In which Thomas Shelby draws up an alliance between his family and that of his rival, not knowing that it's to have far more complications than he thought.
COPYRIGHT!! DON'T STEAL.
bbc's peaky blinders, s1 - 6.
...
"You heard them: they're looking for Freddie Thorne. Now get out, Lis, before they realise the bloody door is open."
She hadn't heard him speak in such a serious manner before, not since those five years ago, when he told her he would be sent to France. Seventeen years old, they were. He was closer to adulthood than she was, because his birthday fell on a date that was seven months earlier than hers. Maybe that was how he always seemed so much more grownup than she did. Or maybe it was the exhausted expression that was forever etched into his face and the inky black stains on his hand that were now present in the dull light of the greying October day.
"I'll see you later?" Felicity asked.
Jack nodded, although his face gave away the uncertainty that wasn't in his words. "Soon," he promised.
Felicity ignored the doubt in his eyes and instead made her way out of the door as the factory filled with confused and enraged shouts. She forced a spring into her step as she walked back down the road, past where the huddle of boys were, where she had been so sure of the day and so certain that nothing could go wrong.
She still didn't realise just how much more could go wrong, though, and perhaps that was Felicity Woods' greatest mistake as she caught sight of the cold blue eyes that met her own.
Haunted. That was the only way Felicity could think to properly describe the cerulean blue irises that gazed back into her hazel ones. They were cold and calculating, sure, but those eyes held more horrors and stories than Felicity could even care to imagine.
"Sorry, Mr Shelby." Felicity bobbed her head as she tried to dodge his gaze and sidestep around the man.
"You're the Woods girl, aren't you?" Thomas asked as she passed him.
Her breath caught in her throat as she stopped and turned on her heel to face him. "That's right," she confirmed hesitantly.
"Off to see your father, then?"
Felicity refrained from pulling a face at his words - instead choosing to shake her head with a tight, wary smile on her lips as she wondered why he was even bothering to converse with her when he had hardly even walked past her in previous years. "No, Mr Shelby. I'm afraid I hardly see him these days."
"Oh?" The man sounded almost sincere as he coupled his tone with the fleeting look of no-doubt forced sympathy and interest onto his face, "That's a shame, I suppose."
"Is it?"
Thomas looked amused at the words that had just escaped out of the girl's lips. "I was just going to ask how he is, that's all," he said, before clarifying, "... your father, that is."
The blonde nodded: acting as though she had any understanding of why on earth he was suddenly so interested in John Woods, when really she hadn't the slightest idea. "Well, I'm sorry I can't be of more help," she apologised feebly.
"Don't be," Thomas affirmed, tilting his head in the familiar way that everyone did when they were either confused or pitying your naivety.
Felicity bobbed her head in a nod once again - unsure why but feeling as though there was nothing else she could do in her awkward state. "Well, goodbye," she said, turning away from him and continuing on her way down the darkening street.
She held her breath the entire time, for she was unreasonably terrified that all of the stories about the infamous gangster and his accomplices would then be proved to be true.
Yet Thomas Shelby didn't utter a single syllable as he walked away in the opposite direction, leaving Felicity Woods to wonder whether or not she had just imagined their entire exchange.
The pounding in her heart told her no.
ओह! यह छवि हमारे सामग्री दिशानिर्देशों का पालन नहीं करती है। प्रकाशन जारी रखने के लिए, कृपया इसे हटा दें या कोई भिन्न छवि अपलोड करें।
AUTHOR'S NOTE
firstly , this chapter is awful. it really is. i despise my writing and this is the rewrite for god's sake !! well , it's better than the first draft so i'm glad about that , i'm ngl.
also i'm feeling incredibly proud that i actually had the motivation to even try and rewrite this book - although it might be because i'm currently avoiding all my homework. oh well. i'm responsible like that. hope you enjoyed this , let me know what you think lmao bc i'm off to go and get emotionally attached to jackson rippner again </3
