Elizabeth had been home for less than two hours and already Tommy's constant hovering was becoming too much. She had insisted that she was fine, promising him that she could manage on her own for a short while considering Charlotte and James needed picking up from school. But he had sent Frances to pick them up, not truly wanting to leave his wife after he had just gotten her back home.
"Tommy said yer were 'ome, Liz. Welcome back!"
Looking to the door of their bedroom, Elizabeth saw that Arthur was stood there, cap in his hand. Tommy was busy fluffing up her pillows for her, despite her telling him that she was fine and could do it herself. Arthur's lips quirked upwards at seeing his brother fuss around his wife, wondering how his brother could flick a switch in his mind. One moment he was boiling over with rage and the next he was the attentive, doting husband. He often wondered why Elizabeth had stayed with Tommy. She was nothing like him. She hated the life that they lived, but he guessed that Tommy did to. He complained about it often enough.
"Thanks, Arthur," Elizabeth said as Tommy stood upright, dressed only in his shirt, trousers and waistcoat. He had left his gun in the top drawer of the dresser, knowing that Elizabeth didn't like seeing it left around the house. "How have you been, anyway?"
"Can't complain," Arthur sniffed, running a hand underneath his nose. "Yer know, busy with business and everythin' like that. And you? How are yer feelin'?"
"She's tired, Arthur," Tommy said and stood up straight with his hands on his hips, wondering if his brother would get the hint.
But Elizabeth was he one who spoke, her brow arched and head cocked to the side as she looked to Arthur. "Apparently I'm tired," she said to him and Tommy looked down to her, confusion on his face as she looked back to her husband and he wondered if she knew that he was trying to get rid of Arthur so that she could have peace.
"Are yer not tired?" Tommy questioned, his tone quiet taut and haughty as Elizabeth sunk back into the plumped up pillows, the muscles in her book relaxing.
"I am, but that doesn't mean that I can't speak for myself," Elizabeth said to her husband.
Arthur chuckled and Tommy shot him a glare that shut him up instantly. He coughed awkwardly into his fist and then motioned back down the hallway with a thumb. "I'll just go and wait downstairs for yer, Tom. I have some business that we need to discuss."
"Can't it wait?" Tommy asked from him.
"I mean…yer…it can…but I thought…" Arthur blathered.
"He'll be down in a second, Arthur," Elizabeth said to her brother-in-law.
"Now who's speaking for who, eh?" Tommy retorted and his wife rolled her eyes as she closed her eyes and Arthur left before he got involved in their argument. Keeping his hands on his hips, Tommy waited for Elizabeth to say something before pulled the duvet up her chin to keep her warm.
"Tommy, I don't want to argue with you," Elizabeth said. "Besides, this is such a ridiculous thing for us to argue about!"
"I know that," Tommy grunted and remained stood where he was. "So what's this about, eh?"
"Nothing," Elizabeth said, shaking her head and sighing. "I'm just tired and irritable, Tommy. You…I know you only mean well, but you've been talking for me ever since I woke up, telling me when to sleep…how I should feel…"
"I'm just tryin' to look after yer, Liz," Tommy said to his wife. "I almost lost yer and I just want to keep yer safe so that yer can recover."
"I know," Elizabeth said to her husband and she held her hand out to him. He moved towards her and took hold of it as she used her strength to pull him to sit down on the bed. He perched on the edge of it as Elizabeth kept hold of his hand and ran her thumb along his knuckles. "I know, Tommy, and I love you so much for it, but I'm fine. I'm here and I'm fine."
"I can't lose yer, Liz," Tommy whispered, pulling her hand up to his lips. He kissed the back of it gently, keeping it against his chin as Elizabeth wondered just what would happen if the worst had happened. She knew that Tommy had his demons. She was well aware of that. The horrors he had seen in France plagued him along with everything that had happened since he had returned.
He had good memories too. She knew that. There was a soft side to him and here was a side to him that allowed himself to relax and enjoy his life. But it was a side he only showed when he was at home and with his family.
"You're not going to lose me, Tommy," Elizabeth promised him. "I'm going nowhere so just…please…try to stop worrying. I know that's easier said than done, but at least try for me."
Tommy sighed and moved his free hand to push her hair behind her ear, his fingers tangling into her soft curls as she continued to watch him.
