𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐
Tommy walked with his hands in his pockets, surprised at the amount of people inside the betting den.
"It's a good day," Polly said, walking past with books in her hand. "Where's John?" Tommy asked. "Johns in the Garrison, he says he wants a meeting about a family matter." She sighed, leaning against the table.
"After he said his piece he'll come back and take his place with Scudboat." she nodded. "Scudboat, John will be here in ten minutes." Polly told the older man.
"All right." Scudboat grunted, scribbling down on a piece of paper.
"Five—" Tommy corrected and pointed a finger at him.
John sat nervously in the snug of the Garrison, Arthur in the corner of the room. He tapped his foot on the floor as Tommy and Polly entered.
"All right John, there's only one man guarding the house. What's troubling you?" Tommy asked.
John cleared his throat.
"Polly, you know what it's been like since Martha died." he nodded, referring to his dead wife, mother of his daughter.
"God takes the best first," Polly placed her hand over Johns. "Truth is, my kids have been running bloody rings around me. Running barefoot with the dogs until all hours." His eyes were fixed on the table.
"Pol, give him ten bob for some shoes. Is that it John?" Tommy stated as he lit a cigarette. "Tommy we would be better to do this without you!" Polly scolded.
"Now what's your point?" she looked back at John.
"What the kids need is a mother. That's why i'm getting married." he admitted.
"Does this poor girl know you're gonna marry her or are you just going to spring it on her all of a sudden?" Pol asked. "I already proposed and she said yes." John spoke nervously.
"I think there's a shell about to land and go bang—" Tommy muttered, blowing smoke into the air.
"It's..er..it's Lizzie Stark."
All three of them laughed and John glared at them. Lizzie Stark, the known whore of Garrison Lane.
"John, Lizzie Stark, is a strong woman, and i'm sure she provides a fine service for her customers.." Polly mocked. "I don't hear the word, understand. Do not use that word!" John shouted.
"What word is that John?" Tommy tormented.
"You know what word that is." John whispered. "Everybody bloody knows," Arthur chimed in. "Everybody can go to hell!" John shouted.
"Whore, that word? Or prostitute how about that one?"
"Right, i want it known if anyone calls her a whore again i will push the barrel of my revolver down their throats and blow the word down into their hearts." he threatened.
"Men and their cocks never cease to amaze me!" Polly remarked. "John, Lizzie Stark never did a days work vertical."
"She's changed," he shouted. "All right, people change, like with religion."
"Lizzie Stark has got religion, eh?"
"No, no she doesn't have religion but- But she loves me." he argued.
Polly covered her mouth, trying to contain her laughter.
"Now listen, Tommy, i won't do it without your blessing. But of all the people in the world, i want you to see it, as brave."
"Oh it's brave alright." Arthur laughed.
"Brave is going where no man has gone before," Polly started. "And with Lizzie Stark, John, that's not what you'll be doing."
Finn Shelby, the youngest brother, rushed into the snug before anything else could be said.
"Tommy!" he panted, "We've been done over." His sentence sparked panic within the family. "What?" Arthur sat forward. They all ran out of the pub.
As they rushed into the house, they saw Scudboat sat in a chair, head bleeding.
"Jesus Christ," John kicked the table, looking at the mess. "The Lee's, all of them." Scudboat said. Polly scanned the room, noticing the four cash boxes that were now gone.
Tommy picked up a pair of wire cutters, returning to them. "They left these."
"Why would they leave that?" Polly asked, confusion painted across her features.
"Nobody move." Arthur whispered. "I think our friends are playing the game.." Tommy nodded. "What game?" Polly's voice grew louder.
"Aunt Pol don't touch anything," John warned.
"Erasmus Lee was in France. Whenever we gave up ground to the Germans, we'd leave behind booby traps, set up with wires. We'd leave wire cutters as part of the joke." Tommy said.
"Somewhere in here, there's a hand grenade—" John whispered.
"Holy Jesus."
"Don't move any chairs, open any doors." Arthur moved slowly. "Go easy John boy. Go easy." Tommy shook his head. "No. Boys no, it's not in here. If it was it would have blown by now. It was my name on the bullet Erasmus sent. He's set up a trap all right. But he's set it up just for me."
