Guess who caught COVID? I did! Ffs. After successfully managing to ninja myself out of catching it for 2 years, it's finally got me. Ugh. Good job I'm not Flora, otherwise I would be having a heart attack right now lol. Though writing while coughing your lungs out is never easy. I caught it off a super-spreader child who's been giving it to everyone within a mile radius of them. Bleh. I hope that all of you guys have been managing to stay safe.

For some weird reason, it looks like a bunch of you didn't get the notification that the previous chapter had been uploaded? I have no idea how that happened. Probably a glitch on FanFiction's part like it usually is. Hopefully everything goes through okay this time.

Thank you so much for all of your amazing reviews! Some of them have nearly made me cry! I'm looking at you LeBatman! I was so worried that people would find the historical accuracy boring and that it would be a major turn-off for people, so it really makes me happy when people point out that they're enjoying it! Thank you, thank you, thank you! A lot of you mentioned that there aren't enough more historical accurate fics, and I agree, so I'll point you in the direction of another Black Butler fic writer, who also focuses on Sebastian and original characters: A. S. Oswald. If you haven't read their work already, you're seriously missing out. They're a fellow Victorian history nerd like me, and if you like horror as well, then that'll be a double bonus for you!

Without further ado, here's the next chapter!


7: Lamb To The Slaughter


It was futile, but in burying her head in her soot and paint stained dress, Flora hoped that upon looking back up again, all of this would have just been a terrible nightmare. After all, everything about this situation was incredibly surreal. But the knot in her throat grew larger when she peaked out at her dark bedroom again to see that everything had still been overturned. She was vaguely aware of footsteps following her up the stairs, but she ignored them. Instead, the blonde woman buried her face again, fighting back the tears that burned her eyes. Her entire form trembled, both from the cold and from the fear.

Upon her two companions approaching, the room seemed to grow even colder. Flora curled even tighter in on herself, not wanting to acknowledge them. This was their fault. If they hadn't have kidnapped her, then Flora would have been here for John when he needed her. She could have warned him about what was happening, and she could have saved him.

Oh no... That last thought froze her in place. Saved him.

Could... could he be... ?

Flora reached up to cling to her mother's necklace. If ever there was a time she needed divine help from God, it was now. She would never ask for anything ever again; just that John was safe and alive. She would gladly trade places with him. After all, it was her that they had been after in the first place. For the first time in years, Flora began to pray. Her blue eyes were squeezed tightly shut as she silently called out to her Lord, her Shepard, in the hopes that he would find John and bring him back safely. God could abandon her for all she cared; just please don't abandon John.

Warm fingers ran through the tangled hair on the top of her head, and Flora instinctively gasped and looked up, blue eyes meeting red as a few stray rays of light from the outside streetlamp shone into the room from behind him. It was like a dark orange halo, like the distant fires of hell glowing in the distance, and upon feeling her body burning up, Flora looked away. She furrowed her eyebrows, unable to look at the man who was responsible for all of this. There was nowhere for her to move to though. She had stupidly boxed herself against the rotten walls of her room as the butler loomed over her in a crouched position like the long, dominating shadows from a setting sun. His hand remained on her head, and Flora didn't know whether to cringe away or lean into his touch. It was like her body was being torn in two. Torn in two by the unbearable pull in her chest, that always seemed to draw her towards the butler, and the rational part of her brain that refused to trust him.

It would be so easy to just allow herself to fall forwards onto him. That was what her body was screaming at her to do. She was so exhausted. From everything. For a brief moment, it would be nice to pretend that someone cared for her, and take comfort in the touch of another human. So easy. Too easy. Her eyes drooped, becoming half-lidded, as she gripped at her cloak. His hand was so warm.

With a sigh, Flora frowned and slapped it away from her before shifting herself so that she was less caged in by him, her back now facing the stairs. She could sense his frown, but again, she ignored him. She didn't understand his persona anyway. Why did he have such reactions to her? Reactions that led to behaviour Flora was pretty sure was inappropriate for a man of his position. How dare he presume to touch her all the time! Both him and the noble Phantomhive boy had caused her nothing but trouble.

"Uncivilised fools..."

Speak of the devil. In fact, Flora had almost forgotten he was there.

The earl was stood in the middle of the room, looking around at everything with his little nose wrinkled. He kept away from any objects, his fingers clutching at the flaps of his cloak beside him. He looked so out of place stood in the middle of her dirty and dismal room. Everything about the boy was so pristine and proper. A far cry from the world of London's worst slums. It was almost like an artist had painted him in place rather than the earl actually being physically present there.

