Chapter Text
CHAPTER 0 - prologue
Eva Smith was at her wits’ end - she was close to being turned out of her apartment and she hadn’t been employed for a few months. Every employer had refused her after Eva had revealed that she was fired from Birling and Company most recently. There wasn’t anything that she could do - except scrap her dignity and pride and beg for her job back.
Dressed in her old work uniform, Eva Smith was swept into the crowd of young women flooding the factory entrances. She eased into her old work routines, nimbly dodging machines. I could get used to this again, she mused. When Mr Birling’s office came into view, she felt her heart falter.
“You can do this Eva, all that you need to do is apologise and ask for your job back” she reminded herself.
Her apprehension grew with each step she took towards the office. Could she really do this? She took her chances and knocked.
“Come in.” A disinterested voice echoed from behind the door. Eva scurried in.
“Mr Birling - sir - please, allow me a second chance at the factory. I swear on my life that I’ll never repeat my actions.”
“Who are you again?”
Eva froze. The words echoed around her brain. Was she truly that irrelevant? If she disappeared, would anyone remember her?
“I’m Eva Smith, sir. I need this job back. I promise to never do something like that ever again.” Eva pleaded.
“I remember you Miss Smith, and I strictly remember that I told you to never come back here again.” Mr Birling replied icily.
“Please sir, I’m begging you! I’ll do anything you ask me to, please just let me come back to the job.”
“You’ll do anything, will you?” He looked her up and down.
“Yes sir, I will..”
“Then don't leave, and don’t come back, you hear me? I’ve had enough of you damn people coming round here and begging for jobs after you’ve rightfully been fired.” He looked at her as if she was a mere bug.
She trudged away, hunched in defeat. She had been so terribly optimistic in th
“There’s nothing left for me at Brumley, or at Cotshire.” She walked over the bridge, paused and approached the edge.
That was the end of Eva Smith.
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Eric decided that something was off this morning. For starters, he had woken up perfectly fine, even though he had gone out drinking the very last night. Second of all, Edna still hadn’t come to wake him up yet, even though it had just struck 8 o’ clock. When he had gone down to breakfast, there was something moody in the air. Zeroing in on his sister, he called out to her.
“Say, Sheila, what’s gotten you so down?”
“if you’d read the newspaper like I have, you’d feel the same way.” she replied. Eric could feel that she wasn’t trying to rib him in any way. He picked up the newspaper, read the headline and had to muffle a gasp at the front page.
BREAKING NEWS - YOUNG WOMAN DROWNED HERSELF - IS BIRLING & CO. TO BLAME?
Involuntarily, he read further.
A young woman was found floating in the river in the early morning. A check of her body indicates that she drowned herself. She was clearly dressed in the Birling & Co. factory uniform, which leads investigators to believe that they are the root of the problem. An investigation on the conditions of the factory will be launched.
He dropped the newspaper.
“Mother - this - this isn’t true, is it? It can’t be -”
Mrs Birling kept silent. Eric pressed on. “And surely there isn't anything wrong with the factory, right?
“Eric. I’m sure your father will sort this out.” Her speech was stilted in manner - almost as if she had practised beforehand what to say to him.
“Then - it is true - isn’t it? Father caused this poor girl to commit suicide.”
Mrs Birling seemed to almost explode at that, yelling “Your father is not at fault in this situation, he has done nothing wrong!” Eric shrank back. His mother continued, “That girl should have just settled with what she had - girls like her wouldn’t have gotten anything better than this, and-“
A knock rang out, silencing Mrs Birling and forcing her to contain herself.
“Ma’am, S- Oh, I apologise, I must be interrupting something,” Edna started apologising profusely.
Massaging her forehead, she said, “No, no, Edna, I was just done. What is it?”
“Sir is here.” And with that, she left. Eric almost lit up at that. His father would quite obviously know about this; this whole affair was about him, of course.
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Mr Birling was in a terrible mood - how could a distinguished business owner like him not feel how he did?
“These newspapers have nothing better to do than make things up. This whole business is just a bunch of lies,” he muttered.
“Father! Were you at the factory? What happened?” Eric practically attacked him with questions.
“Those reporters swarmed me every time they had the chance to. They said that I’ll be called into court - how stupid is that?” As if by magic, a knock rang out.
“Edna, see who is outside.”
“Yes sir.”
After a few minutes of waiting, she returned. “Sir, an inspector has called.”