding the contemporary build. The living room with jam-packed with smoke, some lenient jazz melody playing, and the aroma of booze was prominent.
"Hannah," Polly slurred, her eyes slowly shutting as she laid on the sofa. Michael was nowhere to be seen meaning Hannah would have to sort Polly out on her own. "I think I've drank too much."
Hannah chuckled light-heartedly before nodded. "I do as well. Come on, let's get you to bed."
Polly allowed Hannah to grab her arm and place it over her shoulder as she stumbled towards the bedroom, Hannah struggling. "I don't like sleeping."
"Why's that?"
"I always see the life draining from his eyes and I'm not even bothered about it. Still, he haunts me every single night. I sometimes think that I hear that stupid Irish accent but it's just my mind playing tricks on me."
Hannah looked up at Polly with misunderstanding. "Who are you talking about?"
Polly laughed before shaking her head, her hair hitting Hannah in the face a little. "A man that caused nothing but trouble for my family. I put a bullet straight through him in the middle of a crowded area and do you want to know something? It was the best thing that I have ever done, and I would do it all over again if it meant that my family were safe and protected from the misery that he brought with him," Polly answered before re-starting her sentence once she had felt Hannah's body harden up against her. "Don't worry, love. He deserved it."
Hannah decided not to say anything else and listen to Arthur's advice about not listening to anything that Polly was saying. There was a time to be curious and ask questions and this wasn't the right time. Taking advantage of Polly's defenceless state was wrong and, in all honesty, Hannah did not want to know about the man who had fallen victim to Polly's gun.
Hannah somehow managed to get Polly up the stairs and laid out on the bed. The older woman rolled around a few times before reaching out for Hannah's hand. Thinking that Polly was going to be sick due to the amount of alcohol that she had consumed, Hannah grabbed onto Polly's hand but when she felt Polly's grip become tighter, Hannah's body went cold with fear.
"I need you to promise me something, Hannah," Polly started, her eyes wide and bleak as she looked up at Hannah. "Something very, very, important and you can't go against the promise."
"Of course."
"Don't break his heart, please."
Hannah smiled softly before shaking her head. "That will never happen, I promise."
"Good." Polly bobbed her head up and down once before discharging Hannah's hand. "Michael is a delicate soul and he tries his hardest. You are leading him in the right direction and I appreciate that. Whatever happens, just know that you will always have a home with us, a family if you'd want it."
+++
Polly fell asleep almost straight away and just as Hannah was about to leave the house, the front door slammed open and Michael sauntered in with an expression that only made Hannah feel sick. The smell of the cigarettes and booze made Michael pull a face as he heatedly pulled out a chair and sat down with a thump; his hands going to the bottle of whiskey that Polly had left over. There wasn't much left, but it would satisfy his needs.
"Michael."
An alarmed Michael snapped his head to the side to look at you, a pale smile coming onto his face as she watched you walk over. The day had been demanding, the devil had been enticing him and Esme had been murmuring on in his ear about how she wanted to be a bridesmaid – pretty much saying that she wanted Hannah and Michael to marry but that wouldn't be happening anytime soon considering the fact that Michael was going to assassinate Father Hughes in cold blood.
"Why are you here?" Michael asked, his voice was scrawny and worn-out as he turned his eyes to look at the covering on the table. "That came out harsher than I expected, sorry."
Hannah walked behind Michael and ran her hands along his shoulders before moving them down to his chest. With her chin rested on his shoulder, she pressed light kisses along his cheek and Michael leaned into them – desperate for the cosiness that he had been thinking about all day long.
"Don't worry about it," she mumbled in his ear. "I was round at Arthur's checking up on Linda and he asked me to come in and check on your mum because he had a peculiar phone call with her or something."
"And how she is?"
"Let's just say, she's going to have a very big headache in the morning and the smell of breakfast will probably send her running to the bathroom." Hannah chuckled before moving her body around, so she could sit on Michael's lap – her favourite place to be. "What's wrong with you?"
The same, boring excuse came through Michael's mouth – a sentence that Hannah had heard far too many times. "Just the business. There's been a lot on and I'm just exhausted. To make things worse, I am meant to be going down to London for a couple of days next week to sign the contract."
Hannah puckered her lips, she always hated being away from Michael, but she understood his reasons for going. "Where will you be staying?"
"With Ada," he answered.
Much to her dismay, Hannah had only met Ada a handful of times and every time, there had been some disaster. "I like Ada."
"Thought you would do," he responded. "Why don't you come down with us? Ada keeps going on about a coffee shop that she goes to almost every morning after dropping Karl off at school and I know that you like stuff like that. Gives you a chance to get to know Ada better as well without someone dying."
"What day do you go on?" Hannah asked, not getting herself too excited because she knew that her schedule was jampacked and finding the time to be with Michael for more than a couple of hours was hard enough.
