Oceans [A.Shelby]

FIVE

BEFORE LILLIAN BOARDED the 11:15am train to London, she stopped by a telephone box to phone the estate, it was one of the maids that anwsered.

The maid was shocked to hear Lillian on the other end, as the young women never communicated through telephone, only through letter's. The maids often conspired that it was because she didn't want to hear her parent's disappointed voices whenever she phoned. Lillian simply told the maid to 'let Mr May know that his son will be returning via train and that he will need an automobile to pick him up from the station'. The maid quickly passed the message on, and Lillian and Edward boarded the train, finding an empty compartment to sit in.

"You hadn't saw your little brother in quite some time, and you send him straight back home the minute he gets here," Edward commented, glancing out of the window.

Lillian sighed, "Edward it isn't like that. You dont belong in Birmingham, Ed you walked down the street with shoes more expensive then most men's yearly wage. You're inheriting the business now, father needs you in London."

"I never wanted to inherit the business, I'm not a business man, Lils. Why did Theo have to go missing? Father made sure to keep him out of the front line as much as he possibley could, even over there he had influence. I was in the front line more often than Theo was. But then, Theo did become patriotic, he would always tell father that it was his duty and he wanted to joined the men. He'll always be better than me."

"Theo has always been better than us both, Ed. Even when we were children." Lillian scoffed.

"Doesn't stop you from missing him though, we can reminisce, and curse the ground he once walked on for leaving us all we like. Our brother is gone, probably burried in french mud."

Lillian glanced away from her brother, fiddling with her fingers.

"Look if you want to get away from home that much, you can stay with us for Christmas. But if you want the more expensive stuff you'll have to bring it yourself, we aren't poor, we just don't drink 200 pound bottles of the finest." This made Edward smile, he even laughed a little.

"Suits me, the 200 pound bottles are disgusting anyway," This comment forced a laugh out of Lillian's lips.

"Okay, I told a small lie, there is one 200 pound bottle in the house, I stole it from the cellar the last time I was home, and a couple bottles of gin. But I have to hide them from Arthur because he drinks anything he can get his hands on, when the mood takes him."

•••

The driver that was sent for them both, surprised Lillian. It was the same driver, her driver, who drove her back and forward between home and Warwickshire and Birmingham; and he never told his employer.

Driving through London, Lillian could see the drastic differences to Birmingham. London wasn't dark and dingy, nor filled with smoke. London was full of business, clubs, music and dancing. There were gangs that controlled parts of London, such as Sabini's and Solomon's but when it came to Birmingham there was only one gang in control.

Lillian fussed as they approached the estate, disappearing away from the city as each house grew further apart from each other and empty land grew larger.

"Mother and father were probably quaking in their four post bed that their remaining son jumped on a train to Birmingham just like their dissapointment of a daughter" Lullian huffed.

"We aren't kids anymore, Lils, we can do as we please." Edwarded remind her.

Lillian scoffed in return, "I'd love to hear you say that in front of father."

The estate was just the same- it never changed and the staff didn't either, the maids and the servants were once young men and women and had grown old with their employers.