working girl » tommy shelby.

chapter fifteen

Both Rosie and Tommy strode beside the River Thames, the two of them holding hands and chatting about The Eden Club until they reached the club that Grace had requested to meet Tommy at. Tommy stayed behind for a few minutes, smoking on his cigarette and watching manual workers, while Rosie went into the club. Rosie was familiar with Grace's face from the short time in Birmingham that Grace was there. It was almost impossible to not walk right over to Grace and say something but Rosie somehow managed to keep tranquil and dignified as she walked over to the bar and ordered a beverage.

"There ya go," the barman said, gliding the drink in Rosie's way. She beamed at the man before handing him a few coins, her eyes diverting to Grace for a few seconds who looked tremendously uncomfortable and nervous. Grace was absorbed on the ring that was on her finger which Rosie observed and the booze that was in her mouth nearly splattered across the bar, shock apparent on Rosie's appearance. The bartender looked at her amusingly before turning to another customer who was obscenely demanding another drink.

It was a few minutes later that Tommy sauntered into the club, his eyes skimming the room until they landed on Grace. Men didn't turn to look at Tommy, they were completely ignorant to who he was - not for long though. A flash of jealously ran through Rosie as she covertly scrutinised Grace stand up to peck Tommy's cheek.

"Grace," Tommy said in a monotone voice. Rosie gripped her drink and walked to the other side of the club, so she could go overlooked but still be able to see the interaction between the two ex 'lovers'. "Why have you brought me here today?"

"I just wanted to catch up on things and see how you are. I'm not in London for long, me and my husband to be are visiting some doctors about fertility," she replied, taking a sip of her drink. "I have been living in America, it's very enjoyable and different. Anyway, how are you?"

"I'm fine now I've cleared up the mess that you caused." The reply was blunt, and Grace was taken back, a part of her expecting Tommy to be civil with her after the lengthy break. "Are you married then? How interesting." Tommy nodded towards the ring on her thing and Grace cautiously nodded.

"I didn't come here to discuss my marriage or what happened in the past, I am here to discuss the future."

"What future?" Tommy asked, a dark chuckle leaving his body when he had finished the question.

Grace sat up in her chair, refusing to be belittled by Tommy Shelby. "Our future."

Tommy scoffed and pointed his finger towards Grace. "There is no 'our future' Grace, I've met someone else."

"And who's that?"

Tommy smiled and looked at the table as he thought about Rosie. He desperately wanted to turn around and look at her as she sat at one of the tables in the luxurious fur coat she had obtained, looking like a lady instead of someone who used to work at the grubby brothel every night. "Can you recall that girl I told you about? Her name was Rosie. I met her before the War and we fell in love," he responded.

"The girl who worked in the brothel?"

Tommy raised his head and looked at Grace expressionlessly. The words that she had spoken just fell out of her mouth naturally, as if she had said something innocent. Tommy squinted his eyes at Grace and leaned forward, his face treacherously close to hers. From the other side of the room, Rosie panicked and contemplated standing up and stomping over there but she could read Tommy's body language, something was wrong. Grace gulped as she thought about what she had said, the words running through her brain at a hundred miles per hour. There was no getting out of this situation, Grace had to sit and endure Tommy's harsh and angered stare for as long as he decided. When Tommy felt fulfilled, he leaned back in his chair and pressed his lips into a thin white line.

"I only found that Rosie worked at the brothel a couple of months ago. So, how the fuck do you know that she worked there?" He raised one eyebrow in a scornful manner and waited for Grace's response, only to become more irked when she sat in silence. "Do I have to repeat myself? I said, how the fuck did you know that Rosie worked in the brothel?"

"Do you want the truth?"

"That's all I have ever wanted from you. It's almost fucking impossible for Grace Burgess to tell the truth," he spat before sitting up straight in the uncomfortable and cheap chair, signalling for Grace to carry on by moving his hand in a circle.

"When you told me about Rosie, the night that you got drunk, you said that you missed her and loved her. I was infuriated, I thought we were getting somewhere which was stupid of me. It didn't stop me from feeling anger and hatred towards this Rosie girl, even if I had never met her. Afterwards, I went and spoke to Campbell, but he was already aware of Rosie and that's when he told me that she worked at the brothel down the lane. He had been to visit her, just to spite you."

"You knew that I loved her."

"Tommy, you hadn't seen her in years. It wasn't love, you were just holding onto the one good thing that you had before your life turned to shit. What we had, that was love."

"Don't say shit like that because it isn't fucking true. I loved her, love her, more than I have ever loved anybody in my life. You knew where she was and for your own self-centred reasons, and Campbell's, you let her stay at that brothel."

"It wasn't like that. I loved you."

"You loved me? Did you love when you went back and told Campbell information? Did you love me when they took Arthur in and beat him to a pulp?"

"Tommy, it was a mistake," she said, her voice soft and full of shame. "Can you forgive me?"

"Do you want to know something, Grace? I can't ever forgive you for what you did to my family and business, not ever. I trusted you with information and you let me down, how do you expect me to get over it?" Tommy raised one eyebrow before taking a quick look at Rosie. "You knew where she was, the whole fucking time, and you said nothing. That's hurt me more than anything that you have ever done. I hope you have a nice life with your husband Grace and as soon as you have finished your business in London, you can go back to wherever you came from and not return. I don't want to see you again."

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Authors note: My boy Tommy sticking up for his girl. PLEASE VOTE, COMMENT AND LEAVE FEEDBACK BECAUSE IT'S NICE AND YOU CAN ALSO FOLLOW ME AND CHECK OUT MY OTHER TOMMY FICS. The Xmas holidays are coming up soon as I'm blasting out Fairytale Of New York so you all can expect lots of updates and fluff and smut. Tbh, this fic has no plan and I'm just going with the flow so that's something I need to sort out.

@peakyshelby - thank you for the cover. go and check out their work x