Sorry, it's been so long guys.

Hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Thank you for sticking with me.

I would like to say a massive thank you to 'mymymetrocard'. I wouldn't have been able to do half of this without your help. Thanks to everyone else for making me write because I know you all enjoy this story and I enjoy writing this.

Please enjoy xx

I'm currently editing this piece of work - when I mean editing, I mean I'll be adapting the story and plot, and I will be checking for grammar and spelling mistakes, but I may miss some as my main focus is on shaping the story, so it flows well before I continue adding more chapters. I am sorry if it takes a while, but I do hope you'll all be patient with me.

I would recommend re-reading each new edited chapter as there may be changes that would fit in with future chapter and future edits.

Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoy.

If you do have any problems or any suggestions, please let me know.

Edited: 11/02/18

"What's wrong Aunt Ellie?" Jacob asked as he sat on my lap, his small fingers grabbing onto the long curls that tumbled out of the bun I had shoved it into earlier.

"Nothing, sweetheart," I mumbled to the boy as he rested his head against my shoulder, dropping back off to sleep.

Polly had sent the boys to bed after dinner, but Jacob had come down in tears thirty-minutes later. Tommy and the boys had been gone for three hours now.

Polly wouldn't let me go after them, saying that they could handle the business with Graves and that I should just wait for them to come home.

It was hard to just sit here without knowing if Tommy was alright.

"They'll be alright, El," Ada declared as she swapped between smoking to drinking every few minutes. "They're Shelby's."

"That's not comforting Ada," I mumbled, wrapping my arms around Jacob a little tighter. If anything, being a Shelby meant violence. It was their way.

The door slamming shut had all three of us looking towards the door, waiting for someone to enter. Arthur stumbled through the door, a black bruise covering his left eye, but a large drunken smile covering his lips.

"Mrs Shelby," he chuckled as he stumbled his way over to me, pressing a sloppy kiss on my cheek as John entered the kitchen in a similar drunken state.

"Sweet sister," John cried grabbing Ada by the shoulder as he pulled her from her seat and into a hug. What had these two been up to?

"What in the hell is wrong with you?" Ada spat, pushing John away from her as she stepped away from the table, her arms crossed.

"Married," Arthur giggled, and it was a giggle coming from him. "Our Tommy boy picked a right beauty, don't you say so Johnny Boy?" Arthur called to John, causing the other Shelby man to look at me. Arthur pulled me up from my seat then and I wrapped my arms around Jacob, hoping he wouldn't fall.

John looked over then, his smile widening on his face as he stepped over to me bring me into a hug like he had Ada. With his arms wrapped around me, John pulled back and looked down at the boy in my arms.

"Little Jake," John cooed scooping the boy from my arms and cradling him against his chest. Even with John being drunk, he treated his boy with care. Giving a small jerk of his head, John spun on his feet and left the room, his feet thumping up the stairs.

"Arthur," Polly called out, smacking the eldest Shelby on the shoulder as he stared at me, ignoring her. "Where's Tommy?" she asked the question that I had wanted to ask. Arthur didn't answer her, just muttered under his breath something about weddings and babies. "Arthur!"

"It's al'ight Aunt Pol," Tommy's voice came from the doorway, causing my heart to speed up as my eyes flashed to him. His face was bruised, his lip split and blood dried around his nose.

"Tommy," I sighed out, rushing to his side quickly, ignoring the look Polly gave me as I cradled his face in my hands gently. "What happened?" I asked assuming the worst. All three of them had returned looking like shit and I knew something had happened.

"Graves—"

"Graves insulted Tommy's wife and Tommy here started a fight," Arthur declared cutting Tommy off before he could answer me.

"Wife? What wife?" Ada asked sounding confused as she stepped back towards the table. I glanced at her over my shoulder before turning back to face Tommy as my face flushed with embarrassment. Locking my eyes with Tommy, I wished he'd just let me see what he was feeling for once. I hated how he always looked so calm and collected.

"Go to bed, Ada," Tommy said not taking his eyes off me.

"I'm not a child Tommy, you don't get to tell me—"

"Go to bed!" his voice was stern and if it was me he was talking to I wouldn't argue with him. Maybe it was the beaten-up face that went along with his stern look that had Ada shuffling up the stairs. "Arthur leave."

"Sure, Tommy Boy," Arthur chuckled leaving the kitchen with a spring in his step as he whistled a tune.

