𝑵𝑶 𝑴𝑬𝑹𝑪𝒀 | 𝐓.𝐒 |

𝚜𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 : 𝚟𝚒𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚗 𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚊

"No, I make my own decisions, love."

"I will think about it, Pol," Mercy offered her a small smile as she gulped down her drink, the door to the kitchen suddenly opened. "Speak of the devil," she whispered.

"Where's John?" Thomas asked as he moved his way to the table, stealing a quick glance at the raven-haired woman in front of him.

"John's in The Garrison, says he wants a meeting about a family matter, " his aunt answered, she adjusted her black hat before wearing it. "After he's said his piece, he'll come back and take his place with Scudboat."

"Tis my cue to go, right? I'll see you all later," Mercy chimed in, she stood up and left her cup on the sink. "Thanks for the tea, Pol," she smiled at the woman, not paying any attention to Thomas. She forgot the last time they had a conversation, he didn't talk to her so why would she? There are times Mercy would catch Thomas staring at her, not that it scared her. Sometimes they would exchange glances as if it was their form of communicating, but honestly, they cannot read each other. 

Polly noticed the tension between the two of them but decided not to speak, the tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. She just narrowed her eyes down, watching her nephew stare at the leaving woman. 

Once Mercy was out of the house, she noticed people steering clear of her. Women hid their children behind them, some playing youngsters stopped at their tracks, and the men, they turned their backs to her. They all treated her like she has a contagious disease and one look from her, they would get infected. 

It baffled her the first time this happened and then she realized, Thomas basically claimed her the day he sent his boys to find the man who harassed her. She was under the wing of the leader of Peaky Blinders, and messing with her means messing with Thomas Shelby. 

A heavy sigh escaped her lips, she made her way to green lane to start her job. One month is enough rest period and the money she had saved is almost gone. You can say she's on a quest for a quid. By the time she reached the barbershop, widened eyes were staring at her as if she was a ghost.

"I'm back?" she muttered and smiled awkwardly, the men sitting on the barber chair immediately avoided her gaze. She placed her bag behind the front desk, while the two brothers scratched their nape synchronously, she turned her attention to the waiting man, "What hairstyle do you want, sir?" she asked him but instead of answering her, he stood up without looking back. Her mouth was left open, perplexed to see what just happened.

Mercy is a smart woman (according to her schoolmates and professors), it was easy for her to connect the dots. They were scared of her--no, they were scared of the blinders. What did I expect? She let out an exasperated sigh and ran her fingers through her hair. 

She was getting annoyed by how people treat her, she can't help but put blame on Thomas and his rash actions. But somehow, it didn't feel right to make him hold accountable.  They act like she was some kind of plague, and she's had enough. This is fucking ridiculous.

The brothers exchanged meaningful looks, "Uh, Imogen? Can I speak with ya?" Robert snapped her out of trance, her lips forming into a thin line. "Yeah, sure," she fiddled with her fingers as she followed him to the backroom.

 "Yer a nice gal and yer passionate with what yer doin..." he began with lowered gaze, and she already knew where this is going, "However e're afraid we 'ave to exterminate yer contract. We do not want to do 'tis but we can't lose ar customers..." 

She bit inside of her cheek, her eyes still staring at the wooden floor. She felt embarrassed and upset at the same time. It's not even her fault in the first place but she had to face the repercussions of Thomas' deed. She didn't want any of this, "I understand, Robert. I am really sorry about this. I'll pay for any damages I caused."