𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝘿𝙪𝙤 ; 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙨 𝙎𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙗𝙮 [ BOOK 2 ]

TWENTY EIGHT

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT; BRING THE NOISE

Walking through the bleak hallway of St. Hilda's orphanage, Caroline huffed hot air through her flared nostrils, sharp and impatient and her heels clicked to the tone of her breath. Her narrowed eyes took in every imperfection of the pristine interior, though the hostile environment proved ill wed intentions. 

Dressed appropriate, she almost mirrored the image of Polly who followed suit with a black dress, hat and coat. Meanwhile, Thomas wore his signature peaked cap upon his usual business attire. Though, his expression was beautiful in the vision of Caroline, as he too was hungry to protect the children who deserved unwavering love, care and attention.

Walking through oak double doors, they entered a room in which a line of nuns prayed together at a dining table of sorts, speaking aloud the 'Our Father' to which Caroline had to reserve a snort. Until the prayer ended, the Shelbys' took their seats across from the women, revenge glistening in their lenses and havoc itching their palms to strike against the people who brought harm to the innocent.

The mother superior began. "You wanted to speak to us, mister Shelby?"

"Yeah."

"All of us?"

"Yeah."

"At six thirty in the morning?"

"Yes."

The mother superior eyed Polly who placed a cigarette between her lips. "We don't smoke in here."

"Well I fucking do." Thomas retorted.

"Nor do we use language." She replied with a sneer.

Caroline glared. "Nor do we find fault in the innocent, yet you do. You fucking do."

Mother superior faltered ever so slightly as she turned her attention back to Tommy. "May I ask what this meeting is about?"

"The Shelby Foundation is the biggest single source of funding for this charitable institution, devoted to the care of orphaned girls of south Birmingham, yeah?"

She nodded towards him. "For which we give thanks."

"I have a temper similar to the one described in that report." Caroline glanced to the page within Thomas's hands. "Yet, unlike you, I wait until I'm matched in size."

"Whose report?"

Caroline puffed heavily on the cigarette, replying to the nun. "The testimony of children."

Unnerved, she hastily took the report from Tommy's grip. "Who have they spoken to?"

"You'd have them only speak to God." Polly mused.

"God be their witness."

Thomas spoke raw truth. "There is God and there are the Peaky Blinders. This is Sparkhill, we're in Small Heath. We are much, much closer at hand than God."

Caroline's lips pursed. "And we have heard terrible things."

The nun fought her corner in comparison to her sisters who remained silent. "We have, in this place, children of the worst sort. They lie as easily as breathe."

"You had a child half black. You made her wash with a different soap."

Caroline's blood boiled as the truth unravelled from Polly's mouth, and when her piercing eyes fixated, the mother superior shifted in her seat, uncomfortable by the uncouth amount of hatred sent her way, though this only made Caroline's hostility thicken. She couldn't believe that women could treat children so unkind, purely based on skin tone. Caroline Shelby was many things, but racist was not one of them, and like hell would she allow anyone to mistreat a child, specifically because of their identity.