Nothing Will Change

Chapter 39

Rose waited under the cover of a lamp post for Ada to pass. She had not seen her good friend for the same amount of time she hadn't seen Tommy, and she was willing to admit she missed her more than him. With air that was brisk in the morning London was cold, Rose keeping her coat on tight. She had convinced Tommy she should be the one giving the news, as Ada hardly was likely to want to see him after the trouble he put her through. Though Tommy did wait in his car not too far away, just able to make out Rose's green coat amongst the business men.

She could hear Ada's heels from across the street. Tommy had once told her that Ada grew up in heels, that even in the mud she would steal their mothers heels, just to play princess. Now she walked like all the other London girls did, unwilling to share how uncomfortable the shoes truly were. As she reached Rose's side of the pavement, Rose moved from behind the lamp post to follow her, trying to formulate the best way to say hello to her friend she had missed dearly.

"Hello Ada," she said nervously, and she would have assumed she couldn't hear her if it weren't for Ada spinning around to her.

"Rose?"

"Hello," she smiled.

There was bruising around her eye and a cut on her lip, bucketing Rose's stomach like a punch of iron. Her hat was worn low obviously in an attempt to hide it, though Rose could still see.

She came close to Rose and spied around them, "what are you doing here I thought you'd be with your mum?"

"I was- I am. But Tommy wanted me to deliver this-"

"Tommy? Oh I should have known," she rolled her eyes, "I thought you two weren't speaking, that's what Polly wrote in her letters."

"We weren't. But that was before I found out that that inspector, Mr Campbell, had been intercepting my letters," she pulled Ada to one side to warn off wandering ears, "it's a long story, I'm sorry I didn't... I'm sorry I wasn't there."

Ada's hurt expression travelled as she looked down at her heels. She didn't get to say goodbye to Ada, though she knew she should have, as she lost so much time in being angry at Tommy. Her isolation meant she missed times where being a friend was much more important than being a lover.

"Tommy would ask me if I knew why he wasn't getting any letters, but I didn't care about his letters when I wanted mine."

Rose had the slip of paper in her hands that she was meant to deliver to her. It had news that would change both their lives, though looking down at it, it would take a lot more than a house to make things better.

"I'm sorry, that's all I know to say."

"Tell me what Tommy wants and I might consider letting you come round for tea," Ada said almost reluctantly, though Rose could tell on her face that there was great difficulty.

"Tommy says that you're not safe even in your new flat, that they could come again. He said to take this," she handed her the paper, "you're living right on the edge of Sabini's territory, and those coppers will look the other way because they work for him. He's got a lot of money coming in that he can't put through the banks. So apparently the best thing is to buy property for cash and put it in a family member's name."

She gaped at her, "a house?"

"Pretty crazy, so many bedrooms, he listed all the rooms but I can't remember what half of them are for. He wondered if you needed a flatmate, and if i could help pay rent seeming as I'm going back into fashion," Rose explained, "just have a look at least."

"Us as flatmates?"

"I haven't told my mum yet."

Ada nodded, slipping the paper away in her pocket. She grabbed Rose's arm and squeezed it, not saying anything more as she continued walking to work. Rose turned and watched her leave, blending in with the people of London so that you never would have thought she was from Birmingham. She was proud. Proud that Ada could get out, proud that she could escape the troubled life the Blinders bring, even if they still came knocking every so often.