Ada turned to glance quickly behind her, making sure that they weren't being followed. The baker was nowhere to be seen.

He's only a baker, part of her mind said, scolding herself for being silly, for being like Tommy. That man's unwarranted generosity would sound off warning bells in her brother's brain no doubt and he would start inspecting the bread for poison.

Everything makes him paranoid.

She hadn't seen Tommy since before the races, when he'd whisked James away "for the cause." She hadn't seen James since because she and Karl had moved from the house Tommy had stowed them away in. She was tired of hiding, of being indebted to Tommy. He said he was protecting her, but he was always stifling her, had always smothered her. If he had had his way, she never would have married Freddy. She wouldn't be holding her little boy's hand. Odds are, Freddy would have died a terribly violent death because of Tommy's paranoia.

These thoughts, although most likely true, made her feel guilty. She did love her brother. She had meant what she had said to him in the parlor; she loved him, the whole family loved him. She had been very worried when Tommy had handed her that letter, saying if anything happened that day, to send it. Nothing had happened, (thank God). Whatever horrible calamity he had anticipated had not come to pass, but she could not live like this anymore, waiting for something to happen and never actively participating in her own life. Neither could Karl. Freddy wouldn't have wanted this life for them. He would want her to be independent, not sitting around in a large house, being idle. She wanted to be free. She tightened her hold on Karl's hand while he munched on the bread, quiet and content. She'd taken all the valuables she could carry with her from the house that she could pawn, as well as her own money and was renting a home in Camden Town. All of this was done swiftly before Tommy or anyone else could find out and stop her.

Before Polly could find out.

Tommy's invasiveness was one thing, but Aunt Polly's disapproval terrified her deep down, made her feel like a child disrespecting her relative.

She will be hurt.

Polly was terrifying when she was hurt, because she became angry, vicious, and formidable. Some of her best work for the business was when she was having a particularly bad row with Tommy.

He's the only one who can get under her skin.

Arthur merely irritated her. John easily submitted during any argument, so he was no trouble to her. Even Ada, when push came to shove, knew that Polly would win. She'd experienced that first-hand when she'd tried to separate herself before. Tommy was always so difficult, stubborn. A tug on her hand brought her back to the present. She looked down at Karl who was looking up at her with Freddy's eyes and motioning for more bread.

"You have to wait until supper," she said and saw his face fall. She didn't want him to spoil his appetite with all that bread. She thought of the baker again and realized she had never gotten his name. She looked back again and noticed for the first time, a wooden sign over the door. Her eyes had always been sharp even at a distance, and she picked out the name, which was SOLOMONS' BAKED GOODS. The man must have been Mr. Solomons, the owner.

He didn't look like a baker.

Tall, broad shouldered, more like a carpenter or warehouse worker than a baker, with a very thick beard and an intense stare. She wasn't sure if she had had an odd expression on her face to make him look at her with an almost fierce look in his blue-green eyes. Then, the look had cleared away with a broad natural smile and she did not feel as if she were looking at anyone, but a baker.

A handsome one at that. She didn't deny when she saw an attractive man, which wasn't very often since she had been living in seclusion with her son and her boyish border, James. There was no harm in acknowledging that the baker was of a good build, with an unconventionally handsome face.

"Mommy," Karl said, hinting at a whine.

"Karl, I said to wait until supper…."

"Mommy, it's Auntie Polly," he said, pointing down the street, the whine changing to excitement. Sure enough, Ada saw Polly driving the car, looking straight ahead, her face white.

How did she find me?

Ada braced herself for the worst. She braced herself for Polly to swerve over to the sidewalk in complete disregard of traffic and human life, to haul her into the car, shout at her in front of her son for abandoning the family, and then drag her unwillingly back to the Shelby clan because once you were born a Shelby, you would always be…."

The car proceeded on its course down the street and rounded a corner in the opposite direction.

She didn't see me.

Polly hadn't slowed, stopped, or turned her head. She hadn't seen Ada. She wasn't looking for her niece.

What is she doing in Camden town then?

"Mommy where's Auntie Polly going?" Karl asked, confusion visible on his face. He thought she had seen them. It wasn't like Polly to completely ignore them and in his mind, Polly had done so. He thought Polly saw and knew everything. She always lavished affection on little Karl, solidifying her love with hugs, kisses, and treats that would rot his teeth. She would gush about how beautiful Ada looked and want to know what she was doing with her life. She tried so hard to act like they were a normal family.

We're not normal. We're Shelby's.

They're Shelby's.

Ada had to make a conscious effort to remove herself from her chaotic family. Yes, she had the Shelby name, and the Shelby blood, but she didn't want to be, "that Shelby girl" or just another Shelby. She wanted to start over.

'"I don't know, sweetheart, but it's getting late and we have to go." She tightened her hold on her son's hand and they began walking again, but she continued to think about Polly. Something was wrong for Polly to be traveling to Camden town alone.

She looked upset.

You can't get involved.

If she got emotionally involved, she would open herself to being drawn back into her family's web of intrigue, which always had Tommy at its center. If she had to hazard a guess, Polly's visit to Camden had to do with Tommy being Tommy.

Well now I have to be the center of my own life, for my sake and for Karl's.

She was going to be Ada, mother of Karl Thorne, and her own person.