Elizabeth finished unpacking Charlotte's clothes from the suitcase, hanging them up neatly in the wardrobe as her daughter sat on her bed, holding a book in her hands and looking to her mother. They had finally moved everything back into the house after Tommy had deemed it safe to return. Elizabeth had gone about unpacking Charlotte's belongings first while Tommy loitered in his study, claiming that he had business to conduct.
There were times when Elizabeth struggled to believe that they had gone back to normal. But, she knew Tommy. There would never be normal so long as she was married to him. He did not do normal. He was a complicated man and she had grown to accept that. He had his demons that he would often face. He sometimes had his demons that he didn't want to talk to her about. He was a private man. She had taught him to open up more, but there were still times when he preferred not to.
"Daddy said that we could go on holiday," Charlotte spoke up and Elizabeth looked to her daughter, struggling to believe that she was soon going to be six. How had time gone so quickly? "He said we needed to."
"Did he really?" Elizabeth asked from her daughter, moving to sit on the bed beside her after hanging up the final dress and closing the wardrobe. "Well, daddy might be right, but you have school to think about."
Elizabeth had, not surprisingly, found her teaching position filled at the school considering she had been away for too long. Tommy had told her that he could have a word, but she had told him not to bother. She had told him that while she enjoyed teaching, a part of her wouldn't mind a career change. She wouldn't mind working for the business. She enjoyed certain aspects of it, such as the accounting.
"Do I have to go back to school?" Charlotte complained.
Elizabeth smiled. She had been doing her best to keep Charlotte's education up to date so that she did not miss anything when she returned to school. As far as Elizabeth was concerned, school was too important to miss. Her daughter needed her education.
"Yes," Elizabeth said, throwing an arm around her shoulders. "We can go on holiday over the next school holiday."
"But that isn't for ages," Charlotte complained, throwing her head back dramatically as her hair billowed over her mother's arm.
"It will be something to look forward to," Elizabeth said. "Now, you need to get into the bath and wash your hair before bed. Come on, I'll run your bath."
Charlotte didn't complain again. She moved from the bed and followed her mother. Elizabeth ran her a bath and made certain that her hair was properly washed before drying it with a towel. Changing into her nightgown, Charlotte climbed into bed as Elizabeth rolled up the sleeves to her white blouse and looked down at her daughter, a sad smile on her face as she realised that there would be one day when Charlotte didn't want her to tuck her into bed. There would be a day when she wouldn't want a bedtime story. Elizabeth dreaded that day.
"Come here," Elizabeth said once she had finished telling her a story. Kissing Charlotte on the forehead, she watched her slide down until she was laid down. "Sleep tight, Charlotte."
"Goodnight, mummy," Charlotte said and Elizabeth pulled the covers up to her chin.
"Goodnight, sweetheart," Elizabeth said, turning the light out and closing the door.
Stepping into the corridor, Elizabeth looked around the landing at the doors leading off to other rooms. It felt so big. The mansion felt far too big for just the three of them and Frances. Wrapping her arms around herself, Elizabeth walked past the clock at the top of the stairs and moved down the steps to the hallway. She opened the door to the study to see Tommy still sat in the same position, hunched over paperwork. He didn't move, his gaze focused on his work as Elizabeth smiled sadly.
Walking towards her husband, she stood behind his chair and moved her hands to his shoulders, squeezing them tightly as Tommy sighed and leant back, letting his wife move her hands underneath his suit jacket, feeling his tense muscles.
"Charlotte is in bed," Elizabeth informed Tommy. "She said that you told her we could go on holiday."
"Aye," Tommy nodded his head.
"And that would be nice," Elizabeth commented, "but you forgot about school."
Tommy chuckled. "Knew yer wouldn't."
Elizabeth smirked then and bent down, kissing Tommy on the cheek before letting her chin rest on his shoulder, his head tilting to rest against hers. He closed his eyes for a second before reaching his hands up to rest on top of his wife's fingers.
"I need to find Alfie," Tommy mumbled.
"Margate, didn't you say?" she asked her husband.
"I did," Tommy confirmed. "I'll find 'im."
"We will find him," Elizabeth responded.
"And Charlotte?" Tommy asked his wife. "One of us needs to stay 'ere with 'er. She can't come."
"Pol will look after her, I am sure of that," Elizabeth responded to her husband. "I am coming with you and that is not negotiable, Tommy. Now, finish working for the night and come to bed. It's been such a long time since we've been in our own bed."
"Be ten minutes," Tommy said and turned to kiss his wife.
Elizabeth ran her hand over his cheek for a second before she stood up straight and went to her desk, looking at the post that Frances had moved from the hallway to the mahogany wood. Elizabeth sat down at her desk and looked to the letters. She poked through them before noticing a familiar scrawl. Elizabeth's brow furrowed and she tore at the envelope, pulling the letter out and reading through it. Tommy heard his wife gasp and moved his gaze over to her, seeing how her brows arched on her forehead.
