Crown of a Prince (Finn Shelby)

10.

Backed up against the desk, Ailbhe felt Finn grab her around the waist and place her onto the desk as though she weighed nothing at all. His hands found themselves back up at her neck, tilting her head so he could kiss her like she had never been kissed before, his lips moving against hers. Ailbhe felt drunk on him, the way he sharply inhaled when she ran her hands along the waistband of his trousers or how she could feel his heart beating through his chest against her own. It took everything in him to pull away from her, to kiss her one last time and walk out of the office and not look back to her, not knowing when he'd see her next.

Nearly three months had gone by and it was a big day for the Peaky Blinders. The Grace Shelby Institute was opening and they all had to go and support the family for such an occasion. Ailbhe had dressed and done her hair and make-up, making sure her mother would be alright at home while they were away. She was a little better these days, not drinking so much and being able to work at home.

"You ready Alv?" Niall called in the back door of the house while she pulled on her coat.

Her brothers were out by the car waiting for her.

"I'm here I'm here" she huffed; their impatience never failed to irritate her.

"Tommy said to behave today, there's a lot of important people going to be here and the last thing we need is someone causing a scene over something stupid like politics"

Liam told them, throwing the end of his cigarette out the car window and looking at Ailbhe in the rear-view mirror, giving her a knowing glare.

"It wasn't my fault" Ailbhe began arguing.

There had been an incident recently when Isiah and Ailbhe had been sent to greet the men arriving to help Tommy dig the tunnel. One of them had made a rather distasteful joke that didn't sit well with Ailbhe and Isiah. They had arrived, Ailbhe giving them a warm welcome and offering them tea and whiskey but one brave man piped up when he saw Isiah and Ailbhe and heard their accents.

"I'd hoped they'd have rules here, like the New York Docks. No dogs, no Blacks, no Irish"

He laughed, referring to the signs that used to hang in New York docks at the time of the Irish Famine when the Irish were forced to emigrate.

The joke wasn't well received by Ailbhe or Isiah and the man woke up on the floor of Charlie's yard with a black eye and three broken fingers after a right hook from Isiah and Ailbhe stomping on his hand in her heels from New York that Tommy had bought her for her birthday. The man was sent back to where he came from, Tommy didn't tolerate things like that but it was bad for their image. Ailbhe and Isiah were reprimanded and told to get a handle on their tempers.

"Yes, it was Ailbhe, I know what he said was wrong but Tommy needed him for work... just keep a lid on it" Liam told her, glancing back at his sister.

She seemed older now, more mature and more like a woman than a girl. It was bizarre.

They gathered outside, making sure everyone was around for the photo. But they were missing someone.

"Don't start without me" his voice called out as he rounded the corner of the building and was walking over to his family.

Finn looked just like her Finn, maybe taller and stronger but he was still her Finn. Ada, Esme and John got quick hugs from their brother who seemed to have grown another few inches in his time away. He also had all new clothes, but not his cap. His cap was the same as always, the one that Ailbhe had sewn for him.

Finally released from John's tight grip who wanted to know every detail of London, Finn appeared in front of Ailbhe.

"Alright Alv" he asked, a relieved smile on his face knowing she was just pretty as he remembered her.