Susan's demeanor seemed to change completely as the men joined them for breakfast, fanning herself with a small lacy black and blue fan and making it a point to sit between Annabelle and Dutch. She rested a hand on his thigh, which he continued to shrug off despite her repeated insistence on placing it there by moving his leg from time to time uncomfortably.
"So," Annabelle asked as she ashed her cigarette into the glass tray and retrieved her coffee cup, "we're going shopping then?"
"It would seem Mr. Morgan has outgrown his attire, hence why we decided to come to town ourselves." Dutch replied, cutting at a large piece of ham on his plate as he bumped Susan's hand free again and crossed one leg over the other under the table.
"We could just buy some fabric and I can sew him some new outfits. It would certainly save on what little money we have." Susan shifted uncomfortably in her seat, waving her fan at Annabelle who tried not to react.
"We're not short on funds, Miss Grimshaw." Dutch shifted his attention to the blonde, giving her a rather stern look which made her flush a moment and she snapped the fan shut.
"It's a good idea, maybe we ought to consider getting both new clothes as well as materials. I've got a couple pieces of clothing I'd like to mend, but I'd need embroidery thread to do so." Annabelle stamped out her cigarette, exhaling out of the side of her mouth as the waitress came round.
"We doin' this before or after you and I go to the bathhouse?" Arthur asked, quickly wolfing down a fried egg and inhaling sharply.
"You and Miss Grimshaw are going to go buy new clothes. Miss McLean and I can go to fetch materials." Dutch chuckled, reaching for his coffee when Susan rapped his knuckles with her fan angrily.
"Oh no, he's your son. You boys go get proper clothes and we will go to the general store for sewing supplies."
"Miss–" Dutch rubbed his knuckles where he had been struck but Annabelle was quick to interject.
"It's settled, then." Annabelle finished her coffee and went to stand up but Dutch put his hand up and closed his eyes.
"Now just hold on, last I checked it's called the 'Van der Linde Gang', not the 'Grimshaw McLean Gang'. You and I have business to discuss, I'm supposed to meet with Trelawny around three to game plan the Olson takedown. Susan will take Arthur shopping and we will go get materials. Am I understood?" He opened his eyes again and looked at both women, Annabelle tucked her dress as she sat back down and folded her arms on the table, pouting slightly. "Annabelle–"
"I heard you the first time." She grumbled, strumming her fingers on the wooden surface as Susan smirked and reopened her fan.
"I guess the little princess can listen after all." Susan began fanning herself again and Dutch shot her a mean look.
"Enough." He growled and Susan snorted, looking away from him before turning her attention to Arthur and snapping the fan shut again.
"Let's go, Mr. Morgan." She rose from her seat quickly just as the young man had put toast up to his mouth and he shot a quick glance to Dutch who gestured with his head to get up and get going. Arthur slapped down his piece of toast and grumbled something under his breath before he followed Susan out of the hotel restaurant.
"Great, now I'm gonna have to hear it later about how 'dare I spend my day in the company of the almighty Dutch Van der Linde'. You know after I left the bar, she and I met up at the hotel and all night she was harping on me for not pulling my 'weight' again. She actually suggested I look into whoring to add funds to the camp. Said she'd 'happily teach me how to please a man'." Annabelle leaned back in her chair and exhaled loudly as Dutch called over the waitress to pay their breakfast tab.
"You're not whoring!" Dutch hissed, uncrossing his legs as the young woman brought him the bill and he paid her, his expression changing to that charming devilish rogue as he smiled sweetly at her. "Keep the change."
"I wasn't going to!" She snarled back and they both glared at each other for a moment until Annabelle pulled out her fan and snapped it open.
"Come on, we can discuss this at Hale's." Dutch rose from his chair but Annabelle raised an eyebrow and snapped the fan shut.
"The bathhouse?"
"Yes, Annabelle, the bathhouse. I'm supposed to meet Trelawny there. Are you coming or not?" He raised his own eyebrow at her and she frowned a moment before rising from her seat and snapping the fan back open.
