The Secretary ; T . S

Chapter Two: Third Person

Chapter Two: Third Person

The Garrison was swarming with bodies, drinking the night away. Empty bottles were scattered across the tables, shouting and singing bounced of the wooden walls making it impossible to hear. Poppy Millar sat at the bar, cross-legged on a velvet pillowed chair painted gold as did the rest of the room. She was quite taken back at how much The Garrison had upgraded since she last laid her pale green eyes on the place before the War. She sipped on a watered down whiskey, speaking to Reggie about her time in the countryside whilst the two devil sat with her eldest brother, admiring her from afar.

"You're sister is quite the looker now, Victor." Arthur pushed back his long hair on the top of his head as a greasy smirk lingered on his lips, "Don't you think Tommy?"

"Very nice, very nice indeed." Tommy said whilst stubbing his cigar, "Seems to have a bit of... fire to her. She really put you in your place, didn't she Victor." He's ghost eyes were glued onto the dirty blonde haired lady at the bar, smiling brightly at her younger brother as Tommy sparked up a new cigarette. He couldn't stop wondering who she was now, the way her brain had been tainted, what she had seen. Mr Shelby was intrigued but he knew he shouldn't be.

"Yes, well, she has always been very protective of her family, humble too, she doesn't like to talk about you know, the war." Victor knocked back the rest of his drink, hating how the conversation was heading. Hearing all these men objectifying he's baby sister like a bit of meat was testing his temper.

"She sounds like you, Tommy." Arthur laughs, slapping Thomas on the back.

"She's very smart too! Before the war and all, she was doing night courses on..." Victor paused, twitching in his seat as what he was about to say would flick a switch in Mr Shelby's business fuelled brain which he didn't want to happen, "Actually I can't remember."

Thomas dropped his gaze from Poppy to look at Victor, who was sweating lies through his pores, he was never good at lying and Thomas could smell a lie from a mile away, "Well, shall we ask her then?"

"Look, Tommy, I don't want my sister involved in any of this..." Victor grabbed Tommy's wrist before he could walk away.

Thomas looked down at Victor's tight grip, "What is it she does?"

"Accounts, books... she did a bit of typing back in the day, she was pretty good." Victor hesitatingly told the Shelby Boys.

"Didn't you need a new secretary, Tommy?" Arthur, head filled with fairy dust, spoke up with his mischievous grin lurking under his moustache, "Nice surprise for John."

"I don't know how John would feel about it either, Tommy... that's why the didn't get together." Victor couldn't ignore the deep feeling of guilt whirling in his stomach for his sister, even for his friend, John.

When John Shelby returned from war to a life where Poppy was not around was heartbreaking just to watch. He searched for her all over Small Heath till he found Reggie, who had to break the news to him which ended in the poor sod -Reg- having his nose broken, John didn't just break Reggie but everything around him. He would shout and scream about how he should have married her when he had the chance, how she was the only girl for him, he hadn't even told her that he loved her because he didn't realise how much he did till she was gone. John may have stopped talking about Poppy but he had never forgotten her, just let her image sit in the back of his mind and he'd revisit it when he felt as if the world was against him and it would comforted him like a loving hug.

"Ah, he'll be alright, Victor! His a man. He might not even fancy her." Arthur spoke utter shit and he knew it, "H's moves on."

"No one gets over a bird like h'r." Tom exhaled.

He was looking at Poppy all night, he couldn't help licking his lips, although he would never have ever entertained the idea of even touching Poppy in anyway but friendly for the sake of his brother, the thought was hard to not break.

Poppy was even more beautiful now than she was when she vanished, even then she was the shining light of The whole of Birmingham. She looked like a posh London girl in the most ragged clothes, she just had an aura that turned everything she touched into gold it seemed. Her tiny little waist on her well proportion figure, the way her garments fell perfectly on her body as if they were made just for her and her creamy almond skin, looked ever so soft to touch. She illuminated the room.

"That girl will drive him mad." Thomas tipped his hat toward Poppy, "She is already driving half the men in here mental."

Whilst half of the Garrison gossiped about the new dame, a lady totted into the pub, not any lady mind you, but Polly Shelby. The news of Miss Millar's return had travelled fast well as fast as Finn's feet could run.

"Poppy Millar! My darling girl!" Poppy recognised the motherly voice from anywhere, she spun around on her stool to look at Polly who quickly wrapped her into a tight embrace.

"Oh Polly, how are you?" Poppy beamed.

"Fine, perfectly fine. Now let me get at look at you!" Polly placed her cold hands on Poppy's rosy cheeks, inspecting every inch of her face, "You are simply beautiful, have you spoken to John?"

Poppy knew that was coming, she couldn't avoid the subject of John, "No... not yet. Has he- is he- how is he?" She had so many questions bubbling up inside her, she didn't know what to ask first.

"He is very well." Polly reasurred her, gently rubbing her thumb across Poppy's skin.

"Do you think he will hate me? Still?"

"He never hated you love, but you could of sent the poor boy a letter or left him a note." Polly said, sitting down on the stool beside Poppy.

However, Poppy felt her heart in her throat, "What do you mean? I did! I left a note on Thomas desk, asked him to give it to John! I wrote to the office several times but got no reply..."

"What?" Polly's face turned paper white.

John hadn't got a single one of her letters, some where filled to the brim with her feelings, pouring her heart into the ink hoping for a response. 

"I thought he might of..." Poppy's voice started to shake, the idea of John dead broke her heart even though it wasn't true, "Victor wrote to me saying his fine but didn't take the news very well. So I assumed he hated me."

A single hot tear rolled down Poppy's face, whilst Polly looked shocked, "I can't believe it. All these years-"

Before Pol could finish her words of endearment, the blue eyed Thomas Shelby weaved his way into the conversation, "Alright Pol? I would like to have a word with our Poppy here, if that is ok?"

Poppy quickly whipped away the tears from her eyes, pulling on her best smile to look at Thomas with, "Of course!"

Tommy guided Poppy to the private room where the Peaky Blinders usually sit to keep drunk men from earwigging into there business, with his hand on her lower back. Which to her felt very odd, Thomas never was the type to touch her like that but then again John was always around to glare his brothers down if they even laid a single finger on her.