Chapter: twenty-eight: No good deed
"They're back!" Rosemary screams as Kate and Thomas trudge up the stairs. "They're alright!" her eyes narrow. "You got me ice cream?"
"They didn't have the stupid lemonade." Thomas points out. "Kate picked out an ice cream for you, so you better like it."
"Who cares about the lemonade?" Rosemary demands as she grabs the ice cream container. "I'm glad you two are alright." her eyes narrow. "You look terrible."
"Luckily," Thomas guides her into the parlor towards the settee. "I don't care what you think." Kate laughs as Thomas sits down on the settee, putting his feet up. She rolls her eyes as he reaches for her. "Come here."
She sits down beside him, but Thomas has other ideas. He sits up partly, but only to bring her feet up on the couch and then pull her down beside him. "We shouldn't do this." She moans as he runs a hand through her hair. "Thomas."
"You're not engaged anymore." He reminds her as his hand circles around her waist. "You're mine, to do with as I please."
She sighs and closes her eyes. "Fine, you're dealing with mother."
"Has something happened?" Rosemary asks an excited hesitation in her voice.
"Let your sister rest." Thomas says as he kisses her hand. "We'll talk about it tomorrow. There's been enough drama for one day." Kate nods in agreement.
"Well, here comes mother." Rosemary says. "So, it's not over yet."
Kate moans and starts to sit up, but he holds her. "Stay down, close your eyes. I'll talk." Kate cringes as he repositions her from her back onto her side, pressing her face into his chest. He then adds in a lower voice for her benefit. "She's got to get used to the idea of us at some point."
"Katherine?" her mother enters the parlor. "Are you alright?" she closes her eyes tighter as the footsteps pause. "Mr. Shelby," her mother's voice is cold and deadly. "you will get your hands off my daughter this instance."
"Kate's exhausted." He says simply. "I'm not leaving her."
"I'll stay here and chaperone." Rosemary offers, too cheerfully for Kate's taste.
"You're not supposed to be eating that stuff. It rots your teeth!" her mother hisses. "I don't why my husband invited you into this household, but you've done nothing but disrupt disorder an chaos with my daughters, Katherine especially. She was such a quiet and obedient daughter until you showed up. Now she argues with me and challenges my authority."
"Kate's a good woman, you raised her well. You should be proud."
"I am, which is why," her mother hisses. "no matter what you do, or conspire, my daughter isn't going to drop a man like Emmett Webber for you. He is sure to make it to the High Court's one day. I will not have her distracted by a common gangster. I raised her better than that."
"What if what she wants is a common gangster and not a High Court judge?" the room is filled with a deathly silence, even the clock seems to stop ticking.
"She won't. Whatever, is going on between you two, is temporary. She is getting married and you…will not be the groom that that wedding."
"Willow," she almost opens her eyes at the sound of her father's voice. "what's going on?"
"Mr. Shelby won't get off Kate."
Her father is silent for a moment before saying. "Well, I'm assuming that since Kate has her hand around his waist that, this is a mutual agreement between the two of them?" her mother starts to protest. "Kate's endured a traumatic time, just leave her be."
"Why is everyone calling Katherine, 'Kate'? It's not her name!"
"Mr. Shelby gave it to her." Rosemary states. "It suits her."
There are several more things said, but that is all Kate hears for she falls asleep. Warm, safe and secure in Thomas Shelby's arms. The last thing she feels is his lips on her forehead and his breath against her face.
"Katherine?" she awakens to her mother shaking her. "Katherine? You need to wake up."
Kate yawns in protest. "Why? I was," her voice fades for a second as she realizes that Thomas is still holding her. He smiles down at her. "sleeping."
"And you looked so comfortable." Rosemary states. "You've been like that all evening."
"None of that matters." Her mother states. "Emmett's here and he wants to talk to you."
Those words cause her and Thomas both to jolt upright in surprise. "I want to tell him to go away." Rosemary huffs. "Can I do that?"
"Yes." Kate and Thomas say at the same time.
"You most certainly will not!" her mother states. "I don't want him to see you sprawled all over Mr. Shelby."
"I don't want to see him!" Kate snaps. "So, who I'm sprawled all over doesn't concern him."
Her mother frowns. "What are you saying? You can't refuse to see your fiancé!"
"Kate," her father stirs from his chair opposite her. "is everything alright?"