—-
"'Meeting Trelawny', I knew you were full of shit." She raised a shot glass from her side of the large wooden tub and he rubbed his hand over his face before scratching his hair.
"You said I needed a bath, so here we are." He propped an elbow out of the tub to sit up and reached for his own glass.
"I meant that you and Arthur should come take one, not us take one together." She rolled her eyes and knocked back her drink before reaching out of the tub to find the bottle. She could feel him staring at her and she turned back to glower at him, she swirled the small glass in her hand. "Turn around."
"It's not like I haven't seen you–" Dutch began to argue but Annabelle splashed water at his face with a laugh, causing him to slowly wipe his face again.
"Turn around." She giggled and he closed his eyes.
"Better? I'm not an animal, I can control myself." He frowned, hearing her sloshing water around as she leaned out of the tub and retrieved the bottle before sinking back down into the milky water.
"I know you can. But we agreed we weren't going to do this." He could hear her wading through the tub as she took a seat next to him and heard her open the bottle. He opened his eyes again and handed her his empty glass, taking hers after she filled it.
"We're not. I just needed you to scrub my back." He chuckled and she splashed water at him again, rolling her eyes and handed him the other glass.
"Arthur can't do that for you?" She asked, corking the bottle and sliding back over to the other side of the tub to set it back where she took it from.
"Here." He waited until she turned back around and handed her the glass. She sank back down into the water, taking care to keep her hair out of the tub by leaning her bun against the lip of it.
"Are you actually meeting Josiah today or did you just want to keep Susan and I separated?" She raised an eyebrow and he finished his drink, setting the glass out of the way, grabbing a washcloth and tossed it at her. She caught part of it, but a bit of it slapped the water and splashed her face. She shot him a look and finished her drink, setting it off to the side before grabbing the cloth and gesturing with her fingers for him to move closer. He turned his back to her and she started working it against the back of his neck.
"I am supposed to meet your cousin later today, but we'll see if he actually shows up. Last I heard, Olson had his eyes on a piece of land close to where we've got camp set up. Figured you and I could make contact with the residents and offer to deal with him and his loan sharks." Dutch scratched his chin as Annabelle worked her thumb behind his ear with the cloth gently.
"How much money do they owe?" She asked, moving onto the other side.
"Thousand dollars? More than we've got, presently–" He began with a sigh and she leaned forward to whisper in his ear.
"Unless I start whoring to the highest bidder."
"Ha. Ha." Dutch snorted and she continued to rub him with the cloth, giggling a bit as she slid it back and forth quickly between his shoulder blades.
"I might have it, I'll look through my things when we get back to the hotel. Call it an 'investment'." She set the cloth on his shoulder and pushed herself away from him, going back to retrieve her glass and the bottle.
"If we do this right, no one has to spend any money." He took the washcloth off his shoulder and got it wet, lifting an arm out of the water to scrub it with the cloth.
"Look it's really not that big of a deal, I know you're good for it–" She scoffed and pulled the top of the cork off the bottle, pouring herself another round.
"I said no." He replied coldly, switching arms and fiercely scrubbing his chest.
"You don't need to get all broody with me. We'll do it your way and if need be, we'll have the money for plan B." She set the bottle down and splashed water at him again with her foot, causing him to turn slightly towards her angrily.
"I got it."
"I'm just trying to help!" Annabelle snarled back and they stared at each other angrily for a moment before Dutch retreated to his side of the wooden tub to retrieve his glass. "You don't need to be so goddamn condescending, I'm not suggesting you're not capable enough of figuring it out on your own nor am I questioning your leadership. It's better to be overprepared is all I'm trying to say. It's not a personal critique."
"Fine." He hissed, slinking back into the water and holding the glass out to her. She crossed her legs under the water and put her foot against his stomach, making him pause.
"God you two are just a perfect match," she shook her head as she retracted her foot and leaned forward to take his glass, "you're both assholes."
"Did you just come to that conclusion?" He smirked and raised an eyebrow and she looked back at him with half closed eyes.
