Chapter Two: King of the mountain


An hour later,


Katherine draws her plaid, red and gray, woolen coat around her as she steps towards the brick Shelby mansion. It had previously been names Arley Hall, after the Arley family that had lived there for generations. Mr. Shelby was clearly not a man of convention. He changed the name of the estate to reflect on his family now. He was clearly determined to leave his mark on the world, no matter how many toes he trod on.

She steps towards the blackish-green door, raising her hand to knock on it when the door flies open and an angry young man bursts out of the front door! Katherine jumps to side as he hurried down the stairs with a very angry Thomas Shelby on his heels!

Katherine holds onto her red hat as she watched Thomas curse furiously at the young man. "Get the f**k off my property, Michael!" She stares at him, he had a temper far beyond what she'd imagined.

"F**k you!" Michael shouts at him.

She stares at Thomas as he continues to shouting at the young man. "Try that again and you'll find yourself in a f**king ditch! I don't care what Poll says!"

He lets out a sharp exhale, prompting her to state. "Isn't it a little early," he whirls around to face her. The look on his face confirmed that he hadn't even noticed her on the steps. "for a family domestic argument, isn't it, Mr. Shelby?"

"What the Hell are you doing here?" He demands as he steps towards her. "I said noon!"

"It is noon." She states as holds up her wrist, showing her watch. "See?"

He grabs her wrist and looks at her watch. "You forgot to wind it." He says with a dark expression. "You're an hour early."

She groans. "Damn it," he blinks in surprise at her slip of the tongue. "sorry, that wasn't ladylike." She perches on the railing, holding up her notebook. "I'll just sit out here and write. You go about your business and I'll see you in an hour."

"Just get inside." He mutters as he steps inside, standing behind the door, waiting for her to get off the railing and enter his home. "Don't see this taking more than five minutes anyway."

"Thank you Mr. Shelby." She smiles uneasily as she steps inside the hall.

As he closes the door behind her, she takes a few steps in, admiring the wood paneling, which had been fortunately left intact. People were starting to remove wood paneling, or worse, paint it! She understood that they were hoping for a lighter look, but she felt the lightness took away a feeling of intimacy for people.

She exhaled and removed her coat, jumping when her hands collided with strong, callused male fingers. She glances to the side, noting its Thomas helping her out of her coat. "Thank you." She acknowledges him as she removes her scarf and hat.

He sets the coat on the nearby coat rack, only to frown as she puts her scarf and hat on there. "You're not wearing gloves? It's freezing out there."

She nods and rubs her hands. "Yes, I forgot them. Didn't realize it until I was halfway here and I didn't want to be late. Turns out I could have gone back and still have been early."

"Indeed." He tugs on his vest and heads down the entry, to what she assumes is either the parlor or the library. She followed him, the heels of her leather shoes clacking on the wooden floor. It's a beautiful house, but the house like it's owner, reflects coldness. He pushes the door open and steps aside, allowing her to enter first. She dips her head in acknowledgement as she steps over the threshold.

Upon entering the library, she pauses in amazement. "Wow. This is…. an impressive collection, Mr. Shelby."

"You read?" He mutters to himself. "You're a writer, of course you read."

"Indeed." She chuckles as she admires the room. The mahogany bookcases in the library stretched from the floor to the ceiling and they were filled with books. She instantly went to investigate a few shelves. She smiles in pleasure at the multiple familiar titles. "You've great taste Mr. Shelby, a lot of these are some of the most wonderful books ever written." Her fingers linger on the cover of 'The Great Gatsby.' She smiles fondly before pulling it off the shelf. She walks over to his desk and perches on the corner of it being careful not to disrupt his papers. "Please tell me you've read this one."

"No, all these books are merely decoration." She arches a brow and he shakes his head. "I was being sarcastic. I've read a great many materials, but I haven't read this one yet."

"That's a shame, it's one of my favorites." She closes the book and holds his piercing gaze. "You remind me of Jay Gatsby, granted a somewhat harsher version of him. But he's an admirable character," she assures him. "probably the most loyal and determined man ever penned."

"I'll keep that in mind. But we're not here to discuss my tastes in books." He takes the book from her and puts it back in the bookshelf. He turns back to her and sits down behind his desk. He turns his chair towards her, folding his hands together. "Now, how much was Lizzie going to be charging you to rent my place?"

"We agreed that 90 pounds per month was agreeable." He frowns at her, his displeasure clear on his face. "What? Is that not enough? I can afford more."

"You're renting a falling down cottage." He states tightly. "It's almost akin to highway robbery."

"Rent in London's far worse," she explained. "especially with the Wall Street Crash. I find it to reasonable, besides, the cottage is charming."

"If the wolves don't break in and kill you first." He said dryly, causing her to smirk faintly.

"I have a gun, I can defend myself."

"That won't do." He stands up. "I'd feel better if you'd allow me to do some renovations to the place first."

"Mr. Shelby," she crosses one leg over the other. "I assure you, the cottage is stable. And as I mentioned before, if any wolves happen to break in past the locked door…I'll shoot them."

His brow arches in surprise. "Is that so?"

"As I mentioned before, I lived in the Western part of America; I've seen a thing or two. I spent a few months with an American Indian tribe, slept in a tepee and lived with them. In that environment with bears, mountain lions and snakes, one has to learn to protect oneself quickly."

He walks to his desk and reaches for a cigarette. "In spite of your adventures, I will inspect the cottage first. I think 90 is too high, so I will drop it to 70 until the repairs are done." There's a tap at the door, causing him to glower as he checks his pockets for his matches. She sees them on his desk and grabs a match from the box. She strikes it and holds the lit match for him. He's slightly surprised, but leans forward to light his cigarette. The person bangs on the door again and he frowns and half barks at the door. "What?"

