midwife » michael gray. [completed]

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT.

  → CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT; POWER.

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The murder of Father Hughes rocked through the convent, sending the nuns into mourning and prayers became louder and more communal. Memorials were held, with burning white candles and flowers and prayers that Hannah was forced to attend to stop suspicious behaviour arising. She felt as if she was betraying Michael by attending the vigil that was dedicated to Father Hughes but what was she to do? Not turn up and have the sister's spite her for God knows how long.

Hannah had to sit back and smile graciously, keep her delight for Father Hughes demise to the privacy of her bedroom when she was away from everybody else. The nuns and church were mourning the death of someone cherished in the religious community, but they remained ignorantly unaware of the sickening and sinful acts that Father Hughes committed during his time of serving God. Father Hughes was a waste of a life and it was sad to think that his title could have been given to someone more commendable who would have done more society, not ruin people's lives by being down right disgusting and a disgrace to God himself.

Alexandra had noticed Hannah's withdrawal from the group, but she thought nothing of it, thinking that she was perhaps unhappy because the orphanage idea would harder to accomplish now that a powerful man was not by her side. Hannah nodded when Alexandra brought this up to her and shut the conversation down before it got too deep and Hannah ended up suffering from some nervous breakdown because of everything that had piled on within such a short few weeks.

The orphanage would still go ahead, with or without anybody's else. Hannah was an intellectual woman with brains like no other, she would make it work somehow and hopefully, Michael would be by her side when she cut to the ribbon to welcome orphaned children a place of protection. That was if he made any attempt to contact her. It had been two weeks since their argument in the garden and Hannah was missing him, more than what she wished she did. His crimes had been committed, and she had to move on from that and believe him when he said that he did not want to murder anymore men. It was a hard thing to process in Hannah's eyes - how was she supposed to look at Michael again knowing that he put a bullet through a man in London? Father Hughes she could accept - if she was brave enough, she would have done it herself - but she couldn't forgive him for killing somebody else.

"It really is a shame about Father Hughes. I just don't understand why someone would kill an innocent man dead in the middle of a religious place. It sickens me," Sister Maria said as she angrily places medicine bottles into her medical bag, the sound of the glass clinking making Hannah more and more frustrated. All the nurses and nuns were stood around the large table, discussing the preparations for Father Hughes funeral which Hannah would most likely have to attend. "Who did it? That's what I want to know. They say that it could possibly be a man who is against the religious ideology, but I find that to be silly. What do you think?"

"I think that we should all shut up about Father Hughes and focus on the mothers. We have three mothers due today, every one of them first timers," Hannah spoke with a firm tone, not daring to make eye contact with anyone else. She was fed up of everyone speaking about Father Hughes as if he was some brilliant man who did wonders for society and Small Heath. If only they knew the truth. Hannah couldn't tell everyone about the abuse that poor children suffered from, including her own husband-to-be, because of Father Hughes as it would be against Michael's wishes and it wasn't her story to tell but it was becoming harder to keep her mouth shut.

Alexandra poked her elbow into Hannah's side and shook her head, wordlessly warning Hannah of what could happen if she continued to be bad-mannered towards the Sister's. Hannah should have been fired by now for the amount of times she had made up excuses, the whole escapade with Mr. Maxwell who was still recovering in hospital and the situation with Michael but for some odd reason, she was still there, and Hannah was not complaining about it. The unfriendliness would fade away eventually.