"To tear apart a home and take the occupant," the earl continued. "Do they really think that's going to stop them from being apprehended by me? They must need him for something."

Flora's heart sank. She had to find him. She didn't care if the storm was still raging outside. It wasn't as bad as it had been earlier, so she was sure she could manage. After all, she had lived on the streets for the majority of her life; she could handle anything. Surely enough had happened by now to prove that Flora wasn't directly responsible for anything that was happening. She refused to comply with the earl any longer. This was her home! They were intruders, and they had kidnapped her and held her against her will while people had broken in and stolen her master away. A man that was practically her father! A man who had committed no sin in these events!

"My lord, perhaps we should return to the town house?" Sebastian suggested with a small bow. "I can prepare some warm milk or hot chocolate before we plan our next move."

The earl sighed. "This has been a complete waste of time," he hissed out as he began stomping his way back down the stairs. Flora secretly hoped that the rotten wood would give way beneath him, but no such luck. She would normally never think such thoughts, but Ciel was becoming an exception. The boy was insufferable.

But good, they were leaving. Maybe now they would finally leave her alone, and Flora could go and find John. If Mary was in on all of this, then perhaps others were too. Flora was familiar with many people in the area. Someone had to have seen something. The walls were only thin so no doubt her neighbours had at least heard something. She could start with Andrew and Jennette, and those Irish immigrants that lived in the cellar beneath her. There were also a few other people who had also just moved in down there that she wasn't familiar with, but hopefully they would be willing to tell her if they saw or heard something. Flora would just have to swallow her anxieties down to do this. This was for John. She had to do this.

"Let's go, Sebastian," Ciel ordered his butler like a dog again.

Sebastian, however, didn't budge. He remained frozen to his spot, positioned halfway between Flora and his master.

Ciel froze upon realising he wasn't being followed, and he turned his head to glare back at his butler.

"Sebastian," he warned in a lower tone, "I said, let's go."

Sebastian seemed to snap out of whatever state he had been in and gave a small smile before bowing to Ciel. The butler then reached over to try and grab Flora, and with wide eyes, she quickly snatched her hand away, taking a few cautious steps back.

"My lady," Sebastian sighed out, his eyebrow twitching once, "it is time to depart."

Flora frowned and shook her head, stubbornly staying in place.

The butler's eyes widened for a split second before a steel mask fell across his face, hiding his emotions from view. Darkness seemed to ripple off his form, but it was so quick that Flora wasn't sure if she had just imagined it. Sebastian almost reminded Flora of a marionette in that moment as he once again raised a hand to his chest and bowed to her like he had done with Ciel. The eerie smile upon his lips cracked his face while his dark eyes closed. When he spoke again, his tone was sickeningly sweet.

"My lady, I must insist."

Must he? Flora didn't care. She made a point of continuing to ignore him.

"Such a stubborn little kitten you are..." The hushed purring of his voice almost made Flora shudder. He bowed lower before moving the hand from his chest and beckoning towards her. His eyes opened, and Flora could have sworn that they flashed pink for a brief moment, but that would be impossible.

"Come," he tried gently ordering this time, ignoring the snigger that escaped from the earl.

Flora once again shook her head, breaking eye contact with him. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see his lips turn down into a frown before he straightened. Still ignoring him, Flora made her way to her overturned desk, running her cold fingers over the wood, almost unable to feel the rough surface from how dry and shrivelled her digits had become. The longer the butler wasted her time, the longer it would take her to find John.

"Just leave her, Sebastian," the earl finally snapped, making Flora jump. She turned around and became startled again upon realising that the butler had been standing directly behind her for who knows how long. His face was expressionless again, and he was stood perfectly still with his hands down by his sides as if he had been stood there the whole time. How had he moved across the room without Flora hearing him? She knew that her hearing wasn't the best, but these floorboards creaked under the slightest of pressure. Not even a mouse could scurry across the floor without them sounding like they were about to cave in.

Eager to put distance between them again, Flora stepped back, bumping into the desk rather painfully, but she refused to wince or show any more weakness in front of them. She just wanted them to leave. Especially now that she had witnessed all of the strange things that the dark butler could do. If Flora had gotten a bad feeling from them before, she definitely did now.

