𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙮, John Shelby

- 06

- CHAPTER SIX -

- IN WHICH THE LEES PAY THEM A VISIT

. . .

HER ALCOHOL INDUCED headache soon wilted away during the afternoon, especially after she'd taken a nap with Sadie wrapped beneath her duvet cover.

Then the rest of the day, and the next following that were spent through hard work, settling into her new life at Small Heath. Rory had written down so many bets that she was beginning to picture the chalkboard every time she closed her eyes, counted so much money her brain was beginning to hurt and poured so much whiskey between her hours off that her clothes were beginning to smell of the drunken aroma.

Luckily, Thomas had allowed her to begin work on the following Thursday later in the morning, due to John's announcement that would take place whilst Scudboat kept an eye on the betting den.

So Rory had managed to get an extra hour of sleep, waking up peacefully for the first time since she'd been living above The Garrison.

"You're up late," Harry observed when she appeared at the bottom of the staircase, fingers plaiting a strand of hair as she looked over to the man. "I would've sent Grace to wake you but I assumed Tom was letting you have the morning off, given that he's in there." He gestured to the Shelby private room.

Rory gazed over to the room, frowning. Then shook her head and the dazed smile was back on her lips. "Here." She picked up a few plates and glasses from the empty table beside her. "I'll help you both until their meeting's done."

"You don't have to.." Harry placed the rag he'd been using to clean the bar counter on the shelf below it. "Thomas would have my head if I let you do that."

Rory's smile only grew wider when she carried the glasses over, pouring the remanence of some beer down the sink and then proceeding to wash it. "Ah.. I'm sure he won't mind, besides, he told me I could start later so it's not really much of his business." As she stepped back, the pub doors swung open and Finn appeared.

Panting and spluttering, he ran around the counter to where she stood and grabbed onto her hand, dragging her towards the door beside the bar and ignoring her desperate pleas to tell her what was wrong.

She peered over her shoulder at Harry who only shrugged before turning back to hear the door unlatch and for Finn to push it open. "Tommy, we've been done over!" He was still panting, holding onto the Miller girl's hand as support to stop himself from collapsing and it soon became apparent he'd ran there all the way from the den.

"What?" Arthur asked, suddenly sitting forward from where his back had been leant against the chair and his arm resting on the top of it.

John and Thomas looked over from where they were stood up beside each other, and Polly looked over his head at the girl stood behind him. She seemed none the wiser on what he was going on about.

In a sudden start, Thomas was pushing past John and out of the door, following Finn who'd already begun sprinting out of the pub with Rory still in his firm clasp. But the youngest Shelby wasn't quite as fit as the others, and they all overtook him and the Miller girl rather quickly.

"Finn, get on my back." She stopped, crouching down to the boy's height in order to get him to jump on her before she continued sprinting down the road, ignoring the cars that were honking at them and dodging the random objects that managed to get in their way.