"Celia! You've got something from the post!" Edith called as she stepped into the tailoring shop, the bells clanging on the door. Celia appeared from the back, where she was working on a piece. She wiped her hands on her apron before accepting the letter Edith was holding out to her.
"Thank you, Edith," Celia smiled and the woman nodded before she moved to the back, surely in search of her husband. Celia flipped the letter and opened it, having an inkling of an idea on who it'd be from.
Celia,
I am sorry that I haven't written to you sooner. It's been a tough few weeks here, but Katherine and I are happy to say that Samuel's condition is starting to improve.
He is eating and drinking, and is starting to act more like himself again after the treatments he'd been getting started to show their effects.
He is not out of the woods yet, and the doctors keep reminding us of that, but we are seeing his improvements and remaining hopeful.
As always, I will update you when we learn more. How are things there? Mom and Dad haven't bothered to reach out. Samuel loved hearing the words of encouragement you sent, and sleeps with the bunny you got him most every night.
Please write if you can. We miss you.
Your's truly,
Joseph Farraday
Celia wanted to burst out in cheers. She had been waiting for Joseph's next letter, wanting to hear how her nephew and godson had been doing. It still killed her that she couldn't be with them, and she hoped that her small care package made it into their arms. Joseph's confirmation that it did and that Samuel loved its contents caused her to be overjoyed. The wide smile was still on her face when the bells to the front door clanged, and she didn't make attempts to shrink it. Stuffing the letter into the front pocket of her apron and making a mental reminder to take it home with her, she looked up to greet the customer.
"Hello, Ms. Gray!" she chirped, her hands resting on the counter as Polly stopped in front of her.
"Hello, Celia. In a good mood today, I see," Polly commented on the woman's cheery attitude.
"Yes. I just heard some good news from back home," Celia disclosed, not really caring if Polly wanted to hear about it or not. She couldn't hold it in.
"That is good to hear. Good news always puts people in brighter spirits," she pointed out, Celia nodding right along with her.
"Your items should be ready to go in the back. I'll go check," Celia said then, moving to the back where she grabbed the two pieces that were ready to go off the hook, "there looks to be one more that is still being worked on. It seems to be almost finished though, so you can come back tomorrow to retrieve it. I'll make sure that it will be ready for you," she informed the woman at the counter then.
"That is fine. I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow then," Polly stated, making Celia nod before they both shared a smile. Polly left then, and Celia continued on with serving customers, the smile not even dulling from her face when some man tried to argue with her that he should have had two pieces but was only given one.
Hopefully her mother and father would be as happy about this news as she was, although she knew that that ask was a stretch.
—
"Ma?" Celia questioned as she stepped into the family's home. Not hearing a response, she moved into the kitchen to see her mother and father engaged in a sort of stare off.
"Hello, Celia," her mother greeted her as the younger woman sat down in the chair that sat in between the couple's staring contest.
"I got word from Joseph again," Celia started then, turning her head to look at her mother and father, gauging their reaction and if she would be able to continue. "He's updated me about Samuel," she continued on.
"Yes? How is he doing?" Eliza asked, genuinely interested in her grandson's well-being. Joe, on the other hand, had barely grunted as an acknowledgement to Celia's presence.
"He's improving. The doctors said that he isn't out of the woods yet, but Joseph knows that he's getting better and acting more like himself with each day," Celia informed them, watching as a smile formed on her mother's face. Her father stayed stoic. "He said that you haven't written to him in a while," she stated then, her voice soft because it could have been a trigger for her father.
"But I did. Joe, did you not send that letter to the post?" her mom responded, sadness and shock in her features as she looked over at her husband.
"I was unaware that that was my responsibility. You know that you also have the ability to go out and deliver letters to the post," Joe's voice was gruff and he refused to take responsibility for this, much like he always did.
Celia watched as her mother pursed her lips, thinking about what she said before she spoke. "Wouldn't it be nice to go back and see them?" she said then, trying to switch the topic slightly.
"Think realistically now, Eliza. How would we <ever> be able to get a boat back America?" Joe spoke up before Celia could agree with her. He was getting more aggravated by the second, "you're always in this dreamland where you think we've got all the money in the world when we don't. We're stuck here in Small Heath with rats running through our cupboards! But you're too busy stuck in your fantasies to keep the place clean and keep the rats out," he immediately started accusing her. Celia watched her mother's lip start to tremble as she tried to not let her façade break.
