The Girl and The Gangster

Summary: After being turned down from every secretarial role in Birmingham, Alice becomes desperate. Unable to provide for her sick mother, herself and more importantly, her young child, she takes a chance on joining the Shelby Company ltd. But when she runs into a familiar face, her whole world comes crumbling down around her.

Chapter Fourteen

Neither of them had saw a house so big or so pristine white in their lives. It was like a castle with a beautiful functioning fountain outside the front door. He glanced over at Alice, sniggering as he watched her dropped jaw. This didn't surprise him, he knew wealth like this existed in the world, he was lucky to be able to provide Alice and Johnny with a portion of this wealth. He reached over and pulled her hands away from each other as her fingers poked and worked on the skin at the side of her nails nervously. "Looks like we're here, are you ready?"

She nodded and fussed over Johnny's hair for a second. "I'm as ready as I could be."

"Look, Tommy said she's been looking for you too, she'll be as nervous as you are."

"Maybe, let's just get out of the car before I change my mind and make you take me back."

He laughed and opened his door. "I ain't leaving until you meet your sister, plus I think Johnny's really excited. Aren't you mate?" Michael slid out of the car and helped Johnny out.

"Do you think your sister will let me play in the water?" he asked giddily.

"I don't think so baby." Alice looked out her window at the house and swallowed back her nerves. This is what her mother wanted, she wanted this too. Knowing that she had another sibling, Alice wouldn't be able to walk away from her even though introducing herself to Nora was one of the scariest things in her mind.

"You'll be okay." Michael tried his best to soothe her, taking a hold of her hand and lacing his fingers with hers.

"Yeah, I hope so." She replied as she stepped up to the door, her hand hovering over the doorbell. When Michael nudged her, she took the plunge and pushed the button, standing back to wait for the appearance of her sister.

When the door opened, Alice expected to come face to face with her sister but instead she was facing a man who appeared to be in his late sixties, impeccably dressed and staring at her with a raised brow.

"Uh, hello. I'm looking for Nora Prescott-Maxwell. Is this her house?" she said meekly.

"This is the madam's residence. May I ask who is calling for her?" his accent was very posh, it made Michael want to laugh.

"My name is Alice Gray, I'm Nora's sister."

"Come in," he held the door for them, keeping a close eye on them as they stepped into the foyer, "this way." He called out as he marched down a long corridor that was lined with portraits and paintings.

"Are we in a museum?" Johnny asked innocently as he stared at all the artwork in awe.

"No, this is Nora's home." Alice whispered. She couldn't blame the child for asking, she was almost thinking the same thing herself.

The man drew back two solid oak doors which revealed a large living area decked out with fancy furniture and exotic looking plants. Lounging on one of the sofas was Nora, a wine glass in one hand and the bottle in the other. She didn't realise anyone was there until the man cleared his throat, clearly startling her.

"Samuel, what have I said about disturbing my happy hour?" she complained as she swung her legs round. "Who are these people and why are they in my house?"

"Madam, this woman is claiming to be your sister."

Nora's eyes squinted as she looked over the plain looking Alice as she held onto her son's shoulders. Then her eyes roamed to Michael and her brow raised. "What is your name?"

"Alice Gray, but I'm recently married. My maiden name was Finlay." Alice cleared her throat quietly, a hand moving to her chest; her sister looked so much like her mother except her hair was very blonde and she wore plenty of make-up, but her face shocked her. "I was told that you were searching for me too."

Nora got onto her feet and that was when they noticed she was wearing a decadent, silk robe. Pristine white, like her house. She stepped towards the family, her eyes moving from Johnny to his parents before her face cracked into a grin. "You have no idea how glad I am that you came. Samuel, give us some privacy please." She waved them into the room and motioned for them to sit on one of the sofas. "Would you care for some sherry?" she reached over to a large crystal decanter and poured herself a glass before shaking the liquid towards Alice and Michael.

"No, we're not really sherry people." Michael looked down at Alice as she rolled her eyes at him. "I'll take a whiskey if you've got it."

"Oh no, no. I don't keep whiskey in this house. Not since my Henry died." She took a long sip from her glass and settled into her seat, her eyes roaming towards Johnny once more. "Are you my nephew?"

Johnny was starting to feel shy; he had been excited that morning but now that he was standing in this house, he didn't know how to feel. He just nodded at Nora and clung to his father's leg.

"I always loved kids, wanted a big massive family…" Nora trailed off into her own thoughts, staring into space as she kept her glass of sherry pressed against her chest before finishing it quickly. "Enough about me, I'm sure you have a lot of questions for me."

"Only if you want to answer them, I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable."

Nora flashed her a smile and shook her head. "I offered, ask whatever you want."

"Okay, well… Tommy, my husband's cousin told me that you had been looking for me as well. How long have you known that your parents weren't your birth parents?"

"I've known my whole life. They didn't think it was right for me to not know."

"So, why only start looking for me now?"