"Tommy," both of their heads whip towards the doorway. Katherine shakes out the match as she hops off the desk as Lizzie enters the room. Lizzie appears to be in a testy mood this morning. "what is she doing here?'

"Liz," he states firmly. "this is none of your affair. What do you want?"

"I want to know what she's doing here!" She bites out.

"Mrs. Shelby," she explains. "Mr. Shelby and I are discussing the terms of my rent."

Lizzie's eyes flash in irritation. "Are you kidding me Tommy? I thought we had straightened this out."

"Liz," he exhales, blowing smoke from his taut lips. "this is my property, it doesn't concern you. Now, get out."

"I'm not leaving this room." Lizzie bit out, causing Thomas to darkly stare her down. "I told you…I want her to be left alone."

Katherine cleared her throat, hoping to clear the tension in the air. "Mrs. Shelby," both of their heads whipped towards her. "your husband mentioned that you were a fan of my works. If it's not an imposition, might you gather a few of your favorite books for me? I'd be more than happy to sign them for you. We're almost done here and he's actually offering me a lower rate until he's had a chance to survey the property and make repairs."

That worked. The tension eased between husband and wife, evident when Lizzie smiled at her. "Thank you, that is most kind of you. If you're sure it won't put you out."

"No, it would be my pleasure." She assured her. "I shall be out in momentarily."

Lizzie nods and turns to Thomas. "Escort her to the parlor once you're done. And don't take forever."

He nods, but says nothing to Lizzie. Katherine watches as Lizzie turns and silently exits the room. There's sadness and anger to Lizzie's countenance that she didn't notice the first time that she'd met her. The moment the door shut, Thomas stated. "Lizzie may think it's kind of you, but I think it's clever of you."

She blinks innocently at him. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean, Mr. Shelby."

"You don't fool me for a moment Katherine Carter." He points out. "You offered to sign her books in order to get her to leave the room."

"Well spotted, Mr. Shelby. I figured there was no need for the two of you to be arguing over something so trivial on my account. Besides, your wife seems to be a little lonely." He glowers at her. "That's simply my observation, I could be wrong. This little gesture towards her on my part, should lighten up her day."

"She's a politician's wife. She shouldn't expect more than what I give."

"Some women are like that." She mused. "They know what they get, but they can't help but want what they can't have."

He chuckles dryly as he takes another puff of his cigarette. "Lizzie's got everything she needs." She bobs her head silently, biting her tongue against a retort. "Say it."

She frowns. "Say what?"

"You may be silent in this moment, but your eyes aren't." He leans forward in his chair. "Say what's on your mind."

"She's got everything she needs, except you." He rolls his eyes. "She loves you."

"That's on her." He blows the smoke from his cigarette in her direction. "We had an agreement when we married. She knew it wasn't for love and she knew I never loved her. "

"That's a shame. I do like Lizzie and she deserves love."

"I've got nothing to give her." He laughs bitterly. "Trust me, that woman had enough love from any man who'd look at her when she was a whore." Her mouth dropped in shock that he'd actually admit something to her. "I'm nothing special to her. Just another man to warm her bed."

She shoots him a look. "That was a little too much information Mr. Shelby and a little harsh to state such a thing about your wife."

"It's harsh times we live in." He puts out his cigarette and stands. "Enough of the discussions of love. I'll stop in tomorrow with a few men. I'll make a few repairs, and then we'll discuss rent. But for now, you can stay where you are."

She nods and follows him out of the library and into the parlor, which was only a room or two away from the library. She turns towards him, extending a hand. "Thank you very much Mr. Shelby. Pleasure doing business with you."

"We'll see." He states as he shakes her hand.

The moment he does, a strange feeling of déjà vu flows over her at his touch. It was a feeling that confirmed they had met before somewhere before. God, why couldn't she remember him? Thomas seems to notice it, for he hesitates and his gaze drops to her hand for a moment, studying it quickly before releasing her hand. He then turns and briskly walks away, flexing his hand, as if her touch had affected him. She's frozen there for a moment, that sense of recognition is back between them, she just can't recall where she'd know him from.

"Are you going to enter?" Lizzie's voice causes her to inhale; she had no idea she was holding her breath. She turns to face Lizzie, her once friendly eyes, now held a cold suspicion.

Katherine nods. "Yes, I apologize. I had a moment of déjà vu, like…someone just walked over my grave."

Lizzie frowns. "I don't understand."

She steps towards her. "I apologize. I had a thought for a novel and just…zoned out. I got lost in thought."

"I see." Lizzie nods suspicion leaving her eyes. "I hope Thomas didn't raise the rent on you." Katherine shakes her head. "You can be honest; he loves to make a profit."

She chuckles. "He actually is lowering the cost to 70 pounds per month, while the repairs are happening."

Lizzie carefully pours Katherine a cup of tea. "You must have impressed him. My husband doesn't give up profit for just anyone. Lemon?"

"Yes, please. No sugar or cream, please." She holds her hand out for the teacup. "I think he did it for your sake."

She snorts. "Thomas doesn't do anything for anyone…except himself." Lizzie holds her gaze. "You be careful with him."

"I thank you for your concerns, but it's just as well that I'm a writer. It is highly unlikely we will be seeing each other much apart from me making the monthly payments."

"We shall see." Lizzie states as she lifts her cup to her lips. "You never know what you're going to get with Thomas Shelby." Her tone holds a suggestion of a warning. As if there's a dark cloud coming towards them, one that only Lizzie can see. Katherine can't help but wonder now if she'd done right in choosing to rent a cottage from the Shelby family.