Tommy sighed as he rubbed a hand over his face, sleep unable to find him even at this late hour of the night. He leaned back into the armchair in which he had so often found his twin, a glass of whiskey in his hand as he stared down at the fire, unable to find the peace that it seemed to fill Elizabeth with whenever he'd find her in this spot. He shook his head, pushing himself up out the chair, setting the glass down on the table when he frowned, hearing footsteps. He knew it couldn't be his oldest or youngest brother, Arthur having drunken himself into a slumber, while Polly had taken Finn to hers for the night. He walked over to the kitchen door, opening it slowly and frowning as he saw his sister, wrapped in a blanket as she made her way down the stairs.
"Lil?" Tommy called quietly, not wanting to disturb the girl who had yet to look up, focusing intently on the stairs. Elizabeth's head shot up, a wince occurring as she jarred her arm, pulling the blanket closer, only for her to relax at the sight of her twin.
"Morning Tommy," she breathed back, her focus turning back to the stairs.
"You should be in bed." Tommy commented as she got to the bottom, Elizabeth nodding her head but moved around him, choosing not to comment on the glass of whiskey as she took a seat in her armchair, wrapping the blanket as tight as she could with her left hand.
"I just woke up." She revealed to her brother, who had closed the kitchen door, moving to take a seat at the kitchen table, "My shoulder hurts."
Tommy nodded at her, unable to see the wound with her blanket wrapped so tightly around her but able to see in the way she held herself it was causing her pain. She was leaning forward, her left arm cradling her right and not relaxed in the slightest. He could see, even with the low burning fire, that her skin had gained some colour, but she was still deathly pale.
"You just got shot." He reminded her as he pulled out and lit a cigarette, trying to blink back the flashes of his nightmare of watching his sister being in the trench with him, being blown to bits with him. Elizabeth glanced down at her arm, her eyes glazing over as her own nightmares flashed across her mind, mixing in with the experiences of the day. Tommy watched his twin carefully as she seemed to get trapped in her mind, before letting out a small sigh of relief when she blinked, shaking her head slowly as she let out a deep sigh. Elizabeth lifted her head to meet her brother's gaze.
"Erasmus missed on purpose." She admitted, able to see now that the man hadn't wanted to kill her and had given her brothers a chance to save her by drawing on the door, "He did what he had to with the cousins and bastards there, probably prevented them doing worse." Tommy sat back in the chair, staring at his sister as she turned her gaze back down to her bandages, unable to move her arm much but able to tell from what she could see that whoever had fixed her up had done a good job.
"Do you still want peace?" Tommy asked around his cigarette, unsure if what his sister had said before falling unconscious was her true feelings or just the panic and pain talking. Elizabeth hummed as she twisted her head to look at the fire, silently debating for a moment before nodding.
"Blood has been spilt on both sides." She answered, "Now would be the time if you need them."
"I'll contact Johnny-dogs." Tommy nodded, wondering for a moment if his sister would change her tune if she knew about the hand grenade that had almost gotten Finn before pushing the thought out of his mind. He needed peace for business and if Elizabeth thought their youngest brother was in danger, she would be taking a gun and hunting down the Lees herself.
The twins fell into a moment of silence, neither wanting to bring up the past few hours but both unable to think of anything else. Elizabeth stared at the fire intently, knowing Tommy was watching her but not caring as she allowed herself to fall into her thoughts. The pain in her shoulder kept her from being consumed as she relived the past 24 hours, trying her hardest to accept the intense fear of death that had briefly consumed her and forget the calm acceptance that had followed when she had closed her eyes, not wanting her twin to know how relieved she had felt in that brief moment and the small feeling of disappointment when she had woken back up. Guilt was filling her, for feeling so relieved at the idea of leaving. She loved her family, she loved them dearly and would do anything for them, but sometimes, sometimes she just wanted peace.
Elizabeth suddenly let out a small chuckle, her eyes moving across to Tommy who tilted his head at her. Her eyes were filled with amusement as she remembered the reason, she had been in the shop in the first place.
