The Hanging Noose

Sixty-Nine

Florence looks at him as she rolls on to her side. "Mama?" She asks, staring at Eliza as Dottie reaches her hand out to take hold of Florence's.

"Yes baby?"

"Is Uncle Micheal living with us?" She asks hesitantly, "and Aunt Gina."

"She's not your aunt," Isiah hums.

"No baby," Dottie answers, "not anymore, alright? Now can we get some sleep, eh?"

Florence shuts her eyes for a moment before she opens them again. "Daddy?"

"Yes, baby?" Isiah sleepily asks.

"Will you live with us again, daddy?" Florence asks, sitting up as if she's a meerkat.

Isiah chuckles, "lay back down and I will," he says, watching as Florence then flops down.

Eliza looks down at Dottie's hand, noticing the newest ring. She picks up Dottie's hand, and twists the ring as Florence crawls on to Isiah's chest, her ear to his heart, listening to his every breath. Isiah groans, moving slightly on to his back to get comfortable for the evening.

"Congratulations, Mama," Eliza says quietly, "congratulations daddy."

                                    —

Dottie finds herself sitting against one of Tommy's steal chairs on the patio, watching as the sun dances in the sky. In the distance, she can see Johnny's Dogs' trailers, parked far enough from Tommy's house to have their freedom but close enough for Tommy's safety.

The early morning breeze causes goosebumps to line Dottie's skin. She shivers as she watches in the abyss, knowing her girls or Isiah will stay fast asleep until later on in the morning.

"Here."

A voice pulls Dottie out of her head. She looks around her shoulder, seeing Micheal extend his arm towards her, offering her a mug.

She accepts it with a small smile, "thank you," she says, nodding her head as he takes a seat beside her. "Enjoy the ballet last night?"

Micheal hums, "it was definitely... interesting. Couldn't really understand it."

Dottie huffs out a chuckle, "do you remember that performance Mam took us to in the village? The one done by the local school? You didn't understand that either."

Micheal nods, a small smile working its way up to his lips. "You left half way through."

Shrugging her shoulders, Dottie replies, "I was bored." She lifts the mug up to her lips, taking a sip of the steaming tea.

"Why do you still call Rosemary Mam?" Micheal suddenly asks, his eyebrows pulled together slightly.

Dottie hesitates. She looks out to Tommy's land, trying to find her words. She swallows her mouthful, and looks back at Micheal.
"She's still our Mam. Alright, she wasn't the best, but she looked after us, loved us, protected us."

"But she's not our mum, Dots."

"She went through the same thing as Mum," Dottie says in a quiet voice, "Mum... Polly that is, she had her three kids taken off of her and two were placed with Rosemary. Rosemary brought up those two kids, and yet when they were off age they left, to go back to their real mum. She was our mam for most of our lives, and yet we abandoned her."

Micheal hums. "I think having kids is making you soft, Thea. You've never liked her."

Dottie shrugs, "Rosemary isn't too bad, just we didn't get along when I was younger. She wanted a daughter, and I wanted my mum. It was only me who lucked out, I guess."

"Do the girls call her gran?"

Dottie nods, "Eliza's always called her granny, hasn't she? She was estate to see Mam again, and Florence copied her. Took Flo a little bit of time to get used to her rules though."

Micheal chuckles, "she still loves her rules?"

Nodding her head, Dottie confirms. "She still loves her rules."

Micheal and Dottie share a look, a look that makes everything seem alright, even after their drift.

"Can I tell you something, Thea?" Micheal asks, proceeding when Dottie nods, "I've been doing some thinking, and you can't tell a soul about this, but I'm going to propose at the next family meeting that Tommy steps down."

Dottie purses her lips.

"I know what you're thinking, but he's being this good labour politician, then he needs to wipe his hands clean. Besides, the Americans, they don't want to deal with him. They want to deal with someone sophisticated and knows people."

"You?"

Micheal nods. "I know what you'll say."

"Tommy will kill you," Dottie replies, tilting her head slightly. "I don't think this is a good idea, Micheal. I really don't."

Micheal stares at Dottie for a second before he looks back at the acres of land.

"You're not mad at me, are you?" Dottie suddenly asks, her voice softening. "About the whole Gina thing?"

Shaking his head, Micheal replies as he looks at her, "no. I had a word with Gina, told her to stop parenting the girls when she's around them. She's annoyed, but I'm not. I understand. After all, you let us stay with you. You didn't have to do that, Thea."

Dottie gives him a small smile in return, "you should know I'll always have you, as long as the girls are—"

Dottie steps speaking when her eyes fall on Oswald Mosley, who's calmly stepped out of Tommy's manor and now looks out to the acres of land Tommy owns.

He smugly looks at Dottie and Micheal, stepping towards them.
"Ah. The Gray siblings? Tommy's cousins."

Dottie doesn't say anything, instead she looks at Micheal, who's clenched his jaw upon looking at Mosley.

"He's the cousin who lost Tommy all his money in America, and you're the cousin who killed a man unprovoked."

Dottie's chest tightens. It wasn't unprovoked, she wants to scream. She curls her fingertips in to the palm of her hand.

"It's amazing how alike you all are. Shelby's and Gray's. You all have the same glare, and it always seems to be at me." He smirks. A horrible snarky smirk winding on to his lips.

He runs his eyes up and down Dottie's frame.

"I must say, Dorothea, you look completely ravishing in the morning sun. Won't you agree, Henry?"

Dottie's chest tightens as his eyes darken. She clears her throat, picking up her mug and downing the rest of the tea in one mouthful. She then dusts her lap, and stands up.

"Micheal, Sir Mosley, have a good day." She says before rushing away, refusing to look behind her as she darts in to the house.

Tommy is the first person she comes across. His eyes travel over Dottie's reddening face. He frowns, holding her cheeks as she breathes out.

"Dots, what's wrong? Eh? Isiah do something?"

"It's Mosley. I know him from when we lived in Kent, Tommy."