"What's wrong?" he asked her, worrying instantly coursing through him.
"It's Mary," she said to him. "You remember…Billy's widow?"
"What is it?"
"She is still living in France, but her husband has died," Elizabeth said. "Her husband died and has left her a widow…she is pregnant. Tommy, she is seven months pregnant. This letter was dated a month ago…she…she sounds scared."
"What does she want?" Tommy asked from his wife and she frowned at him and his unsympathetic tone.
"She has asked me to go to her," Elizabeth said. "She wants me to go and help her when the baby comes. She said that she knows I have a life here, but she has no one in France. She feels alone and cannot travel back."
"What are yer goin' to do?" Tommy asked from his wife.
"I should go to her," Elizabeth said to her husband. "She needs me. She…she was there for me while you were in France. She spent five years listening to me and trying to protect me from Billy. Honestly, Tommy, I didn't think she would ever want to see me after Billy, but clearly I was wrong. I feel that I have to go to her."
"Liz, if yer go…I…"
"What is it?" Elizabeth worried and Tommy shook his head.
How did he now tell his wife that the idea of taking time off work scared him? Arthur had insisted that he take a break, but Tommy didn't do breaks. Tommy didn't do time away from work. The idea scared him. But they had insisted that he needed it. Even Liz had said maybe some time off wouldn't hurt. But that had been when he thought that he would be with her. He thought that he would have his wife to keep him from his thoughts. But now she was going to France.
"Nothin'," Tommy said to her. "I just need yer to be safe, alright?"
Elizabeth smiled sadly and nodded. Moving to her feet, she walked back to his desk as Tommy stood up and took her into his arms, holding onto her tightly. "I will be fine," she promised him. "I will be back before you know it. You need to look after Charlotte."
"Aye," Tommy agreed with his wife. "I'll look after 'er."
"And this Alfie business," Elizabeth said, "don't do anything brash."
"Aye," Tommy nodded. "I'll be fine, Liz. I just need yer to come back soon, alright?"
"Of course," Elizabeth smiled and kissed her husband.
…
Tommy didn't like the idea of Elizabeth going to France alone. He had booked her a first class ticket on the ferry from Liverpool to Dover. He had arranged transport for when she arrived in France. He had told her to call him when she arrived, begging for her to come home sooner rather than later. Charlotte had cried too, clinging onto her mother and pleading for her to come home soon.
Kneeling in the hallway, Elizabeth kept her daughter in her arms as Tommy looked down at the sight. Elizabeth's hat tilted to the side, her red coat flowing behind her. Her green dress contrasted with the red, her collar sticking up smartly. Her hair was loose down her back and her gloves came up to her elbows.
"I will be home soon, darling," Elizabeth promised Charlotte, the little girl holding onto her by her neck. "I promise. I just need to go and help Aunt Mary for a little while."
"Why can we not come?" Charlotte wailed.
"Because you have school," Elizabeth spoke. "You need to go to school and your father needs a rest from work once he has come back from Margate."
"I don't want you to go."
"Oh, sweetheart, I know," Elizabeth said to her. "But I will phone you and talk to you. I promise. Now, come on."
Elizabeth pulled back and held Charlotte by her shoulders, looking her in the eye. She wiped away her tears and smiled at her daughter. "There we go," Elizabeth said once her tears had gone. "That is better."
Charlotte smiled then and Elizabeth kissed her on the cheek.
"Be a good girl," she urged from her. "I love you, Charlotte."
"I love you, mummy."
Moving to her feet, Elizabeth looked to Tommy who nodded once, silently assuring her that their daughter would be fine. Tommy bent down as Charlotte held her arms up to him. He picked his daughter up, holding her against his hip as she wrapped her small arms around his neck and he kissed her on the forehead.
"Be safe, Liz," Tommy urged his wife as she kissed him chastely once he had leant forwards and Charlotte nestled her face against his shoulder.
"You too," she whispered. "I love you, Tommy."
"Aye, I love you too," Tommy said and kissed her one final time.
He nodded to Finn and the young man carried Elizabeth's bags out to the car. Elizabeth followed him, turning her head over her shoulder to look back to her husband and daughter who stood in the doorway. She smiled once more as Finn held the door open for her and she climbed into the car, preparing to leave the two of them behind for a short period of time.
Tommy continued to hold onto his daughter as the car drove away and Charlotte peered over to him, her eyes wide and wet as he looked to her.
"Do you have to go away?" she asked from him and Tommy felt guilt begin to eat away at him as he bit down on his tongue and did his best not to make her upset. He nodded once, but then knew he had been foolish when he suggested the next part.
"I do," he told his daughter, "but 'ow about yer come with me, eh? Take a day off school and we can go to the seaside together?"
Charlotte seemed to perk up at hearing that, nodding her head as she went back to resting against his shoulder. Tommy chuckled as he closed the door to the house and walked back towards the sitting room.
"Just don't tell mummy," he whispered.
…
A/N: Do let me know what you think!