"I'll do my best," Tommy promised her.
"That's all I can ask for," Elizabeth said. "Now, you go and see what Arthur wants and I'll stay here and rest, alright?"
"Alright," Tommy agreed and leant in to kiss her softly before leaving her alone, seeing her sink down onto the mattress and roll onto her side, hand stuffed under the pillow and eyes closing. He stood in the doorway for a moment, holding the wooden frame and looking at her.
"I know you're staring, Tommy," she said to him, eyes remaining closed but lips pulling upwards.
Nodding his head, he patted the doorframe once and left her alone, chuckling to himself as he went.
…
"Mummy sleeps a lot."
Tommy had gone to pick Charlotte up from school after telling Frances that he would go on his way back from work. James had asked if he was allowed to go out that evening after school with some friends to play in the park. Tommy had told him it would be fine so long as he was back before it got dark. Elizabeth had been home for almost two weeks and in that time Tommy had tried to stop worrying, but he was finding it difficult.
Elizabeth was constantly tired, but the doctor had assured Tommy that was only natural. She had suffered a traumatic injury and she still needed time to rest. She would fall asleep early in the evening and she was able to drift off to sleep whenever they sat in the sitting room, Charlotte and James playing a game and Elizabeth curled up on the couch next to Tommy, her head on his shoulder as he nursed a glass of whiskey in his hands.
"Mummy needs to rest," Tommy said, holding his daughter's hand as they left the school gates and he knew that people were looking at him. He bid good afternoons to those who looked to him, but he was more focused on Charlotte. "She's still not well."
"When will she be better?" Charlotte questioned from him and Tommy had found that his daughter was full of questions.
"Not for a little while longer," Tommy said to her, crossing the road and heading around the corner from the school. He had left the car at work, knowing that Charlotte enjoyed the sweet shop in between her school and his office. Plus, he figured she could have a treat. It was Friday, after all.
"Bobby said that someone wanted to kill her," Charlotte said and Tommy wondered if she knew just what she was saying. He doubted it.
"Who is Bobby?" he asked her.
"A boy in my class," she said. "He said that the bomb was there to kill us."
"Well, Bobby is wrong," Tommy said to his daughter, heading into the park and taking a slight detour, figuring some greenery might help distract Charlotte. Wandering along the path in the park, Tommy looked on at some children jumping over a skipping rope as he took a left turn, Charlotte still clinging onto his hand.
"So…it wasn't a bomb?"
"Nah," Tommy said. He didn't want to lie to his daughter. He never wanted to lie to her. But sometimes, a lie was better than the truth. Elizabeth had agreed with him when they had discussed it the other week, knowing that their daughter didn't need to know what had happened or their suspicions. "It was an accident, Charlotte. Yer don't need to worry."
"But I do," Charlotte said and Tommy looked down to her as he perched on a bench and she stood in front of him. He managed to get her to sit down next to him, his arm going over the back of the bench.
"Why do yer worry?"
"Because I don't want to lose mummy," Charlotte said, her hands in her skirt covered lap as she looked down. Tommy moved his hand over his body to reach for her chin, tipping her head up to look at him, her eyes meeting his and he saw the innocence that sat there.
"Yer not goin' to lose mummy," Tommy promised her. "Yer mummy is goin' nowhere."
"But…I remember what's happened," Charlotte said, her eyes wide and wet. "I remember all of the bad men who've tried to hurt us."
Tommy wondered just how much she did remember. He knew that he had tried to protect her from everything that had happened before, but she was still a little girl who had seen too much, despite their shielding. He was well aware of that. He just hoped that she had been young enough not to understand any of it.
"I know," Tommy told her. "But no one is goin' to 'urt yer or yer mummy or James. I'm goin' to make sure of that. Alright?"
Charlotte nodded her head, but Tommy didn't know if she was entirely convinced by that. He nodded his head and sighed, looking to the sky as Charlotte continued staring at him.
"I don't want anything to happen to you, daddy," Charlotte said and his lips quirked upwards at hearing her.
"Nothin's goin' to 'appen to me," Tommy promised his daughter. "Now, come on, it's Friday and yer can 'ave some sweets to take 'ome. Shall we take some for mummy too?"
