Tommy was out of hospital that very evening. He didn't want to waste time in there, weak and vulnerable. Nobody inflicted pain on him or the family and got away with it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Where are you going?"
"Camden."
"What?"
Marguerite chased him about the house in her uncomfortable heels, as he dashed to and fro, ordering men around the house.
"Don't touch that! It's fragile!" and "Get this one in the car, go on, get out."
"Tommy!" insisted Marguerite, confusion in her voice, still struggling to keep up with him.
"Let him be, don't even bother," mumbled a drunk Esme as she stumbled down the stairs drowsily, a bottle in hand.
Tommy slowed down, stopped and turned around swiftly, eyeing Esme coldly, his jaw clenched.
All the while, Marguerite stood between them, watching intently.
"You -" Tommy pointed at Esme, who returned his cold gaze with a disrespectful one. "You should stop drinking, Esme. John needs a wife, not an alcoholic."
Marguerite had begun to notice that Esme's strong and stubborn personality frustrated Tommy a great deal, just as Esme disliked him.
Esme took another swig of whiskey, purposefully taking a few steps towards Tommy, accidentally shoving Marguerite aside, until she was face to face with him.
"You've been gone for weeks. I'll have you know that John's been taking care of things, so don't you come back here and tell me what the fuck to do."
Unfazed, Tommy answered calmly.
"I doubt that John's been taking care of things, because he's been out with Arthur. Polly's been taking care of things, so don't lie to me. You reek of whiskey, Esme."
"You goddamn-"
"Alright, that enough," muttered Marguerite, taking Esme's arm.
The woman whirred round, wide-eyed, pulling away from Marguerite.
"What? You're defending him, Maggie?"
"He's been through hell, Esme, let it go."
"Get off."
"You're drunk, go find John."
She went silent, finished the bottle, tossed it aside, casting one last annoyed look at Tommy and stormed off.
Marguerite looked up, disconcerted and tired at Tommy. She pursed her lips.
"Camden, Marguerite," whispered Tommy, walking over to her, grabbing her shoulders. "I'm going to London. The Peaky Blinders are under threat, Sabini's dogs. I need to make alliances to secure the business."
"The business," sneered Marguerite, unimpressed.
"The business-" he lifted her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes "and everyone included."
"Alright, Tommy."
"I'm going with Arthur, John and Ada."
"Ada?"
Tommy let out a long breath, staring off into the distance.
"Yeah. She's uh - said she needs a break from the business. We're dropping her off at her new property."
"What? Ada's moving to London? You're joking?"
"I'm not. You could come with us, just to help her settle in."
YOU ARE READING
Marguerite - A Thomas Shelby story
Historical FictionMarguerite is a story set in the 1920s, also known as the Roaring Twenties. This period was a time of prosperity for the Western world who got back on their feet soon after the First World War ended. However, the poor were struggling to keep themse...
