Walking out of the school, Elizabeth was storming a few steps ahead of Tommy. Her hands were balled into fists by her side and her cheeks were puffed out. Tommy had barely had time to finish shrugging into his coat before his wife had stormed from the office, anger clearly evident in her face. Tommy finished adjusting the collar of his coat before he ran a few steps to catch up with his wife, reaching for her elbow to stop her from going any further.
"Liz," he spoke her name, trying to calm her.
"Did you hear them?" she demanded from him. "Did you hear what they have been doing? They are children…children who are too scared to say anything…their faces…"
"It's alright," Tommy promised his wife, knowing exactly what he intended to do. He might be a respectable MP, but he still knew other methods to get what he wanted. He always would do. He moved his hands to her upper arms, holding them gently as he saw her eyes wide and wet. "Liz, I'll sort it."
Elizabeth nodded, believing him when he said that. They had finished their meeting with the headmaster and governor when they had walked down the corridor and Tommy had felt his blood boil. The sight of a small girl, no older than his own daughter, was struck hard with the eraser from the board and forced into what looked like a cupboard. The teacher in question hadn't even noticed Elizabeth and Tommy.
Thinking about how he would react if someone dared to treat his Charlotte like that, Tommy knew that he had a message to send to the school. Elizabeth had stormed into the head teacher's office after that sight and demanded for the child to be released. They had humoured her and Tommy had issued them a warning, letting them know that they didn't mess with him.
"You should officially sort it," Elizabeth said to her husband and Tommy almost groaned. She pursed her lips. "Tommy, this is a massive scandal. If we draw attention to it properly then we can address it. People will be outraged. You know that."
"Aye," Tommy agreed, "but it will take more time."
"But it will be the right thing to do," she said to him. "Launch an investigation into the school. The council will have to take it seriously after what we have just seen."
"Alright," Tommy agreed with his wife's demands. He knew that would make her happy and perhaps she had a point. Perhaps she was talking sense on this, but Tommy didn't like waiting for things that could be sorted sooner with more unorthodox methods. "Alright, I'll contact Mark and get 'im to get the ball rollin'. I'll call 'im as soon as I am in London. I need to get the train in another hour."
"Thank you," she said, voice earnest as they stood on the pavement by the car. Tommy kept hold of her hand inside of his as he opened the passenger side door. He kept hold of her hand until she was seated in the car. Closing the door behind her, he moved to the other side and started the engine.
"Promise me that you will be back home soon," Elizabeth said as he drove towards the office. He was going to drop Elizabeth off there as she said she was still working on her ideas for a charitable school. She had dropped down to teaching part time so that she could focus more time on her own work.
"I'll be back home soon," Tommy promised to her, moving a hand to rest on top of hers in her lap. He squeezed hold of her fingers tightly. She turned to look to him, her own lips arching upwards as she smiled at him. "I've been thinkin' about goin' away for a while too, just us three."
Elizabeth's face seemed to light up even more at that. "Where were you thinking?" she wondered from him.
"I've 'eard Whitby is nice," Tommy said to her.
Elizabeth arched a brow. "And there is no hidden motive behind this?" she checked with him. "No business? No arch enemies you have to destroy?"
Tommy chuckled at hearing her, shaking his head as he placed both hands back on the wheel. "No ulterior motive," he promised her, voice soft and low. "I told yer that I was goin' to work on gettin' us back as a family and that is what I'm gonna do."
"I can agree to that then," Elizabeth said.
They drove in silence until Tommy reached the office. He turned the engine off once again. Elizabeth opened her own door and jumped down from the car. Tommy got out too, sauntering around the front of it to stand before his wife. His hands were in his pockets and his eyes were downcast onto her, his face a silent grimace.
"I wish I didn't 'ave to go," he muttered.
She reached for the lapels of his coat, straightening them out and running her hand down his chest. "But you are an MP," she reminded him. "And you have done great things for this city. I might not say that often, but I mean it, Tommy. People reach out to you and ask you for help. They need you and you help them."
"Yer mean that?"
