Chapter 16

Small Heath

#6 Watery Lane

Dec. 27, 1919 - Afternoon

Tommy POV

Tommy sat at his desk in his office and closed his eyes. He supposed that things had gone better than he'd expected that morning when the rest of his family had arrived at the BSA factory to load onto the Adelisa.

Ada had surprised him the most when she hadn't thrown a fit about being sent away but had oddly seemed somehow happy to be leaving. He'd have thought she'd fight him tooth and nail, what with her involvement with Freddie Thorne.

Finn had seemed to be both ecstatic and terrified of the fact. He'd put on a brave face and while he wanted badly to be on the airship he'd been frightened to leave Small Heath. Having Aoife with him seemed to calm him a bit and Tommy knew she'd look after him, so he'd be fine.

John was more affected by his kids leaving than they were but that may have been different if Ada hadn't been with them. Michael had at first refused to be sent away but as Polly had said when Tommy'd told him he needed someone he could trust to keep an eye on everyone and keep them safe he'd come around and agreed to go.

Having them away and safe was a good thing but he had to admit he already felt their absence.

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the small picture that Aoife had given him before Finn had come back to her cabin. It was only about four by three, he'd need to get a frame for it. Aoife was standing in the foreground with a temple surrounded by jungle behind her. She was wearing this skirt that tied on the side and had a slit clear up to her thigh. Her shirt sleeves were rolled up and she'd unbuttoned it halfway up to tie it in a knot baring her flat stomach. He could tell from the picture that it was hot there, she was trying to stay cool. Her hair up off her neck and the dimpled smile he enjoyed seeing so much on her face.

She'd told him they were Hindu and Jain temples at Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh the place she'd told him of.

He'd get a frame and put it in his room. Too many nosy people about to keep it in here.

Aoife had also mentioned that she rang Alfie every Friday evening to check in. He'd asked her to ring him on Monday evenings. She'd told him in the event that she didn't check in or if there was an emergency Alfie knew how to reach them.

She'd told him not to worry unless she missed two consecutive check ins. Depending on where they were, getting a line out could be difficult.

Seeing as how the next generation of his family was aboard she'd also given him a folder containing their scheduled route and a projection of their timeline. He would have a general idea of where they were supposed to be and when they thought they'd be there.

Aoife had insinuated that she'd write as well and should he receive a letter to be sure to open it in private. He found he was looking forward to any letters he'd get.

But now that they were out of Birmingham he needed to get to work, so it would be safe for them to come home in three months.

He'd had an idea come to him that he believed would solve a major issue and bring the business up a level. He'd need to tread carefully. Especially with Churchills new man arriving. At least if the man wanted to snoop around there was no longer anything to find.

Airship Adelisa Aiglentine

Dec. 27, 1919

Afternoon

Ada POV

Ada had been surprised when Polly had woken her early and told her to pack. At first she'd balked at the idea. Then she'd given it some thought. Freddie had left town, hadn't even told her till after the fact. A two line note sent in the post the day he left. Ada my princess, I had to leave for a while. I'll come back for you. Seriously!

The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. Yes she would be looking after John's kids but Michael had also come and he'd help her a bit with them.

This was a chance for her to see a bit of the world. she'd never thought she'd have the opportunity. She was also traveling with Aoife and she hoped she'd be willing to teach her some of the things she wanted to learn.

By the time they'd reached the Adelisa she'd been looking forward to escaping her life in Small Heath for a little while. The only thing she worried over was what kind of trouble the boys would get up to without her and the little ones there to temper them.

She knew Polly would keep it within the realm of sanity but that would only work if Tommy clued her in on his plans.

Tommy'd been expecting a fight from her. Before she'd boarded she'd hugged them all and made sure to tell him not to do anything stupid. He made her angry almost constantly. Always telling her what to do. She'd never admit it to him but she knew he did what he did because he cared. She hadn't wanted to leave for three months on a sour note.

She'd met Aine and been thrown for a loop to find she and Aoife were identical. She'd have to ask Aoife what Tommy had thought about that when he found out.

She'd briefly seen Reilly before he'd disappeared down below. Aine had introduced her to their older brothers Eirnin and Carrick.

Carrick had said a brief greeting and then told her to be sure to obey all the safety rules while aboard, before marching off to do whatever it was Captain's did.

Eirnin had rolled his eyes at his brothers behavior. He'd been polite and downright nice to her. He was quite the looker, very striking with the contrast of the dark hair and the green eyes. He seemed to be jovial and she imagined that was a good thing when you were stuck on a ship.

She'd seen Aoife for a minute when they'd been boarding as she was saying goodbye to Polly, Arthur and John, no doubt she'd already said her goodbyes to Tommy in private. Her siblings had mentioned she'd check in with her later, Aoife'd be busy with unmooring the ship and helping getting her on their way.

So Eirnin had become the tour guide for them all. He showed them where the saloon was, as well as, a type of lounge room. Pointed out navigation, comms, and the bridge before he took them down another deck and showed them to their rooms or cabins as they seemed to be called.

It was a bit small but adequate enough, not like she'd brought all that much with her. Her cabin was attached to a lavatory that connected to the cabin the girls would be staying in. Michael's was the same and connected with the boys cabin via a shared lavatory as well.

Finn had a cabin to himself that was across the way from what she'd been told was Aoife's cabin that supposedly connected to Aine's. It seemed everyone shared a lavatory except the Captain.

Eirnin also mentioned that the cabins were soundproofed for privacy so if you were available for company, doors were left open.

He then left them all to get settled in and told them to head to the lounge when they were ready in, order to go over the safety procedures.

Aoife POV

After unmooring and helping to guide the ship out of the BSA's airlane she took a moment to watch the remaining Shelby's figures disappear from view. Tommy's form the last thing she studied before they were well on their way.

She hoped they managed to accomplish what they wished and that they all remained safe, and hopefully unharmed.

She had a feeling somewhere inside that was telling her to enjoy the next three months. Who knew where life would take her when she came back to Birmingham.

Finn's POV

He couldn't believe it, he was going to be on an airship for three months. They'd told him he'd still have school studies but he was okay with that.

He had so many questions and there were things he wanted to learn. He couldn't wait but he already missed his brothers and Aunt Polly.

He kept his door open so he could see Aoife if she came down before Ada came to take them to the lounge. He had a few questions he wanted to ask her. Until then he worked on unpacking the bag that Aunt Polly had brought him. Clothes, his sketch pad and pencils, tooth brush, comb, and other lavatory stuff, a picture of everyone together and his favorite blanket. This was going to be an adventure.