✨Written in the Stars✨

Chapter 7 - Two Truths and a Lie

Eric ran his thumb around the rim of the glass in his hand. Brandy. The same thing she was drinking when they met, right down to the brewer.

"Ah, Gerald, about the Inspector—"

"Not this again, you haven't bloody shut up about it. I'm aware that you're guilty over that girl, but you should let it go."

"No it's just, I was wondering, what about the theory that was brought up that night? What if they're not the same girl?"

"But we both met a Daisy, and the Inspector said that it was in Eva's diary that-"

"But that's where we're wrong." Now it was Eric's turn to cut Gerald off mid sentence. "The woman I met wasn't Daisy Renton, it was Margaret Swan."

Gerald paused, a bit taken aback by what he'd heard. His face flashed a dozen emotions— confusion, anger, sadness, relief. Eric began to regret ever bringing it up.

"Why wouldn't you say that on the night you wanker? Was that not important to the story you wished to tell?"

"For god's sake man, I was already feeling enough guilt as it is, I didn't wish to discuss it any more than needed!"

"Jesus christ." Gerald stood up and placed a hand to his forehead, sliding it down to cover his mouth. He paced around the room, thinking to himself. "What of Eva Smith, was she real?"

"Most definitely. I remember father's rage at her, and the rather uncouth language he threw around about her over dinner the day he fired her."

"O-okay, and the girl Sheila fired?"

"Sheila would have recognised her if she was indeed the Eva Smith fired by my father. I do believe she was just distraught over the idea that she had driven someone to take their own life. However, Sheila did complain about a Milwards worker, and I did hear that someone was fired around that time."

Things were starting to fall apart now. There was just no descisive way to say that it was the same girl. "Well, Daisy Renton, if that was indeed the name she was born with, was definitely sacked from Mr Birling's company. However, he mentioned firing multiple women at once due to the strikes, so it is a possibility that she was one of those."

"If it was, she didn't work for us under the name you know her by. I do the books, organise who we have to pay and all of that malarkey. We have had a Renton before, but it was a young girl around sixteen years old who died of consumption."

"I think we should do some investigating. The Croft family is very influential, we can get access to census records, so I'll check who Margaret is and if she indeed has this brother."

"I'll go over the lists for Birling and Co.'s workers again."

Upon deciding what their next course of action would be, the two men shared a tender embrace and said their goodbyes, leaving the house and walking briskly in opposite directions.