"My lord..." Sebastian warned in a low tone. "You know very well why I cannot do that..."

The earl sighed in frustration, and still, Flora refused to look at the pair of them. Instead, her eyes remained glued to the floor, tracing patterns in the dark, damp wood, and the cracks and gaps that gave her a brief view of the small room beneath. How she wished she could just fall through the floor right now. Maybe that would help wake her up from this seemingly never-ending nightmare.

Arms snaked around Flora's waist again, making her jump. She leapt free and turned to finally look at the butler who offered her a closed eyed smile.

"My dear flower, we only wish to help you," he purred to her.

Ciel scoffed.

"We'll help you find your guardian and make sure that he's safe. You have my word." He bowed to her, that smile still present on his face.

Meanwhile, Flora blinked at him. Why would he want to help her? Why did he behave this way towards her? Could she trust him? Would he really help her find John? Once again, Flora felt like her mind was being torn in two. She desperately needed help if she was going to find him, but so far, the earl and his butler had brought her nothing but trouble. They were the reason that John had been kidnapped in the first place. But... in their own weird way, they had helped her... Sebastian had saved her from Mary, and rescued her from the cold storm. He had kept her warm and semi-comfortable, if you looked past the times he had nearly scared her to death.

What if it was some sort of honey trap, though? Like the sweet nectar that lined a carnivorous plant. Though Flora had never seen one before, her mother had told her all about them from her time working in many different gardens. She had told her of one noble she had worked for who found such creatures fascinating. It seemed that this experience had given her mother an even greater respect for all things botanical. Before, it had just been a job, but after her experience with the noble, it had become a calling. Through this, she had learned how they all worked, and passed the knowledge down to Flora. And Flora knew that people were just like plants. Sebastian very much reminded her of the carnivorous plants her mother had spoken about.

Flora blinked back into reality when the butler held out a gloved hand towards her again. It was so pristine, soft and inviting, like the petals of an innocent white rose. Her eyes drifted towards Ciel who was frozen halfway down the stairs, watching the two of them with his one blue eye narrowed. The earl certainly seemed to know a lot about what was going on, therefore, Flora might very well need his help. It never hurt to have more allies, even if she didn't completely trust them. They had a common enemy, and after all, how did that familiar saying go? The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

With a quiet sigh, Flora slowly reached her hand up to place it in Sebastian's, making sure to keep the rest of her body as far away as possible. This was a polite gesture and nothing more, especially since her throat closed up every time she tried to speak. Sebastian beamed down at her, and his eyes seemed to flash for the briefest of seconds. The back of the hand that touched his own seemed to burn slightly before the feeling vanished. It was so quick that Flora wasn't even sure if she had felt anything. Her knees wobbled, and she almost collapsed, but she stubbornly held her composure. That familiar pulling in her chest returned as a dull ache that caused her heart rate to increase.

The clearing of a throat snapped both Flora and Sebastian out of whatever trance they had been in.

"If we could continue," the earl sighed out before making his way back downstairs.

Flora blushed and snatched her hand back while Sebastian merely chuckled at her. She followed after Ciel, with Sebastian hovering directly behind her like a shadow. It sent tingles down her spine which the young woman did her best to ignore. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, Sebastian remained behind her, his chest almost pressing against her back. Every time Flora would try to move, he would only follow. His eyes burned into the back of her head, and Flora was already beginning to regret her decision to allow them to help her.

"Is anything missing?" Ciel abruptly turned to her and asked.

Flora frowned as she thought. They had very few possessions, so it didn't take long for her to sort through them in her mind. They had nothing of value. She had taken the last of their spangle when she had been sent out for supplies. And any supplies of value that they did have, Flora had dropped when Mary had attacked her. All they had was what little they had to sell in their shop. But none of that seemed to be missing. Nothing appeared to have been missing in her room either.

That's when it hit her.

Flora began nodding, her eyes widening as they locked onto Ciel.

"Let me guess," the earl replied as he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. He pulled it open and faced the contents towards Flora. The old paper contained a sketch of a very familiar looking box, only this time, it was sat on a fancy looking cushion with a glass case surrounding it. There was writing underneath, but Flora paid little attention to that. "It looks like this?"

Again, Flora nodded.

Ciel sighed. "This was the item that was stolen from Her Majesty's collection. So you did have it this whole time? You had found this item and said nothing?! I had given you chance after chance to confess!"