"Just do me the courtesy of considering what I suggested. That's all I'm asking." She rose, turning her back to him first and set his glass down and retrieved the bottle. She heard him rise from the water and step beside her to grab the clean washcloth on her side and got it wet, wringing out the excess water as she poured his glass.
"I will." He set the cloth on her shoulder and took his glass from the edge of the floor, knocking it back and setting it down again.
"I washed yesterday." She said as she felt him massage it against her neck and shoulder. He gently pulled her back towards him, pressing himself against her. He set the cloth back over her shoulder and curled a loose strand of hair back up into her bun.
"Really?" He inspected the cloth and brushed the shoulder with his hand revealing thin bits of skin that had sloughed off and she snorted, letting him pull her back down into the water with him.
"We agreed we wouldn't–" She began as he pushed her forward slightly and ran the cloth from shoulder to shoulder.
"You had my back, it's only considerate of me to get yours."
—-
"Here," Dutch handed Arthur money enough to use the public bathing portion of Hale's, "go wash up."
"But we were gonna–" Arthur took the coins from the man's hand suspiciously and noted that some of Annabelle's hair was still wet and paused. He shot Dutch a look but the boss pretended not to notice, holding his arm out for Annabelle to take.
"I just hope she got behind your ears." Susan grumbled, noticing the damp hairs along the young woman's neck herself. Annabelle snorted, bumping Dutch's arm away with her elbow and stepping off the sidewalk into the street. She would head to the general store on her own, leaving the trio behind as her dark blue dress swished with every step.
"Nothing happened." Dutch grunted, but both Arthur and Susan looked at one another before looking at him. He felt his cheeks burn and he quickly rubbed the sides of his face to avoid suspicion.
"Riiiighhht. Just a couple pals enjoying a bath together." Arthur nudged him with an elbow, causing Dutch to growl and point at Hale's.
"Git."
Arthur scowled and took a parcel from Susan, nodding his head to her before turning towards the wooden building and leaving the old couple alone. Grimshaw snapped her fan shut and exhaled loudly.
"She needs to start earning money if she's going to have us spending it on vacations and outings. Plenty of men in this town would be willing to pay a tidy sum to–" Susan began, Dutch slapped her and flexed his hand as his palm tingled from the contact it made with her skin. She touched her cheek and rubbed it, trying to blend the imprint by massaging her cheek to try to hide his handprint.
"Don't ever suggest to me how that woman should earn her keep in my gang. She is not a whore. If I want her out turning tricks on the street, then I will be the one to make that decision. Am I understood?" While he seemed calm, cool, and collected to other folks walking by it was obvious to Susan that he was beyond infuriated. His dark eyes reflected a thousand ways he truly wanted to react to her idea of making the woman into a prostitute.
"Yes, Mr. Van der Linde." Susan pushed the other bundles she had been carrying at him and he slowly retrieved them from her. Growling under his breath as he turned away to follow the young woman down the street.
By the time he caught up to her, he noticed the familiar Trelawny walking beside her with a parasol shading her from the summer sun. Though it burned him a great deal more to see that she had taken his arm and was walking side by side with him.
"Mr. Trelawny." Dutch took up position next to Annabelle, glaring down at her for a moment but she rolled her eyes in response and let go of her in-law's arm. Josiah paused, offering her the parasol he had been carrying, which she took from him and continued walking forward on her own.
"My cousin was just telling me you two were at Hale's. How do you like the facilities? I may pop over for a bath myself." Trelawny tipped his hat to Dutch who rubbed his face with his free hand before readjusting his grip on the parcels that Susan had given him.
"You two are certainly close for only being cousins by marriage." Dutch snorted and Josiah offered to take the parcels from him, he handed them over.
"Oh I assure you, Mr. Van der Linde, while that wild rose is a beauty," he leaned in towards Dutch to whisper as they began walking behind Annabelle, "my wife, her cousin is superior."
"I heard that." Annabelle called out over her shoulder and Trelawny chuckled nervously, she laughed and twirled her parasol in her hands a bit.
"Not to say you're not excellent in terms of looks and breeding yourself! Twenty four looks rather splendid on you!" Trelawny called back to her.
