In The Bleak Midwinter | T Shelby

ONE - TIP TOE

The sun had barely peaked over the hills in the distance when Kaia Gold pulled herself out of bed. Not her bed, but a bed. It was just after dawn and the factories were slowly starting to come alive, footsteps and voices on the street below was what had woken her, though she was barely asleep anyway.

She looked down at the gentleman who's name she'd forgotten, shrugging to herself when she gave up trying to remember. She glanced around the room, picking up her clothes from the back of chairs and underneath a wooden dresser.

Pausing, she looked at a golden wrist watch that sat on the top of a chest of drawers beside a silver edged mirror. She looked behind her in the reflection of the mirror to make sure he was still sleeping before slipping the watch into her clutch bag and disappearing out of the room.

Tip-toeing down the stairs, Kaia winced and gritted her teeth when a single floorboard creaked beneath her feet.

"Will? Are you awake?"

She hurried out of the front door, slamming it behind her and running down the street giggling to herself, high heels in her hand, feeling the cold gravel beneath her feet that didn't hurt her soles anymore - she'd done this far too many times.

"Will," Kaia said to herself as she walked the rest of the way back home, "Not the first one, probably won't be the last."

The sun had risen by the time Kaia walked through the door of her home. Her father and brother were sat at the table having breakfast together, a cup of tea was placed in front of the chair she usually sat at.

Nobody spoke as she sat down, throwing her belongings down onto the sofa and pulling up a chair in between the two men.

Bonnie gave her a sly glance from the side as he ate his toast, dropping crumbs all over the floor that she knew she'd have to clean up later since she was the only one in the house that bothered to keep it tidy.

"So," Aberama cleared his throat and leant back in his chair, looking at his daughter with a sarcastic smile, his hands clasped together behind his head, "Where have you been?"

Kaia held up her index finger to him, rushing over to her clutch bag and pulling out the gold watch. She walked back over to the table and handed the watch to her father.

"Happy Birthday, dad."

Aberama scoffed, shaking his head as he held the watch up in front of his face, inspecting it from every angle.

"Where did you get that from?" Bonnie mumbled, pulling an unimpressed face.

"Why does it matter?"

"You don't have any money."

"Yes I do."

"No," Bonnie said, "You don't. Not unless people have started paying you to be a whore instead of doing it for free."

"Bonnie!" Aberama slammed his fist down on the table, the watch now on his wrist, "Don't speak about your sister like that."

Bonnie rolled his eyes and pushed his chair under the table. He walked over to the door and pulled his coat from the hook, putting it over his shoulders. He glanced in the mirror as he put on his cap, lifting up his chin and running his finger over the edge of the blade he saw in the reflection.

It was Kaia's turn to roll her eyes then. Aberama saw, agreeing with her daughter's reaction. They both knew Bonnie hadn't been the same since he'd quit fighting and joined the Peaky Blinders, but neither of them could get through to him about trying to change his mind.

He disappeared for a moment, leaving Kaia and her father sat in silence at the table together. He drank his tea, she drank hers, Aberama occasionally glancing down at the birthday present on his wrist, not being able to help but wonder where his daughter actually got it from.