After Ela found Frances, the old woman guided her to the room she'd be occupying on the second floor of the house right next to the stairs, and she noticed her luggage was already there waiting to be unpacked. The room was bigger than she had expected, covered completely in soft carpet, she had a semi-double bed, and the covers had been neatly arranged by Frances no doubt. It was next to a large window with a view to the back garden, and by the entrance, she noticed a nice-size cupboard; next to it a bureau, and on the other end of the room there was a small vanity; she also noticed an adjoining door, and when she opened it she discovered it was a bathroom with nothing remarkable but a small tub. There was no other door to access the bathroom so it would be for her personal use, which she found a relief as she had been expecting to share a lavatory with other female members of the house, and having no experience at it could be embarrassing for her.
At the time Frances had informed her she could tidy herself up as Mr. Shelby's sister was due to arrive in a couple of hours, and after her encounter with the man himself, a bit of privacy and a bach were exactly what Ela needed to regain her serenity.
She locked both doors, removed her attire, pinned her hair to prevent it from getting wet, and decided it would be best to have a long cold wash to cool her system since the warmness in her body had not resided.
As she lay closed-eyed with her knees up in the cold porcelain bathtub, she wondered if she had made the right choice by coming to work for the Shelby family, and thought it funny that she never once hesitated on the proposal after learning they were cold-hearted criminals, but a five-minute interaction with the top Alpha male had planted the seed of doubt in her mind.
But in that moment she remembered the solitude of confinement, the burns, the pain. She felt the boiling metal against her skin and knew she could endure anything but that, she would be able to survive anything in such a comfortable house that was so far away from the nightmares she had lived. Everything would be just fine.
As the painful memories had made her uneasy, she tried relaxing for a moment in the cold water, controlling her breathing for her heart to settle, and her mind traveled to Mr. Shelby's eyes.
His piercing look, that glacial stare, where nothing was revealed, not a hint of emotion on his factions, not disdain either, more like numbness to the world, and yet, without any special movement, word, or expression he had made her feel more alive than she ever had. His voice was low and commanding, almost demanding to be heard without a single request. He was a presence to be aware of, a force of nature, a specimen she was sure there weren't two of. Unique, masculine, and intriguing could not begin to describe him.
The smell of whiskey, cigarettes, and gunpowder in the house had been overshadowed by the scent of him, a mix of musk, tobacco, and wood, but with such distinctive tones of strength and vigor, a force to be reckoned with. They had not even had a proper handshake, as for any contact Ela guessed, it would have driven them both mad; but she wondered how his hands would feel on her, strong and possessive, in control of her movements, their closeness, and she would have allowed him to grab her, firm in his touch, clinging to him for dear life.
Ela's legs were shaking, and the cold water was the reason no longer, her core heated as she traced over the memory of Tommy Shelby's figure and the godly pheromones he had released when he had felt her own. His desire for her in that room kindled her mind with want, her right hand held onto the tub edge but without her noticing her left one that had been resting in her chest moved down slowly to her pelvis and it wasn't until she felt the slick escaping her crevice that she came to her senses remembering the nuns screaming during her heat that no pleasure should ever come from herself, it should always be to please her Alpha on his command, the memories of chains on her wrists and ankles tugging from the bars on the wall keeping her to get any relief and preserving her virginity flooded her mind.
The fasting days were suddenly too clear in her head, and whilst she hated the nuns, her parents, and the cruel system she had been raised under, she had never touched, not even after escaping.
Back then it was by fear conditioning, being closely monitored and punished, more recently she had never even thought about it since she had her own survival to be concerned about and no stimulus to trigger the need.
Her chest rose and fell from the excitement she had felt, bathing had not helped as she had intended to. She had to be careful to fend off from daydreaming about Mr. Shelby, but she dismissed her want for him to never have been close to a scent so powerful, especially lately as she had been focused only on hiding away from the world.
When she was calm and collected she stood up and wrapped a towel around herself, checking her image in the bathroom mirror to inspect that no trace of her flushness remained in her features.
