I'm in a foreign state
My thoughts they slip away
My words are leaving me
They caught an aeroplane
Because I thought of you
Just from the thought of you
- Wings, by Birdie
The boys came walking up to Zilpha Lee's wagon, John at the front, leading them. Kiara had moved to head of the wagon before them, now standing with her uncle in front of it.
"You should see the size of her dowry." Arthur was saying as they walked.
"What?"
"Her dad's giving you a car." Tommy said, finally bringing a smile to John's lips as they took their final steps. "Will he do?" Tommy asked Zilpha.
She looked John up and down before nodding with a smile. "He'll do." She agreed before an outbreak of excited cheers erupted from the Blinders as Kiara rolled her eyes with a sigh.
They moved and crowded around where the ceremony was to be held and before long a girl in a white dress was led to the front of the crowd, but kept unseen under her veil, not that it mattered because John kept his back to her looking at Tommy and Kiara.
"Here she is." Tommy informed him.
"She better be under 50." John shot back before Kiara tapped him on the chest, bringing his attention to her before she reached up and pulled the toothpick from his mouth, throwing it to the ground.
"Go on." Tommy then urged, pushing him towards the front and the girl that now knelt with her back to them. Arthur patted John on the shoulder as he walked, and he walked slowly until he finally made it to the front and knelt down beside the girl.
"We're here today to join in matrimony, this man and this woman." Erasmus Lee began just as Polly arrived with Ada.
"You look well." Tommy nodded to his sister who was now heavily pregnant and she nodded back.
"Freddie couldn't make it?" Kiara asked Ada quietly.
"He's not talking to me and when he does he calls me a fucking Shelby even though I'm a Thorne now." She replied as Kiara gave her a questioning look. "It was me that told Polly about Stanley Chapman." She whispered as an explanation.
"Ah." Kiara nodded.
The girl took off her veil as John glanced over to her, a small smile playing on his lips before he looked over his shoulder to his family contently, obviously not completely let down by the arrangement.
Kiara smiled and shook her head at him as he turned back around.
"Do you John Michael Shelby take Esme Martha Lee to be your beautiful young wife? To have and to hold in sickness and in health until death do you part?" The ceremony continued on as everyone observed until they finally got the end. "There remains one more part of the ceremony. It's the mingling of the two bloods." He stated as John held out his hand and Erasmus cut a line along his palm with a knife before doing the same to Esme. "So the two families become the one family." He said as their cut hands joined together in a hold. "I now pronounce you man and wife!" He declared. "Well, John, kiss the bride will ya?"
John was hesitant at first, the situation clearly being awkward, but it was Esme who ended up kissing him as the crowd cheered and chuckled.
Tommy smiled as his hand found Kiara's and lightly pulled her into him where she rested her head on his chest as she clapped and he wrapped his arms around her, joining in the clapping in front of her chest.
They waisted no time in jumping into the celebrations. A fire was lit and songs were sung and alcohol was certainly not in short supply. Kiara went off and spoke to her uncle and grandma.
"You look tired, dear." Moira commented.
"A little." Kiara nodded. "There's a lot going on with business at the moment. Tommy bought the Garrison and I've been helping Arthur run the place."
"You still need your sleep."
"And I still get it." She said right back. "I've just got to get used to the extra work."
"Which she will do quickly." Riley joined in as he came over holding two glasses of whiskey. He handed Kiara one glass and kept the other for himself.
Kiara took a sip and looked across the crowd of dancing people as she did, seeing her husband sitting at a table on the other side. He caught her gaze, mid way through his conversation with Zilpha Lee who sat next to him, and a hint of a smile played in the corner of his mouth as she smiled back.
Kiara turned to her family and excused herself before making her way over to her husband. John and Esme danced in the middle of the crowd, people cheering and clapping along to the beat of the music being played as they did. Fireworks were set off and Kiara smiled up at the sky watching them as Tommy looked at her.
"You told me your wife wasn't a witch." Zilpha said as she glanced between the two, Tommy looking adoringly at her as she glanced back over to him and away from the fireworks.
"She is not." Tommy whispered.
"She seems to have done a marvellous job at bewitching you." Zilpha commented as Kiara continued on her walk to her husband who did not reply to the gypsy, keeping his eyes on his wife until she reached them.
Kiara's smile grew once she had finally reached her husband and placed a hand on his shoulder as she moved to stand behind him and then reached down to kiss his cheek while he placed a hand on top of hers where it still rested on his shoulder.
