devil's backbone 🗝 tommy shelby

chapter 31

"Let it go?!" screeched John from the back, cigarette hanging from his lips in disapproval.  "Since when do we care what some pretend posh bastards think of us?!"

"We don't." Tommy barked back.  "Those people, they are not kin, and they never will be.  But you know who is kin?  Eh?"

"Billie..." they all murmured.

"Exactly.  That woman is to be a Shelby within the hour, and unfortunately, they are her blood.  Now, as we know, my woman already has some apprehension towards weddings. The last thing I need is her running off, because then I would have to take a leave of absence to find her, and we've got too much business to do for me to be doing that. So what you're going to do is keep everything in check, keep everyone in line, and help me in making sure that this is the happiest day of her life."

"Like she'd ever run on you, Tom," Arthur chuckled. "She's just as disgustingly in love as you are."

Arthur and Tommy shared a look for just a moment, and in those few passing seconds, everything that needed to be said was communicated.

She isn't going to leave.

She loves you.

This will be the happiest day of both of your lives.

Everything will be perfect, I'll make sure of it.

That's what brothers do.

"And one day, Arthur, you'll be in my shoes, wearing holes in floors and yelling at your brothers and comrades, all over the love of a woman." Tommy grinned. "Now, men... Let's get fucking married."

However, just down the road, Sybil Day was, to put it simply, about to have a nervous break. What was supposed to be a peaceful morning filled with laughter and the tenderness of women's touches and conversation quickly turned into something of a nightmare for the bride to be.

It had all started when her family pulled her out of her restless sleep by barging into her home, filling the silent space with noise she didn't even know could be achieved by such a small group. Then, she had to sit there and watch as her mother and aunt got in a fight over who lost the "something blue", which turned out to be in the pocket of her aunt all along.  After that had been sorted and thanks were exchanged, she went down to make a cup of tea, only to find her plaguey little cousins rummaging through her belongings, trying to find anything that connected her to the Peaky Blinders.  And, of course, they burst into crocodile tears upon being caught.

Sybil couldn't say that she was surprised by their behaviour.  Her whole life had been like this: loud, unpleasant people masquerading themselves as much more than they actually were.  And as soon as those doors were shut and no prying eyes could see, they revealed their true faces.

And ugly ones they were, indeed.

Sighing, Sybil rubbed her temples and took a few deep breaths, reminding herself that it was just a day, and that this wasn't going to ruin everything.  But why was it so hard for them to let her have one nice thing? One day that wasn't revolving over their petty little dramas?

As her mind swirled with questions that couldn't be answered and the sounds of cackling and arguing, there was a knock at the door.  Brushing away the tears of frustration that threatened to spill, Billie made her way to the door and opened it, expecting to see yet another member of her family she barely knew.  But to her (pleasant) surprise, it was a different kind of family: it was chosen family.