Flora whimpered and fell backwards, colliding with Sebastian's chest again. She desperately wanted to protest, but her throat was being squeezed like a giant snake had wrapped itself around her. She should say something. She needed to say something! How was she supposed to know that the box had been anything of value? It had just contained a broken piece of mirror! Did Ciel even know what was inside? Probably not, otherwise, surely he would have understood.

"My lord, how was she supposed to know?" Sebastian voiced her thoughts for her, much to her relief. For once, he kept his hands to himself, and for that the young blonde was grateful. She wasn't sure if she could deal with being smothered right now. It allowed her to feel like she could bolt if the opportunity presented itself.

"I have no doubts that she opened it." Ciel's eyes narrowed on her suspiciously. "Whatever is inside is obviously of high value to be in the queen's collection and for it to be stolen like it was."

So Flora was right. He had no idea.

"It is of my knowledge that only the most highly regarded group of people are aware of the contents of the obsidian box," Sebastian explained as Flora felt him move one hand up to rest under his chin. "Whoever we are dealing with as the thieves perhaps either stole it in the hopes of obtaining something valuable, or they have their well-connected sources."

"But even I am unaware of what's inside," Ciel huffed.

Oh if only they knew that they were fighting and stealing just a stupid broken piece of glass, Flora thought to herself. Ciel looked back at her with jealousy for a moment before he huffed again and looked away, his nose once again held high in the air. His pout was rather adorable, even if his behaviour was annoying, and Flora found herself almost giggling despite the situation. It made his round cheeks look so pinch-able.

Sebastian smirked. "Legends tells that it is a fragment of a fallen star."

"What nonsense." Ciel rolled his eye. "Either way, it belongs to Her Majesty, and she is eager for its safe return. However, it does beg the question: if they had found what they were looking for, then why take Mr Swindon?"

Flora swallowed nervously. Hands came to rest of her shoulders, but she barely paid them any attention. She was too lost in all of the awful thoughts that were crossing her mind. Images of John lying in a pool of his own blood, his eyes full of fear as he was sold into slavery, or maybe he was being forced to join in on their dirty work. Flora began shifting uncomfortably, unhappy and nervous that the three of them were just standing there and not doing anything.

"I believe the gentlemen in the back might be able to answer our questions," Sebastian suddenly chimed in, and Flora blinked in confusion before the three of them all turned around to the doorway that led into the back room. It was mostly shrouded in darkness, and Flora was beginning to think the butler had gone mad before two very familiar looking men revealed themselves from the shadows.

Sebastian immediately pulled both Flora and Ciel behind him, not that Flora had a problem with being moved around this time. She knew those men. They were the ones who had chased her the day before! They were the ones that had been working alongside Mary! Had they been the ones who kidnapped John? What were they doing back here? Her heart leapt up into her throat at all of the possibilities, each one more horrific than the last.

"Quite the perceptive one," the tallest of the men finally spoke.

"Who are you, and what do you want? Who do you work for?" Ciel demanded, showing no signs of fear as he stepped around Sebastian's arm.

"Well if it isn't the queen's puppy himself," the other male chuckled.

"I am the earl of Phantomhive, and you will refer to me with respect!" the boy barked back.

The two men sniggered.

"Where is the box?" Ciel further interrogated them.

"Soon to be back where it rightfully belongs," the tall one replied.

The other chimed in, "But that's none of our business. The boss just wants us to do one final job before we're paid for all of our hard work."

Flora followed the whole conversation with wide eyes, her fingers unconsciously digging into the fabric of the butler's black coat.

"Which is?"

"We just need the girl." They both pointed towards Flora's tiny form.

Sebastian immediately stiffened while Ciel looked confused. He glanced back towards a terrified looking Flora, his one eye looking her up and down before he turned back towards the two men.

"What do you want her for?"

"We just follow orders, kid."

"Now hand her over."

Flora gasped as she was pulled even more behind Sebastian.

"Not until you tell us what you want her for," Ciel demanded.

Sebastian growled at that. The young blonde could feel it vibrating the air around her, and it only made her heart beat even faster than it already was.

"My lord..." His voice almost didn't sound human.

"Look, kid, we don't ask questions. Mary opened her big gob and look where that got her."

Ciel's eye widened. "You know about that?"

"But of course." The tall one laughed.

