e lucevan le stelle
anna gray was dead on paper, thanks to people's laziness.
in 1924, anna bernard was suppose to go to Birmingham with her guardian, attend grace burgess' wedding and leave the city. easy and uncomplicated ― the reality however was...
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It was fair to say that ever since Grace Shelby's death, things in Small Heath Birmingham have been rather difficult. Thomas had gone on a bender of booze and bad decisions. He was almost impossible to be with and everyone understood and had sympathy for him ― he had just lost his wife. People have barely seen Thomas at all, just the members of his family knew where he was.
So when Michael came to see him, Isiah wasn't too surprised to hear all the drama Thomas has set upon his family. The Shelbys have a strange concept of family and how to treat it which Isiah has never really understood.
"So he's gone mental?" Isiah asked when he and Michael entered a pub.
Michael shrugged. "A little. Sometimes he pretends as if nothing happened. Then he goes to some depressive spiral. Mum's a bit worried."
"Your mum always worries," said Isiah.
"That's true," Michael admitted and sat down. "I want to learn how to shoot a gun properly."
Isiah's eyes widened. "Oh well now I understand why she worries. But why do you want to do that? I thought you were interested in the legitimate business, not the off tracks one."
"I need to learn how to shoot. There's someone who needs a bullet to their head, and I want to be the one who makes that happen," Michael muttered so that at first, Isiah had hard time understanding what he was saying.
"Who is it that you want to kill?" Isiah asked.
"Father Hughes," said Michael.
Isiah rubbed the back of his neck. "The long faced man. Why?"
"I just do," Michael said and left no space for argument or more questions.
But he did noticed how Isiah was getting more and more uncomfortable now that he had mentioned Father Hughes ― it made Michael nauseous.
"You don't seem to like him either," he observed.
Isiah shrugged. "I met him at Grace's party. He was a bit off."
Michael swallowed but put his thoughts aside. He waved at the bartender who served them two glasses of whiskey in no time. Being a Shelby or a close friend of theirs really paid of in a small place like Small Heath, Birmingham.