After dressing again, fixing her hair, and putting minimal makeup on, she was satisfied with her appearance looking far more rested and like her natural self.
Just as she was buckling her shoes someone knocked on the door, and Frances announced Mrs. Thorne had arrived; Ela gathered she was referring to Mr. Shelby's sister, she was at the door at once. Frances accompanied her to the drawing room where the woman was waiting for her.
-"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Thorne, I apologize for the disturbance of your commitments to attend this meeting," Ela said while extending her hand to the elegant woman who looked down from the window she was standing nearby and accepted it.
-"No trouble at all Miss Dawson, my schedule will gladly open up to ensure the good old cause is well looked after" Ada mentioned releasing Ela's hand "even if it's for a singular case".
-"And what cause would that be Mrs. Thorne?" a man's voice resonated from the entrance and Ela turned to find a tall figure entering the room.
Ada let go a small humourless laugh looking to her side.
-"To prevent your known tactics of dismissing Omega rights from making their way onto the contract, of course, Mr. Stonem" The man smirked and stepped forward; Ela noticed although he seemed like a strong wise man he was Beta.
-"Always such a warm welcome from you Ada; nice to meet you, Miss Dawson, I'll be discussing the contract with you ladies later," said the man turning the attention from Ada to Ela, who accepted his hand in greeting and managed a small nod from her head.
-"Now if you excuse me, Mr. Shelby is expecting me," the man said withdrawing from the space to the stairs.
-"No doubt Mr. Stonem you'd pay a visit to the Alpha of the house first than fulfilling your actual job with the Omegas" Ada conveyed with a false smile creeping from her lips.
-"Not a matter of dominance Ada, but a matter of who pays my wages" and with that the man was out of sight.
The exchange left Ela impressed by Ada's presence.
-"Better to have an initial chat without that mean nearby," Ada said while motioning for Ela to sit alongside her on the couch.
-"Now tell me Ela, how would you like to enjoy your heats before we're thrown in an office with that hyena" Ada had a serious look on her face as she lit a cigarette, whiskey in hand.
Now Ela was convinced bluntness was a family trade. They had not met each other yet or even had some small talk and the woman already wanted to discuss such private affairs, and calling them enjoyable got Ela thinking of her open-mindedness, but instead of seeing it as disrespectful, Ela took it as a sign of the importance Ada and Polly were labeling the matter with.
-"Mrs. Thorne, I admit my lack of experience is grand when it comes to the subject, that is, I've never taken care of it on my own, I only know of the fasting methods, so any input you may have It'll be greatly appreciated," Ela said looking down at her hands and Ada's stomach was about ready to regurgitate its contents at the thought of such a sweet young woman or any woman for that matter enduring the torture.
-"Well, fasting's out of the question and I'm sure you're not about to request the treatment, or running away from your home with hold no reason" Ada's words resonated with Ela and she felt a sudden rush of strength, maybe it was the woman next to her that was impregnating her own confidence on her.
Ela nodded and a firm look of resolution filled her features.
-"My friend Effy and her husband have requested for me to spend the seasons in their house where they'll look after me, as I feel the first symptom I'll announce it and depart" Ela stated firmly and Ada was taken aback by how much her traits had changed from the time she had walked in the room, to how the mention of anything related to her family had awakened her conviction. A pretty face was not all there was to Ela Dawson.
-"Very well, how long before the heats do you tend to experience the symptoms, and how much does your average season last?" the inquiries made sense to prepare the house; give her privacy, and re-arrange Charlie's activities during her absence.
-"About two days prior I'll notice the first signs of temperature rising, it can last about 8 days, I shall return two days after that Mrs. Thorne".
-"You'll be exhausted afterward, you'll take the full two weeks off," unwavering Ada said exhaling heavy cigarette smoke from her mouth.
-"I appreciate it Mrs. Thorne, but I can't afford to lose more than the necessary days off from work", it was true, two weeks away from her duties would have a heavy impact on her finances, it was not the time to consider such luxuries.
-"It'll be a fully paid leave Miss Dawson, I'll make sure of it, you won't take no less" Ada smiled sweetly and it was time for Ela to be taken aback by the generosity of Ada.
