Nothing is, but what is not // John Shelby

XIX

The dinner went well. The oldest of brothers was telling jokes, which were funny only for his mind clouded by whiskey. Tommy, the one with cold eyes was quite the opposite. He was silent most of the time, but he raised a toast once, and then just started glaring at the man sitting beside his sister. Ada was fully aware of her brother's disapproval, which led to her showering Freddie with kisses all over his face. And Polly was simply tired with all that to the point where she was just amused.

After the meal everyone went back to the living room, where the only light was the one from the fireplace. It was already dark outside. John was sipping another glass of whiskey. He took Beth's wrist and pulled her towards a small sofa, where the girl was now sitting, staring into the fire. It took her a moment to realize that man's hand is still loosely holding onto her own. She looked up at John, he seemed not to notice this, his eyes shining in golden colours, as he watched the flames.

"How was Leeds?" He whispered, not wanting to ruin the nice quiet embracing them. The girl sighed heavily.

"I am glad I'm back" she finally said, looking back at the fireplace "They want me to go back to them. To find a 'normal' job or a husband. Or both" her voice had an obvious hint of annoyance in it.

"Do you not want a handsome husband?" John poured more wine into Beth's almost empty glass, and then he took another sip of his whiskey.

"I want to prove I can be successful in the theatre" the girl's face was determined, but something in her eyes wavered "Soon we're putting on the Man and Superman. I am almost done with the costumes… I feel that it's going to be something big. Groundbreaking" Beth looked at her hands, thinking if she is truly able to achieve something with them. She hit the bottom once. She would never let it happen again.

"Sweetheart..." John smiled subtly, noticing the hesitation appearing on her face "You artists are so bloody stubborn. And bloody stupid" he shook his head.

"Should I be offended?"

"No, because you look bloody beautiful being like that" he leaned towards her, a provoking smile on his lips. Beth didn't seem impressed, she simply looked him into the eyes, keeping a neutral face. Yet, after a moment she chuckled, her forehead against John's collarbones. She closed her eyes when the man put his hand on the back of her head and ruffled up her hair, which desperately needed to be cut.

Beth didn't know when she fell asleep. But she knew how she woke up. This thing was a sudden flurry in the room, probably caused by some loud noise. She slowly raised her head from John's shoulder. He was whispering something to her hastily.

"What—"" John put his hand against her mouth, at the same time putting a finger to his lips. He didn't back up until Beth nodded her head, acknowledging that she's supposed to stay silent. She looked around nervously, her heart was beating fast. Tommy was just putting a revolver to Arthur. Polly was whispering something to Freddie angrily, while Ada tried to calm her down.

"They came for the fucking Thorne" those words made Beth realize that she can hear some sounds from the cold street. Freddie disappeared behind the back door, taking Ada with him.

"Don't be scared" John murmured, when they heard a loud knock at the door, and Arthur cursed police under his breath. Beth took Polly's hand, as she reached for her. The aunt petted her shoulder, while John helped her to put the coat on.

"You will leave through the back door, through the office" John took the girl's face, making sure that she was looking at him, forcing her eyes to meet his "You were never here. You don't know who Thorne is, and you're coming back home from the train station" he muttered. His hot breath in which Beth could smell whiskey, tickled her face.

"But..." the man silenced her again, his finger against her pale lips.

"Go" he whispered, quickly brushing her forehead with a kiss. He pushed Beth towards the door.

When Beth left the building, she was hit by a strong, cold wind. She quickly walked away, going into one of the side alleys. In the distance she heard a few gunshots. She flinched, trying not to think about what just happened, or what was happening in Shelby's house right now. The tiredness was so strong that she was not sure of anything around her. She didn't have time to decently wake up. Finally, after a long while of trailing on the streets she didn't know, Beth arrived home.