"We leave Tuesday morning and then we come back Thursday afternoon. We literally could have just gone down for the day, but Polly is adamant that we spend some time with Ada seen as she isn't in Birmingham much anymore. Is Tuesday a problem for you?"
Hannah sighed before resting her hand on Michael's shoulder again. "I have to go and view properties with Father Hughes in the afternoon, so I can't. Trust me, if I could get out of it then I would but I simply can't go against what the sisters have said because it would only lead me to trouble."
Michael's eyes shifted to the side as he nodded his head, his jaw clenched with signalled that he was angry (whether it towards her, Hannah did not know.) "That's fine."
"But..." Hannah trailed off and grinned. "I was thinking that maybe me and you should spend some time together, alone and away from Birmingham. There's a cottage that me and my parents used to go to down near London. It's expensive but I'm sure we could sort something out."
"Is that what you want?" Michael asked.
Hannah rolled her eyes before pulling away. "Why would you ask such a stupid question?"
Michael shrugged before pinching the bridge of his nose, sighing delicately. "Are you stopping the night?"
"No, I'm afraid." It was Michael's turn to pout as his eyes pleaded with Hannah. He was desperate for her company, her warm embrace, the whole lot. "I'll come and see you before Friday though, I promise. I'm going to try and get a few days off if you can do the same."
"I'll see what we can sort it out, love. Do you want me to drive you home?"
Michael picked Hannah up effortlessly and placed her feet on the ground before reaching over for the car keys. Hannah couldn't deny a lift back to the convent. Spending another fifteen minutes with Michael was also another thing that she couldn't resist.
"That would be lovely, thank you," Hannah replied as she walked over to grab her bag. Being the gentleman that he was – and somewhat feeling guilt-ridden because of his absence – Michael jogged over and took the bag from Hannah's hands. "Heavy, isn't it?" she asked, giggling as Michael pulled a face.
"Don't know how you manage to do it all day long. Must be super strong."
"You don't know the half of it. Come on then, let's go home. I need to talk to Sister Margaret about having some days off."
"Are you going to tell her that me and you will be leaving for a few days or will you lie?" Michael asked as he struggled to open the front door for Hannah.
"Tell her the truth because my love, I have nothing to be ashamed off."
+++
Alexandra was wide-awake when Hannah returned home. Sister Margaret was out dealing with a new-born mum who was having some struggles meaning that Hannah couldn't have the conversation that she had been hoping to have. Sister Maria was knocking around the nunnery, whistling away to some melody as she cleaned the floors of the kitchen, but Hannah did not dare ask Sister Maria and anyway, she wasn't the leading authoritative figure.
"I can't tell if you are happy or sad right now," Alexandra said after a couple of minutes of silence had passed. Hannah looked up from the mirror, where she was wiping away the minimal make up and typing her hair up in a bun as she was only going to be lounging about for the rest of the night. Alexandra was laid out on the bed, dressed in an expensive silk robe as she read the up-to-date style magazine.
Hannah turned around to look at Alexandra. "There is actually something that I want to ask you. Can you remember when you and the girls pestered me on the night that I was supposed to going on my first date with Michael and you told me all of the bad things that he – his family had done." Hannah raised one eyebrow and watched as Alexandra narrowed her eyes, trying to remember the memory that Hannah was talking about. It had been many months since then and Alexandra could barely remember what she had eaten the previous day. "Do you?"
"Yes, very briefly. I can definitely remember you moping around for the rest of the night," she joked before turning serious. "Why do you ask, Hannah?"
"I can't remember who it was but one of you mentioned something about an Inspector that was shot dead at the race tracks and there were rumours flying about that it was one of the Shelby brothers?"
"Yes..."
"Was the Inspector Irish?"
"Yes, he was. I always remember that because when he first arrived in Small Heath back in 1919, he ransacked the houses of some of our patients. The coppers were brutal that day; ragging out furniture, shouting at women, breaking everything in the house. The sound of his voice bellowing through the streets stuck with me." Alexandra paused as she thought about the dreadful day. "One mother even went into labour early because of the stress but don't worry, baby was fine."
"That's awful."
Alexandra's knowledge about Inspector Campbell had confirmed all of Hannah's thoughts – Polly was the one who had murdered him. For what reason, she did not know and a part of her did not want to know why, fearing that she may be able to defend his death. From what she had heard, he was an immoral man who used his power to his own advantage and maybe there was a part of Hannah that was happy that he had been killed. However, she wasn't happy with the state that Polly was in and how he was emotionally torturing her, even from the dead.
"Is that all?" Alexandra raised one eyebrow as she picked the magazine up – looking at the expensive dresses that she would never be able to afford.
"That's all."
authors note; this was meant to be posted last night but ya know, wattpad was being a dick. please vote, comment and check out my other stories. thank you x