"I've been looking for years, although I must admit, not really that hard. It wasn't until my parents and then my husband died that I decided that I should seek you and my birth mother out." She gazed off into the distance, her lips curling down into a frown. "You don't realise how important family is until you have no one."

Alice ducked her head, her eyes closing as she too knew what it was like to lose family. Although she hadn't let herself mourn her mother's death, she felt that it was only right that Nora knew what happened to their mother, even though it caused her so much pain to think about that night all over again.

"There's something I ought to tell you, Nora. Our mother died just over a month ago." Michael's warm hand grasped hers and it brought a little comfort, but not enough to stop her tears from falling.

"Oh Alice, I'm so sorry to hear that." She fell into her seat, sinking in as she watched her sister's tears fall onto her lap. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to her?"

"She was in a lot of pain, she had lung cancer, but it all got too much for her and she…" Alice turned her head towards Michael's body, letting him pull her head into his chest.

Nora tutted sympathetically and watched as Michael and their young son pandered over Alice. A pang of jealousy coursed through her, but she ignored those feelings. "Such a waste of life. At least we have each other now, to lean on in times of crisis. God knows I could've used you a year ago."

Alice dried her eyes with the back of her sleeve and looked towards Nora, noticing her own pain oozing from her. "You're not alone anymore, you don't have to face anything alone if you don't want to."

She smiled slightly, nodding towards her sister. "I appreciate that." She was silent for a moment, not really sure what to say next. "How about I give you a tour of the house?" She launched herself back onto her feet and motioned for the Grays to follow her into the large hallway once more.

"My husband, Henry built this house from the ground up. He was one of those new money sorts; spent most of his early years in London working on the stock markets and selling shares. He could sell you anything that man." She said as she led them upstairs to a large portrait of her late husband. He had a handlebar moustache, dark piercing eyes and the fanciest suit on him. Nora looked at it with a sense of pride before turning to Alice, Michael and Johnny. "My parents loathed him, they were well off themselves, but they always wanted me to marry a duke or someone that could get them closer to the patriarchy. It was hard to tell them that I lived for swanky parties with hotshots and swindlers."

"Michael works with money." Alice commented as Nora continued up the stairs.

"Are you a swindler, Michael?"

Michael looked at his wife as he rested Johnny on his hip, his eyes widening and his brows arching. Alice just shrugged back at him innocently. "No, I work with accounts, business accounts."

"So, you're a banker."

"It's very rarely that you'll see me in a bank." He replied with a smirk, it was best to keep Nora as oblivious to him as possible.

"And do you work, Alice?"

"I'm a secretary, I'm actually Tommy's secretary."

"Oh, the cousin, is this a family affair?" Nora raised her brow and leaned against the wall. "How do you feel about sharing your wife with your cousin?"

It was easy to tell now that Nora had been drinking long before they had arrived and now that it was starting to show, he didn't know what to think of her. "Well I do Tommy's accounts too and Alice tends to spend all the time she can with me."

"Oh, I was only joking Michael," she reached over and slapped him on the shoulder before looking at Alice and pulling a face, "is he always this serious?"

"Not normally," Alice looked over her shoulder at him and glanced at Johnny, "perhaps we should have some time alone to get to know each other better."

"Away from the boys." Nora laughed as she opened one of the many doors in the hallway. "Does Johnny like horses?"

"I love horses!" he exclaimed, bouncing up and down on his father's hip.

"I have a few beautiful thoroughbreds in the stables, tell Stanley to take you there while we catch up." She disappeared into the room, leaving the door open for Alice.

She stepped towards Michael, placing her hand on the back of Johnny's head. "What's going on?" she kept her voice low in case Nora was eavesdropping.

"She's fond of the drink, ain't she?"

"She's had a hard time by the sounds of it."

"So have you, but you don't get blinded."

Alice's eyes roamed away from his face, Michael didn't realise how much Alice was struggling and it was okay that he didn't notice, she was trying to hide it and she was doing it well. She had to hold herself together for Johnny and their unborn baby, but there were many nights since her mother's death that she wanted to drown her sorrows.

"I'm hoping that I can give her a reason to stop using sherry as a means of escape; perhaps a shoulder to cry on will be enough for her."

He rolled his eyes slightly before giving her a quick kiss. "You're so hopeful, but so naive." He looked down at his son and tried his best to sound excited. "Let's see these horses, shall we?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Bye mumma!" he squealed as he grinned over Michael's shoulder, waving frantically at Alice as they moved down the staircase.

She stepped into the bedroom, her eyes widening at the sight of all the silk and splendour that filled the room. Nora was lying on the large bed with her hands over her eyes and that's when Alice noticed the half empty bottle of sherry by the bedside. Silently, she sat beside her and placed her hand on Nora's shoulder, making her jump.

"Oh Alice, I didn't hear you come in." Nora pushed herself up and wrapped her robe a little tighter around her curvy frame.

"Are you okay, Nora?"

"Yes, yes I'm fine darling."

