At Your Service [Tommy Shelby]

Aftermath

Yesterday she found him mopping the water off of the floor in his office. She came by to ask him to join the guests at the party as they have been asking for him. She left the office claiming he has lost his mind doing a maid's job. He didn't mind cleaning it up, made him aware of what he was doing it all for.

As Vivian sought refuge in her quarters for the night, Thomas found himself compelled by an unrelenting curiosity, an itch that begged to be scratched. What had transpired to leave her so disconcerted? Rationalizing it as his responsibility as the head of the household, he chose to ignore the persistent whisper in his mind—his own frustration at the notion that someone or something could unravel the composed demeanor of a woman who embodied a delicate vulnerability.

In the quiet hours, he embarked on a covert investigation, piecing together the fragments of the evening's turmoil. With the promise to himself that he would confront the issue in the morning, when the haze of intoxication had dissipated, Thomas grappled with an unspoken disquiet—a desire to unearth the cause behind Vivian's unexpected vulnerability.

And so, by 2 o'clock, the office bore witness to Tommy's swift resolution of the night's tumult. A stern warning was dispatched to the Lee boys, a promise of dire consequences should they repeat their transgressions.  he majority of the night staff found their payments lacking, leading to a chorus of grievances echoing through his office. To which Tommy responded that they should count their blessings, for leaving with both eyes still in their sockets. 

And last but not least his little brother Finn. Finn sometimes gets in over his head. Probably because he wants to prove himself to his older brothers. But he also has to deal with  the consequences of his actions, albeit they won't be such bad ones. Ada had actually helped Thomas, telling him how mad she was at Finn and that he should 'get his head out of his ass'. And Tommy would be glad to assist in the extraction process.

~

Vivian had already dedicated three hours to the relentless task of cleaning up the aftermath—spilled liquor and remnants of a night that spiraled into chaos. Amid the breaks, she overheard the maids gossiping about their conquests, with one boasting about a rendezvous with Johnny Dogs and his purported prowess. Disinterested, Vivian and Cathy steered their conversation towards the dubious fashion choices exhibited at the event.

"Right, I'm done with the hall. How about we go on a little break?" Cathy proposed triumphantly. "Great idea. My hands feel numb from all that scrubbing," Vivian replied, the weariness evident in her voice. The two embarked on a journey down the hall, aiming for the staff kitchen. Yet, their journey was curtailed by the distant call of a woman's voice seeking Vivian's attention.

Ada's voice echoed through the corridor, calling out to the maids at the other end. "Vivian, love! There you are, I've been- we've been looking all over for you!" Ada emerged, accompanied by Arthur and an uncomfortable-looking Finn, who was being dragged along by his ear. Ada halted in front of Vivian, turning to Finn with a stern expression. 

A"Right, Finn, has something to say, don't you, Finn?" Ada asserted, prompting a mumble from Finn, followed by a yelp as Arthur tightened his grip on Finn's ear. "OW! Yeah, uh, Vivian, I am sorry about yesterday..." Finn stumbled through his apology, and Vivian couldn't help but chuckle along with Ada. Behind her she suddenly hears the clicking of a tongue, Tommy's tongue, 

"Is that all you have Finn? You can do better than that, Arthur he can do much better than that, right?" Arthur nods, "yes he fucking can," and he twists his ear a little more. "Jesus Arthur! Ow ow ow-" "Come on Finn, spit it out." Tommy impatiently but jokingly demanded. 

"Yeah okay okay. I am sorry about uhh yesterday and I shouldn't- have done that. You- uhh women deserve better." He angrily looks to the side to see if his stumbling of words will make the cut. "Right, that wasn't so bad was it!" Ada tells him. Vivian can clearly see that Ada's stance in this is much more serious than that of Arthur and Tommy. Arthur looks at Vivian, "well what do you say, love? Is he forgiven?" Vivian chuckles again, what a surreal situation. 

"I think he is, yes." Arthur cheers as he roughly squeezes Finns shoulders, who is still trying to rub the pain out of his ears. They both walk away, Arthur cheering and Finn angrier than before. Ada follows them, mumbling something about women having the common sense.

Vivian turned around to face Tommy. As he sauntered away, he shot her a wink before closing the door behind him. The wink stirred up a flutter of butterflies in her stomach, catching her off guard. Observing the exchange, Cathy, who harbored her own secret crush on Tommy, couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. The subtle gesture from Tommy was something she wished for herself. Although she was enamored with him, Cathy would never confess to such feelings. A question lingered in her mind: Did Vivian share a special night with Mr. Shelby? She had been gone all night and when she asked Francis she told her Vivian had been excused from work by mister Thomas Shelby himself. Then again why would he choose Vivian and not her? 

"Shall we take that break, Cath?" Vivian suggested, shaking Cathy from her thoughts. Cathy nodded, still bewildered by the unfolding events. "That compensates for a lot of yesterday!" Vivian admitted, laughter punctuating her words. "What did Finn do, if I may ask?" Suddenly realizing she wasn't privy to half of the previous day's events, Cathy inquired.

"Oh yeah, he pulled me onto his lap. Very embarrassing," Vivian confessed, placing her hand on her head as if to conceal her shame.

"Huh," Cathy scoffed, "He's done that to me as well. I never got a whole apologizing party run by the Shelby family." Vivian sensed the jealousy in Cathy's voice, and she wasn't sure if they should delve further into this topic. Perhaps those maids mocking Cathy for her crush on Mr. Shelby were onto something after all.

"Oh well, at least he's finally being told off." The girls continued their walk, both feeling a bit more uncomfortable with each other's company.