After an unexplainable accident Annabelle finds herself hundred years in the past. In the boom of the 1920s, the era of Jazz and bootleggers. But it's not just the 20s she now has to deal with, she also happens to find herself stumble right into the...
I came back to my place early in the morning. After leaving Tommy's place last night, John and I spent the next few hours talking. About nothing and yet somehow everything.
Even though I haven't slept in over 24 hours, my sleep didn't last long. Something in me couldn't bear the thought of spending the morning with him, so before I left, I prepared a small breakfast and left a note with it.
The morning air was still and the sun just began to rise behind the houses of small heath. Summer was approaching.
When I arrived at home, I quickly changed into something a little more fancy, reapplied some makeup and then headed back out the door. The way I knew Polly, she was probably already awake and doing some last minute preparations for her nephews wedding. She may not always show it, but these young men meant the world to her.
And I turned out to be right. The moment I turned into Watery lane I couldn't just see but also hear an agitated Polly Gray shout commands at the men around her, who were carrying boxes over boxes of decoration and other stuff. When Scudboat walked past me, I greeted him with a good morning to which he just grunted something incoherent. Something about this being far from a good morning.
"Oh finally another woman, these men have no idea how to organise a wedding."
When the Gray spotted me, relief was written all over her face. It's a happy day, I should smile.
"Good morning Polly. Do you need a helping hand here?"
"That'd be lovely dear, could you go inside and see if the pie I have in the oven is done yet, then I can stay out here and- Gerald that's fragile and belongs to the boxes with cutlery in them! Not decor!"
Before I could even respond, the woman already stormed off. Pie it is then. Inside I had to dodge several men carrying boxes outside, before I reached the kitchen. To be frank the pie looked worse than it smelled, yet I wasn't sure if I was going to eat any of it.
I only knew a few recipes from the 20s but they all had one thing in common, which was the excessive use of sugar. It was as if everybody wanted to make up for the time when sugar was a luxury and too expensive for the common folk. I gave it another five minutes, which I spent watching Scudboat unpack the truck, reorganise the boxes and load everything back onto the hanger again, all by command of a slightly angered looking Polly Gray.
Just as I was about to head back outside, I heard an annoyed gruff.
"Fucking hell.."
Arthur? My curiosity took over me and I followed the mumbling. In the hallway stood a huffing Arthur Shelby in front of the mirror, as he tried to straighten out his tie. It seemed like he was so focused on evening out the knot, he didn't even notice me leaning against the wall just a few steps away. With a fed up sigh the man ripped the lengthy fabric off his neck.
"Would you like me to tie it for you?"
If I startled him, he did good in hiding it and just turned towards me while holding out the tie. With a smile on my face I stepped closer and grabbed it, folding up the collar of his shirt.
"You look tired, Arthur."
"So do you."
Ok, that conversation starter backfired. As my smile slowly faltered, I placed the fabric around his neck.
"Does it not bother you at all?"
I had a guess what he was talking about, but rather focused on the Windsor Knott.
"I'm afraid you have to elaborate that question a bit further, darling."
"Tommy just marrying him off like that. Even a blind man would see how you two look at each other from time to time."
"Tommy knows what he's doing and for the latter, I've no idea what you're on about."
Definitely not one of my best lies thanks to my trembling hands and probably quite stoic expression. I tried my best stuffing the front part of the tie through the hoop, with my shaking hands, when the man in front of me reached up and closed his calloused hands around mine.
"You know very well what I'm talking about, Belle. John might not have realised it, but you have."
His voice became quieter the longer he talked, his head bowed down far enough that I could feel his breath on my hair. Why did I not notice before..was it obvious to everybody else?
Just thinking about it made my heart hurt and my throat tighten up. I tried swallowing the tears back, but soon enough I felt the familiar pressure in the corner of my eyes. The corners of my mouth felt like they were being dragged down by weights made out of steel, as I looked up into the exhausted eyes of the eldest Shelby brother.
"But what does it matter now? I was too late."
How ironic. The time traveler not, having enough time.
My voice was barely a whisper, but we were standing so close together that I was sure he heard me anyway. There was no way out of this situation and he knew that. If John wasn't to marry Esme today, the Lee's wouldn't side with the Shelby's and finally there would be no way they could win against Billy Kimber.
A single tear escaped my eyes, but it was enough for Arthur to pull me against his chest into a tight hug. I wanted to cry. I wanted to break down and just let the sadness roll over me, but I couldn't. The more I gave into the stabbing pain in my chest, the less I felt overall. A serene numbness started to wash over me, it might not be the best way to cope, but it worked.
"I'm sorry, Belle."
Yeah me too. For a second longer I enjoyed being held, before letting go and taking a deep breath. A faint smile found its way onto my face as I straightened out the beige tie and folded his collar back down.
"I don't want to dwell on it. It's my own fault after all and why waste energy on something that can't be changed?"
I quickly buttoned his waistcoat and the first button of his jacket back up and turned to the mirror next to us. We both looked rough. Not outwardly, no our attire was spotless. But if you looked closely you'd notice the dark shadows under our eyes, the slightly chapped lips and almost unnoticeable nervous shaking.
His eyes met mine and when I put on a smile he returned it. It's a wedding. A happy day. We should be smiling.
"I'll go with Polly and help them set up. See you there, good luck convincing Johnny."
_________________________ This took SO long. Sorry y'all, I had a massive writers blockage and just insanely much to do in general. I can't promise that the next chapters will be uploaded more quickly, but I'm on it.
Last but not least, if you consider yourself 'Pro Life', or are anti abortion, please leave. You are not welcome here, if you don't support basic human rights, equality and the right to make choices about your own body. Have a nice day.