"Did John get to tell you his news?" Elizabeth asked Tommy, smiling slightly when Tommy let out an amused snort and shook his head.
"His engagement to Lizzie Stark." Tommy smirked, trying to hold back his laughter. Elizabeth let out another chuckle, readjusting herself and curling her legs up, wrapping her left arm around them. She leaned her chin down on her knees as she smiled at her brother.
"Tell all." She insisted seeing a chance to take their minds off her wound, Tommy smiling lightly at his twin looking so much like her teenage self when he'd come home after taking a girl for a walk or she'd spotted Arthur or John with a girl.
"He told you, didn't he?" Tommy countered. Elizabeth rolled her eyes and bobbed her head slightly.
"He told me he was going to propose, I asked him if he had gone mad, he told me to fuck off, and I told him to get your permission." She waved off, skimming the details before smirking, "What did Pol say?"
"Something along the lines of Lizzie Stark not having done a days work vertical." Tommy offered, smiling down at the table as Elizabeth let out a cackle of amusement, "Arthur liked that one too." He chuckled before continuing, "John then explained she'd changed, like with religion." Elizabeth tilted her head slightly, a confused frown coming over her face.
"She has religion?" Tommy shook his head continuing to look down at the table.
"She loves him, apparently." Tommy told her, Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at her twin seeing him refusing to look up at her and gasped, pointing her left hand at him accusingly.
"You've slept with her." She accused, trying to hold back another cackle as Tommy looked up at her unamused, "You've bloody slept with her and behind John's back too! You're a horrible brother." She joked, chuckling once more before sobering slightly, "I hope she sees sense and runs as far away from the pair of you as possible." She let out a breath, the curse of the name Shelby evident from her shoulder, "She doesn't deserve to be pulled down with the likes of us, nor does she deserve the horror of our nieces and nephews, they're hard work on a good day." She joked, trying to lighten her quickly souring mood, Tommy rolled his eyes at her but nodded his head, looking back down at the table.
"I'll see to it." Elizabeth hummed and eyed her brother, seeing the stress written across his shoulders. She winced as she placed her feet on the floor and pushed herself to her feet, accidently twinging her arm as she got her balance, Tommy glanced up sharply at her sharp hiss. Elizabeth took a breath to push past the pain as she moved her left hand to cradle her right arm, lifting her gaze to her brother.
"You're doing the right thing Tom." She promised him, unsure what his stress was about but knowing it would be something for the good of the family, "It may not feel like it now, but I'm certain, if it worries you this much, it must be for a good cause." She explained, seeing her brothers face. Tommy stared at her for a moment, his gaze falling to her bandaged arm, before he nodded his head, certainty written across his features, Elizabeth offered a tired smile of comfort before sighing and looking at the door, "I'll head back to bed, give you time to think."
Tommy nodded, waving her off even as he watched as his twin silently moved past him, a small grimace of pain twisting her features every so often as she walked, but no noise escaping her. He sighed as soon as she closed the kitchen door, his head falling into his hands once again as he thought over his next move, knowing no matter what move he made, at least one sibling would be angry with him.
Elizabeth sighed in annoyance; her eyes closed as she leaned her head back over the back of the booth she had taken over inside the snug in the Garrison. It had been a long morning, Polly had had to help her get dressed, then been banned from housework by Arthur who would grab anything off her as soon as she picked it up, only to then have been practically shooed out the house by Polly who'd insisted on preparing the family meals. She was dying of boredom. The only place that was remotely safe for her to go in her condition had been the Garrison, and so she'd grabbed her coat and decided to hide in the pub, lying across the bench in their snug with the coat over her legs as she tried to get some rest but unable to with the sound of customers.
She tilted her head up when the doors opened, allowing it to fall back when she saw it was just Tommy carrying a bottle of whiskey and a glass. Neither spoke as he took a seat, setting down the bottle and pouring himself a drink. He pulled out his cigarettes, eyeing his sibling who continued to lie down, both feeling curious as to what the other was doing but neither in the mood to ask. Elizabeths peeked an eye back open as she heard him opening a letter, curiosity beginning to burn as she wondered if it had anything to do with his whereabouts during the morning. He'd been missing from the house since she'd woken again at sunrise, and no one else had seen him or known where he'd gone.
