𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓

John squinted as he opened his eyes, the light that seeped through the gap in the curtains almost blinding him. He looked down at Madeline who slept quietly beside him, his arm draped over her shoulder.

"Fucking hell—" He muttered, running a hand over his face. It was only
moments before the door swung open, Johns daughter Katie appearing with a large smile on her face. "Morning dad!" She greeted.

"Yeah, morning." John grumbled, hushing her slightly as she hovered at the door. "I'm hungry." Katie complained, holding onto the door handle and swinging the door back and forth.

"Where's Maria?" John asked, referring to the girls nanny. Katie shrugged and stood on her tip toes to glance at Madeline. "Right, Katie— I love you but please go and find Maria. She will get you some breakfast, yeah?" He said quietly, trying not to wake Madeline.

Katie rolled her eyes and slammed the door causing John to wince and let out a breath. And obviously, Madeline began to wake.

"Sorry about that," he apologised awkwardly, finally sitting up once she rolled onto her side to face him. All she did was hum in response, too tired to open her eyes. "Er— how did you sleep?"

"Good," she said quietly, rolling onto her back and finally opening her eyes. "What about you?"

"Yeah..good." John agreed, not able to get rid of the awkwardness that had overcome him. Madeline on the other hand was trying to stop herself from laughing. But it didn't work.

A small laugh fell from her mouth and John frowned, a light smile on his lips. "Something funny?" He leaned his elbow onto the pillow beside her and rested his cheek on his hand. Maddie looked up at him and shook her head, flashing him a smile.

John smirked and pushed her hair away from her face. "Madeline." He warned.

She looked away to prevent laughing again and sighed. "It's just how awkward you are, it's funny." She said, finally gaining her normal persona back.

"The fuck you mean, eh?" John asked, getting out of the bed and pulling a fresh shirt over his head. "I mean that we were married yesterday. Of course neither of us did it willingly but we heard a lot about you Shelby men," she smirked, "and i would've thought you'd be more— how can i say this? Confident."

"Confident?" John repeated, raising his eyebrows.

Maddie nodded. "And what do you mean by confident?" John questioned as he moved a piece of her hair from her face.

"I mean that there's some sort of stereotype around you Shelby's— i heard you've got quite the charm when it comes to women." Madeline said, unable to look away from him.

John's lips parted and a breathy chuckle left his mouth. "Ya saying i don't av a charm about me? Is that what you're saying?"

A loud hum could be heard from the girl. Her words were clearly meant for tormenting him. And it was working. It was clear she was confident, too confident for John's liking.

"Take that how you please, Shelby." Madeline sat up. John looked at her in awe when she threw her leg over him to climb off the bed. His hands hovered at her sides, disappointment filling him when she moved and actually got up from the bed.

John's eyes explored her frame longer than he'd like to admit. "Keep your eyes to yourself, John." Maddie teased, entertained by the way his face grew a light crimson colour.

Suddenly the door burst open once more and Katie stood before Madeline with her eyes wide. "Katie— for gods sake what av i told you about knocking!" John scolded, throwing his head back in annoyance.

"And who's this?" Madeline tilted her head slightly and kneeled in front of Katie.

John cleared his throat and tried to think of an excuse. "This is er— this is my daughter Katie." He said nervously. Maddie looked at him for a moment and turned her attention back to the young girl.

"Hello," She greeted. Katie smiled widely and clasped her hands in front of her, rocking back and forth on her heels. "I'm Madeline but you, Katie, you can call me Maddie." She whispered.

Katie had a beaming smile on her face and she looked to her father with excitement. "She's pretty," Katie whispered, her hands cupped around her mouth as if Madeline couldn't hear her.

John nodded, also smiling, "yeah she is ain't she?"

"Are you going to be my new mum?" Katie asked plainly which caused an awkward feeling to overcome everyone but herself. "Katie!" He scolded again, "you can't just bloody ask her that, you'll scare her off!"

"It's okay," Madeline finally said. But before she could say anything else, John had scooped the young girl up into his arms and walked out the room, his calm scolding getting quieter as he got further.

"Er..sorry about that. She's not really used to speaking to anyone but the family you see. She hasn't really learnt that some questions shouldn't be asked." John apologised as he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

Madeline shook her head. "It's not a problem. Nobody told me i'd be marrying a man who had kids."

"Kid." He corrected, "i've only got one." He sounded somewhat guilty that Madeline hadn't been informed pre-hand but of course Maddie didn't have a problem with it, not even in the slightest. "Her mother died right after the war. Reckon she got sick— it all happened very quickly so Katie didn't understand it very much."

"Well she's a beautiful little girl, John, she is. And obviously nobody will ever replace her mother but i'll not neglect her that's for sure. I know what it's like to grow up without a mother."

John began remembering everything she'd told him the night prior— about how her mother died during childbirth and how he father had died in a gang fight.

