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littlestshelby · 6 years

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Bella.

Summery:- Isabella Solomon’s went to war and came back a different woman. Now her brothers business is getting mixed into her own and she bumps into a very farmilliar face.

Bella

Isabella Solomon’s never got involved with her family’s business. She never stepped one foot into her mothers ‘office’ where multiply women would go and be sent out to do unmentionable things for money. She never stepped foot in her fathers shop, which she was always assured ‘never’ sold snow or anything of the sort. Obviously she never once stepped foot in her brothers ‘bakery.’ Isabella’s family always said she was weird, different. But Isabella just knew she was normal, she wanted a simple life. She studied hard and spent long hours reading to become a nurse at the local hospital.

It was the 14th of September 1914 that she was asked to leave her home and go to France. To treat the soldiers and treat the wounded. Having just turned 20 she had nothing to loose, her parents couldn’t refuse as she was now legally an adult and her brother was already being pushed into the back of an army truck to take much notice. She packed a small bag and headed for the hospital where they were picking up the nurses who put themselves forward.

Alfie and Isabella arrived home the same day, not speaking a word to each other as they left the train hand in hand. Their parents hugging them both gushing more over Alfie and his shrapnel wounds then of their daughter who had seen more men perish than anyone could even dream of. Isabella had spent most of her time in France treating the men who had been shot, the doctors treated the amputees and the shell shocked. She had no memory of any of the men she looked after except for one. His eyes would stay with her forever. Her mind had blocked out everything except for the blood and the holes covering the men’s bloodied body’s.

Isabella had only seen the mans eyes once, when he finally woke up. Isabella spent every day for two weeks treating his wound, he had been shot in the chest. Bella had treated him alone, the other nurses to busy and over worked. Only getting a five hour break every 24 hours, which was to be used to sleep. Those two weeks she slept next to the soldier, scared he would wake alone, she never understood why she was so attached to the man. Maybe he reminded her of home? Or how he just looked like a poor broken young man, alone in that horrid place.

“Morning my love” Isabella yawned walking to his bed and he stared up at her going to speak, his eyes were like glass and as blue as the water. The most beautiful colour in such a terrible place made her feel warm and even put a small smile on her face. She had to call over a doctor to check him over and when she came back later that day he was gone. Either moved, sent home or dead. Isabella had no way of knowing. They didn’t take names of the wounded.. Just the dead.

When she got home she went to her home and spent a month inside. Not leaving. Either sleeping, reading or crying. No man nor woman should ever witness the horrors that the war had put them though. Isabella couldn’t face going back to nursing not after what she had been through while she was away. So she took it upon herself to make a deal with her brother. She would take over legitimate business at the bakery and in exchange he would stay focused on the ‘not so’ legal side of it. Isabella never getting involved with the bad things.

She just made the bread and sold it in the small shop on the corner of a quiet London street. Isabella liked being alone, it gave her time to think, even when she had customers they would come hand over money and go, never really hanging around for long. She was grateful for that. Whenever she would go to her parents home for lunch or meet with them for a drink, they would bring up her lack of a husband, reminding her she was getting older and needed someone to look after her.

Isabella knew she didn’t need that but it didn’t stop her standing in front of her mirror looking at her tired body. Her bright green eyes now dull and dark, her hair naturally shiny blonde, now an ashy reminder of the past. And her smile had faded a long time ago. At the age of just 25 she was tired, tired of breathing, tired of existing.

It was a Monday morning in winter when it happened. Isabella had woken up feeling refreshed for the first time in a long time. She tied up her hair and put on one of her old pinafore dresses for work. The shop wasn’t open today, it was baking day. Slipping on her coat she made her way to work, it was still frosty outside and she could see her breath as she walked toward the bakery. Alfie’s car parked out the front. Isabella thought nothing of it, knowing he sometimes spent the night in the back office.

Walking into the bakery she laughed seeing the lights all still on. “Alfie Solomon’s you best be paying this electricity bill this week, cuz there’s not a chance in hell im payin for it again!” She slipped on her apron and headed over to Alfie’s office frowning as she noticed men infront of Alfie’s desk all looking back at her.

“Alright Miss Taylor, I’ll be sure to pay for your bill now hurry along the bread won’t bake itself.” Alfie waved his hand aimlessly not paying much attention to his younger sister. Miss Taylor was Alfie and Isabella’s English teacher when they were children. Alfie had told her if there was any chance of danger never to tell anyone her name was Solomon’s, he would call her miss Taylor and she would leave. Get out of harms way.

Nodding her head she turned around heading back toward the door. “Nice sister you got there Alfie.” A deep voice spoke making Isabella cringe, seeing Two men stood in front of the door she had just walked into. “Now now, no need to bring family into this Tommy. I’ve never threatened you, you’ve no idea what’ll happen if you threaten me.” Alfie spoke slowly standing with the aid of his stick. He didn’t really need it that much anymore but it helped him.

Isabella sat on one of the large tables in the bakery, listening to her brother bicker back and forth with ‘Tommy’ for a while. “Alfie I need to start baking is this going to be much longer?” She called not seeing much of a threat. “Carry on Miss they’ll be here a while.” A younger boy spoke nodding at the men. He looked no older than 15.