The twin's gaze was suddenly drawn to the door of the snug, Elizabeth wincing as she pushed herself up slightly at the sight of her aunt. Polly said nothing to the pair as she quickly turned to shut the door before moving over to shut the hatch to the bar. Elizabeth threw Tommy a look of confusion, the man tapping the top of the letter in silent explanation. Elizabeth hummed, pushing herself up fulling and shuffling down to be closer to the two as Polly sat down in the remaining chair.
"Did you have something to do with this?" Tommy asked, picking up the letter and twisting it between his fingers before throwing it gently in the direction of Elizabeth who glanced between the two but picked it up with her left hand and opened it, frowning at the address listed.
"I asked an acquaintance for an address. She said she'd only give it to me anonymously. She's afraid of the consequences." Polly revealed to the two. Elizabeth set the letter telegram back down on top of the envelope, a frown over her face mirrored by Tommy.
"Whose address, is it?" Tommy asked, waiting for Polly to get to the point.
"Tommy, I'd like to suggest a strategy." Polly began, glancing over to Elizabeth who winced as she leaned back against the leather of the booth. The twins remained silent, listening, and waiting before casting judgement, "This is the address of Stanley Chapman," Polly started, tapping the letter, "He is currently holding 200 of cash for the Communist Party given to them by the Russian Government."
"What are you suggesting Pol?" Elizabeth cut in, unsure what use they had for the information. Polly glanced between the two, unsure who would react worse to her proposition.
"Offer it in exchange for Freddie, let Freddie stay here with Ada, let there be peace." Polly suggested, watching as Tommy remained silent and Elizabeth let out a huff of agitation, rolling her eyes, frustrating Polly, "Watch your tone, Elizabeth." Polly warned the younger woman.
"He won't go for it." Elizabeth bit out, the mention of her brother-in-law leaving a sour taste in her mouth, ignoring Polly who glared over at her and turning to look at Tommy who watched the two women argue, "He wants Freddie. The fucker causes too many issues for the coppers, and he won't stop."
"Do it for Ada." Polly argued, earning another scoff from Elizabeth, "She's your sister, Elizabeth, act like it." Elizabeth threw he aunt a dark look.
"We keep trying to get her out of trouble and the idiot she married keeps dragging her back in." Elizabeth countered; Polly's face fell into a look of horror.
"You'd let her go to prison? She'd hang." Polly hissed, Elizabeth looked down, her demons raging in her mind as she bit back the abrasive comment she'd been about to make, taking a breath before looking back up, deciding it would be best to bring them back to the point of the conversation.
"He would never let Freddie stay." Elizabeth shook her head, fixing Polly with a hard look, "Could Ada get him to leave? Leave and never come back?"
"She can." Polly confirmed, promise in her eyes.
"If we do this, she has to do it Pol, the Inspector won't play games." Elizabeth insisted to her aunt, emphasising that Ada would have to somehow get her husband out, even if it meant dragging Freddie away kicking and screaming. Polly didn't respond, turning her gaze to Tommy who had said nothing throughout the whole exchange, watching Polly intently as Elizabeth took up the challenge of arguing with their aunt. He silently weighed up the arguments before nodding his head once to his aunt, picking up the letter and sticking it in his breast pocket.
"I'll meet with him." Tommy offered, Polly letting out a breath of relief.
"Thank you, Thomas." Polly offered, nodding her head to the man, casting his twin a look of warning before she stood and made her way out of the snug. Elizabeth let out a sigh, leaning back against the leather of the bench as she lifted her left hand to cradle her right, annoyed at herself for losing her cool but knowing her aunt needed to hear it, she still held out too much hope.