"What bullet, what bloody bullet?" Polly looked around, waiting for an answer. "The other day, some trouble was caused between us and a few Lee brothers, Erasmus sent Johnny to give me a bullet with my name on it." Tommy pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You bloody boys are going to get us killed," Polly scolded.
John looked over his shoulder, frowning. "Where the fuck is Finn?"
Tommy was the first to run out of the house and down to where the Shelby cars were parked. As he rounded the corner, panic filled him. Finn was sat in Tommy's car. The same car that most likely had something inside it.
"Finn, stay exactly where you are."
"I was pretending i was you!" Finn laughed. "Which door did you open to come in" Tommy asked. "I didn't, i climbed in." Finn told him.
"I want you to climb out exactly the same way you climbed in, okay?"
Finn laughed, pulled the door open and jumping out. "No, Finn—" Tommy grabbed something, launching it at a wall across the road, "Clear!" he shouted, the men outside fell to the floor, holding their heads. Tommy grabbed his younger brother, pulling him to the floor with him, covering his heads.
"That's why you should never pretend to be me, okay?" Tommy stared at his brother.
Finn nodded slowly, holding onto Tommy.
-
"You can't cause another war with the Lee's, Thomas." Polly sat at the desk in Arthur's office, her hands clasped together.
Tommy paced the room, thinking.
"John." He said. Polly raised an eyebrow. "John said he wants to get married. Needs a mother for his kid, no?"
"Thomas, what're you trying to say."
"The Lee family have two young girls, one of them is the daughter of Helena Lee, grew up in the camp after her mother died. Then the other one-"
"Answer my question."
"We can marry John off to one of them, they're both young, in need of a husband. Girl in need of a husband, man in need of a wife. It makes perfect sense."
"And what will you tell John?" Polly asked, leaning forward. "Tell him we're going to finish the war with the Lee's, because that's exactly what we'll be doing. But not using guns," Tommy took a cigarette and lit it.
Polly stared at the wall thoughtfully. "And how will you get the Lee family to agree with this..plan?"
"I'll get a message out to Erasmus, have a civil conversation. And hopefully John'll be married by Friday," Tommy
sighed. "John won't agree," Polly mentioned again.
"That's why we won't tell him."
-
Madeline looked up from her horse when she saw Theo walking through the camp, one of the Lee boys' arms draped across his shoulders.
She stood quickly and frowned. "Where have you been?" She asked, walking up to him.
Theo looked at Jackson then at his sister. "Nowhere," he smirked and took out a box of cigarettes, placing once between his lips. Maddie quickly smacked it from his hands and let it fall to the floor.
"The fuck are you doing?" Theo shouted.
"You shouldn't be smoking them." She said lowly, "you're fourteen. Now tell me where you've been." She repeated. Theo rolled his eyes and looked away. She raised her eyebrows at his behaviour and glared at Jackson. "Are either of you bastards going to talk?"
Jackson nodded at Theo.
"The Shelby's have been done over— we went in. The lot of us." Theo grinned proudly. Before his sister could reply, he took a breath, "they sent me in when their shop was open and i hid in a cupboard— waited till they left and let them lot in."
Madeline balled her hands in to fists. "You're joking? Tell me you're joking, Theodore." She used his full name.
Theo's face dropped and he looked her dead in the eye. "Don't talk to me like that, you ain't my mum." He said slyly.
Having enough, Maddie snapped. "You're right, i'm not your mum because our mum is dead!" She shouted, causing the pair to jump. She regretted her words the moment they left her mouth but she didn't let it stop her from continuing. "And just because she's dead doesn't mean you can start getting into this shit."
"Shut up, Maddie. Just cause you're older and think that you'll make it without a husband. You think it only mattered to you that mum died."
"No," she pointed a finger at him. "You shut your mouth, Theo. Because it did only matter to me! She died when you were born— you didn't know her! I did."
Theo knew what Madeline was saying was true. And he knew her words weren't hurting him. But he liked making her feel bad.