"Are you sure?" Alice pressed, her hand remaining on her sister's shoulder. "You can talk to me if you want." Nora remained silent and Alice knew that the only way she could get her to open up and talk was if she made her feel more comfortable. She was going to have to share more about herself. "You know, I haven't really been coping well with our mother's death, my father died a few years ago and that brought us closer. She helped me raise Johnny because I got pregnant with him when I was seventeen and although Michael's the father, we only got married a month ago." Alice ducked her head, ready for the judgement that was heading her way.

"How come you only got married a month ago? Has he been around Johnny's whole life?" she turned her body towards Alice and watched her intently.

"Michael didn't know that I was pregnant, and he knew nothing about Johnny until we found our way back to each other."

"I'm sure seeing him for the first time was difficult."

"Oh you have no idea, I'm so glad that we reconnected again because I didn't realise how much Johnny would need a father. He's a happier child now, he was always happy, but Michael's made him more adventurous."

"If you could go back in time, would you change anything? I mean, would you want Michael to be there the whole time?"

"I think I'll always have regrets that Michael didn't get all those precious moments when Johnny was a baby, but I had my reasons for hiding my pregnancy from him."

"Like what?"

"Well our mum and my dad were ready for killing whoever knocked me up and I really liked him and didn't want him to get killed." Alice smiled when Nora laughed and watched how her body language changed drastically.

"Was our mother vicious when she got angry?"

"Vicious would be an understatement, she had the worst temper."

"That must be where I get it from, my parents were the most placid people you could meet. But money means you don't have any worries and that's probably why they were never really angry."

"I don't want to pry, but how did they die?"

"My father was the first to die, he had a massive heart attack. He was a fat man, so it was only a matter of time. My mother on the other hand, I think she died of a broken heart." Nora reached behind her and lifted her bottle, holding the bottle to her mouth as she said, "At least they'll forever be together. Not even death could separate them."

Alice watched her take a drink and wondered how she had the strength to carry on with her life; she knew that if her whole world came crashing down around her like Nora's had and if she had no one around her, she wouldn't be able to carry on. A couple of drinks wouldn't get her through her days alone.

"How do you do it? How do you carry on?" Alice asked seriously. "If I was in your shoes, I wouldn't be able to."

Nora tilted her head and let out a sigh. "Some mornings, I think about it but then I think about the people watching me and I know that they'd be disappointed if I just gave up on life. Part of me has, that's why I sit in my house all day and drink, but I still want to carry on." She put her bottle down on the floor and took Alice's hands instead. "I can see the pain in your eyes, our mother meant so much to you, but I don't think you've mourned her."

"I haven't let myself, sometimes when I cry over her, I'm scared I won't stop. I keep those emotions subdued."

Nora shook her head, squeezing Alice's hands tightly. "Cry and scream if you have to. Get those emotions out of your body and move onto the next stage of grief or you'll never get over it. If you had have met me a few months ago, I don't think we'd be having this conversation. I was a mess, all I did was cry and then one day, I stopped. Yes, I have a drink a few times a day, but my grief is gone. It's the loneliness that kills me."

"You don't have to be lonely anymore, not if you don't want to. Visit me, visit your nephew in Birmingham."

"You don't want me in your life, I'll just mess with the balance of things."

"I wouldn't offer if I didn't. Just think about it."

They just smiled at each other, their hands gripped together as they came to an understanding; they were what each other needed, someone to speak freely with, with no repercussions.

Michael stepped out of the stables after Johnny when he heard Alice's footsteps approaching. She seemed different, like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders and he could tell by the puffiness of her eyes that she had been crying. He placed his hand on her arm, moving it down towards hers.

"You okay, Alice?"

She nodded and entwined her fingers with his. "I'm fine, I needed this."

"What do you mean by 'this'?"

"Nora thinks I need to mourn my mother and she's right. I've been holding in all these feelings and it's been stopping me from moving on."

"It's partly my fault, I should've known to give you that time. Let you have some time to yourself and take Johnny away for a few hours." He started to feel guilty, with everything that had been going on with the Polish and the pregnancy, he forgot that he hadn't really saw Alice cry since the funeral.

"Don't blame yourself, I've been throwing myself at things, trying to keep busy." She kissed him on the cheek then ruffled Johnny's hair playfully. She let out a content sigh and fell into Michael's side as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, both slowly following Johnny back to the car at the front of the house. "I will get over this one day."

"Everyone deals with death differently; I'll be there for you when you want to face it."

"You and Johnny will make things easier, the two of you are my world and soon enough I'll have another to add to that." She looked up at him, taking in his face with a small smirk. "I need to deal with this before we have this baby."

"Take however long you need because we'll get through this together, as a family."

A:N Thank you for reading this chapter, I hope you all enjoyed seeing Nora and Alice connect over something that they both have in common. They won't be all doom and gloom, but I feel like it was necessary for Alice to realise that she had been running away from her feelings towards her mother's death. In the next chapter I'm going to focus on Danny and Alice as she tries to see if he's going to betray Tommy, maybe throw in a few extra twists. Thank you again for reading and all the support!