Tommy took a moment to process before he picked up his glass and quickly downed the drink as he put out his cigarette. He glanced over at his twin who lifted her head to meet his gaze, feeling his eyes on her. The two stared each other down, both knowing that the information would be the only chance they'd get now to get Ada out without her being arrested. Freddie was risking Ada and their unborn child's lives by playing stupid games and this would be the last chance he'd get to fix his mistake.
"I'll deal with this." Tommy promised his sister, the silent order for her not to come with him going unspoken. Elizabeth sighed and nodded, knowing he wouldn't be letting her join him with her shoulder wound so fresh.
"Be careful Tom." She offered, "He's a manipulative bastard, and he'll betray you if he gets the chance." Tommy nodded to her as he pushed himself up, taking her warning seriously.
Elizabeth watched him leave and couldn't help the sigh that escaped her, worry for her siblings running through her as she leaned forward and poured herself a glass of Whiskey from Tommy's bottle. She downed her drink quickly, shaking her head as she shuffled back over and swivelled her legs up onto the bench, crossing them over. She leaned her head back over the side of the bench, closing her eyes as she once again tried to relax. Arthur and Finn were the only siblings she currently didn't have to worry about and that scared her to no end, as she couldn't watch over them all at once. All she could do was hope Tommy knew what he was doing, and Ada would be able to convince Freddie, but worry continued to consume her.
The third eldest Shelby sighed only to glance up again as she heard another thump from outside the door, frowning when the door opened to a woeful John and knew it would be a long afternoon.
"Tommy, there's a car outside!" Elizabeth called up the stairs, having spotted the vehicle outside the kitchen window and instantly recognising it as the one she'd been in when she'd been taken to Kimber's mansion a few weeks ago. Her twin appeared at the top of the staircase, his hat and jacket already on as he ran down the stairs, careful to avoid bumping into his sister when he got to the bottom.
"Kimber?" He checked, walking into the kitchen, and leaning into the window to peer outside.
"Kimber." Elizabeth confirmed, adjusting her sling slightly as she came in.
Her arm was still bandaged up, but it was certainly improving, and she had been feeling a bit better over the past few days. Polly had come around the night before to clean and change her bandages, readjusting them to allow her more movement and it had been a godsend. Elizabeth was finally able to bend and move slightly without wincing, meaning she could move much more. She'd managed to pull on her own shirt and waistcoat this morning, not having to wait for her aunt to appear, the only assistance she'd required was getting Arthur to make the sling up.
Her twin nodded turning to eye her, making her roll her eyes, "I'm not your sister, I'm a gypsy whore who's cursed to be forever alone, I remember the story, Tom."
"What?" Arthur frowned as he walked into the Kitchen from the shop, hearing what Elizabeth had said to Tommy, eyeing the two suspiciously. Elizabeth chuckled nervously, flashing Tommy an annoyed look before turning to face Arthur and wave him off.
"Just something we told Kimber." She explained, making their eldest sibling shake his head and roll his eyes at the two, "I'll wait in the shop and stick by Arthur." Tommy nodded his head at her, moving to leave out the front door as Elizabeth turned to face her other brother who was looking at her.
"Shouldn't you go upstairs?" Arthur questioned, uneasy at the idea of one of his sisters being in the same room as someone as lustful and powerful as Kimber, especially when he knew there was nothing he or Tommy could do if Kimber took a liking to her without causing another war.
"Ah it's fine Arthur, Gypsy whore was enough to put him off last time." She shrugged, smiling easily as she walked over to the sideboard and pulled out a new logbook, handing it to him, beginning to lead him back to the shop. Arthur nodded, following on before freezing and frowning deeply at her, reaching out to place a hand on her left shoulder and stop her. He spun Elizabeth around to look at him.
"What do you mean last time?" Arthur asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously.
"Just at the races, I'll explain later, promise." Elizabeth stuttered out, able to tell Arthur was beginning to read between the lines and knew she had to calm him down before he said something they'd regret. Arthur watched her for a moment longer before sighing and nodding, gesturing her on. She flashed him a smile of thanks, proceeding into the shop. She crinkled her nose as the smell of cigarettes and working men filled her nose, a lot stronger than it had been in the kitchen.
