Bea only returned to the suit the next afternoon, having stayed in another room for the night. Michael wasn't there when she went in and she had no idea where he was, since he had left no note or anything that hinted where he would have gone at work hours.
Good, Bea thought, maybe he really was arrested. That'll teach him a lesson.
Wondering then what would happen if Michael really was arrested, Bea imagined if he was deported back to England and she remained in New York alone. Maybe slightly frightening at first, she did have acquaintances like Jack and Alexander, and then maybe she'd get an even more important role in the Shelby Company, as she'd be their representative in America.
It wasn't exactly what she wanted, especially since the day before. But staying in the United States would certainly have its perks.
In the hours she was alone she went called to Jack Bradley's hotel, wondering if maybe he was in at that time. The front desk worker connected Bea's call with Jack's room and soon after he answered.
"Do you know if there were any arrests in that clandestine bar Gina was going?" Bea asks after the initial greetings.
"I don't think so, no. Why? Is Michael nowhere to be found?"
"I'm not sure... He isn't in the suite and he should be working here today. He's also not left any note."
"Maybe he's still with Gina... Did he return last night?"
"I don't know, I spent the night in a different room."
"Well, Bea, don't be frightened, I'm sure he's all right. Do you want Gina's contacts so you can call her and ask her if she knows something."
"No, that's fine. I'll just see when he shows up. And if he doesn't by nightfall then I'll worry."
"All right then. Anything else?"
"Want to have dinner somewhere? There are a few restaurants that I have yet to try... I've returned to some a few times too much, to try other dishes since the service was so nice."
"I'd love to have your company for dinner. Shall I pick you up at the hotel?"
"Yes, absolutely."
"I'l be there in a couple of hours then. Do you have any restaurant in mind?"
"Just one that I haven't gone to before. I only know the names of those I went to before, so..."
"That's fine, we'll figure it out on our way. See you later, Bea."
"Until then, Jack Bradley."
Bea was sitting down, in the big sofa in front of the table, finishing her make-up and with earrings and necklaces in front of her to decide which one would better go with her red dress, when Michael walked inside the suite.
"Beatrice! There you are!" he says relieved. "I went looking for you everywhere."
"I've been here for hours," she says confused. "Did you forget to look here?"
"I left in the morning, since you didn't return,"
"And you only came back now?" she questions suspicious. "I know New York is a big city, but there are only so many places I could be in. Maybe you should have tried the other rooms in this hotel," she says mocking.
"You stayed in another room the night? I asked the front desk but they didn't tell me anything."
"Guest's privacy and... did you ask the night worker? Because since I booked the room with the night one and maybe he could just tell you that I was in fact in the hotel, maybe just not which room."
"I was worried to death!" Michael says angrily.
"Well, calm down... You've always been a bit dramatic, haven't you? Maybe hedgehog would really be good for you," Bea affirms with a look of resent.
Michael scoffed, annoyed by Bea's comments.
"I should be the one upset! I told you not to go and you did anyway," Bea affirms as she puts on some earrings.
"Except for the fact that I didn't," Michael corrects her.
Bea stops and looks at Michael. "You didn't?"
"No. I got near the place only to meet Gina and tell her that I wasn't going in after all. And then I returned and went looking for you."
Bea put the earring down and tried to contain the boastful smile forming on her face. She always liked to be right and to have things her own way. It wasn't as bad since hanging around the Peaky Blinders, but still, it was good to know that her warnings about the dangers and illegalities of the party were, in the end, heard.
"Good for you."
Michael breathes deeply to calm down before speaking again.
"You going somewhere?"
"To dinner."
"Where? I'll join you," Michael offers, guessing she was going alone.
"I already have company, thank you very much," Bea says pompously.
"Who?" Michael asks confused.
"Jack Bradley, of course. He'll be here any minute now."
"Bradley?" Michael scoffs again. "I was worried about you for the entire night and day and now you're going to have dinner with Bradley."
"Well, unlike you, he listens to me and doesn't dismiss my concerns."
"And what concerns could you possibly mention to Bradley when you should just be painting his portrait?"
