The Me You Can See [1] (T. Shelby/OC) BWWM✅

Prologue

(1917 - Birmingham)
23 year old Anna-Maria Williams sinks onto her bed with a heavy sigh as she stares up at the ceiling of her small bedroom. She'd been searching for work all over Small Heath and it seemed no one had anything to offer her. 

"Damn this war to hell" she whispers sadly as she thinks about all the lives that it's destroyed.

Anna used to be a maid for a family known as the Hartleys in Lancashire but that chapter in her life came to an abrupt end when Mr. Hartley passed on in the war, leaving his wife the owner of his properties.

Mr. Hartley - bless his soul - had been a good man but he was also a gambler.

A terrible one at that.

And so he left his wife with many debts to handle and while poor Mrs. Hartley tried to handle them as best she could it was beyond her capabilities and so the Hartley manor was repossessed, which ultimately meant that Anna-Maria and the other staff were left without jobs.

Anna's musings are cut off by the sound of knocking coming from her door and she rises from her bed and walks through the door separating her bedroom from the kitchen as she heads for the main door.

"Yes?" she says, hand on the handle as she leans against the door. She isn't stupid. She isn't going to just open her door for just anyone.

This is Birmingham for fuck's sake!

"I'm looking for Anna-Maria Williams?" the voice of an older woman questions from the other end of the door as Anna slowly opens the door, but the chain on her door keeps her from fully opening it.

The sight that greets her is of a woman who appeared to be in her 40s with long, dark hair that was slightly curly. "Can I help you?" Anna asks her politely when the woman's eyes land on her through the small gap of her door.

"You aren't going to open your door, sweetheart?" the woman asks with a slight smirk.

"No offense ma'am but I don't know you" Anna replies honestly as the woman's smirk grows a tiny fraction of this.

"You're a smart one then" the woman comments, "my name is Polly Gray" the woman introduces herself to Anna, "I heard that you were lookin' for work" she adds as she pulls out a cigarette and lights it up.

"And how exactly might I help YOU, Mrs. Gray?" she asks the woman, despite already having an idea of what the woman wanted to say.

"I might have some work for you" the woman says as she took a deep drag of her cigarette as Anna nods at this as she undoes the chain on her door.

"Come in Mrs. Gray" she adds as she opens her door wider so that the other woman can enter.

The woman tilts her head at this as she steps into the small flat, looking around as she does.

"Sorry about the small space" Anna says as she gestures Polly to one of her chairs as she boils them some water for tea. Polly can't help noting that even though the flat is small it's quite clean.

"It's no issue for me, love" Polly replies as Anna grabbed the items that she'd need for tea. "I was led ta believe that you're good with numbers, love" Polly comments, watching the other woman as she made them tea.

"I am average at best" Anna replies honestly.

"I appreciate humility" Polly says, "I like honesty even more" she adds as she takes a drag of her cigarette, "you formally educated?"

"Somewhat" Anna replies as she turns to face her, "my father taught me how to read, write and some accountancy" she adds.

"What'd he do?" Polly asks curiously. Her father sounded like quite an accomplished man after all.