Arthur gestured for her to take a seat behind his and Polly's station, Elizabeth letting out a small grunt as she pushed herself up to take a seat on the table. Absently, she began to pick at a small thread on her skirt as she watched on, her eyes flickering between her hand and the door as she waited for Tommy to appear, interested to see what the King and his accountant would think of their humble shop compared to their luxury castles. She heard the door open and let out breath, glancing down at her waistcoat, moving her hand up to tug it down slightly before she looked over at Arthur, the man turning to glance back at her. The two sharing a quick look as Kimber entered.
The man kept his head high as he glanced around the room, eyeing the place with a mixture of interest and disgust. Elizabeth kept her gaze low, not wanting to make eye contact or ignite any memories of the event that had occurred. She was on home ground and should have the advantage, but she knew that meant little to nothing to Kimber, he'd still try and take advantage of the situation if he thought it wise.
"He's staring at you." Arthur muttered over his shoulder. Elizabeth flickered her eye's up, seeing Kimber was indeed staring at her. She sighed quietly and pushed herself off the table to lean over Arthur's shoulder, pointing down at something as if she was paying attention.
"He's probably working out why I'm still here." She explained quietly, moving her hand across the page as she spoke, knowing Kimber had probably expected Tommy to toss her out after the last meeting. Arthur nodded his head, his eyes meeting Tommy's who quickly turned and led Kimber back to his office.
"He's in the office." Arthur finally told her, allowing Elizabeth to straighten. She chanced a glance over, humming as she saw the two discussing something with Tommy before her twin called John, Scudboat and Lovelock into the office.
"I hope we get the license." Elizabeth breathed to Arthur, the two trying to not get spotted staring.
"We've done enough bloody work for it." Arthur commented under his breath, having been working security a few times at the races. Elizabeth nodded her head, her eyes flickering back to the table as Kimber exited the office, casting another scathing look around the shop before heading out the door. It was a few moments later that the accountant followed.
Arthur and Polly got up to stand beside Elizabeth, the three waiting with bated breath as Tommy slowly emerged from his office. They followed him as he walked to the back of the shop, all the cousins and paid bookkeepers gathering around. Arthur led the two to to the front, Elizabeth standing between her eldest brother and aunt directly opposite her twin. Polly moved her hand up to rest it on Elizabeth's back, the two women sharing a nervously excited look as they waited for Tommy to give the announcement.
"Gentleman, and ladies." Tommy called silencing all the whispers, gesturing over to his sister and aunt pointedly, "I have in my hand a legal betting license, issued by the Board of Control. The Shelby family has its first, legal racetrack pitch."
Polly and Elizabeth cheered and laughed with excitement as the boys all began shouting over each other, cheering. Polly offered Elizabeth a one-armed hug before running over to her twin and pulling Tommy in for a hug. Elizabeth was quickly pulled in for a careful hug from John before Arthur came over and pulled her into another hug, the two led her over to Tommy who greeted her with another celebratory hug.
"Congratulations." Tommy offered his brothers, shaking their hand once he'd released his twin, handing John the license to look over, "There you go." Elizabeth peered over her younger brother shoulders, reading over the license and unable to hide her smile, the widest it had been since she'd come home.
"We did it." She breathed, smiling back at Tommy who nodded his head at her, wrapping his arm around her waist, careful of her arm.
"We did it." He agreed, taking back the license from John, and allowing her to hold it in her hand. She continued to stare at it, her eyes tearing up a little as all the hard work her and her brothers had put in finally produced a result.
The fire crackled lowly as it got to work, burning a new log, an orange glow being emitted around the room. Elizabeth sighed as she flicked over to the next page of her book, her legs curled up in her armchair, a blanket over her legs as she tried to focus on the story in front of her rather than the ones circling in her mind. She'd once again been unable to find sleep, but it wasn't due to her normally nightmares, no, this time was out of concern, not fear.