"Of course I do," Elizabeth said to him. "I might detest your other businesses and the risk it brings with it, but I can't ignore the fact that you really do help people and seeing you stand up in that office today…well…I was proud of you, really proud."
"That's all I want, Liz," Tommy informed his wife. "I want to make yer and Charlotte proud."
"I know," she said, "and we love you, Tommy. We'll work through things. We will be fine."
"I 'ope so," Tommy said, taking hold of her waist in his grip. He bent down, kissing her slowly with his forehead pressed to hers. He only pulled back when he heard a cough come from the doorway. He kept his gaze on his wife as she rested a hand on his chest and turned to see Lizzie stood there, her arms folded over her chest.
"There is someone here to see Mrs Shelby," Lizzie said. "He is a parent of a child from Moores school."
"Oh, yes," Elizabeth said with a nod. "That must be Mr Jones. He called the house last night."
"Yer goin' to be alright dealin' with 'im?" Tommy enquired from her.
"Fine," Elizabeth said. "Thank you, Lizzie," she said, looking to the dark haired woman. "I will be there in a moment."
Lizzie nodded and turned to go back inside. Elizabeth focused her attention back on her husband, patting his chest once and rocking back and forth on her heels as she let her bottom lip stick out. "You should go," she said to him, voice slightly down. "Your train leaves soon enough."
"Yeah," Tommy agreed with her. "I'll call yer when I get there."
"Do," Elizabeth encouraged him. She kissed him once again, her lips briefly against his. "I will see you soon."
"Aye," Tommy said, kissing her again as she giggled into his kiss. It was almost like he was a love struck young man again. Elizabeth managed to pull back, still smiling widely as she pushed at his shoulder.
"Go," she urged from him.
He left her then, climbing back into the car. He watched her walk into the office before driving off. Elizabeth threw her head over her shoulder in time to see him leave, the smile still on her face as she walked into the office. Lizzie was sat at her desk, typing away. Another man was sat on the chair near Tommy's office, his hat in his hands. He wore a smart navy suit with blue tie and white shirt. He had quite long blond hair that flopped down from beneath his hat, but was neatly tucked behind his ear.
Approaching him, Elizabeth made certain her smile remained on her face. "Mr Jones?" she asked him.
"Yes," he said, finally looking up. His eyes widened as he saw her stood there. He had to admit hat he didn't know what he had expected. He had seen her picture in the newspapers whenever she was next to her husband. She always looked happier than him, a smile on her face. She was well dressed in a tailored green dress, thick black tights on her leg and a dark red coat on her body. Her hair hung in gentle waves down to her shoulders, a lighter brunette tone to it than he had imagined. She was slight, but she had an energy around her that he could not explain.
"Pleasure to meet you," Elizabeth said, holding her hand out. He stood up and took hold of her hand, shaking it. Her grip was strong too. I'm Elizabeth…Elizabeth Shelby. I am so sorry that I am late. We had business at the school."
"I understand," he said to her. "And please, call me Andrew."
"Of course," she said. "Well, Andrew, if you want to follow me and we can talk about the issue at hand."
She walked into Tommy's office. Holding the door open for him, he followed her through. She removed her coat and hung it up on a coat rack. "Can I get you a tea? A water?" she asked from him.
"I am fine…thank you," he said and she motioned for him to take a seat in one of the chairs Tommy had near the door instead of at Tommy's desk. He sat down in the plush material, removing his hat and placing it onto his lap. Elizabeth walked to her husband's desk and picked up a notepad and pen in case she had to write anything down. She smiled at the photo of the three of them on his desk. It was from Charlotte's christening.
"Right," Elizabeth said, straightening herself out. She took the seat across from Andrew, placing the pad and pen onto the table between them. "From my understanding, your daughter is a pupil at Moores school?"
"Yes," he said to her with a nod. "I received the letter that you wrote about your concerns. I…well…my maid spoke to some other parents with children at the school and they admitted that they were concerned. Their children have said nothing to them, but they can see that something is wrong."
"Well, my husband is launching an investigation into the school," Elizabeth said to him. "He is contacting the council and hopes to have the matter resolved soon enough. We went to the school this morning and witnessed…well…abuses…it was horrible."