"This is a marvellous night, Zilpha." Kiara said as she stood up straight once again and looked over to the leader of the gypsies, her hand falling from her husband's shoulder.
"If there's one thing we Gypsies know how to do, Mrs Shelby... it's throw a party." She smiled.
"Yes, I remember." K chuckled. "Uncle Bryan's 40th birthday was unforgettable."
"Hmm, You should have seen his 50th last year." It almost past as a stab at Kiara for not being around her people, the gypsies, as much as she should have over the years, but Zilpha smiled through it nonetheless as did Mrs Shelby.
The silence was cut when Polly soon came over, a serious look on her face. "You should tell Ada to slow down." Polly said, glancing over to her pregnant niece that spun and danced with Arthur.
Tommy scoffed. "You think she'll listen to me?"
"I've tried stopping her, but she's been drinking."
"Well, she shouldn't be drinking either." Kiara shook her head.
"Yeah, well she's been stuck in that little basement for weeks, what do we expect? She's going off like a firecracker." Ada continued to spin. "Oh, Christ, Tommy please." Polly begged.
Kiara placed a hand back on her husband's shoulder, bringing his gaze up to meet her as she urged him with a nod to speak with his sister.
He sighed in defeat and began to rise out of his chair and make his way over to Ada.
"Ada, come on, have a rest." Tommy said as he walked. "Sit down."
"Come and look, Esme!" Ada called to her new sister-in-law. "Come and look at the family you've joined. Come and look at the man who runs it!" She shoved Tommy back as John and Esme rose to their feet from where they sat not far away. "Chooses his brother's wives for them! He hunts down his own sister like a rat and he tries to kill his own brother-in-law." She continued shoving him as Polly and Kiara now walked over, the whole family now around trying to calm her.
"Ada, that's enough!" Arthur tried.
"And now he won't even let me have a fucking dance!" She finished.
"Ada, this isn't good for the baby." Kiara turned to her, speaking in a low voice so only her and Polly could hear, thinking that a hushed tone might get to her better.
"Not even at a fucking wedding!" She continued.
"Sit her down." John said to Polly as their aunt grabbed one of Ada's arms and Kiara the other.
"Calm down, Ada." Polly said as the girl began to have heaving breaths and then doubled over.
"Oh my god." Kiara breathed.
"Holy shit." Polly said at the same time as Ada's water broke. "Water."
"Not now, Ada." Arthur complained. "Bloody hell, you do pick your times." He added as if she had a control over it although it probably wouldn't have happened had she rested.
John on the other hand helped guide her over to the cars, having four times the experience Arthur had. Tommy stepped back, slightly in shock as his Aunt, wife, brother and sister-in-law all helped his sister.
"Thomas!" Kiara yelled over her shoulder at her husband, snapping him out of it.
Polly helped Ada into the car as Riley came over.
"You can stay, catch up with Bryan and Moira." Kiara said to her brother who nodded before she glanced over to her gypsy family and smiled a goodbye.
She got in the car with Tommy, Ada and Polly while John, Arthur and Esme piled into John's new car that had been given to him as part of his new bride's dowry.
Tommy pulled up outside the house before the others, having been in the lead. Polly and Kiara immediately went to help Ada out as she took deep breaths now in labour and half carried her into the Shelby house while Tommy remained still, waiting for the others.
John soon came speeding and swerving around the corner, being a bit more of reckless and terrifying driver than Tommy, but also testing out his new car as he drove.
"Whoa! Slow it up. Nice and easy." Arthur instructed from the back seat as John swerved and slammed on the breaks coming to an abrupt halt.
"Right. We're here." John declared as they jumped out of the car and Tommy smiled at his brothers.
"Nice car, John. How's she run?" Tommy asked.
"Yeah, beautiful, really smooth." He nodded. It was obvious it was his driving that needed the improvements.
"Your sister's in there giving birth and you're talking about the bloody car." Polly popped her head out of the door as Esme began to make her way inside.
"Not much us men can do now, Poll." Tommy said.
"Except go get drunk." Arthur shot back.
"Right. Come on." Tommy nodded.
"One man should be here." Polly said back.
"You're right, Poll." Tommy nodded. "Freddie should be here."
"Is that a heartbeat I hear inside that chest?"
