River of sin

20. I need to leave town for a while

Jacab was holding the floor, sat on top of the bar of the black swan, finally telling his family all about Yvonne, confirming his secret relationship that they all knew about but knew better than to speak of bar the odd private conversation.

"Ain't nothing we can say to change your mind I take it?" His aunt Judith stared her nephew down
"You're gonna love her, Aunt Judy" he laughed glugging a large gulp of dark ale.
"So you got your marriage licence sorted already? I take it you're doing this proper as she's a respectable girl. Or are we looking at another shotgun wedding?"
"Definitely not Judy. I promise you. Been a complete gentleman."
"When is this happening exactly. So I can sort my hat."
"picking up a ring tomorrow. Got to actually ask her first. Going to do this properly....which means, I need to leave town for a while." He informed them cautiously "also means you lot won't be there when we marry."

Rachel got up folding her arms angrily stomping to the window
"Rach...we'll celebrate when I get back. I promise."
"She's turning you against your family already. We got traditions, Jake! We might be common folk to little miss prim and proper but family means something to an Evans! You're eloping with your posh tart. Call it what it is."
"We'll do all the traditions when we get back. Welcome her into the family properly. She's no tart, Rach! She don't even know I'm gonna ask yet! This is my plan not hers. She just thinks she's coming away with me, to lay low."
"She's nineteen! A child still!"
"She's no child! I'm no spring chicken, Rach but I ain't that old yet! What you insinuating, Rach? Sixteen ain't a child but I still didn't touch her back then! I didn't even look at her that way until she came back. I know there's a bloody age difference between us, it's not that much of one, less than ten years, Rach! Gran was sixteen when she got hitched to Grandad. There was six years difference between mum and dad, he knocked her up with Danny at seventeen, had a shotgun wedding! I'm only 28, Rach, I'm not even thirty yet! You're two years older than me, I ain't an old man yet! I wouldn't touch a child! I'm no nonce!"
"Of course not" Danny tried to intervene "she's young but she has a firm head on her shoulders, Rach. You can't deny that. He's not taking advantage. Even if he went there when she was sixteen it's legal age, Rach. They could have bloody married back then."

"What about little Betty!" Rachel yelled "you're like a father to that girl! You know she settles with you best. It's why she's still with you and not Danny or myself! She went to pieces when Gran died, she's been clingy with you ever since, even more than usual. When mum died, she'd only settle with you! When you palm her off for the night on me or Danny to have your tart stay the night she cries all night for you! this weekend you left her behind and you don't even care that she was upset! She's using Gabriel and Monty's death to manipulate you! Abusing Grans good nature! She's using you, Jacob, wake up and smell the roses before it's too late!"
"She wouldn't be such a mess if you weren't filling her head with lies and nonsense about my girl! Telling her I weren't coming back! You leave Monty out of this, Rach! He'd bloody love her and I know him better than all of you, he'd be helping me get her out! He'd be first in the bloody queue!"
"She's changing you! You're taking too many risks. You're putting us all in danger. Your family! Leaving us without the protection of your name to go bed a posh Barnes whore! Just fuck her and move on like you normally do. Get her out of your system. You'll soon see screwing a Barnes Whore is just the same as any other muff you dive into! You've dived into enough of um to know they're all the same. She ain't got nothing special."
"Don't call her that, Rach! I ain't doing this just to bed her! You're being profane and vile for no reason! Unfairly on both me and her!"

"You do realise she could have spun you a load of lies. This could all be Richard Barnes. Playing the long game. Planting her in our lives."
"You don't think I thought about that at the start? Even back when she was sixteen! Give her chance, Rach! For me. I'm not asking you to be anything but civil. That's all. She'll do the rest on her own. Win you over. Without my help. She's well aware you'll be watching her every move."
"She's a Barnes! Evans rules! We don't go near Barnes', let alone bloody marry them!"
"Gran would approve, she practically encouraged it. She told her to come back for me. She asked her to stay, for me. There had to be a reason for that. That old bat didn't do anything without a reason. The war between Barnes and Evans started with her! What that scum did to her. Yet she still loved, Evie! Saw the same thing I do now. She's no Barnes bitch, Rach! She certainly ain't no whore! Far from it! She's not doing this for some twisted plan of her fathers or for revenge on him."

"Jake" Harrison nodded behind him at Yvonne's aunt standing there listening in
"How many times lock the damn doors!" Jacob scolded Harrison
"No" she stepped in placing a hand on his angry chest. She held up a key. "I let myself in."
"Where did you get that?"
"Where do you think, mr Evans. Yvonne." She placed a fistful of keys on the table "change your locks, all of them. She doesn't know if he's already got more copies or if they're all there. These are the ones she could slip away without getting caught. No one ever suspects the barmaids, especially the pretty ones that are easy and show the youngest brother attention when he's usually over looked."
"Bloody idiot! I told you not to get your end away where we do business!" Jacob slapped the back of Harrison's head harshly
"Says the man bedding a Barnes, the daughter of his rival. Hypocrite." Rachel scoffed

"Everyone this is..."
"No." She stopped him "no names. She goes by Barnes and she shouldn't be associated with any other name until you give her yours, Jacob. Marcus' rules. To keep their ma safe. To keep his sister safe....she's said her goodbyes, Jacob. Just so you are aware she is going through with what was agreed between you. She asked me to bring you these and a message to stay away form the bridges tomorrow night. She didn't say why, I'm not sure if she knew.....she seemed agitated,anxious, even more so than usual, but who wouldn't be in her shoes."
"Thank you. Feel free to visit when she's safely in my care. You will always be welcome in my home."

"Jacob..." she said cautiously "she said not to say, not to worry you."
"Go ahead. What is it? I'm not due to see her for a few days at least, maybe longer. Depends if she can get away from this Matthew's fella."
"There are rumours that her father has agreed on an engagement with Winston Mathews. She has not been told anything directly, he's not asked her, she's just heard whispered conversations. She's good at keeping her ear to the ground. I think it's imminent."
"It's alright. We knew this was probably coming. There's something else, I can tell in your face."
"I can always tell" Estella sighed "she hides it well, her and Marcus always did. I patched her up."
"How bad? Who?"
"He doesn't allow mistakes, not even little ones not from her and Marcus. He's harder on those two for obvious reasons. He's also clever and doesn't leave marks visible for all to see. She wouldn't say if it was him, Clarke and Andrew are a chip off the old block, as is Emmett, although Gabriel was always the worst, most of their torment came from him not, Richard. Richard thinks he won her over, that she's a loyal daddy's girl, he has no clue she despises him. Just, I thought you should bare that in mind, that things aren't always as well as they seem on the surface, at first glance. She can hide pain well. Been trained to do so from the age of five. Our girls lived a tragic live, despite what people see on the surface." She glared at Rachel as if daring her to challenge her

"I will bare that in mind, anything else?"
"Marcus missed his check in" Estella sighed out "she's obviously worried over him. I should go....if she misses a meet.... come looking for me in the kings head, I don't reside on either side of your little war, I only work on his side and not for them. I'd rather sell my soul to the devil himself. I know a few places she may go to. As for your plan to ask her a certain question, you have my approval, not sure if you'll have Marcus', you'll have to win him over like she does this lot."
"Thank you. You alright getting home? You want one of the boys to escort you?"
"I have a car waiting outside. One of my boys. They don't know about anything. Not even about the twins. They're ghosts, no one in the family but I know they are alive and who their real father is. Safer that way. Good night."