Burned

15

           "Lou."

The petite form buried under the quilts turned over in response to Alfie's voice. A muffled grumble came from beneath and he chuckled.

"Lou, s'morning, love." Alfie coyly reached out and pushed the blankets away from her feet so he could tickle her.

Louise squealed and curled up in a ball to get away from him. "Alfie!" She tossed the blankets back and gave him a look of displeasure. "That's not fair."

"Easiest way to get you outta bed." He grinned and his chest tightened when she emerged. Her disheveled curls and light brown eyes were his greatest weakness. "How is it, yeah, that m'lready dressed and you're still lazing 'round?" He teased and bent down to touch her cheek.

"Because you kept me up all night long, you insatiable man." She retorted and straightened up to kiss him.

But Alfie pulled away before she could. "Things to be done. Taking a drive out to the countryside."

Louise sat up and stretched. "What sort of business do you have in the countryside?" She asked before standing and going to get dressed.

"Never said it had anything to do with business." He shrugged and took a moment to appreciate her form in the barely-there nightgown as she bent over to open a drawer.

"You can't lie and ogle me from behind, Mr. Solomons."

He smirked and ran a hand through his hair. "Jus' get ready to go." He headed for the door but paused. "Unless you'll be having a hard time walking, yeah, after last night?" He added.

"You cheeky bastard." Louise threw a blouse at him a blush spreading over her cheeks. He laughed and retreated downstairs before desire got the best of him and they never left the bedroom.

Indeed there was work to be done.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You could've told me we were going to visit Tommy." Louise didn't look up from her journal. Her pen scratching against the parchment filling the space between her and Alfie.

He furrowed his eyebrows. "In the area, weren't we?"

She let out a low hum. Those around Alfie knew that he lied by omission. "Should've realized."

"Well, s'fucking nice to be out in fresh air, innit? Thought you might want to see the horses he's got." Alfie was far more comfortable having her with him than leaving her alone at the bakery. Or perhaps he used his pointless worry as an excuse to have her along. She was the only one who could calm his nerves. And if the whispers around London were true then he was going to desperately need some calming down.

"I'm not arguing. I'm just saying your secretary should be aware of your business exchanges." Her eyes glanced up at him. "For business purposes."

"Just dropping in for a chat, yeah? Catch up with a dear friend. Nothing that needs to be written down."

Louise closed her journal. "I'll never understand you completely, Alfie Solomons."

"Well, you're probably the person who's ever going to get the closest, Lou. Just afraid you won't fucking like what you find." The car pulled up the gravel drive and stopped in front of the stately manor.

"You'll have to try a little harder to scare me off." She leaned forward to kiss his cheek before exiting the car.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Since Louise had only stopped at the door, she was keen to see the inside of the Arrow House. Like most wealthy estates, including the one she grew up in, it was filled with expensive décor, trinkets, and detail. The rooms were spacious; impossible to heat completely so there was always a cold empty feeling in the winter months. A heavy sadness filled the space and it hardly felt like a home, more a museum of secretive grief.

As they were let in, Louise noticed the large portrait of what was once the Shelby family. Tommy and Grace proudly holding their young son. It was hard to believe such a beautiful young woman was taken from the Earth so violently. A shadow of a thought crossed her mind.

What if she ended up the same way?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Good morning Mr. Solomons. Miss Barnes"

Louise sat in front of the large desk while Alfie lingered by the window. She offered Tommy a polite smile, it had been the first time she'd seen him since he lost Grace. It was obvious the loss affected him deeply and Louise couldn't blame him.

Alfie rambled on about the home while Tommy poured himself a drink. Louise tried to warn Alfie beforehand to behave since the man had become a widower so recently. But you couldn't change habits in one day.

She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and gave Alfie a discontent look. "Your housekeeper said you weren't supposed to be drinking, Mr. Shelby." It was hard not to be concerned about the man.

Tommy just shook his head.

Alfie walked over to him. "Right, she said you're suffering from so many ancient injuries from your sporting life that your head is like some sort of smashed vase stuck together by a horse."

"Alfie." Louise scolded sternly.

"S'alright, Louise." Tommy waved her off and slowly sat down next to her. "Always the man of many words, isn't he?"

"Something like that." She sighed.

"Lou, why don't you go out 'n see the horses, eh?" Alfie touched her shoulder. "Get some air?"

She knew when she was to leave so men could talk business so she stood up. "I would like to see the grounds."

"That's fine, in fact, Madeline?" He called.

A few moments later, a young woman walked in. "Yes, Mr. Shelby?"

"Would you mind taking Charlie out for a walk and show Miss Barnes around the grounds?" Tommy asked.

"Of course." The redhead nodded and smiled at Louise.

Before leaving, Louise bent down to whisper in Alfie's ear. "You be respectful. He's obviously grieving."

He grunted in response as she kissed his cheek. "Right, take this, getting cold out, innit?" He looped his scarf around her neck.

She smiled slightly and followed Madeline out of the study.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Charlie Shelby was a lovely little boy. Shy but overly curious. Louise hadn't had much experience with children. Being an only child she had no siblings to care for. For a long time, she found she was jealous when she saw a mother with her child. Louise longed to have children but Daniel made her feel worthless. Now she wondered if there would ever be a time she and Alfie could have a child.

Of course, there were steel barriers along that path. Would it be too dangerous to raise a child in such a life? Would Alfie even want children? Even if they reached the point of agreement, what if Daniel had been right along? What if she was incapable of bearing children?

It was a tough pill to swallow.

Still, it was fun spending time with the joyful little boy. Charlie was blissfully unaware of the life his family lived. He was cradled in the wealth of his family, much too young to understand any of it.

She hardly even realized how time had passed so quickly. It was far too entertaining to watch the little boy toddle around the stables. He stuck his pudgy hand in the watering troughs to poke at the goldfish, tugged dandelions out of the ground, and pointed at the horses in the paddocks.

After agreeing to aid Tommy in part of the jewelry heist, Alfie walked outside to find Louise. He stopped short when he found her sitting in the tall grass with Charlie and Madeline. The young boy had warmed up to her and giggled as she made silly faces to entertain him.

The man was struck by how natural she appeared. His stomach knotted up when he saw the motherly demeanor. She looked so happy.

Alfie told her that he would give her anything. Anything at all. But he wasn't sure what he would do if she requested a family with him. It was hardly a life for a child to live in. And he highly doubted his ability to be a father. He sighed deeply and continued walking towards her. It wasn't the time to think about children or disappointing Louise. Dangerous work was ahead of him and he had to do everything he could to keep it secret from her.