Oceans [A.Shelby]

NINE

LILLIAN AND ADA had spent three-quarters of an hour deciding the right fabric and decoration for Ada's wedding dress, a garment Lillian had the pleasure of sewing.

"What you making ladies?" The woman at the counter asked as she cut up metres of fabric for Ada's wedding dress, beading and other necessities on the counter alongside it.

"You'll find out soon enough Agatha," Lillian smiled.

"Whatever it's going to be, I'd quite like to see it once you've finished,"

"Will do, thanks Agatha!" Ada told her after Lillian paid.

"How are you going to do this without Arthur finding out?" Ada asked Lillian quietly as they exited the shop.

"I thought I'd just put a table in the stable at Charlie's and do it there," Lillian replied with a small smirk.

Ada laughed lightly at the woman's sarcastic tone.

"Poll said if it gets too much trouble she would distract Arthur, get him drunk probably so I could create my masterpiece. Speaking of my masterpiece, I need to get you measured."

The women spent almost the entire day doing wedding preparations, though there wasn't much to prepare, Lillian insisted on creating her sister-in-law a one of a kind dress for her wedding, which her siblings didn't know about. Only Polly and Lillian knew, but Lillian had an inkling that Tommy had caught on.

"Some say there's a superstition around making your own wedding dress" Ada mentioned as Lillian measured her, she was down to just her undergarments, with a rounded abdomen poking through.

Lillian raised a brow at the woman, "surely you don't believe in superstition?"

Ada took at fleeting glance at Lillian, "are we forgetting I'm part gypsy?"

Lillian laughed, "believe me, I do try forgetting, but you should hear the words that comeout of Arthur's mouth when we're-"

Ada raised a brow at her sister-in-law, "if you were about to say what I thought you was, you can save it,"

Lillian laughed in response, a light blush formed on her cheeks.

"How did you learn to do this anyway?" Ada asked her.

"I attended an all girls school where we were taught life skills. Not the kind of life skills you'll particularly need, sewing was probably the only useful skill I learnt during my time there. Worst experience of my life except if it wasn't for the occasional visit and dance with the boys from the all boys school across the road."

Ada laughed in return, "I can see you've barely changed."

"I have changed, of course I have! There's nobody I'd rather dance with now than Arthur Shelby, nor spend the rest of my life" She smiled.

"Yeah, and the rest of your life is getting on now ey," Ada teased her.

"Oi you! If I'm looking a day over 20 it's because I'm married to Arthur Shelby,"

"You and Arth alright now?"

"I'd be stupid to let every idiotic thing he does break into us. Marriages work when the couple works with it, it's a two way street as my mother likes to say. As much as she dislikes Arthur, she doesn't want her only daughter getting divorced."

"Bloody charming!" Ada snorted.

"No, instead, she tells me that in order to stay married I have to have kids. To keep him interested apparently."

"Not that your mothers right, why haven't you and Arth had a baby yet? Tommy and John placed a bet that it'd be not long after you married. John bet you was already in the way when you married."