"Yes," Charlotte said, her mood cheering up and Tommy nodded. He moved to stand up and picked Charlotte up from the bench. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her from the park and she kept her arms wrapped around his waist. He kissed the top of her head and hoped that Charlotte could stay naïve to the world around her for as long as possible.
…
Tommy had driven Charlotte back home and she had raced upstairs to find her mother. Elizabeth wasn't in bed, however. She was sat her dressing table, staring at her reflection and twirling her engagement and wedding ring on her fingertips. She had her silk robe on her body, the tie fastened tightly around her midriff. Tommy wondered what was wrong as she thanked Charlotte for the sweets and a forced smile sat on her face as she told Charlotte to go and change out of her uniform.
Moving into the room, Tommy held his cigarette in his fingertips and took a drag of it as his face grew with concern over his wife's demeanour. She looked to him and he saw how her eyes were wide and there was a fear inside of them.
"What is it?" Tommy asked, foregoing pleasantries.
"These came this afternoon," Elizabeth said, motioning to the flowers on the dressing table next to her. He moved forwards, stubbing his cigarette out in the tray on top of the dresser next to her dressing table. He wiped his hand on his trouser leg before reaching out to them. They were white lilies.
"What's wrong with 'em?"
"Look at the card."
Tommy did as she said, picking the card and his blood instantly chilled, the hairs on his arm standing up and his brows pinching together.
"What?" Tommy whispered, reading the words.
"Is it someone's idea of a sick joke?" Elizabeth asked from her husband. "Someone knocked on the door and left before Frances could see who it was. She brought them up to me…I thought that it was some kind of joke…it has to be."
"Pack a bag," Tommy said.
Elizabeth groaned and shook her head. "Tommy, no," she said to him.
"Yer think I'm takin' a risk?" Tommy asked from her, waving the card he held in his fingers. "I'm not takin' any risks when it comes to yer and our children, do yer 'ear me?"
"I'm not been driven out of our home," Elizabeth said to her husband firmly. "This is our house, Tommy, and we're not being forced out."
"Do yer think we 'ave a choice, Liz?" Tommy questioned from his wife. "If someone knows yer 'ere then yer could be in danger. I just spent days sittin' by yer bedside worried yer wouldn't come back to me and I'm not goin' through that again. We 'ave Charlotte to think about and James too."
Elizabeth thought about what he was asking from her and she knew that he, perhaps, had a point. Tommy always had a point. And if anything were to happen to Charlotte or James or Tommy then Elizabeth would never forgive herself. She turned around on the stool she was sat in as Tommy knelt down in front of her, his hands going to sit on her thighs, holding them tightly in his grip as he moved his fingers up and down.
"Listen to me," Tommy pleaded from his wife, "until I find out who sent these…who tried to blow up our school…I need yer somewhere I know yer goin' to be safe. Somewhere I 'ave eyes and ears everywhere."
Elizabeth nodded her head. "The Midland," she said, knowing that it was her husband's hotel in all but ownership. He had people in that hotel who would watch out for his family and who kept his business interest in mind.
"Aye," Tommy said to her.
"Alright," Elizabeth relented. "But how do we tell Charlotte and James?"
"We tell 'em that the 'ouse…we just need a break away…while we decorate."
"We lie to them?"
"I can bring in decorators," Tommy shrugged and Elizabeth sighed as he looked to her and she brushed her hands through his hair. "They don't need to know the truth, Liz, not really. They're too young."
"They're not blind."
"I know that," Tommy said, thinking about what Charlotte had said to him earlier. "But I don't know what else to do, Liz. I'll get to the bottom of this and we'll sort it. Please, just go along with me, alright?"
Elizabeth only nodded as Tommy moved to pick her up, handling her delicately and wrapping his arms around her as she rested her cheek by his shoulder, her hair tickling his neck and his own cheek buried on the top of her head as she clung to his back.
"I'll keep yer safe, Liz," Tommy promised her in a whisper. "I'll keep us all safe."
She nodded against him, not having the words she needed to say. She remained silent as he kissed her forehead and she set about packing a bag as Tommy looked at the card that had come with the lilies she had been sent, his eyes lingering on the words.
R.I.P. Mrs Shelby.
…
A/N: Do let me know what you think!