Chapter Text
Anne and Ann were spending a week in London, having been invited down from Halifax to attend Vere’s daughter, Anne’s first birthday. Being friends with Mrs Cameron now, Anne found no reason not to go to London and bring Ann with her. After all, with the business of the coal pits keeping Anne occupied every waking moment, she acknowledged that some quality time away, just the two of them, would be most agreeable.
Upon their arrival two days previous, Anne and Ann had gotten themselves into a routine. Every morning they’d go for a walk through the nearby gardens, when Anne received no objection from her wife the first day she asked, Anne couldn't help but feel relieved that her wife was feeling a lot better in herself, in comparison to how she has been in the past.
After their walk through the gardens, they’d walk past the local bakery and head back towards their hotel, where they’d enjoy a breakfast spread for the rest of the morning, before going to the Cameron Residence and spending the afternoon with Vere and Anne, Donald would catch them on their departure after arriving home, offering them the most charming of smiles, wishing them a lovely evening.
Today was their third day in London, both women strolling along the streets of London, hands grazing innocently between them as they swayed in time to their pace. Anne felt herself absentmindedly slowing her usually fast-paced walk, subconsciously not to seeming to want to rush Ann.
As they passed the bakery, Anne recognised the familiar sight of a little boy scurrying out of the bakery, the baker hot on his heels yelling empty threats towards the child. Anne had noticed the same child the day before, and the day before that. Curiosity got the better of her and she reached out to hold Ann’s wrist, leading her in the direction of the little boy who’d ran off down the lane beside the bakery.
Ann squeaked in surprise at the change of the direction, but followed her wife nonetheless, sliding her hand down to hold her wife’s properly. There were no prying eyes in the narrow cobble-stoned lane, so she feared no on-lookers.
Anne was too focussed on following the child to really notice the affectionate gesture. The determination set in her brows and shoulders had Ann intrigued also.
“Where are we going?” Ann whispered, giving her wife’s hand a gentle squeeze to get her attention.
Anne shook out of her myriad of thoughts and raise her wife’s hand to her lips briefly for a swift kiss.
“I’ll let you know as soon as we get there.” she answered vaguely.
Ann’s brow furrowed and her grip on her wife’s hand tightened minutely.
Anne led the through the lane and out the other side. Looking both ways before crossing the street, Anne searched exasperatedly for the child, high above the heads of the crowd gathered outside of the various shop windows in the street, and low enough to see if the young boy had crawled his way through the hoard of people.
Ann was looking around aimlessly, at a loss for what her wife was searching for, when she spotted the small figure of a child climbing over a fence not too far away from them.
“Oh, Lord!” she covered a gasp with her free hand.
Anne’s attention fixed on her wife instantly, worry colouring her features, as she searched Ann for any sign of injury.
“What? What is it?” Anne searched her wife head to toe frantically, uncaring of the people who could see them standing so close, as plain as day all around them.
Ann pointed toward the small figure scrambling over the fence, and Anne just caught glimpse in time to see him jump over the far side of the gate.
“A-ha!” Anne exclaimed, dragging her wife behind her as went.
Dropping Ann’s hand, Anne pressed against the fence, trying to find an easier way to get through and fast, she didn’t want to lose sight of the child.
“If you go through the book shop, there’s a door that leads out back.” a man smoking a cigar provided, nodding toward the book shop right beside them.
“Thank you.” Anne nodded and once again set off, this time Ann was practically nodding to keep up with her wife.
Darting through the various customers within the shop, Anne reached the open back door just in time to catch the little boy turn a right.
By the time Ann reached the doorway, her wife was halfway down the cobbled street, rolling her eyes fondly and sighing heavily, she set off on the heels of Anne, wondering just what in the merry hell has gotten into her.
When she turned the corner, she bumped into her wife who was stood stock-still in the middle of the lane.
“Anne.” the blonde admonished gently, straightening her skirts before looking up at her wife.
When her gaze did reach her wife’s face, Ann saw nothing but concern and confusion etched all over Anne’s face.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, briefly glancing around to see if there was anyone about, before reaching up and caressing Anne’s cheek.
Her wife’s touch drew her from her thoughts and she shook her head as she tried to make sense of things.
“There was a little boy… is a little boy… I’ve seen him every morning since we arrived here in London.” Anne stated breathlessly.
Ann nodded encouragingly, despite not fully understanding where her wife’s train of thought was headed.
“Every morning after we walk through the gardens, we walk by a bakers… and every day since we arrived, I’ve seen him run out of the bakery with a small piece of bread.” Anne explained, somewhat impatiently.
Ann was completely lost, the look on her face saying just as much, causing Anne to pinch the bridge of her nose and sigh before continuing.
“Today the shopkeeper chased him out and I…” she trailed off into silence as she collected her thoughts once more.
“Well, I don’t know what I was going to do exactly, maybe make him go back and apologise for outright stealing from the man, but…” Anne shook her head and fixed her collar, the tiniest of pouts on her lips.
“But what?” Ann asked, her fingertip tracing the pout on her wife’s lips.
Anne didn’t - couldn’t - answer with words, instead she pointed abruptly to the building just down the street from them. The building where the little boy had crawled through the broken side-window of.
Ann followed her wife’s gesture and barely contained the pained gasp on her lips.
‘St. Augustine’s Orphanage.’ the name of the building hit both women like a tonne of bricks.
Ann felt her feet move of their own accord, walking closer to the dark and grim-looking building.
“Ann.” Anne reached out to grab her wife’s arm but wasn’t quite quick enough.
The blonde’s feet carried her up the front steps and into the building, crossing the threshold giving her goosebumps alone.
Anne stopped outside, glancing up at the name of the building once more. A burning anger simmering within her at the smaller words written just underneath.
‘Home for unwanted children.’ Anne felt bile rise in her throat and stormed into the building behind her wife.