Tommy clenched his jaw, the action making my fingers slip down his cheeks. I ran my fingers over the bruise on his cheek, swiping along his split lip lightly. Tommy held my hands in his softly before lowering them and moving past me towards the table.

I followed him with my eyes as he took Ada's drink and down it quickly. His shoulders were hunched over as he rested his hands on the table. He was quiet, not making a sound, only letting out one deep sigh.

"I hope you're gonna explain what the fuck is going on, Thomas," Polly spat out as she stepped closer to him. Tommy glanced at her before refilling the empty glass.

"Graves thinks Elsie and I are married," he announced as if it was common knowledge that Tommy and I were married and not a lie.

"And you didn't think to correct him?" Pol questioned walking around the table until she was stood facing Tommy. "When people hear about this … do you know what this is gonna start? Her grandfather will be after your neck!" I closed my eyes at Polly's words. If she only knew that Papa was in on it.

"He already knows," Tommy told her, a cigarette hanging from his lips as he lit it. Polly opened her mouth but closed it just as quickly.
Polly closed her eyes, one hand covering her face as she mumbled under her breath. She was no doubt cursing Tommy for getting us into this situation.

"What did Graves want?" I asked breaking the silence causing both Tommy and Polly to look at me. Tommy was quiet for a moment and I knew he was deciding whether to tell us.

"He wants to make a deal with your grandfather."

"Papa would never—"

"He would if your life was threatened." Tommy's words had me stepping back as if he'd just pulled his gun on me.

"He threatened me? That's why you got into the fight?" he didn't answer, just looked at the empty glass on the table as smoked his cigarette. "Tommy, what are you keeping from me? Don't pretend you're not, I can see there's something you're hiding," I added watching as his jaw tightened as I spoke. Tommy looked at me then, something unusual in his eyes.

"Don't stay up Pol, we won't be back until tomorrow," he told the elder woman, grabbing my arm as he pulled me out of the house.

"Where are we going?" I questioned as he took us to the garage that housed their car. It was around the corner from their house, opposite the factory.

"We're going to pay your grandfather a visit."

When Tommy pulled up to the estate, it was past midnight. He hadn't spoken a word to me on the way here, ignoring my questions and the looks I gave him.

He kept his eyes on the road the whole time, his jaw clenching every now and then when I asked a question. I got that he didn't want to talk to me about what happened, but he could have at least said something to me.

So many things were going through my head. What had Graves wanted? Why were we going to see my Papa now? Why couldn't it have waited until the morning?

Tommy shut off the engine, keeping us sat in silence for a few seconds before he opened his door. I followed his actions, climbing out of the car and making my way up the steps of the estate.

I had never noticed how creepy looking the place was in the dead of night when all the lights were out.

Tommy shifted next to me, his hand settling on the ringer that alerted the staff there was someone at the door. I could guarantee that whoever opened the door was not going to be happy.

As we waited – in silence again – I looked over Tommy, taking in how the bruise on his cheek was turning darker. I wonder what Graves looks like if Tommy looks like this?

"Who in the hell—" the door swung open, the voice of one of our staff cutting off as I glanced at the door. "Lady Elsie," it was one of the valet's, Eddison Smith, a twenty-two-year-old intelligent and ambitious black man who Papa was mentoring.

Papa had found Eddison working at a small corner shop just outside of London. He'd seen straight away that Eddison was smarter than he let on and asked him what he planned to do in the future.

Eddison had told Papa that he was planning on working so he could support his mother and younger brothers. Papa had offered him a job then as his valet but told him he would mentor him in the art of business and had offered him a place as his apprentice. Eddison had accepted quickly and had been working for Papa for four years now.

"Hey, Eddison, sorry for waking you so late," I said slipping into the house as he opened the door wider. "Would you mind getting Papa for me. It's important."

"Sure thing, Lady Elsie," Eddison looked to Tommy, no doubt having heard about his last visit. "Why don't you take Mr. Shelby into the parlour while you wait? I'll send Miss May to you with tea."

Eddison rushed towards the stairs, leaving me with Tommy. Once again, we were in silence.

"You're starting to annoy me," I muttered to him as I lead him into the parlour. Papa loved this room, preferred it to his office, but it had nothing on the library.

The library was my place. Grandmother never went in there, she thought it was too constricting for her and didn't hold enough light. She preferred the sunroom and had claimed that as her own.