"The truce lasts until sunrise. On my oath. Tell Freddie it's safe." Tommy said to his aunt.
She smiled and took off, running back into the house, leaving the boys to go about their drinking.
"Tommy's given permission for Freddie to be here. The truce will last until sunrise." She informed. "I'll be back in just a moment. I'm going to grab someone to get the message to him." Polly said before leaving for a moment, leaving Kiara and Esme.
Polly knew where Freddie and Ada lived so she found a boy on the street, gave him a few coins and sent him on a mission to the address.
Esme and Kiara were tending to Ada, but Polly took charge once she was back in the room. They had tended Martha during her births so it wasn't new territory for either of them and Esme seemed to know what she was doing.
Ada's breathing was deep and pained as the contractions grew closer together.
"Keep going. That's right." Polly encouraged as Kiara padded down Ada's head with a damp cloth.
"Breath." Kiara instructed. "In... and out. Deep breaths, keep it going."
Ada pushed and screamed in pain before Esme felt her stomach, feeling for the baby. "I think it might be the wrong way around. I attended three sisters." She said.
Polly checked, doing the same thing Esme had before and then looking up at Kiara.
"I think you're right." She looked over to the newest member of the family.
"We should move her forward."
They grabbed Ada and got her to her knees. Kiara held back her hair as she screamed in pain.
"It's not long to go now, darling." Polly said.
Esme took charge of trying to turn the baby as Ada pushed, Polly continuing to encourage her as Kiara tried to make her comfortable by keeping her brow cool and her hair up.
It was at the end when Ada finally held her newborn son in her arms that they heard the door swing open.
"Ada!" Freddie's voice yelled out as the woman looked to where he came running in, everyone with huge smiles on their face.
"It's a boy, Freddie." Ada smiled at him before he walked over.
"It's a beautiful baby boy." He smiled, taking his new born in his arms. "Welcome to the world, son."
Then the moment was ruined. A bang on the door interrupted them followed by a commanding voice yelling out. "Open up, it's the police."
"You can't come in here!" Esme yelled when the officers busted down the door. "There's a baby just been born.
"Freddie?" Ada turned to her husband as he handed the child back over to him.
"There's a baby!" Polly yelled at the officers when they came into the room.
"Don't do this." Freddie said. "Don't' do this here."
They didn't listen. They pulled him to his feet and dragged him out the door. As Ada screamed, the baby cried and Freddie yelled in rage. The others stood back in shock. Ada then began to cry with her baby as Polly tried to sooth her. She desperately held on to the child in her arms, refusing to let her aunt take him from her so she could rest. Eventually she settled down in a chair, not saying a word, the cries stopping. She looked at her son and paid attention only to him.
Then Polly took off for the door.
"Stay with her." Kiara said quietly to Esme before following after Polly.
"Poll!" Kiara yelled after her on the street, running to catch up, but the woman couldn't be stopped.
She came to the Garrison, busted open the door and immediately set eyes on her nephew at the bar.
"It's a boy." She declared, rage swirling in her eyes as the others came out. Polly ran at him in anger.
"Poll! Whoa, whoa, whoa." Tommy caught her by the wrists before she could pound into his chest.
"Polly!" John and Arthur yelled in unison, grabbing her by the shoulders and pulling her back.
"But the police came and took his father away!" She yelled while Tommy stared back in shock. "Don't you dare look at me like that!" She yelled.
He shook his head as Polly calmed, shaking the other two off her before spitting on the ground at Tommy's feet. "You liar!" She declared before turning and heading for the door.
Kiara had remained back, observing her husband, his reactions, his expressions, his movements...
... it wasn't him. She concluded.
He turned his gaze to his wife while his brother's seemed incapable of looking at him and he lightly shook his head.
"I know." Kiara barely whispered. "Who else knew?"
Tommy looked about the room, his eyes landing on John and then Arthur and then over to Grace who stood behind the bar. Kiara's eyes then landed on her, that ferocious green daggering the air between the two women. Grace almost stumbled back at that look, the hatred and rage behind it terrifying her.
"She's been here the whole time." Tommy spoke, knowing what she was thinking.
"K." John spoke up, drawing her eyes to him. "She has." He nodded.
Kiara looked over into the back room, seeing the empty bottles of whiskey on the table next to a few empty glasses. They had had a lot. No... she didn't trust their judgement. She wouldn't say it, not there. So instead she threw Grace another glance before following after Polly without another word.