"We're the ones who did it. I was quite the assassin back in my prime. All that was left to do afterwards was to wait for you to come crawling out of your own fortress of assassins. We knew that you probably wouldn't leave the girl alone, and we were warned not to underestimate Jeeves here." He nodded his head towards Sebastian.

"So then, little girl," the other spoke to Flora condescendingly, "how about you come with us in exchange for dear old John, eh?"

Flora felt like she was going to be sick. Sebastian's hand grabbing her wrist in a tight hold certainly didn't help matters either. His whole form seemed to blur again, and even Ciel looked slightly unsettled as he watched things play out. However, he quickly composed his features again as he glared at them and then back at the two men.

"I'm afraid that Miss Byrne is currently a suspect in our custody."

"You think we give a shit?"

The clicking of a gun echoed around the room as the tall one pointed the barrel towards the earl. Flora could feel herself growing dizzy from fear, yet Ciel remained neutral. He gazed at the gun as if it was the most boring thing in the world to him. Was this kid suicidal?! How could he be so calm in this situation? He was just a boy! And how could those men even think about shooting a child?! Flora wanted to scream. Wanted to beg those men to leave the earl and his butler alone, but the words were stuck behind that impenetrable fortress that had been built around her vocal cords. Her fists clenched painfully at her sides as tears burned the corner of her eyes. Images of the poor dog, and Mary, flashed before her. She didn't want anybody else to get hurt.

Flora pushed herself out from behind Sebastian and jumped in front of Ciel, her shaking form only able to focus on the barrel of the gun that was now pointed directly at her chest. Then, her view was blocked by a wall of black. She could hear the two men sniggering.

"How sweet... prepared to sacrifice yourselves like this..."

"Miss Byrne," Ciel hissed at her from behind, "we do not bargain with traitors to the crown. You will not be giving yourself up. Sebastian – !"

The earl's orders were cut off by the loud sound of a gunshot. Instinctively, Flora squeezed her eyes shut before she felt a slight breeze before her. Her ears rang from the deafening sound, and the smell of gunpowder in the air became strong. Finally, she cracked one eye open and let out a quiet, strangled cry at the sight of the butler laid on the floor before her. Dark stains oozed from the centre of his torso. He lay flat on his stomach, face pressed against the floor and hidden from view by his thick, messy black hair.

No... oh god... he couldn't be...

"That was easier than I thought." The man holding the gun laughed.

The two men then turned back to Flora and Ciel. Ciel continued to remain indifferent while all Flora could do was stare down at Sebastian's still form. It felt like somebody has stabbed her in the chest with a blunt knife made from thorns. Yet something felt... off... Flora didn't feel as upset as she should be. She felt more... confused... What the hell was going on? Sebastian had just been shot right in front of her!

Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up! All of this just had to be a bad dream!

"Now then, girl, our boss is likely growing impatient." She barely registered the men talking to her.

Ciel pushed her aside, walking across the body of his butler as if he wasn't there, only to pull out his own gun and point it towards them. Flora's eyes widened even more. Where on earth did he get that?! The two men laughed even harder at the sight.

"I think this interfering little brat needs to be taught his place," the smaller one laughed out before pulling his fist back.

Before Flora could even register what she was doing, she had pushed Ciel out of the way. He lost his balance and fell to the ground while something hard collided with Flora's face. Her whole head was whipped to the side by the force of the contact, and the entire right side of her face felt like it had been burned. She fell to the floor in a heap besides Ciel, too shocked to move.

That's when the two men screamed.

"Hitting ladies now, are we?" A familiar voice tutted disparagingly. "This simply will not do." The voice seemed to get deeper towards the end. Flora didn't need to look to know it was Sebastian. In fact, she was too scared to look. He should be dead! He had been shot right in front of her! No man should have survived a bullet to the chest at close range like that! Sebastian's voice sounded more insane than ever, but Flora was questioning if she was the insane one. Her confused and horrified thoughts were cut off by the throbbing developing on her nose and cheek.

"You could have avoided all of this if you didn't insist on being so melodramatic," Ciel complained as he sat back up.

"But my lord, surely it makes the game more entertaining?"

Flora curled into a tight ball with her arms covering her head. Her face was throbbing so badly now that it hurt to even make the slightest twitch. Her cheek felt like it was beginning to swell, and when she quickly darted her tongue over her lips, she could taste blood. Oh god... was it that bad? Was she going to die from her injury?! She was bleeding which meant she had an open cut somewhere! It was going to get infected and then she was going to get sick and die! She couldn't breathe! Air refused to stay in her body as she began panting hysterically.