"He's not my fiancé anymore." Kate holds up her left hand. "I gave him his ring back this afternoon."
"YOU WHAT?!" Her mother screeches. "DON'T BE A FOOL!"
"She's not deaf, Willow, calm down." Her father sits up. "You gave him his ring back, today?"
Kate nods. "That's right."
"Well, you have to talk to him!" Her mother hurries from the room. "Fix things between the two of you! The wedding is in three days!"
"There won't be a wedding." Kate groans as she struggles to sit back up. "There's nothing to fix that a good twenty-miles between us, wouldn't fix."
Her father sits up. "What happened?"
"Thomas Shelby happened." Rosemary teases, getting a glower from Kate.
"You were right." She sits up. "We weren't suited for each other." Emmett and her mother walk into the room, but she ignores him and continues addressing her father. "He's rude, jealous, inconsiderate and controlling."
"I'm here to apologize to you Katherine." Emmett says publicly. "I had a horrible day, but, that was no excuse for the way I treated you."
She stands up. "I accept your apology, Emmett but just because you had a bad day, it doesn't give you the right to take out on me."
"You two are going to be married." her mother says as Emmett extends the ring towards her. "Don't let a silly little fight put such a rift between the two of you."
"Silly, little fight? He manhandles me," Thomas and her father stand up from their seats. "and it's a silly little fight?"
"I just grabbed your elbow." Emmett watches Thomas warily out of the corner of his swollen eye.
"Please," her father states. "tell me Mr. Shelby that you gave him that black eye."
"Damn right I did."
"Thank you."
"Look, Kate," Emmett extends the diamond ring. "can we please talk in private about this?"
Kate groans. "Alright, we'll talk in private, but I am never putting that ring back on my finger!"
"Put the ring on Katherine." Her mother encourages. "Don't throw your life away because of some stupid mistake."
"My stupid mistake will be marrying him." Kate's hungry and she wants this to be over with as soon as possible. "Emmett, I'll talk to you in the library."
"Kate?" she turns towards Thomas, who is concerned. "I don't want you alone with him."
"She isn't yours to have, Mr. Shelby!" her mother snaps.
"The fact that there is no longer a ring on her finger," her father points out. "begs to be differed."
"I'll be alright Thomas, I promise. If I need you, I'll holler."
He squeezes her hand as she walks away. "I'll be listening."
"Good." Kate sighs as they leave the parlor and walk several doors down towards the library. "I'm going to try to explain this to you one more time, but I'm not going to change my mind."
"It's because of Thomas Shelby, that you changed your mind, isn't it?" Emmett glowers at her. "I've seen the way he looks at you!"
"It doesn't matter how he looks at me." she says. "I do not love you!"
"Does he love you?"
Kate exhales. "It doesn't matter if he does or doesn't love me. The point is I don't love you and we're not right for each other!"
"He's only trouble Katherine. You are not a passionate woman by nature, which I truly believe he brought out in you. You're normally quiet, sedate and modest, which I've always admired about you."
"I am not that kind of woman!" she demands. "I never was!"
"We're getting married Katherine." He steps towards her.
"I won't marry you Emmett." She states. "You're going to have to accept that."
"I don't have," at that moment, she sees something inside Emmett snap and next thing Kate knows, he's grabbed a hold of her by the throat and smashes the back of her head onto the desk! "to accept anything!"
For a moment, she lays there temporarily stunned by the outburst of violence from Emmett. He moves fast, kicking her legs apart and stepping between them. Those actions spur her to try to free herself from his grasp. Her hand disturb some papers on the desk while her other hand attempts to get the gun under her father's desk. He instantly guesses her next move, grabs a hold of the hand going for the gun, and squeezes her tighter. She gasps for air, stops fighting while the room, and her world spins around her.
"Now, you listen to me." Emmett orders, digging his fingers in tighter. Kate grabs a hold of his wrists, tempting to free his hands from her throat. Why hadn't she allowed Thomas to come with her? "The wedding is back on, if not, here's what's going to happen. If you don't marry me…I will launch a breach of promise suit at you and your father." Kate is so shocked that she fears that she's going to pass out. "I kept all those letters you wrote to me. You know, you mentioned you couldn't wait to marry me, over 20 times. You were the one adamantly pushing for this marriage, why, I don't know, but I can either marry the fortune, or sue you for it. And the court will grant me your entire fortune for intentional infliction of emotional distress."