"Your dad fucked off, mine died. You do not get to tell me that i'm wrong for acting like it only matters to me, because it does." She hissed, inching closer to him. "Now fuck off and go bother someone else."
Theo and Jackson stood with a stunned expression as they watched her walk off. Madeline's original plan was to confront Johnny or Erasmus for dragging her brother into their business. But after their argument, she didn't care. He could do what he wanted. She didn't care.
Theodore mumbled a few things under his breath and followed after his sister angrily. "Madeline." He called out. She ignored him. "Madeline i'm fucking talking to you!"
"I don't care, Theodore." She said as she continued walking toward the wagon.
Theo ran a hand through his dark hair and followed her inside before she could close the door. "You're so stupid, Theo! Cant you see what they're doing to you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"The Lee boys— Jackson and all of them. They're using you to do their dirty work and you just let them. They walk all over you and you just let them." She said quietly.
Theo took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're just annoyed that the people in this camp care about me."
Her face dropped slightly.
"They care about me, Madeline. Not you. That's what your issue is." His tone made her feel small. He inched closer to her. "And you can't get that inside your little head," Theo tapped her forehead in a teasing way, "so you take it out on me."
Her lip quivered. "They do care about me, Johnny cares about me." She croaked.
Theo smiled slyly. "Johnny isn't even apart of this family, Madeline. God—you're hardly apart of this family. Look at you," he lifted her arm up by her sleeve.
She snatched her arm away and stared at him coldly, her eyes stinging. "Stop it."
"You have no one." Theodore continued, his face inches away from hers causing her to cower slightly. Despite him being years younger, he was somehow taller.
"Stop it."
"Mums dead. Your dad is dead. You have no one. The Lee family took me in, Madeline. You're just a little girl who thinks she'll do well in life without a man— without a man, you'll go nowhere. You're useless."
Madeline looked to the side and took a shaky breath. "Stop it. Theo, you're being mean."
Theo let out a pitiful laugh and taunted her by forcing her to look at him.
"You can't even look at me. You're a coward, Madeline. That's what you are."
"Theodore stop it." She was practically begging, tears threatening to spill. "You're just as much as a coward and you know it! It is your fault that our mother is dead, Theo! It's your fault." Her voice was quiet.
There was a shift in his eyes at her incredibly harsh words. She knew what she said was wrong on so many levels. But it was true. And he deserved to be told it was his fault.
He bit his tongue and took a few steps backward, acting as though he was turning to leave. But just as Madeline relaxed her shoulders, a wooden stool came flying at her. She ducked quickly and shielded her head.
It collided with the wall.
Madeline cautiously stood up straight with her eyes wide. "You need to learn to be quiet or one day you'll come across the wrong person at the wrong time. And i hope that day does come."
She just stared at him, her heart pounding and her hands shaking. "Get out," she spat. He remained still. "I said get out you bastard! Get out— get out!" Madeline screamed, hitting his chest to get him out of the wagon.
It was only seconds before they'd caught the attention of Johnny Dogs and he came running, pulling Theo back by the shirt.
"Now what the fuck do you two think you're doing!" He scolded.
Madeline stumbled backward, holding her nose and sucking in her bottom lip. She tilted her head back slightly in attempt to stop blood pouring.
"Eh? I asked youse a question!" Johnny shouted at the pair.
Theodore looked at her coldly and sniffed. "Johnny get him out— i'm begging, get him out." Madeline breathed heavily.
Johnny looked between the two forced Theo out. "Go on, fuck off. You've got jobs to be doing." He said.
Johnny looked at Madeline who was clearly fighting back tears. "What happened?" He asked. She looked at him with sad eyes and he sighed. "Come here," he forced her into a hug.
"Why is he like this, Johnny? He's supposed to be my little brother." She groaned.
Johnny stayed quiet and just hugged her. "I don't know, Maddie. God only knows."
Johnny knew that this wasn't the first time Theo had acted like that toward his sister. Theodore was an angry boy, especially toward her. Despite Madeline being older, she was significantly more cowardly than he was. If there was a problem, it was rare she spoke up about it.
But Theodore made her feel like she
had no voice.
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