"And in the meantime, what do you suggest doing?" Andrew enquired from her.
"Perhaps a message might be sent if everyone agreed to stop sending their children to school?" Elizabeth asked of him. "I understand that is not easy for everyone. Some people are unable to take time from work to look after their children…but…well…there might be a way around that."
"And what would that be?" Andrew asked from her.
"My husband owns numerous properties and we have a staff that is too large for our own home. Honestly, I do not know why he employs so many people," Elizabeth admitted and almost felt pretentious for mentioning it. "We can look after them. It will not be the same as giving them an education, but it will ensure they are safe until we have gotten to the bottom of what is happening."
"And you would be willing to organise that?"
"More than willing," Elizabeth said. "I have a daughter, Mr Jones-"
"-Andrew," he corrected her.
"Andrew," she smiled. "I know that parents want to keep their children safe. I would want the same thing for my Charlotte."
"I want that for my Eve," he said with a nod. "She is only eight and she told me about her teacher. She told me how she calls her the devil's child for what she looks like…how they are humiliated…cry at break time. I wanted to know what was going on. I needed to know."
"I appreciate that," Elizabeth said. "So far the response has been overwhelming from parents who want to get to the bottom of this."
"Well, I want to help," Andrew said to her. "I want to be involved. Eve is all that I have left. She is my world and I hate the idea of her not feeling secure or happy at school."
"I completely understand," Elizabeth said to him, reaching over to rest a comforting hand on his. "Our children are precious and we will do everything to protect them. If you want to help then…perhaps you might be interested in my plans. I understand you are a banker? A financial perspective might be helpful."
"And what is this plan?" Andrew asked from her.
"A charitable school," Elizabeth said, moving to her feet to fetch the plans from Tommy's desk where she had stored it. "Well, it is more like an orphanage, but somewhere more practical where we can teach children…provide for them and ensure that money is not a boundary to stop them from going and becoming doctors…lawyers…give them a good start in life."
"The sounds very honourable, Mrs Shelby," Andrew said.
She pulled out the folder she had been working on and walked back to her seat, handing him the file. "Tommy is very eager for the school to be set up," she said. "He wants me to work on it. Sometimes I think that he humours me to keep me busy, but I don't care. I've…it's taken me a while to realise that I should use our status to help others, not further our own benefit. We've had so much on our plate in recent years and now that things have settled down I want to do this."
Andrew almost wanted to scoff, wondering if she knew of her husband's reputation. She must do. She did not strike him as a woman who was naïve.
"That sounds nice," Andrew said. "I would be happy to look over these proposals and see what the best financial options are."
"That would be amazing," Elizabeth said. "I mean, you do not have to. My husband has accountants-"
"-Accountants are different to bankers," Andrew said to her. "Besides, I would like to help after what you have done in bringing attention to the school. Consider this a favour."
"Well thank you very much," Elizabeth smiled.
"Give me a couple of weeks to look over it and I will get back to you," he said. "In the meantime, do let me know if I can do anything to help at the school."
"Of course," Elizabeth said and he stood up, placing his hat back onto his head. "Well, it has been a pleasure meeting you, Andrew."
"Likewise, Mrs Shelby-"
"-Elizabeth," she said.
"Elizabeth," he said and bowed his head as he shook her hand once more. "I will be in touch."
"I look forward to it."
…
Walking into the house, Tommy dropped his briefcase onto the floor. He could hear voices from his study. The door was wide open and his wife was speaking animatedly. Moving his coat from his shoulders, he draped it over the chair in the corner of the hall before entering the study. She was stood by her desk, phone to her ear and a hand on her hip. Her hair had been pinned to the back of her head, but wisps were hanging loose. Her white shirt was tucked into her blue dress.
"Yes…of course…by the end of the week, I should say…yes, that is fine. Thank you…bye…goodbye."
She placed the phone down and turned to see Tommy in the doorway, brows arched. Moving around to him, she greeted him quickly, arms going around his neck as he bent down and kissed her.
