It Was Only Supposed to Be Business

The Garrison's Doors

"She must be good in the sheets for ya' to bring her in ere,' eh Tommy?" One man taunted with a joking nudge to Tommy's shoulder. It was evident that he had too much to drink, but Tommy didn't care if it was the alcohol talking. He was annoyed and disrespected either way.

"Tommy, you ain't brought a woman here since you laid eyes on that pretty barmaid," the man added with enough cheek to cause a rise in Tommy. I could care less about the insulting remarks the man directed at me. My interest was solely fixed on the mention of a 'pretty barmaid.' Thomas's past was his past, but I was as curious as a cat to find out who she was to him.

"Oi! That blonde, Grace. She wasn't as pretty as this little auburn treat ya' got, eh, Tom?" Another man chimed in as he eyed me like a piece of meat. Before Tommy or myself could say anything, the man wrapped his arm around my shoulder, quickly pulling me into his side as if I were an object. When his greasy hand met my skin, my mind narrowed into a deep tunnel where Charles Darcy waited for me at the end.

"Touch her again, and I'll blow your fuckin' brains out. Ya' hear me!" Tommy screamed, causing the pub to drop silent and the hair on the back of the man's neck to stand up. As much as I tried to read the room and comprehend what was happening, I was imprisoned in the tunnel, reliving the moment Charles stripped me of my innocence. When Tommy noticed I was dizzy and uncomfortable, he cleared the Garrison faster than a teacher emptying a classroom at the end of the school day.

"Everyone out! All of you!" Tommy's voice rang through the Garrison loud and clear. There was no excuse for anyone to remain in the pub.

"I said, all of you! You fuckin' bastards!" With the last shout and order, every pub-goer hurried through the doors, fearing the consequences if they didn't obey the most feared man in the English Midlands.

"Adeline," Tommy whispered, plunging into his usual composure. "Please, look at me?" He breathed, wanting to grasp my state of mind and emotion. When I didn't, he placed his thumb and index finger on my chin, tilting my head towards his. I didn't want to meet his eyes, but when I did, his deep blue orbs, paired with his delicate voice, grounded me and rescued me from the narrow cave of Charles Darcy's dark world.

"Adeline, hey, you're alright now. Those fuckin' pricks are gone." Getting a faint chuckle out of me, I grasped his arms with a soft squeeze. He always seemed to have the ability to calm my mind and my heart. No matter where my head was or how terrible I felt, Tommy could kindle a spark in my heart and pull me out of grief. No one else could do that. My mother would try, but she never had the calmness that Tommy presented. Jack was typically the source of my problems, and James did his best, but his good humour was never enough to pull me out of the darkness.

"How about we share a drink, eh?" Tommy announced, lightening the mood. Sitting in front of the counter, I had every alcoholic beverage to choose from. Most of them I had never tried or even seen before. It was like being in a candy shop for the first time.

"Now, don't ask me to make you a cocktail. I'm not very good at em'," Tommy hinted as he stepped behind the bar, adjusting to his new atmosphere. I always adored how he looked when he removed his jacket and rolled his sleeves up to his elbows. He was more laid back and comfortable, and he had the most desirable arms. I couldn't take my eyes off of him.

"What can I get for you, Adeline?" Putting me on the spot, I fumbled with my words and picked whatever bottle was in front of me.

"Uhh, a rum, yes," I regretted my decision the second the word rum rolled off my tongue. My mind immediately trailed back to my childhood summers in Ireland, when I would run free on the wharf, absorbing the smell of the sea and the docked rum boats. I could remember the scent of strong spices oozing out of the barrels, turning my stomach upside down.