"Can't….breathe." she gasps out.
He mercifully loosens his grip on her throat and she struggles to draw air into her lungs. "It'll be nice to drop this façade one and for all. Has Shelby f**ked you yet?"
Kate feels like she's going to be sick. "No!" though now, she wishes she had let Thomas have her.
"Really?" he uses his leg to kick her feet wider apart as his hand delves under her skirt. "We'll just see about that!"
She grabs a hold of his hand and tries to pull him off her, but he's too strong. She opens her mouth to scream, but again, he catches her around the throat. Kate always thought he was a slight man, but the truth is, he's a lot stronger than he appears Tears trickle down her cheeks as she feels Emmett inside her, probing hard with his finger. He smiles in pleasure as he feels her barrier is still intact.
"Well, I'll have one thing over him." Kate feels disgusted as he withdraws his hand. Disgusted with herself for not taking Thomas up on his offers to have relations with him. She would have been his, completely and Emmett wouldn't have dared to touch her. "I've invested a lot in this relationship and I won't see it end just because you fancy that you're in love with a gypsy gangster." His grip grows tighter. "And I won't lose…to filth like him!" her vision starts to blur just as Emmett releases her. Kate drops to a heap on the floor, gasping and coughing for air, her muscles weakened. "I'll see you on Sunday."
"You can't," she gasps. "make me…marry you."
"Actually, I thought you'd say that." he smirks before stating. "I've got a hit out on Thomas Shelby."
The blood drains from her face. "You!? Where did you-
"Inspector Campbell loaned me most of the money. Once we're married and I get your inheritance, I'll pay him back. Granted. 300,000 pounds isn't a lot of money, but considering how he's managed to piss off Sabini and a lot of others, most men would gladly do it for half that amount." He smirks at you. "Campbell is happy to pitch in, since you turned him into a crippled freak." He picks up his hat and smiles manically at her. "Oh, and should you decide to risk Shelby's head and not show up, I put out a 5,000 hit on Rosemary."
"Rosemary." The blood drains out of her face. "She's a child!"
"Yes, but she's your favorite sibling." The smile falls from his face. "I'll lift the hit on both of them, as soon as you're legally my wife."
Kate stares at him before asking. "How do I know you'll keep your word?"
"Because once you're my wife, I don't care what you do." He says simply. "Meet up with him at night in dark alleys for all I care, I've no interest in you. However, you will never be his completely, and that's enough satisfaction for me. Knowing that the women he wants and loves is stuck being married to another man." He smirks at her as tears trickle down her cheeks. "You'll never be completely his. Who knows…maybe I'll even f**k you myself before letting you go meet him at whatever sleazy hotel you're planning to meet up at when you're married."
"Why are you doing this to me?" She asks. "You must have planned this for weeks. What did I ever-
"It has nothing to do to you. And you're right, I've had this all mostly planned for years. Shelby showing up forced me to change my plans."
"Did you ever care about me at?" She asks. "Even a little bit?"
"As I've said before...no, you're not a beautiful woman. All I ever wanted was your fortune and to see your father lose the one thing he holds dear."
"What did my father-
"He shot my father!" He snaps, causing her to jump. "And you will pay for his sins with your own blood." Kate wipes her eyes and he steps towards her. She jumps as he grabs a hold of her hand and shoves the ring back on her finger. "If I see or hear that you took this ring off, Shelby and Rosemary will be dead that very day. Now, let's call it an evening and I'll see you tomorrow."
With that, Emmett walks calmly out of the room, leaving her in a dazed heap on the floor. And for once….Kate has no idea what to do. Everything is falling down around her and she doesn't think anyone can help her. But no matter what decision she makes, people are going to get hurt. Prior to this meeting, she'd made the decision that she wouldn't marry a man she didn't love. Would she actually marry a horrible man to keep the one she truly loved alive?
Cordapia: You came back just in time for the drama! Your suspicions were correct. Be sure to check out my poll and vote, if you haven't already!
Shariebery: I'm glad! And in regards your review on chapter 26, it's coming soon!
Thehoodedassasin: He's at least vlever enough to know when to fold. But at least Sabini put Kate in a situation where she finally admitted it. I know, Thomas has a soft spot for Rosemary, but them who doesn't?
Idcam: And now she's said them, there's no going back for her. There's a lot of things that need to happen, but there's only 10 more chapters to get them done in!