Angel

29

            "Hello, hello," I called out as I shut Polly's front door behind me. "Well look who's up and about now. He finally let you out of bed, eh?" Ada grinned as she embraced me tightly. "Yes he did, I've managed to finally convince him that I'm completely fine now," I sighed as I followed her up the stairs to the spare room that housed our dresses. "Are you alright in the head? Something like that's bound to take a toll," she commented as I removed my coat, setting it down on the bed. "I still have some nightmares, but then I wake up safe in Alfie's arms and if I wake him up he calms me back to sleep," I shrugged, moving forward to inspect the lavender dress on the bed. "Well, I'm glad you're alright," Ada said, and I nodded. "Alright, hurry this up, Arthur's bringing his new girl by in half an hour," Polly announced as she entered the room. I stripped quickly and Allowed Polly to slip the dress over my figure, buttoning up the back. "Fits like a glove," I told her, and she nodded, examining the waist before moving her gaze to the sleeves.

            "Hold on just a moment," she breathed, her eyes growing wide. She slowly picked up my left hand and held it close to her eyes. "What is this fucking rock on your finger?" she yelled out, and Ada all but ran across the room. "Holy fuck, Lena!" she shouted, her jaw dropping. I giggled, unable to wipe the smile from my face. "Oh, I didn't tell you? Alfie proposed," I grinned with a nonchalant shrug. "Well, you can't even tell where the Titanic hit it," Polly chuckled as Ada ripped my hand from her grasp to examine the ring closer. "Seriously, Lena, this must've cost him a fortune. I've never seen a diamond this big before," Ada breathed. "Well, you all know what he does for a living," I sighed with a slight shrug. "Well, come on then, the dress fits fine, this is far more important. Strip it off so we can have a proper fucking chat," Polly chuckled, striding out of the room to go put the tea on. I quickly removed the gown with Ada's help, and put my dress back on, letting my sister drag me down the stairs as quickly as she could. "Alright, alright. Well, he'd been caring for me all week, absolutely doting on me," I started, but Polly cut me off with a question. "Why was he caring for you all week?" she asked as she sat across the table from me, one eyebrow cocked. I nervously cleared my throat, knowing I'd have to answer her.

            "Well...erm...Sabini made sort of...a threat. And then at Charlie's christening...he kidnapped me and held me for a few days," I said quietly. "I knew Ada was fucking lying about your 'vacation'!" Polly screamed, slamming her hands down on the table. "Okay, first of all, can we all remember I am just fine, and I am completely unscathed. He was just using me to get to Alfie. But Alfie found out where I was, and in the panic of him coming to bust me out, I got my hands on a gun and shot anyone in my way. He killed the others, and took me home. And no one's heard a lick from Sabini since," I insisted. Polly seemed to have calmed down, but I knew she was still grinding her teeth. "Pol, don't worry. Sabini isn't stupid enough to show his face anywhere near London at the moment. He knows Alfie's got a fleet of men out looking for him, and that the minute they find him, he's a dead man. For all we know he's probably trying to make his soul right with the Lord," I sighed as the kettle started to scream. Polly's arms remained tightly crossed over her chest as I set three cups down on the table and poured.

            "Can we just get to the proposal now?" Ada asked impatiently, reaching over to take a cup into her hands. I nodded, taking my seat once more. "Well, as I said, he'd been doting on me all week, never allowing me to leave the bed. Once he'd heard my conversation with Ada, he suggested I go out to the barn and visit with Odin. When Odin reached me, I noticed a silver chain around his neck with a ring attached, and when I turned around, Alfie was down on one knee," I finished, and Ada smiled, her head tilted to her right. "Well, he does know the way to your heart, I'll grant him that," Polly sighed, finally unclenching her arms. "So, do you have a date? What about a dress? What about a venue? Flowers?" Ada asked, hands gesturing wildly as she pictured the wedding plans in her mind. "Ada, calm down. We've only been engaged a few weeks, we have no plans as of now," I chuckled. "And what about the boys?" Polly asked. "What about them?" I asked, avoiding her gaze and taking a deep drink of the tea cooling in front of me. "Well, you can't expect them to not notice the fucking ring on your finger," Polly shot back. I sighed, setting my cup back down on the table. "Well, I've been toying with the idea of bringing him to the wedding next month. I've already brought it up to Grace, and she doesn't think it's a half bad idea. Tommy'd go ballistic if anyone incited any violence on Grace's day, and she just might kill him if he started anything," I shrugged, and Ada chuckled.