"I grow tired of this game, Sebastian. Dispose of them both."

The two men yelped again.

"W-wait! You need us to find John!" one of them begged.

Sebastian's eerie chuckle filled the room. "As kind of an offer that is, gentlemen, I have other ways of getting the information I want."

With her ear pressed against the floorboards, Flora could hear every single slow step that Sebastian took towards the men. Each step purposefully vibrated through the wood as if the building had its very own heartbeat. The men had begun backing away and breathing heavily.

"Your... your face!" one of them shrieked.

The two men began running with Sebastian calmly following after them the whole time. Flora listened as they ran back into the back room, attempting to flee through the back door, but it sounded like the old piece of rotten wood wouldn't budge. They continued screaming and begging incoherently, and Flora squeezed her eyes tightly shut and clamped her hands over her ears. She didn't care how much it hurt her face to do so, she just wanted to block out all of the noise. What was Sebastian going to do with them? It didn't look like it would be anything good. Once again, the young blonde only wished to be able to wake up from this nightmare.

A large hand gently pressed down on her head, which made Flora curl into an even tighter ball. With her hands still over her ears, she could only make out muffled voices. The hand soon began dragging its fingers through her hair, massaging her scalp. Another hand stroked over her arm before gently prying it away from her ear.

"Flora?" The butler's voice sounded so different from what it had a few minutes ago. It was no longer deep and menacing. The insane sharp edge was still there, but it was more hypnotic now rather than angry.

"Let me see," he spoke again, barely above a whisper.

Flora locked her joints in place, but Sebastian still easily pulled her hands away before reaching to cup her unharmed cheek and lift her head from the floor. Flora hadn't wanted to look at him, but his face was in front of her before she could move away. Her blue eyes widened, and she gasped when she saw a large purple bruise on his left cheek, and a split in the corner of his lip. Blood also trickled down from his left nostril, and Flora found herself wondering how that had happened, her own injuries suddenly forgotten about.

Fingers tracing her own cheek caused her to flinch away in pain. Sebastian's thumb trailed under her nostril before the young blonde pushed his hand away, not trusting him with her injuries. The white fabric covering his thumb was stained with red blood, and the girl had to fight against the urge to pass out. She was bleeding from her nose too? Was that the blood she had tasted earlier?

Sebastian's eyes flashed pink again as he inspected her face, but Ciel's voice soon distracted them both.

"They've been taken care of?"

"Yes, my young master."

"And you know where they are hiding?"

"Yes, my young master."

Ciel stood up with the help of Sebastian. "Then I think it's time we finally put an end to this little game."

"Yes, my young master."


Chapters that are the bridges between events are always the most frustrating to write for me, so I hope that this chapter has come out okay. Hint hint, leave a review/comment to let me know hehehe. I'm really going to try and focus on this story a lot more, as I have so many ideas for it that I'm excited to explore. So hopefully updates will never take longer than four weeks. Hopefully.

Announcement: Keep an eye on my blog, Twitter, and DeviantArt for concept art regarding this story. This will include characters, buildings, objects and even just some random doodles of ideas. On my Twitter, I already have posted concept art of Flora, John, Flora's necklace, the mirror piece, Flora and Sebastian, as well as the house that Flora and John share. I'm not the best artist in the world, but hopefully it might be something you'll find interesting to look at.


History Notes:

Cellar dwellings – Most poor houses were filled with multiple different people living in different parts of a house. What are simple terraced houses today were split in different areas. It was common for different people to live together as greedy landlords only cared about the rent money having so many people living in one place would give them. People would often be bunking with strangers and other families. Cellar dwellings were by far the worst, often with no windows and natural light. More than one family would be confined to one or two stone rooms. I actually used to live in what was an old Victorian back-to-back terrace, and you could see where the house used to be divided up into separate sections.

Irish immigration – Ireland was suffering one of the greatest man-made famines in history. Many of them fled in the hopes of surviving and making a better life for themselves. Some fled to America, while others fled to England. Racism against the Irish was rampant, and many of them were forced to live in the poorer neighbourhoods, and struggled to find work. There's a lot more to it than this, obviously, but I can never give the issue enough justice by explaining how horrific it was in these notes. I highly suggest looking into it yourselves as it truly was genocide. In fact, Ireland's population still hasn't recovered to this day.