She'd spent the afternoon with Arthur in the shop, her being forced to explain the Kimber situation, and bringing them onto the topic of the blonde barmaid who she'd rescued from the fate of being the man's date. Arthur had then taken the chance to inform her all about Grace, how amazing she was in the pub, how good she was with numbers and how she had great ideas for the pub. The barmaid seemed to be fitting in well, impressing her eldest brother and keeping the books straight. That wasn't what concerned her. The barmaid had been asking questions. Questions of the business. Questions of Tommy. Questions of her. Too many questions for Elizabeth's liking. It concerned her greatly, but she knew Arthur wouldn't see it as dangerous, he never saw any woman as dangerous. He struggled at times to remember she had shot people. To him it was her just being interested, but it was more than that. Elizabeth could sense it, the barmaid wanted to know too much, and it went past the stage of interest for the passing fancy of Tommy. However, Tommy cared too much for the blonde, and so she knew he'd never take her concerns seriously.
Then came the woes of John. He'd been struggling with the kids, struggling with the rejection of Lizzie by his family and as the older sister it fell to her to listen. She felt sorry for her brother, and for Lizzie, but she had to be honest with him. It wouldn't work. Lizzie had still been taking clients, as she found out from a walk in the market, still trying to earn cash on the side, and she was not willing to let her brother become the laughingstock of Watery Lane. As she had said to Ada, the name Shelby could only protect them from so much, and the whispers on the street would not stop. John would never be happy with the people whispering.
Elizabeth jumped and her head shot up when she heard the door close, wincing as she tugged her shoulder. Tommy raised an eyebrow at her in silent question, checking she was ok. Elizabeth let out a breath and nodded, gently closing her book, and squeezing it down the side of the chair, between her thigh and the armrest.
"Morning Tom." She greeted, as he took a seat at the table, pulling out his cigarettes.
"Morning Lil." He returned, leaning back in the chair, and lighting his cigarette, unsurprised to see her still up. It had become a near weekly meeting place for the two of them. Elizabeth eyed her brother for a moment, leaning her left elbow on the armrest and resting her head on her palm, deciding it best to dive straight into business.
"Have you spoken to John?" She asked, earning a sigh from her brother as he lifted a hand to rub it over his face, clearly knowing the topic had been coming.
"No, what's wrong with bloody John?" Tommy asked. Elizabeth let out a huff and rolled her eyes, knowing her brother knew fine well what she had been implying about.
"His love for Lizzie Stark." She answered, "Have you spoken to him about it?" Tommy shook his head. Elizabeth let her gaze fall down to the fire, watching the embers burning, and hummed lightly, "I'm worried he may do an Ada and run off with her before we can persuade him otherwise."
"He won't." Tommy promised quickly, taking a drag of his cigarette. Elizabeth lifted her gaze and cast him a withering look.
"He's a Shelby. We're all as stubborn as each other. It's what causes half our bloody problems. He might." She argued back. Tommy sighed, looking over to the fire, his shoulders tensing as Elizabeth watched him, her eyes narrowing, "What did you do?"
There was a long pause. Elizabeth kept her narrowed gaze on her brother as she waited for him to look back up, instantly able to tell from his quietness he'd been up to something. Eventually Tommy lifted his head to look over at her.
"I offered Lizzie some money earlier." Tommy admitted to his twin who lifted her head from her palm as her eyes widened, not having expected that, but remained silent as she waited for the reveal she sensed was coming, "She took the money Lil." Tommy revealed, Elizabeth took a moment before she let out a breath, nodding her head as she took in the information, feeling bad for John, she leaned back in her chair and moved her left arm to gently wrap around her right.
"I think, she's," Elizabeth paused for a moment, silently debating her words, before continuing when she noticed Tommy becoming slightly impatient, "She's been seeing more than just you Tom, she still has a few clients."
"Who told you that?" Tommy asked, his eyes narrowing at the new information. Elizabeth shrugged with her left shoulder, trying not to seem like she'd been out actively investigating Lizzie herself.
"Heard whispers around the market when I went out with Pol a couple days ago, didn't follow it up but haven't been able to tell John yet either." She admitted to her twin who sighed and rubbed his face once again.