-"That's too generous Mrs. Shouldn't we ask for Mr. Shelby's permission to consider it first?", such a long leave would also take a toll on Charlie's routine and his father might want to be aware of it.
-"Let me take care of my brother, but I assure you he won't say no to the strong case I'll make" Ada's smile broadened, and Ela could now see the kindness behind her facade. Granted it was only twice a year she'd take the time off, but she had never heard of a household granting such long absences for their unmarried Omegas, much less fully paid.
-"May I ask Mrs. Thorne, why are you and Mrs. Grey taking so much trouble to help me? Don't get me wrong, that is, I appreciate your efforts more than you will know, but I'm a stranger to your family, why would you go to this lengths to ensure my comfort?" the curiosity had increased in Ela's mind and it was time to get some answers. She was not used to strangers helping her as much, granted, not even her own family had cared to provide the bare minimum of thought on her well-being, besides looking the part of a noble family, she had to wonder why Gangsters would be keen on treating her better.
Ada could only smile at the girl, to some extent she was right to be wary, Ada had been too when the request to help had come from her aunt, but after hearing her backstory she had felt immediately protective of her.
-"This is an unusual family as you'll get to know Miss Dawson, Amongst the questionable activities we take part in, causes such as yours touch a soft spot for myself and Polly" Ada was well-spoken and articulate Ela thought, but somehow she thought she had deliberately missed to include Mr. Shelby as one that was in to help her as well.
-"Thank you Mrs., for all your help, you're a kind woman".
-"No need for the formalities, but call me Ada, Mrs. Thorne has not been much around since I became a widow years ago" A smirk showed playfully on Ada's lips.
-"Very well, Ada" Ela smiled widely.
-"Now tell me Ela, what do you plan on doing on your days off?" such a strange turn from the conversation Ela thought.
-"Oh, well... not much I suppose, maybe get to know the nearest village, I don't know anybody here, and going back to London is not an option since my family would surely find me" Ela considered for a moment how lonely she was meant to be for the weeks to come until she made some new acquaintances.
-"Nonsense, I'll arrange something so you can have your escapades with me. Whiskey and good music will treat you well after being caught up in this frivolous place", Ada could use the company as a distraction from the usual poets and aristocrats she surrounded herself with, and she'd be lying to herself if she didn't want to get to know Ela better, as for the noblewoman, well, she would get to have her earned rest from the Iceberg Tommy liked to call home.
-"Make it Irish and I'm all yours," Ela said accepting the invitation without hesitating.
-"Ah, you're one of us already then," Ada said placing her hand above Ela's in a reassuring hold.
Edna had been right, she had discovered gangsters indeed had a heart. Bigger than most too.
After the back-and-forth accompanied by loud bickering from Ada and Mr. Stonem to arrange some of Ela's contract clauses the final draft was done, even when without consulting Ada had fought to ensure Ela had full weekends off to which the lawyer had agreed on as long as her weekly wages were cut down, and that sent them over another spiral of arguments that lasted about half with Ela in the middle to contemplate the argument.
When the meeting was over, and the papers were in order for the master of the house to review and make any changes he saw fit, the lawyer said his goodbyes and left the house exhausted from the battle he had endured with Ada Thorne.
Ada stood from the desk and made her way to the entrance, Ela following closely behind to say her goodbyes and express her gratitude after being so attentive and fighting like a mighty warrior for her rights.
-"Thank you, Ada, you're truly a revolutionary," he said embracing the woman.
-"Hmmm tell Tommy that, he keeps referring to it as dangerously close to subversion" The woman accepted the embrace and told Ela to give her a call should she need any help or just someone to pull her out of the depressive state the house would most likely bring to her days.
-"Oh, I almost forgot, keep this with you at all times" Ada handed Ela a small container, it looked like a makeup item but had no labels on it "I got it from the apothecary, you should be wise to use it constantly the first few weeks you're here, apply it by your nostrils".