"Oh, I don't know... maybe you deciding to go to a illegal pub or bar or whatever Americans call it, and then being angry at me for wanting you to do, instead, something perfectly legal, as we have done so far."
"Jesus Christ." Michael rubs his face. "Look, I'm sorry Beatrice," he starts, approaching her.
Bea remained seated as she put on the second earring and started picking the necklace.
"Beatrice, listen to me," Michael says calmly.
But when she ignored him, Michael got in between her and the table, held her arms and made her stand up, so they were on the same level. Bea looked away from Michael, so he moved his hands to her cheeks and made her look at him.
She pouted as she was forced to look at him but didn't force him to let go of her, since he wasn't hurting her either.
"I'm sorry that I didn't listen to you straight away. But in the end I did take your advice and I only even left the hotel just to tell Gina, since I couldn't reach her by telephone."
"That's great, but right now I need to get ready."
Michael showed her a small smile and then dropped his hands, but remained standing in front of her.
"Can I accompany you to dinner?"
"No. Jack Bradley is expecting it to be just him and I."
"And why would it have to be only you two? Is he expecting something else, too?"
Bea hits his arm, not as hard as she could but not softly either. "Who do you take me for, Michael Gray?"
"Then he wouldn't mind if I went with you."
"You don't even like him," Bea reminds with a smile.
"But I like you. And I don't want you alone with him."
"Perhaps another time, Michael. Tonight you should sleep, since you were so concerned for me and were looking all around for me."
"Fine, go on your own with him. But don't come back too late. We have extra work to do tomorrow, since today nothing was done."
"Yes, sir. By the way..." Bea starts as Michael steps away from her and walks towards his bedroom. "Does this necklace look good with my dress?" she asks as she puts the one in her hands against her neckline.
"You don't need any necklace. Just go as you are," Michael said with a kind smile before slipping into his bedroom.
Bea put all the necklaces back into place, put on some shoes and then left the room. She sat on a couch in the lobby as she waited for Jack and soon enough he showed up. She heard him speaking to one of the receptionists and turned to see him. As she moved, his gaze fell upon her and he told the hotel worker that he no longer needed anything.
"Bea! You look lovely."
"Thank you, Jack Bradley. Shall we go?"
"Indeed. I spoke to Gina," he affirms as they walk, "and she said that she and Michael ended up not going to the clandestine bar."
"Oh, yes, I already know. Michael showed up not a while ago and he told me. He said he was looking for me, apparently."
"Looking for you? Were you not in the hotel?" Jack asks as he opens the car door for Bea to get in.
"I was," she affirms.
As she sits inside, Jack closes the door and goes around to the other side of the car.
"But I was in another room, not in the suite," Bea adds. "So he didn't know where I was."
"Uh, I see... Gina was quite upset by the way Michael had left her last night. She said it was very abrupt."
"She shouldn't have invited him to go there in the first place," Bea states plainly.
They went to a restaurant that, as agreed, Bea hadn't been in yet. It was nice, but she liked the one she had gone with Michael for the first time better, with the piano music that had reminded her of Finn.
"So you want to return to Birmingham?" Jack asks as they eat.
"I do. I like it here, but I miss... home."
"You consider it home? Correct me if I'm wrong but you've been in Birmingham for a much shorter time that London, right?"
Bea nods.
"But you consider it your home already?"
"Well... I ran away from London for a reason. And it doesn't matter how long you've lived where... it matters how you feel in that place right?"
"Maybe so... Perhaps it is the people that surround in such places."
"I do have my brother in Birmingham."
"And no one else?" Jack asks with a knowing smirk.
Bea smiles shyly. "Don't you feel at home here?" she changes the attention to him.
"No. My home is still very much London. I will return by the end of the year. What if you wait a few more months and then return on the same boat as me?"
"I don't know... I don't think I can wait until the end of the year, Jack Bradley."
"Well... before you leave, we'll have to throw you a going away party. I know Alexander will be upset to see you go."
"I don't think he'll be that upset," Bea dismisses. "And in any case, I still have to have Tommy's approval to leave Michael on his own."