John knew he wasn't like Tommy and Arthur. He knew that he was good looking— well he knew that because Polly would always call him a handsome young lad to wind him up. But it was known by everyone that the Shelby boys were attractive.

It was also known that they had a bad reputation when it came to girls.

But not John. No, John was the only
brother who would grow nervous around a woman, other than Finn of course. He would be afraid of seeming weird or acting like Tommy. John, like everyone, looked up to his older brother. But one thing he promised was that he'd never end up like him. He'd never treat women the way he did.

-

"John boy!" A voice rang out, causing Madeline to jump in her seat. She spun herself around and was met with the cold eyes of Tommy. "Ello, Madeline." He greeted, "how're you finding married life?"

"Considering it's only been two days, Thomas. I'd say it's as good as it can be." She sighed, turning back around to continue braiding Katie's hair.

Tommy raised his eyebrows in amusement and let out a breath when John appeared. "Alright, Tom? What're you doing 'ere at this time?" John asked, buttoning up his shirt.

Thomas quickly checked his time piece and clicked his tongue. "It's twelve in the afternoon, John. You're supposed to be at the shop." He reminded him.

John's lips parted and he looked between his brother and Madeline.

"Shit— yeah i forgot. Sorry Tom, i'll be right over. Just give me a few minutes, yeah?" John said before rushing around to finish getting ready.

Madeline sighed and stood, following John out into the kitchen and taking a suit jacket from the back of the door, holding it up in front of him. "Thank you, you're an angel. Ya really are!" John said, grabbing her face and placing a quick kiss on her forehead, accepting the jacket from her hands.

Madeline felt her face heat up slightly and quickly looked away. "Right, Katie." He began, kneeling in front of his daughter, "you'll be good for Maddie, yeah?"

Katie nodded, only to be cut off by Tommy. "No, you hired a nanny for a reason, John. We need Madeline down at the Garrison." Tommy said as he pulled out a packet of cigarettes.

Madeline lowered her shoulders and looked at John. "The Garrison? Why d'ya need her there?" He asked as he took his peaky cap and shoved it over his ears.

Tommy cleared his throat. "Been busy recently, Grace is the only one working the bar. Harry's off sick." He said plainly.

John raised his eyebrows and scoffed. "Nah, she ain't working in the bloody Garrison, Tom!" John refused, "you ain't making her work in the Garrison. They'll have her up against the wall."

Thomas shrugged. "She needs to work, John."

"So she can work in the bloody betting den. You aren't putting my wife in a place like that." John pointed a finger at him. "You can count can't you— yeah she can count. She'll work at the den where we can keep an eye out." John said.

Madeline hesitantly took her coat and shrugged it over her shoulders. "Very well then." Tommy gave in.

She watched as the pair walked out the house, leaving her to make her own way over to the betting den— which thankfully was only over the road and the door was still open from John and Tommy entering the house.

Multiple heads turned toward her as she stood sheepishly beside the door. "Alright you lot, she's not a piece of fucking meat— stop looking at her like she's some bloody whore." John defended, quickly wrapping an arm around her shoulders and ushering her to a desk near one of the offices.

"John, i don't exactly know what i'm supposed to do." She whispered, her once confident persona now replaced with a more sheepish one.

John sniffed and took a toothpick from in between his teeth and leaned over her shoulder. "All ya need to do is calculate all these earnings," he said, dragging his finger down a column on the page. "Tommy always check it by the end of the week so if ya calculations are wrong, he'll fix em." He assured her.

Madeline swallowed hard and reached for a pencil. "Is that all?"

"Yeah, yeah that's all. Listen i'll be out for a bit with Tom an Artha." He told her, "but i'll have you home by six." John squeezed her shoulder in a reassuring way and walked off without waiting for her to say anything else.

Maddie could feel multiple pairs of eyes glued to her. Obviously making her grow uncomfortable. If this was happening at home, she'd tell them all to fuck off. But she couldn't do that, she couldn't bring herself to do it. It was almost as if she was frightened of the men in the betting shop.

Which, of course, made her feel extremely silly.

"You're alright yano." An older man spoke from across the table. Maddie looked up in confusion. "I'm Scudboat, i work for Tommy an all them." He flashed her a smile, "i know all these lot might seem intimidating but none of 'em will lay a finger on ya."

"How can you be sure?"

"John Shelby might be the timid brother but he's just as dangerous as Tommy." Scudboat shrugged, "no one would dare lay a finger on a Shelby woman."

"I'm not a Shelby woman." Madeline shook her head, trying to concentrate on calculating the numbers on the paper.

"Maybe not by blood," Scudboat agreed, "but nevertheless. Anyone who wants to keep their eyes will stay away from ya." He added.

All she could do was hum in response.

-

"Goodnight," Madeline said politely, finally closing the door and locking it up. She'd practically been left by herself in the shop for the whole day.