Ela opened the flask and it was a strong-scented minty creamy-like substance. Ela gave her a puzzled look but soon after the flashes came as a wave of a container like that and the cream from it being applied to her in the midst of her heats; the memory was blurry from her confused state of mind during those times but she knew it was to keep her from being too affected by any nearby Alpha.
Ela blushed heavily at the gift, it crept from her neck to the root of her scalp.
-"No need to be embarrassed hun, but I had it done extra strong. Two top-rated specimens sharing a house is bound to be utterly difficult at first, but Tommy is too proud and stubborn to accept the balsam".
Ela smiled at how there was a tone of endearment in Ada's insult to her own brother.
After that, she left and Ela saw her driving away in her Bently.
After returning to her chamber Ela thought it best to unpack and put her suitcases away, it was long overdue, and she had to be ready as Frances had instructed her to be ready by supper to finally meet Charlie who had been away a few days spending time with his uncle Arthur.
Another Shelby, she wondered what was he like. Dangerous, unusual, and blunt for sure.
After unpacking her bags, she found the Whiskey bottle Alfie had given her and remembered her promise of giving it to Mr. Shelby. Such a simple task had her shaking at the thought of encountering him again. She sighed and recovered Ada's flask from her pocket applying the cream under her nose, and for good measure, she decided it would be best to put a bit of it on her glands as well.
She lowered the neck of her gown and rubbed the substance around them on her neck, and her wrists, and then a generous amount on the mate one on her nape.
It was certainly strong, her eyes watered a bit but after a few minutes, it resided as she grew used to it.
She took the package and went downstairs to join Frances in the kitchen where she introduced Ela to some maids and cooks who all looked quizzically at her not understanding why a fine young Omega lady may have been hired, but most were gracious enough to not stare at her too long.
Just as Frances was about to ask about the package the girl was holding, a strong but slim man made his presence known in the house.
-"Aye Frances, these kids are wild to get some of your famous marmalade toast, give them some will ya?"
-"And will you help them wash their hands, running with the dogs all they have filthy alright" Another manly voice coming from the entrance resonated as well.
-"Of course Sirs, I'll do it at once," Frances said rushing to gather the kids.
-"I can help you wash their hands Frances" Ela exclaimed from behind her and turned to follow her, leaving the bottle on the counter.
Just as she was exiting the room she stumbled with one of the men stepping on his fine shoes, the other one not far behind seeing the scene.
-"Eh easy there" Authur exclaimed.
-"I'm sorry Sir, I was careless not to beware of your presence," the girl said while bowing her head, the man grabbing her by the shoulders to help steady them both.
-"No trouble love, takes more than a stumble to unsettle Arthur Shelby," he said with a smile through his thick mustache.
-"And who would you be eh dove?" the other man who was noticeably younger said leaning on the doorframe.
-"My apologies Sir, My name is Ela Dawson, I'll be Charlie's new governess," she said, her head still bowed a little while the men examined her.
-"Is that right? I may be in need of a governess too eh Arthur" the younger one said and made Ela blush.
-"What you need is a fine stroke from Esme if she sees you flirting with another woman", a threatening voice Ela recognized from a few days back made its way to the kitchen.
Her head rose at the sound and Polly entered the kitchen to meet the young woman.
-"Hello there Ela dear, don't mind my nephews, manners are not part of their nature, but they'll be harmless to you," said Polly with a grin.
-"Polly, I'm glad to see you so soon" Ela greeted her with a sweet smile
"I'm sorry, I must help Frances, please excuse me, gentleman, Polly" She bowed her head once more and removed herself from the kitchen.
-"Aye where are go going love? We could use your help here too," said John while Ela walked away getting a stroke on the head from both Polly and Arthur.
-"That's no way to talk to the girl eh John!" Arthur exclaimed.
-"Not my fault, did you see her? smell her?! Even with that salve, she's a solid one, how'll Tommy live with her?" John said defending himself with a mischievous smile.
-"A solid beating is what you'll get if you keep disturbing her" Polly threatened and the man put his hands in the air surrendering before his aunt.
But it was true, Ada's concocted formula was good, but the Omega scent in her was too powerful. Polly wondered how was Tommy managing.
She would find soon enough.