"I'm sure he won't make you remain here when it's against your wishes..."
"Hopefully not. The letter saying so, though, won't be here for another few weeks, so I still have to wait... It would be so much better if we could make telephone calls overseas..."
"It's not that long away. I know that people have been working on it. A couple more years and Alexander will call you everyday."
Bea chuckles. "I hope not."
They had a wonderful calm dinner and in the end Jack Bradley paid for them both and they left. As they were waiting for a valet to come and bring their car when another one stopped in front of them.
Michael got out of the car and opened the passenger door on the other side.
"Beatrice, you need to come," he says urgently.
"Michael?" Bea was confused about many things. "How did you know we were here?"
"I didn't I went looking for you everywhere. But come now, get in."
"Why? What's wrong?"
"You need to come with me. I'll explain it on the way."
As Michael sounded so urgent so Bea was getting concerned and moved towards the car. She looked back at Jack who nodded.
"Go. I'll call your hotel later to see if you're all right."
"Thank you, Jack Bradley. Dinner was lovely."
"Come, Beatrice. Get in."
"What's wrong?" Bea asks when Michael is already driving away.
"Here!" Michael reaches for something in the back of the car and hands it to Bea.
She looks inside before taking out its contents. There was a thin box. She got it out of the bag, put it in her lap and then opened it. Inside there was a pearl necklace. Probably more expensive than all her other necklaces, but beautiful and simple.
"What's this?"
"A present, for you."
"A present? I'm more confused now than ever. Why did you come look for me? What's wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong. I just wanted to take you somewhere and I know you wouldn't leave Bradley without reason, so... I just told you to get in with a alarmed tone, and you did." Michael turns to her and smiles, amused.
"I thought something was wrong. Horribly wrong!"
"Yeah, well, sorry about that. Do you like the necklace."
"Of course I like the bloody necklace," Bea confirms, but is angry at how worried Michael had made her and how she'd just left Jack Bradley with no reason after he was so nice to her.
"Great! Leave it in the car, though. You'll use it tomorrow."
"What's tomorrow?"
"Nothing. Yet. But tonight, we're going dancing."
"We are?" Bea asks still confused.
"Yes. So no need to take a perfectly good, new and expensive necklace into the middle of a crowd."
"Michael Gray..." Bea starts threateningly.
"You like dancing don't you?"
Bea couldn't deny that she liked dancing, and she loved the necklace. But how Michael had pulled her away and into the car without a real excuse was not sitting well with her. Despite it, she just sat back and stared quietly ahead, as Michael drove them.
They had gone dancing twice before to the bar Michael had taken them. It was usually crowded but with people in good spirits, and it had been great fun.
Michael gave Bea some gin as a peace offering, and, after drinking it while sitting down, Michael got up and extended his hand to Bea. She rolled her eyes but took it and let him lead her into the dance floor and in the dance.
"You could have just waited for me to get back to the hotel to invite me to come here," Bea says.
Michael shrugs. "I couldn't wait any longer. Besides, Bradley was probably going to suggest on going dancing as well."
They had made no plans after dinner, but Jack also hadn't said that he was taking her to the hotel straight away.
"Still, it was rude leaving him like that when there was no problem at all."
"You care too much about other people, Beatrice."
"Someone has to," she says critical, since Michael never seemed to.
Despite Michael's flaws, she couldn't remain angry at him much longer, especially when they were dancing and he was spinning her around.
And soon it was all forgiven and forgotten and Bea found herself having a more fun night than she'd expected. As always, Michael knew how to charm her and make her blind to everything else.
After dancing song after song, Bea couldn't help but feel as if the falling out they'd had was long gone, and they were back as being as kind and friendly to each other as before. So, she was second-guessing her decision to go back to Birmingham.
If Tommy did allow her to go back home, she probably wouldn't be able to leave. There was still so much to see, in New York, in the United States, in the American continents that she also couldn't think of not being able to see it all.
Would she be willing to let go of the rest of the world and all its possibilities in exchange for what she might have left in the dirty streets of Birmingham?