"Well that was a nice welcome 'ome," Tommy mumbled and she smirked.
"Well, you might want to sit down for what I have to tell you," she said to her husband.
Tommy nodded, grabbing her hand before she could walk away from him. He hauled her back, arms going around her waist.
"Is this to do with yer organisin' a walk out at the school?" Tommy asked and his wife looked intrigued. How did he know that? "About 'ow yer are usin' the 'ouse I bought to look after kids not at school?"
"You found out."
"Liz, nothin' gets past me," he reminded his wife. "I 'eard from Charlie on my way 'ome. He said yer 'ave been runnin' around…the council are lookin' into the school. The board look like they'll be replaced with a new headmaster and governor."
"That is great news," Elizabeth said. "I have been talking to the majority of parents. You would be shocked that some do not seem to care too much about their children's welfare."
"I wouldn't," Tommy said, hands on his hips as his wife walked back to her desk. She began to pick through her papers as she looked to Tommy and he moved over to her. "My father didn't exactly care about is, Liz. Not every parent loves their kid like we love Charlotte."
"I know," she said, thinking back to her own father, "it is sad."
"Speaking of, where is Charlotte?"
"Already in bed," Elizabeth said, "but she might not be asleep. You should go and see. She has missed you."
"I'll 'ead up now," Tommy said.
"Excellent," Elizabeth said, "and once you have said goodnight to her then you should have some dinner. Frances cooked her famous stew."
"Sounds good," Tommy said as his wife sat back down and went to work.
Walking up the stairs, Tommy came to the landing and cautiously opened the door to Charlotte's bedroom. He peered around the wood to see Charlotte under the duvet. She stirred for a moment, lifting her head up to see Tommy. Her eyes lit up and she smiled widely, moving to sit up against the headboard.
"You're home," she said and Tommy moved into her room, perching on the edge of her bed as she wrapped her arms around him. "I missed you."
"I missed you too," Tommy promised her. "'Ave yer been a good girl for yer mummy?"
"Yes," Charlotte said. "Daddy, I won the spelling competition at school today."
"Did yer really?" Tommy asked and she pulled back, a toothy smile on her face.
"Yes," she said, "there is another one next week so I am going to prepare for that."
"Yer a smart girl," Tommy commented, a hand going down her cheek. "But if yer goin' to stay smart then yer need to get some sleep, alright? I'll see you in the mornin' and take yer to school. Would yer like that?"
"Yes," Charlotte said.
"Alright," Tommy said and stood up as Charlotte went to lie back down. Tommy pulled her duvet up to her chin, tucking her into bed. He bent down, sweeping her hair from her face and kissing her on the forehead. "Goodnight, Charlotte."
"Goodnight, daddy," she said and he walked out of her bedroom, closing the door gently behind him.
Walking back downstairs, he found his wife in the dining room. She had poured him a glass of water and his dinner was on the table. He sat down and picked up his fork as she sat next to him, turning on her chair so that she could face Tommy.
"Charlotte said she won the spellin' competition today," Tommy said, taking a mouthful of the stew.
"She did," Elizabeth said, nodding her head. "She has already been talking about preparing for the one next week. I get the feeling our daughter enjoys winning."
"I agree with that."
Elizabeth smirked. "I wonder where she gets that from?"
Tommy's own lips quirked at hearing that and he nodded. "I think I might know," he responded, taking another mouthful.
"So you're not upset?" Elizabeth checked with him and Tommy looked confused as his wife laced her hands into her lap. "With me organising everything without you knowing?"
"Liz, I'm not upset," he said to his wife. "Yer did the right thing. As I 'ave always said, yer 'ave yer own mind that I can't control and wouldn't think of controllin'."
"You know," Elizabeth drawled, "I love you, Tommy."
"Love yer too," Tommy responded, moving to kiss her briefly before he saw her jump back to her feet.
"I am going to do some work for a little bit," she said, hand on his shoulder as she began to leave the dining room. "Come to me when you're finished and you can tell me everything about London."
"Got it," Tommy muttered, watching his wife walk away with a skip in her jump.
…
A/N: Do let me know what you think!
