Not Just A 'Shelby'

Chapter 30

Three days.

That's how long it took everything to calm down and for the Shelby brothers to realize they were now down 2 sisters.

After everything settled down with the guns and Grace having to hide Tom from the inspector after resigning from her position. After Arthur tried hanging himself because Arthur Sr left without him and called him a disgrace. After Kimber came and tried to kill the brothers in the middle of Small Heath. After Grace told Tom she was a spy, making Tom regret not listening to Dot about her bad feeling. After three days and two people killed, the Shelby brothers realized they were missing their Dorthea.

Polly had not said a word the whole three days about her niece. Having been given a letter from a man from London on the second day of her disappearance.

Aunt Polly,

I am staying with my London friend for a while. I don't know how long. I promise to write once a month to you, letting you know I am fine and that I am safe. Please don't send anyone looking for me and make sure Thomas, Arthur, and John know I am well. They won't stop searching unless they know I am okay.

Tell Thomas that I forgive him for his outburst and I know he didn't mean what he said. He was in the moment and I saw the fear in his eyes. I know he wasn't in his best state. I forgive him.

Tell Arthur that I love him. I know he and Dad were close, but after telling him what happened and he still doing what he did, I can't forgive him. I do love him though, unconditionally like a sister should.

Tell John I understood him being hurt for not telling him. If I could go back though, I would choose my same route by not telling him though. If I could I wouldn't have told anyone. I don't want anyone to pity me for what happened or be angry for telling or not telling them.

Again, I am safe and I don't know when I will return.

Love, Dorthea

"That's all we get?" John asked harshly after Polly read the letter aloud.

"You're lucky you got anything at all!" Polly yelled at the three. "The way she ran out of here, I wouldn't be surprised if she left without even telling me she was." To say that Polly was angry at the three was selling it short. She had always watched the brothers protect their Thea, D, Dot, and now they had turned their backs on her in a couple of hours? These boys had never returned from the war. Only heartless men who masked themselves to care.

"That is it. You won't go looking and snooping. You leave her to come back in her own time." Polly spoke with authority, not wanting Dot's wishes to just get thrown out the window.

"Well then we let her be." Tom spoke, standing from his chair.

"Let her be? Let her be?!" John stood from his chair following his brother into the den. "How can you say that Tom, I mean what if she's been kidnapped or worse if she..."

"We let her be." Tom spoke through his teeth, twitching his eye making John shut up.

"So she's gone?"

The four turned towards the kitchen doorway to see Finn, tears welled in his eyes. No one had spoken to him about Dot's disappearance, in fact no one had seem to seen him in a while between everything that was going on.

"Finn, why don't you go to your up to your room, I'll be there in a minute." Tom asked quietly. Finn nodded and headed up the stairs.

"I'll take care of it." Polly offered, beginning to follow the boy.

"No, I'll do it." Tom spoke, standing to follow the boy himself.

Before he made it down to Finn's room, he noticed Dot's door open. Stepping into her room he found Finn sitting on his sister's bed.