Nothing Will Change

Chapter 40

Ada's new house blended in with all the others along the street, and that was how she liked it, because that meant she was no Shelby. She was a Thorne. If she still went by Shelby, her and her house would stick out in black, like her home back in Birmingham. If she still went by Shelby, the neighbours wouldn't be so friendly and she wouldn't be able to escape their bitter gazes. When Rose arrived that afternoon, Ada was almost skeptical to let her in, because letting her in would let Tommy in, which wasn't something she wanted to do. But then, it was hard to turn down a friend.

Inside the building was white with deep oak floorboards, waiting to be painted. Rose tossed her coat over the bannister of the stairs as there was no coat rack yet. Most things were covered in white tarp. If she brought her hands up in the air she couldn't reach the ceiling, it was several feet higher than her even as she jumped. Both at the farm and in Birmingham, the ceilings were only a few inches above six foot, but now they'd have to have a ladder if they wanted to paint the wall. Rose marvelled at the size of the space, the corridor alone bigger than her last flat.

Ada brought tea into the mostly empty living room. There were a couple of sofas, likely ones she brought from her old flat, as well as a coffee table and books everywhere else. Rose grinned at the amount of books. The windows were just as tall as the walls, and as Rose sat she had to stop being so bug eyed. Karl was running about with a toy horse, much bigger than the last time she had seen him. And running, crashing into doorways but just giggling and continuing on even after Ada told him to slow down.

"How did Tommy get you attached to his hip again?" Ada smirked into her tea cup, crossing one leg over the other.

Rose rolled her eyes, "he showed up at my farm unannounced of course, like he goes everywhere. Told me how none of my letters made it to him, invited me to London which still involved business but... We talked, and talking helps."

"What London business?"

"Sabini."

Just saying his name made Ada sour. She nodded and shifted back, not wanting to know anymore. Rose didn't blame her, as she tried desperately hard every day to forget the face and name of the man that almost killed Tommy in front of her. The man who tossed her around like Tommy's porcelain doll. The inspector scared her, but he thought twice before laying a hand on her. But Sabini seemed to not even have the decency to not lay a hand on a woman, or anyone unarmed.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for Freddie," she regretfully swerved the conversation even sadder.

Because she lost the love of her life, the man who risked his life just to be with her. Rose lost a father and Ada lost a husband, and what a picture they looked losing the two most important men in their lives. Ada took a deep audible breath, setting the tea cup down. It was a guarantee the conversation would turn to Freddie, as the house felt so much bigger without him. And Ada looked different without him, she was more sophisticated like the other London girls. But she had a look on her face like although she enjoyed the fashions, she was trying to get any attention for it. She didn't want to get any look from any man, as she still felt married.

"I didn't know whether or not to invite you to the funeral," Ada said, "I wanted you there, because you were the only one at the wedding and Freddie actually liked you. Thought you'd change Tommy."

"But you didn't invite me."

"You didn't send me any letters."

Rose bit her lip, "Mr Campbell intercepted them all... All because he couldn't stand Thomas Shelby being in love."

"I understand why you never came, and why I never got a letter, but it still hurt."

Putting the cup down, Rose crossed the space and hugged her. She wondered if she did change Tommy, or she did and he erased it as soon as she left. The old inspector had no reason to remove her, why did he? If it was jealousy that was preposterous, because the first time she spoke to him was when he ruined Mr Brown's store. He wanted something more from Tommy, but of course she was in the middle, like she felt in every situation with him.