Polly was nowhere to be seen. Scudboat had disappeared at one point to do god knows what. Finn was a twelve year old boy who couldn't count to ten. And John was out with Tommy and Arthur, leaving her to handle things by herself.

And it was coming on nine o'clock. Three hours later than John had promised her. "Do ya know where my Aunt Pol is?" Finn asked, standing beside the open green doors.

"No, sorry Finn." Madeline gave him a sympathetic look and sat down in the chair she'd previously been sat in. Finn let out a breath and leaned against the doors. "She said she'd make me some tea before bed."

"I can make you tea." Maddie offered. Finn's face lit up. "Can ya actually?" He asked. She couldn't help but smile at the young boys excitement. "Of course i can— just show me where everything is."

"Well— i don't exactly know where..i just know it's all in the kitchen." He shoved his hands into his pockets.

She nodded and brushed past him to enter the kitchen. "Do you have any idea where your brothers are, Finn?"

"When you say brothers, i'm assuming you mean John." He raised his eyebrows, earning a small nod from the girl. "They'll have been down the Garrison all day. Tom said something about trouble the other day. My guess is that they're protecting the Garrison's whiskey."

His words repeated in her head. The Garrison. The pub up the road. "Does John usually come home later than he's promised?"

"Sometimes." Finn shrugged, "depends how much he's drank."

Madeline began ignoring the boys words and continued making a cup of tea for him, burning herself on the steam from the kettle as she did so. A loud crash sounded when she accidentally dropped the glass to the floor.

"Shit—" She said in a panic, kneeling down and trying to pick up the pieces. A small hiss left her mouth when small shards of glass cut open her palm.

"Leave it. Aunt Pol has loads of cups." Finn threw his feet onto the top of the table.

She grabbed a cloth from the counter and used it to grab the glass from the wooden floor, emptying it into the bin. Finn rolled his eyes and got up from his seat to take the other cup of tea that Madeline had made.

"We're back!" A voice rang out followed by multiple pairs of footsteps. Maddie quickly turned away, running her hand under the tap.

"Alright Arthur, get in there." Tommy held Arthur by his sleeve and shoved him down onto the couch. It was only seconds until he'd passed out. "Why aren't you in bed, eh?" Tommy asked Finn, ruffling his hair as he passed.

"Madeline was making me tea." Finn told his brother.

"Oh was she, eh?" John teased and hung his coat up. "What're you doing now?" He asked her as he approached her.

"Nothing." She lied, taking the cloth once more and clutching it in her hand. John raised an eyebrow and turned off the tap that was still running. "It don't look like nothing."

"You said you'd get me home by six. It's almost ten, John."

"We lost track of time, alright?" He told her whilst looking her right in the eye. "Now why're you holding that cloth like that? It's all wet." John scoffed and tried to take it from her.

His eyes landed on the cut on her hand and he frowned. "How've you done that?"

"You ask too many questions." She sighed, turning away from him and walking back through to the den and picking up a betting book.

John followed close behind. "Maddie how did ya do it?" He asked again, grabbing her wrist tightly and spinning her around. He flattened out her palm to examine the cut despite the fight she put up.

"She dropped a glass— tried to pick up the pieces!" Finn called out whilst slurping on the rest of his tea.

"My brother tells me more than my wife, eh?" John said, trying to make a joke of the situation. Madeline looked away once more, snatching her hand away from him. "Ey," John said. "Look at me."

She refused and kept her eyes on the wall.

"I told ya to fuckin look at me." He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. "It was an accident. You've dropped a glass, that's all. Tell me why you're so upset about it?"

She didn't know. She couldn't think of an excuse.

"I'm just missing home, John!" She finally snapped. He loosened his grip and tilted her chin upward slightly. "What did i tell ya, eh? I told ya i'm here to look after you. I'm going to look after you."

"What if I don't want you to look after me?" She shouted, pulling away from him.

"Don't be stupid, Madeline." John hissed, "don't know why you're being like this. It ain't my fault." He said in a defensive way.

She walked around to the other side of the table and took a deep breath. "I never wanted to get married in the first place! Forgive me for struggling to get used to this sudden change."

John followed her again and tried his best not to get angry. "Madeline—" he paused, grabbing her again when she attempted to walk off. "I know it's not ideal for you, yeah? You wanted to grow up on ya fucking farm or something, running barefoot in the mud. But we have no other option now. We have to make this work." He cupped the sides of her jaw with his hands.

"An one day, if you get too fuckin claustrophobic or sick of this place, i'll buy us some big fuck off house that we can run off too." He offered, partially joking.

Madeline shook her head. "That's stupid."

"Is it? Or do you just not want to admit that we can make something work." He argued. John kept her head in place and the pads of his thumbs grazed her skin. "You're tired, Mads. You're tired. You need sleep."

"I need sleep." She whispered and placed her hands over his, leaning her forehead on his.

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