The sound of bells echoed through the almost silent village within the Cotswolds closest to the waters edge.

It was only three days before the beginning of summer, not that anyone would have noticed due to how cold the Cotswolds had been to them, and today was the way that Sebastian Shelby was tied down to a girl who's name he didn't even remember.

He couldn't even recall if she had ever told him- in actual fact, he couldn't remember the last time the two had held a conversation that was more than a polite head nod and hesitant wave.

He knew, Sebastian and every other damn member of the family, that regret would follow suit but he was helping her out as well as being slightly selfish in helping his family out too. Crawford Longley had promised an investment into the betting shop, but he received no percentage in the company, for him it was a lose lose but for the Shelbys?

Free money was free money.

"Bash, are you ready?" Arthur asked, straightening his little brothers tie for the fourth time in ten minutes.

His response was hesitant, delayed due to the thoughts running through his mind but he was ready.

Charlotte, or so he had hoped, wasn't yet noticeably pregnant but she was- the patriarch of the Longley's had confirmed it during the weird party that had been held a few weeks prior. They had come to the quick conclusion that the child wouldn't hate Bash's familial name was to the Shelby's, it held weight and meaning.

It wasn't just given to any Tom, Dick or Harry.

"S'pose I've gotta be, really."

John had been stood at the door for a while, watching as people sat in their seats on either side of the chapel.

The look on the Longley relations faces- it was something not even a comic could've written about. The look of disgust, intrigue and disbelief were all too common but the ones that had the look of envy were surprising.

The vagabond family dressed in what they liked, what they could afford, they didn't care for the status-quo - most of them didn't even care they they were sat in a church. In fact, most of them were only there for the party afterwords, the free food and drink.

"Oi John, you're supposed to be is' best man. What're you playing at?" Arthur grumbled out, breaking the silence that the boys had fallen into.

A vague 'huh' came from the door as John span on his position to face the eldest brother.

"Non of you even know that Bash doesn't remember her name." Thomas called out, jabbing a pointed finger towards the middle child in the room.

Sometimes Bash wished he could quite literally bash his own head against the wall whenever Tommy decided to be a wise-ass and add a comment which made Bash's stomach churn into pieces.

Ada, who hadn't been in the room for long, gasped. She should've laughed, knowing exactly the type of person her big brother was but at that moment- she found it rather surprising. Bash always said he was the better person for remembering names, but hers was easy! Why he couldn't remember it was probably something to do with the semi-forced marriage (despite him agreeing to it like an idiot), and the want to run away and through the big wooden doors at the front of the church.

"Her names Theodora. Theodora Edith Longley, but she goes by Edie sometimes."

What the boys would do without their sister, they'd never want to find out. She was too invaluable, especially when it came to other women that were about to join their little tight-knit unit.

The five of them continued in their talking; normal people would've called it bickering, for a little while after Ada's revelation. Despite them all being in the same room, none of them noticed the man and woman looming in the doorway, the very same door that John had been guarding for the last hour.

Not even the man clearing his throat had managed to gain anyone's attention, in fact- Arthur was the one to wave the man off, though that was more of a natural reaction to any slight noise they all heard at home.

The woman, however; managed to get their attention by scraping her talons for nails down the door.

Had it been a chalkboard, one of them would've ended up on the floor with a hair pin sticking out of their eye, courtesy of both Ada and John.

"Holy- what in the fuckin' world!" Bash was the only one to talk, turning his body to face the intruders. Their faces did not register in his mind before he started to talk- not that he would've regretted what came for his lips next, "If you don't mind, we're tryin' to talk as a family here."

The man cleared his throat once more, this time Arthur's and Johns head turned to face him. A face they hadn't expected to see - in fact, an unwanted face that they didn't even want to see.

"Dad?"

Huh?!, Bash almost audibly exclaimed, his head flying up to see the man staring back at him. The woman, none of them had recognised but they all - minus Ada who was none the wiser-  assumed she had been plucked from the brothel and been paid a substantial amount to gatecrash a wedding.

"You didn't think you could get married without me knowing, did you? Because- if you did, I must've dropped you one too many times." Arthur Senior spoke, his words slowly beginning to slur as if he had already been two necks down on the drink already.

No one would've put it past him.

"You we're sent a specific 'do not attend' letter by the Longleys." John pointed at their father, seeing the letter sticking out from where a handkerchief should've been sat.

The man shrugged, as if he didn't care- well, no, he didn't care, there was no guessing as to whether he did or didn't.

"You better be milking them dry, my boy. Get me every penny you can."

Tommy and John shared a look, it was clear as day that their father had not changed in his ways, but at least he was being upfront about it this time. It could be because of the snow lingering in his moustache, or the counterfeit alcohol.

Bash had been silly enough to hope that his reason to be there was a little more genuine than, well, that.

"Could you do me a favour?" Bash asked his father directly, hands still attached to themselves behind his back.

Arthur Seniors left brow raised in curiosity, wondering what his current favourite child was about to say. He had hoped it would be something worthwhile, like, 'don't worry dad, we've got every single penny to their name', but of course what was said was even more surprising... and also a lie.

"There's a massive horse and cart, it looks simple but- have I ever," successfully, Bash wanted to add, "lied to you? Anyways, it's full of all the girls fine jewellery- said something about not being able to trust any gypsy they saw."

If he was a dog or a horse, his ears would've pricked up with excitement. He was a simple man, but at least his sons knew how to handle him.

"You are one good son, Sebastian."

At least he got his name right this time.

Their father and the woman of the night quickly left the room, leaving the door wide open as if he had been born in a barn.

It took a moment or two for Bash to come to terms with what had just happened but with a quick shake of his head (and his whole body in actuality), he was ready to go and get married.

Well... he was ready to stand at the alter and pray for a different outcome.

Arthur lead the way, Ada on his arm followed closely by Tommy and his friend Lottie, and then finally came John - who practically had Bash by the tie to get him down the aisle.

With one final shove, Bash was stood by the vicar, about to go through his first and only wedding in a church that wasn't his own nor accepted the beliefs of the Romany people either.

At least there was no priest... but anything could happen and it wouldn't surprise him anymore.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today—"

Bash hadn't even realised that he had been met by his bride-to-be and that the ceremony had just began.

He really did have his blinkers on.

More talking happened, Bash and Theodora both said what they had to say, until the end part, the part where they said 'I do'. Everything inside of Sebastian Michael Lewis Shelby was screaming at him to say no- but he wasn't about to make a fool of everyone.

Not now, he had ample time to back out, and he should've - but he didn't.

"Do you, Theodora Edith Cordelia Longley take the Sebastian Michael Lewis Shelby to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Theodora paused, looking at her to be husbands blue eyes, wanting a signal for her own break for freedom but it never came. If it did, she had missed it, she didn't know how to read him but that wasn't her fault. Not many people did.

"I do."

Oh damn, Bash thought to himself, swallowing the growing lump that had formed in his throat. There really wasn't any turning back now.

"Do you, Sebastian—" Bash drowned out his whole name, and thus the rest of the sentence, for sickness and in health- the usual rubbish priests and vicars spouted trying to get two people to meet in holy matrimony, "as your lawfully wedded wife?"

I suppose.

"I do."