"I'll handle it." Tommy nodded, earning a nod from Elizabeth who continued to stare at him. He turned his head back to the fire, watching from the corner of his eye as her eyes narrowed once again, sensing he had more on his mind than just the news of Lizzie Stark, "I've asked Grace to help more with the business." He added, watching Elizabeth carefully out the side of his eye, keeping his face blank as she seemed to tense.
"Arthur has been talking to you too then." She muttered, sighing heavily as she lowered her head to look down at the blanket on her lap, she moved her left hand to pick at a loose thread, taking a moment to debate before opening her mouth "I don't think it's wise Tom, but I can see it, your mind is made up."
"She's got class, we need that for Ascot, Epsom." Tommy offered as an explanation, not denying her statement, knowing there was nothing his sister could say that would change his mind. Elizabeth glanced up at him for a moment before returning her gaze to the blanket and continuing.
"It's dangerous Tom, including more than family, especially these days." Elizabeth warned him gently, as she readjusted her blanket, "You never know whose watching, who's."
"You're paranoid." Tommy cut in, earning a sharp look up from Elizabeth, a look he'd only ever seen Polly give him before when he was being warned.
"I'm trying to ensure you've thought this through Thomas." Elizabeth bit back, her tone filled with frustration of not being listened to. Tommy ignored her, choosing not to reply to her concerns as he pushed himself up, tossing what was left of his cigarette in the fire as he refused to look at Elizabeth. His twin continued to watch him as he went over to the sideboard and poured himself a glass of whiskey, keeping his back to her.
Elizabeth bit her lip as she turned her gaze back to her blanket, able to tell she'd annoyed Tommy by arguing but knowing it was something that needed to be said. Arthur and Tommy had both been blinded by the barmaid's beauty and Elizabeth realised the blonde had been using it to her advantage and had weaselled in fully. She could admit she should have said something sooner, should have realised what was happening when Tommy had decided to use the barmaid to get to Kimber but she'd been stupid, had thought it was a simple one and done kind of transaction, she should have paid more attention and talked to Tommy about Grace before it had reached this point. Tommy was falling, falling hard, and it was too late now, Grace would be involved from now on.
Elizabeth lifted her hand to rub her face, glancing back over at her brother. He was still standing tensely as he took a sip from his glass, clearly expecting her to continue arguing, but that was the old her. She knew it would be a waste of time.
"Ada was spotted yesterday." Elizabeth revealed, a kind of peace offering to her brother as she switched topics. Tommy twisted his head to glance at her over his shoulder, his interest clearly piqued, "On her way to a bathhouse on Montague Street. I spoke to the owner, apparently, she attends on women only days." Elizabeth took a breath before biting out, "She goes under the name Bessy Thorne." Tommy bit back a smirk at the name their younger sister had chosen, knowing it was a nickname that they'd all called Elizabeth when she'd gone through her bossy streak when their mother had been sick. Bossy Bessy. Elizabeth had hated the name, and would instantly storm off, leaving them alone.
"When will she be there next?" Tommy asked, watching as Elizabeth got uncurled her legs and stretched her legs slightly.
"I got a copy of the schedule, it's that note on the sideboard." She informed her twin, gesturing to the folded-up paper she'd tucked to the side with the idea of going to try and speak to Ada herself, but knowing Tommy would probably want someone else to go instead – in case her presence scared Ada off. Tommy grabbed the paper and looked it over, nodding his head slightly. She let out a yawn and got her feet, leaving the blanket and book on the chair for her to tidy in the morning, "I'm going back to bed Tom, but, just, just promise you'll be careful." Elizabeth called to her twin as she made her way over to the doorway, pausing and glancing over at her brother who was still staring at the paper, waiting for her twin to answer.
"Night Lil." Tommy eventually tossed over his shoulder, moving to take a seat at the table once more, not looking at Elizabeth who let out a huff.
"Night Tom." She returned, shaking her head at his non-committal answer as she exited the room and began to walk slowly up the stairs.