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"Why are you smiling?"- Francis Shelby
Francis was radiating pure joy as she walked down the cobbled streets of small heath with her arm interlocked with Jack's.
Jack had said they would be visiting his mother, sister and brother in their small home. Jack was afraid Francis would think the house to be small or unkept but as she walked through the door of the house she felt the love that came from inside.
"I'm sorry it's so messy," Jack spoke as he rubbed the back of his neck.
Francis simply shook her head and smiled "I think it's lovely," she didn't want to seem rude so anything offered she would take and she tried her best to be polite.
The little girl who had ran up to her many nights before walked through the kitchen doors into the hallway. "It's the pretty lady!" She beamed and ran to Fran's legs, she gripped hardly onto them and made a soft little huffing noise.
"You seem to have grown attached to her, Rose," Jack bent down and picked up the little girl "Rose say hi to Mallory, Mallory this is Rose." The little girl went shy and hid her face in Jack's neck "she always does this, she should be fine once we settle," Jack placed the little girl down again and took Fran's coat from her hands.
"Mum!" Jack shouted up the stairs "Rory's here!" A loud bang came from upstairs followed by three more, Francis looked to Jack worriedly but he only laughed in return.
Down walked a curly blonde haired woman wearing a deep red knee length dress and a black shawl. "That fucking bedroom is smaller than a pigs barn!" She shouted furiously. "Sorry love, I'm Hattie," the middle aged woman smiled falsely before giving a very much noticeable glance of disgust towards Francis.
-
A couple of hours went by and Francis was feeling tired and drained so she set off to the much loved Shelby residence much to the dismay of Jack and to the pleasure of Hattie.
The wind howled and rain spattered against the girls face. You could barely see a metre in front of you, due to this influx of rain. She walked blindly to Polly's house but when she came into contact with a random person she wished she had just gone home. "S'cuse me" she said softly attempting to worm her way around the person.
"Francis?" A gruff voice asked. There's only one person who knows that name. Suddenly she looked up with fear in her eyes "sorry, Thomas, I didn't mean to be rude-"
Thomas cut her off quickly "get in the house, Francis."
She nodded hastily and opened the Gray residence door.
