For the Good of the Family

Preparations

"And you sure you want to do this Livy?" Ada asked as she sipped her champagne. She sat the little table in the corner of the seamstress shop. "There's still time to change your mind."

Not again. "I'm not backing out Ada." The seamstress was on her knees adjusting the hem of my wedding dress. Today is   Tuesday so I have three days to get everything ready my wedding Saturday. I know I'll be spending that morning getting ready with the other Shelby women so it's better if I have everything done by midday Friday.

"Make it shorter. The hem will be covered in mud before she even sees her husband." Ada ordered. "God that sounds fucking odd. Olive will have a husband. I'd never thought it would happen after William."

"Can you take it in more around my shoulders, I'm sure it's bad luck somewhere to show your entire family your breasts." I pointed to where I wanted the old woman to gather the fabric. "Technically I asked Bonnie to marry me and not the other way 'round. He just picked the day."

"But I still don't understand, why? I mean I know why. I heard what you said but you are giving up your freedom to a man you've only spoken to twice." My sister rambled.

The old woman finished pinning the dress and signaled for me to take it off. I waited for her to leave the room before responding to Ada while I changed. "I've been having dreams. Of marrying an Italian man in New York City. I could ignore the dreams, I have been since Pol and the boys were released from prison." I stopped to put my stockings and boots on. "After John died the bells come to me in the days now. Ringing so loud I can't think. I'd marry a tree before I marry one of the men that came here to kill us."

Ada just studied me standing before her, now fully dressed. "I don't think Tommy would-." She stopped remembering that yes, Tommy would, he did when he forced John to marry Esme.

"Pol read my leaves after our meeting yesterday. She says we'll be happy and stable. I can live with that. Plenty of women hate their husbands, at least Bonnie's nice to look at eh?" We wound our arms together, leaving the dress shop and heading towards the butchers. Our usual blinder body guards, Henry for me and James for Ada, followed behind us.

"Tommy tripled my dowry. I haven't checked it since the last time." Ada gave my arm a squeeze, warding away any upsetting memories.

She scoffed at our brother's obvious show of wealth. "Tripled? It was outrageous already! All cash?"

"Ten thousand pounds, two cars and a new house in the country. He waived the bride price too." I sighed out as we reached the butcher shop. Henry and James moved to stand outside the door while we went in.

Seeing that two of the big bad Shelby family entered his shop, the butcher ran to the back to get his best products. I hummed as we looked over the display of meats before ordering. "I'll take both the roasts and bring out two chickens. I want stock bones and lamb steaks too."

"Karl has been asking for you. I think he misses when it was just the three of us in Boston. I miss it too, I miss the quiet." Ada fiddled with her fur lined gloves as she spoke, looking down at the dirty shop floor.

"Both of you come over for breakfast in the morning. We can eat in front of the fire like we used to. He can sit on the counter and watch me cook, just he used to." I placed my hand on her arm. "It doesn't have to be just the two of you Ada. I hardly see him now that we are all back home, and we're neighbors at that!" Ada's son would sit on the kitchen counter to watch me cook every morning during the year we were in Boston.

Ada nodded her agreement. "Yeah, alright I'll bring him. Next is the grocers yeah?" I still needed to pick up veg and dairy I wanted , so we passed the heavy brown bags of meat to James and made our way down the lane.

Since returning to Birmingham I have been cooking at my home and delivering food to each member of the family. Linda sometimes cooks for Arthur but their baby Billy is still quite young, so she still needs plenty of rest. Ada and Tommy both had young sons to feed and neither of them could cook. Poor Charlie would probably starve without my cooking since Tommy left his maids at his manor, Arrow House. Finn, Johnny Doggs, Curly and Uncle Charlie could all survive without my feeding them but I keep doing it just for the compliments. Aunt Pol welcomes the food, she lost an unhealthy amount of weight since being released from prison. My cousin Michael is the only one I don't feed, only because he's still on bed rest in the hospital.

Tonight I'll be feeding my future husband.