Candy [THOMAS SHELBY]

Chapter Sixty-Two

"Where are we going, mama?" Theodore asked from where he was curled up into her side.

Josephine looked down at him with a smile and ran her free hand through his curly hair. At four years old, Theodore had jumped in height and his speech and skills had advanced.

"We're going to the country for a bit. Going to stay in wagons and everything" She doubted that he remembered the last time they travelled in a Wagon but there were times when Tommy would pull it out to the fields outside their house and they would sleep underneath the stars.

"How long till we get there?"

"I'm not sure sweetheart, but if you're tired then you can nap" Josephine shifted the blanket that was covering her legs so that it covered his body.

After Teddy curled up and closed his eyes, Josephine turned towards Tommy who was sitting at the front, driving them to wherever they were going, silently wondering why Tommy had suddenly decided to drag them out to nowhere in the middle of October when the weather had started to get cold.

"Are you okay?" Tommy's eyes met hers through the rearview mirror

"Me?" Josephine was shocked that he asked her considering something was clearly bothering him, "I'm fine, just cold. I think the kids are too"

Rowan was clinging to her chest, wrapped in her own blanket and Josephine had closed her coat over her as an extra measure.

"Johnny went ahead, he should have the wagons set up and warm by the time we get there"

Josephine nodded gratefully, truthfully she would have preferred to be at home and not in the middle of nowhere but it would do no help if she complained.

When they finally arrived, everything was set up like promised and Tommy helped her take the children into the wagon. This one had a two-bed system where there was a bed up top and just underneath it, in a slight alcove was a bed with a smaller mattress.

The children will go below and she and Tommy would be on the bed up top.

Tommy helped her as she removed the coats and shoes of the children and put them to bed, covered in their blankets even though the wagon was warm.

"I'm going to go out and help them" Tommy tilted his head towards the door and took a step to leave but Josephine quickly grabbed his hands, preventing him from leaving.

"Tommy, you know you can speak to me about anything right?" Josephine didn't want to exactly address the fact that something was bothering him but she let him know that she was there for him.

Tommy tugged her close by her hands and took her face in his hands and gave her a kiss, "I'm fine, I promise you"

"Promise me that you'll come to me when you need help"

Tommy gave her a grin and another kiss, "I promise"

Josephine let him go before she took off her own coat and shoes and clambered up to the bed, falling asleep as soon her head hit the pillow.

.•° ✿ °•.

The weather was miserable as if it was mirroring the mood around the campsite. Grey, windy and overcast, the last thing Josephine wanted to do was be outside but she couldn't take her eyes off of the dead horse and the grave that was being built beside its body.

It was always hard when a horse died and though Josephine didn't have the passion Tommy had for the animals, she did love the ones they had. Theodore had inherited his fathers love for horses and was devastated by the death of Dangerous and mourning alone in the wagon. Josephine left him alone, knowing that he'd come to her if he needed comfort.