Another love

Part Eighty - Seven

Sarah had a faint smile on her lips as she watched Charlie play his violin, the young boy had a talent and she liked watching him revel in it. It seemed that in many ways Charlie was much like his father, good at most things, knew right from wrong and was very astute about the world around him. Of course with Tommy despite knowing right from wrong he tended to go to the wrong.

"Mrs Shelby, there is a man here for you?"

Sarah frowned, if Tommy had allowed Mosley or anyone else here in their time of grievance she'd kill him, especially after their conversation the other evening. Huffing Sarah followed Francis to the foyer ready for a fight but found herself stumbling back from the person in front of her

"Dad?" She almost gasped

"Dad!" Charlie exclaimed eagerly following after his mother, misunderstanding her with the assumption she meant Tommy.

Sarah gripped Charlie's shoulders and held the boy close to her, "uh no Charlie my dad."

Dennis Crawford bent down awkwardly to Charlie's height and smiled at him "remember me, kid?"

Charlie nodded uncertainly making Sarah cringe with sympathy for her son, who had met Dennis only a handful of times, most of them unplanned. In Charlie's 11 years of life, he'd had a lot of people come and go with an array of explanations as to who, why and where they were. For him, the man standing in front of him was just one of many.

"Hi grand-"

"No," Sarah quickly cut in squeezing her son's shoulders, "no need for that." She said pressing a kiss to the crown of his head.

Tommy would be furious that this man was standing in their house, let alone Charlie ready to call him grandad.

"Go and play, I'll find you soon and we can go see the horses, eh?"

Charlie nodded understanding what his mother really meant was this man is not meant to be here and will be leaving soon. He waved goodbye nervously and went off to his room.

Sarah waited until he was out of earshot before rounding on her father, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Heard about Ruby, came to see how you were doing," Dennis watched as Sarah's shoulders slumped. He'd never seen her look so broken, "I would've come to the funeral but thought it best if I stayed away."

"You thought correct." Sarah stuttered as she tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

Dennis walked further into the house and attempted to embrace his daughter, "I know what you're going through-"

"Please don't" she whimpered as she shrunk away from him, "I cannot hear about Cain right now. I just can't, my heart won't take it." Sarah clutched her chest feeling like her heart was physically crumbling.

Dennis nodded in understanding feeling his own tears rising, his daughter was the strongest person he knew. She'd been through so much and had fought for this life for so long and now Ruby was gone and Tommy was close to falling off the wagon unless he already had. Dennis himself had now been sober for five years and could, for the first time in his life, sympathise with the Birmingham gangster.

Sarah seemed just about ready to have a conversation with him when Vera walked past carrying ruby's chair, she took a step away from her dad and called over to her.

"Where the hell are you taking that?"

Vera had purposely walked in Sarah's direction, she wanted her to know that she only listened to Sarah and not Tommy, even in spite of Tommy's ranting.

"Mr Shelby would like the chair going to the attic," Vera explained

Sarah narrowed her eyes at her not understanding, as her father watched the interaction equally confused.