𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝘿𝙪𝙤 ; 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙨 𝙎𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙗𝙮 [ BOOK 2 ]

TWENTY NINE

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE; BLINDING LIGHTS

The other woman was strong, though no human would pose a threat against Caroline Shelby, and so, when she strode through the Garrison doors, she shuffled uncomfortably in the bar stool, almost retreating from known territory; her husband.

Caroline knew who she was. Jessie Eden was an enigmatic union convener. She lead all female factory workers in Birmingham out on strike protesting on the Bull Ring and no doubt Jessie had come to Thomas yet again to bravely speak with him about equal pay for women across all his factories, as if Caroline already hadn't demanded so.

"Must you fear that I could be so problematic?" Caroline jested. "Surely my behaviour isn't so challenging."

"Are you here because you want involvement in the movement or because you are afraid of what could happen if your husband is left alone with another woman?" Jessie pressed against the hostile environment with newfound pride. "Though, with what he and I shared, I do not blame you for having sinister intentions."

"You are no woman if you are attempting to tear me down based on my own insecurities from tragic situations." Caroline smirked. "Besides, if your husband kissed a hag to make business progress, you'd have doubts too."

"How dare you!"

"How foolish of you to believe he actually had feelings for you." Caroline's gaze then caught Tommy's whose eyes shone with desire. "And you are even more of a fool if you believe that he will ever love any woman half as much as he does me."

Already drunk, Thomas unscrewed a cork from a newly opened bottle of alcohol and the clatter it made so suddenly against the ceiling caused Jessie to jump, though Caroline remained frozen, her nails drumming against the surface of the table as her eyes fixated daggers into Jessie's head. 

"Revolution." He rose the bottle before pouring.

Jessie cleared her throat, putting differences aside for more important matters. "So, how's life as a socialist?"

Thomas tapped the flute. "This glass - the bubbles, each bubble has the same chance to rise."

"That's a peculiar form of socialism."

He continued. "And this bottle - once the cork comes out, you can't get it back in. You need to finish what you started. It's cleverness, that's all."

Jessie didn't seem seem amused. "So you're playing at this."

"People can be turned around. Even your people."

"My people?"

"Yeah." Thomas swallowed. "For them it's just the same. Communism. Fascism. For most people, it's an apple and an apple."

Jessie glared. "Fascism is the subject of the rally. I want you to speak against it."

Caroline snorted. "Of course you do."

"In answer to your question, I cannot address your rally because it's not part of the current strategy."

Jessie eyed the intoxicated man sadly. "Are you okay, Thomas?"

"What does the state of my husband have to do with this discussion?" Caroline abruptly stood from the chair, her hands slamming down on either side of the table so hard that Jessie practically ran towards the exit. "Everything is okay until the likes of you sniff around my territory."

Without a shadow of a doubt, Jessie bolted through the door and didn't look back twice, for if she did, she'd be dead, because Caroline's looks were proven to kill. Caroline's heart ached from previous palpitations, and with a gasp, she clutched her chest as her body fell against the table. Thomas was drunk and unsturdy, but he was sober enough to register that his wife was in pain, and to see how she pushed his helping hand away in turn for a swig of alcohol deflated him significantly.