“Alright seeing as you’re here and you ain’t fuckin off any time soon you can help me.” She threw an apron at the boy, who looked shocked. “Come on hat and coat off time to get to work.” She nodded hopping down and beginning to turn on the ovens and getting the dough ready. The boy followed her watching what she did. “I’m Bella by the way, here you use this and roll out the dough for me.” She smiled handing him the rolling pin. He had pulled up his sleeves and was stuck into helping. “‘M Finn.” He said after a while. Isabella smiled “well it’s lovely to meet you finn, you’re good at this. You help your ‘ma with the cooking?” She asked shaping the buns.

Fin stayed a quiet for a couple of seconds. “My aunt Poll, she makes me ‘elp, shes like my ‘ma I guess” shouting suddenly drew the two from their moment. “Finn we’re leaving!” A voice shouted. Frowning Finn looked at Isabella. “He’s busy!” Bella shouted not missing a beat. “We had to wait around for you to do your business now he’s helping with mine. You can ‘av ‘im back after lunch time.” Bella spoke. Finn smiled then looked at his brothers with a nod. Bella didn’t even look up at the men he wasn’t interested in seeing whoever her brother was in trouble with now.

“Stay out of trouble we’ll pick you up in an hour.” The man answered. “Two.” Isabella spoke looking up now, looking at the man in the black coat and peaked cap. “He’ll be ready in two hours.” With a frustrated sigh the man agreed. Isabella’s eyes caught his face for just a moment as he turned to leave. He looked familiar. Shaking her head she set back out helping Finn fix the dough he just ruined.

After an hour they were done, and sat at one of the tables talking about Finns life, he told her story’s about his brother and his sister and about their house that their brother had bought them when he came home from the war. That word made Isabella go cold. She didn’t speak of the war. Never. Changing the subject, she asked him about his aunt and that set him off on a tangent about how great she was but how strict and protective she was over him and his family.

“Have you always baked bread?” He asked as he sat chewing on the bread he had made. Bella had wrapped it all for him and put it in a basket for him to take home for his aunt. Bella smiled slightly shaking her head, “I was a nurse, then I went to France and when I came back I couldn’t do it anymore.” Finns head dropped and he looked at the floor nodding he knew people changed after the war, he had seen it first hand. “Well you make good bread.” He said after a while. Making Bella chuckle.

“Right come on your brothers will be here in a minute to pick you up and whisk you back to small heath and I have an appointment with a hot cup of tea.” Finn smiled at her as they both headed for the door. Once outside they saw the two taller men from before. “I reckon they’ve been stood there the whole time don’t you?” Bella smirked nudging Finn as they walked closer and she locked the door behind them. “Well we ain’t just gonna leave our Finn ‘ere with a stranger are we, Miss Solomon’s.”

Isabella turned around to give a quick comeback but froze when she saw the man infront of her. There he stood, cap in hand, suit pressed, no blood, sharp jaw, perfect lip and those bright blue glass eyes. It was him. Her soldier. She dropped her keys and her hand went to cover her heart.

She shook her head quickly shaking as she reached down to grab them but he got there first. “You okay?” He asked standing back up straight. “Arthur you and Finn go meet Isaiah and Micheal at the car.” Isabella couldn’t stop staring at him. As the two walked away. “Miss Solomon’s?” He asked again. She quickly stepped back squeezing her eyes closed, she could see it all, the blood, the pain, the death she could hear the men crying out and screaming.

The next thing she knew she was on the floor covering her ears with her hands panting her knees were up to her chest and her soldier was crouching infront of her gently prizing her hands from over her ears.

Tommy had seen this before, mostly in men badly effected by the war but never from a woman. Tommy held onto her hands until the relaxed a little, his mind clicked then, she must have been a nurse out there. “It’s okay relax, it’s over now. We’re ‘ome the wars over.” He spoke repeating his words until she had calmed down. What she said next winded Tommy for a few moments.

“I thought you died.” She spoke quietly looking up at him. “Ay?” Tommy was confused now. He helped her up taking note of how shaky she still was and held her arms tightly to keep her steady. “You got shot, I-I took out the bullet, looked after you, you woke up and they took you away. I-I thought you-“ She couldn’t continue. She was to shaken up.

“Bella?” He asked shocked. “You’re the nurse who sat with me all that time and read to me?” He asked in disbelief. “They told me about you, my doctor ‘an Freddie. Said you were the only one to touch me.” Bella nodded her head. She’d calmed down a lot now and was regaining composure.

“I looked for you in the nurses records they didn’t have a Bella on record at all.” He shook his head. “Isabella.” She answered. He looked at her confused for a moment. “My names isabella, i-it’s on all my paperwork, that’s why there’s no Bella.” She wrapped her arms around herself.

They stayed quiet for a few moments “What’s your name?” Tommy looked shocked “you didn’t know my name?”. “We only knew the names of the dead, didn’t have time to greet the living” she shivered a little. Tommy held out his hand, “Tommy, Tommy Shelby.” She took it in her smaller hand shaking it firmly. “Fancy a drink Bella?” He asked watching her. A smile graced her lips as she nodded. “I would love one.”

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