"She is quite stunning, you know. I still can't believe you managed to produce two handsome little little boys. Cornelius and Tarquin, right?" Annabelle turned her head again and Trelawny chuckled, readjusting the parcels that he had taken from Dutch.
"I didn't peg you for a family man." Dutch sneered and Trelawny shrugged, looking out at the folks around them and exhaling loudly as though he were recalling a wonderful memory.
"You never quite know real joy in your life until you hold your children in your arms for the first time. The experience changes you. I'm surprised a man of your age is still running around wild! But, I suppose your raising of the young Mr. Morgan keeps you preoccupied." Trelawny laughed. Dutch hadn't thought about notions of settling down in years, except perhaps a little over ten years ago in his early twenties. He must've had a rather pensive look on his face though as Annabelle turned back around to face them.
"Well, the gang is a family in its own right. Isn't it?" She raised an eyebrow and Dutch nodded, realizing they had made it to their destination. He gestured to the shop on their right and Annabelle leaned her umbrella against her shoulder for a moment, looking through her purse.
"I'll pay. It's for my son and ex wife after all." He began to dig through his pockets but Annabelle tapped his chest playfully with the back of her hand.
"Let me earn my keep." She snickered, stepping away and pushing down the parasol and handing it to him to take. She left to go inside and the two men leaned against the shop door as the welcome bell jingled and she stepped into the store.
"You've got eyes for her, haven't you?" Trelawny set the packages down on a chair and reached around in his pockets for a couple cigarettes while they waited.
"We're just friends." Dutch replied coldly as the man handed him a cigarette case and he snapped it open.
"But I take it you would like something a little more? The bathhouse ploy was too obvious. You knew her intimately, but I've known her since before you came into the picture. You won't wear her down with loving words or actions like that." Trelawny took the case back from Dutch and pulled out his own cigarette. The two men lit them simultaneously and leaned against the wall.
"So how do I woo her? When she was seventeen all it took was climbing through her window like an idiot and reading poetry to her." Dutch scoffed and Trelawny twisted his mustache.
"You don't. That woman doesn't want a lover. Are you prepared to give your heart and soul to one woman, Mr. Van der Linde? Or are you just playing a chess match to try to convince her to share your bed every once in a while?" Trelawny let go of his mustache and took a long drag off his cigarette.
"Perhaps I am just letting my male urges speak for me. I wouldn't want to lose a valued member of the gang over the whims of my prick." Dutch replied, puffing on the cigarette a few times and exhaling loudly.
"You're a hot blooded man. It's only natural to want to feel the gentle caress of the fairer sex from time to time. But that is not the kind of woman our charming young Annabelle is. Never has been." Trelawny exhaled sharply and Dutch nodded, tapping his cigarette to ash it before raising it to his mouth again.
The door opened again and Annabelle poked her head around it.
"I'm going to need you two to carry some things for me. Cousin, could you take the machine back to camp for me?"
"What the hell did you buy?" Dutch flicked the cigarette and Annabelle gestured to a small desk with a Singer sewing machine on it in the window behind them. He closed his eyes and rubbed the space between his eyebrows. "Annabelle…"
"It's an investment!" She snarled and he opened his eyes again and flicked the cigarette out into the street. "Do you have any idea how much of a pain it is to sew things by hand?"
"I'll go pull the wagon around." Trelawny flicked his cigarette away and stepped down into the street to go find his cart.
"You don't need to–" Dutch began but Annabelle stepped out and closed the door, placing her hand on his shoulder.
"I wanted to. Josiah said you slapped the shit out of Susan, I'm guessing she brought up the idea that I'm a worthier whore than I am much of anything else. You got mad at me earlier for trying to give you another perspective on your plan, as though I were suggesting you aren't capable of handling business. Families argue all the time, ours is no different." She let go and went to open the door again.
"Thank you. It's a generous contribution to the camp." Dutch replied quietly, picking up the packages that Trelawny had left on the chair. She nodded before stepping through the door and back into the shop.