"What?" he grunted, dropping down onto one of the plush couches with a deep sigh. He must have been aching. I could only guess that his body had bruises from the fight.

"Could you at least talk to me, Tommy? You haven't said a word since we left. I know something's going on with Graves, yet you won't tell me anything." He didn't answer, just looked at me as he pulled out a cigarette, popping it in his mouth. Dropping down onto the couch next to him, I grabbed the cigarette from his mouth. "You said that Graves threatened me, yet you won't explain. Why are you doing this Tommy?"

"Elsie," his tone was gruff like he was scolding a child. His fingers gripped hold of my hand, tugging me closer to him. His face was inches from mine, his breath brushing my face like a gentle caress. "I'm trying to protect you,"

"I don't need your protection, Tommy," I hissed, trying and failing to pull my wrist from his grasp.

"You can't look after yourself. You've made that clear in the past."

"What that's supposed to mean?" I snapped, feeling the anger grow inside me. Why was it Tommy always made me angry?

"The first time I met you, you were covered in blood and fixing your cousin up from a stab wound. That proves to me that you can't protect yourself," he answered, shifting in his seat as his hand trailed up my arm, resting on my elbow.

"It wasn't my blood and I wasn't hurt."

I could tell that my cheeks were flushed with anger and by the way Tommy kept shifting, I could tell that he was angry as well. We weren't good for each other. Not that I thought we could be together anyway. Why would Tommy want to be with someone nine years younger than him? I didn't understand what Polly was talking about. Sure, I may have kissed him, but we wouldn't work out.

"You were hit, you had a bruise on your face. I would call that getting hurt," he spat, his fingers tightening on my elbow as his eyes burned with anger. It was the first emotion I had seen in his eyes.

"It was nothing compared to Donnie," I whispered, biting my lip as I remembered how Donnie was.

"I have to protect you," Tommy said softly, his fingers letting go of my elbow and pulling my bottom lip from my teeth.

"Why?"

"Because—"

"Sorry I took so long," Papa announced causing both, Tommy and I to move away from each other. I flushed in embarrassment as I looked over to Papa, biting my lip again.

"Miss May is bringing tea, Papa," I told him, fidgeting as I tried to ignore Tommy's presence next to me.

"Well, we'll wait for her before getting down to business," he looked to Tommy then, dropping into the armchair that sat opposite the couch. "I take it the plan went according to plan?"

"He went for it like I told you he would," Tommy replied, leaning back on the couch, his right arm resting on the arm of the chair.

"That's good," Papa had a smug smile on his face, one I was used to seeing when he wound Grandmother up. "We'll soon have Graves dealt with."

"Could someone please tell me what the hell is going on!" I demanded, not liking the looks Papa and Tommy were sharing.

"Your tea, My Lord," Miss May announced pulling in a cart which held a teapot, three cup and saucers and a plate of biscuits.

They paused until Miss May brought the tea in and waited until they were sure she had gone. While those three minutes weren't long, it felt like I was waiting for hours.

"Well," I started, looking at Tommy and Papa sipping my tea. I knew the best way for them to let everything out was to stay calm and at least try to be collected.

"Elsie, my dear girl, what happened with Graves and Tommy really isn't your concern," Papa stated as he held my gaze. At his words I slammed my cup down onto the side table, ignoring the tea that spilled over the sides.

"I find that it's every bit of my concern Papa, seeing as I was the one that was threatened tonight and not you or Thomas," I spat shifting in the seat so I moved away from Tommy. "If you don't tell me what happened tonight then I suppose I'll just have to go talk to someone else who knows what went down."

"John and Arthur won't tell you what 'appened," Tommy said, plying the cigarette from my fingers, placing it between his lips. I turned my glare onto him then. I hated how he managed to always look so in control.

I had a feeling I knew why he was like this. I know I don't know what it was like being out there, fighting for the country, but I understood a little about it. I understood that we had no control over what happened during the war.

I think that's why Tommy always wanted to be in control. He had no control over anything that happened when he was fighting in the trenches. He needed control over everything now.

"I wasn't talking about John and Arthur, Thomas," I snipped, glad to see some sort of emotion in his eyes at my words.

"You would go to Graves?" he asked, shifting forward so he was sat up straight as he looked at me.

"I would unless the pair of you could find it in your manipulative minds to tell me the truth," I replied resting my hands on my lap as I looked at them both. "It would make me happier if you didn't hide anything from me either."

Thank you for reading xx