"I try my best to keep them out, I really do!" Eliza spoke, her statement coming out like a cry, before she continued, "and if it weren't for your gambling stints, we'd have the money necessary to go see our son. To go see our sickly grandson!" she didn't hold back in accusing him. Everyone in the room knew it was true. Some of the people in the room, well one of them really, refused it to be true and took his anger out on the women in the household.
"Do not sit there and accuse me when you know you are spending just as much as I am!" his voice was now raised, and he was standing. Celia knew that things would only escalate from there and that she needed to get out.
"That's a lie, Joe! That is a lie and even you know it!" Eliza did not shy away from him. Celia stood and managed to move out of the room without them noticing. They were too engrossed in screaming two inches away from each other to care.
She snuck out of the house and started down the street to the one house she knew was open for her. After knocking twice, she breathed a sigh of relief when Vivian opened the door. "Hi, love!" she greeted, a frown forming when she noticed the sadness in Celia's features. "They're fighting again?" she asked and Celia nodded. That was all that needed to be exchanged before the door was opened further and Celia was allowed in. "We're just getting dinner finished. Care to join?"
"Oh I don't want to impose," Celia shook her head. "I can just sit in the living room while you eat."
"Don't be silly. I'll just tell William to pick extra vegetables," she stated, moving to the door so that she could speak to her brother, who must've been in the side garden. "He's perfectly fine with you joining us," Vivian said as she entered the kitchen once more, "was pretty happy when I told him you were here," she grinned, making Celia blush.
"Thank you, Viv. It means so much to me to have your house to come to when things get like this," Celia smiled at friend then.
"Our door's always open for you CeCe. You know that. My brother and I both enjoy your company," she reminded her. William and Vivian had been living together in the house that was once owned by their parents for two years now. Both their mother and father had fallen ill and sadly passed from their ailments. Celia only smiled in response as William joined them in the kitchen, running his hand along Celia's shoulder before he stood in front of the counters, making work of chopping the vegetables he brought in. Vivian also got back to cooking so Celia jumped in and asked if she could help. Soon enough they were working on dinner while laughing and telling stories of how their day had been.
"So I got another letter from my brother today," Celia started as they ate their dinner.
"Yeah? How's things going with him?" Vivian asked, intrigue written into her expression.
"Good. They're going good. He told me that Samuel's condition's improving, although he's not one hundred percent back to himself," Celia responded smiling as she talked about her nephew.
"That's great to hear. I'm sure he'll keep improving as the days go on," William added, smiling over at Celia, who had that giddy feeling inside of her again.
"Here's to hoping," she stated, taking a sip of the wine that Vivian had offered her. They finished up their dinner then and after washing the dishes that were dirty, William invited Celia to sit with him on the couch. Vivian grinned and took the hint, leaving them by themselves as she moved to go upstairs. She was grinning profusely, and it was making Celia blush like mad.
"So," William started as they both sat on the couch with their glasses of wine, the fire crackling in front of them. "Do you want to talk about what happened at home?" he asked.
"Oh please no, William. I'd like to forget about it for now," Celia shook her head and William nodded, knowing not to push her into talking about something she didn't feel comfortable with. "How about your day? Anything noteworthy happen?" she deflected attention from her, wanting to know more about him.
"It was alright. Nothing major happened. Just a bunch of mistakes made by the writers that I needed to correct. That's the normal around the printing press though," William delved into the events of his day, and Celia nodded along as he spoke. She was happy to be away from the stresses occurring at her house, happy that she had someone to run to, someone who would comfort her.
"Sounds like your day was pretty exciting," Celia remarked then with a smile, and William chuckled slightly with a nod before he took another sip from his glass.
"Can I hold you, Celia?" he asked then after a moment's silence, his eyes meeting her's. Celia looked him over before nodding her head. He smiled as his one arm reached over to pull her closer. Soon she was pressed to the side of his chest and his hand was running up and down her arm. "It's nice spending time with you," he whispered then, his vocal tone matching the quietness of the room so that he wouldn't break the reverie that had been built between them.
"I agree. I enjoy spending time with you too, William," Celia pulled back to smile at him. He was right there, and she was feeling daring, so she leaned up slightly to press her lips to his. She put her all into the kiss, but he was hesitant, and it confused her. She thought that he liked her as much as she liked him. Feeling that their embrace was going nowhere, she pulled away and sent him a shy, defeated smile before returning her head back to his chest. She could hear his heart beating fast though, so maybe he did like what she'd just done. Letting out a breath, she decided to get out of her head and focus on the fire.
——
"Ms. Gray, you're back!" Celia greeted Polly as she walked through the doors of the tailor's.
"Yes. You promised my dress would be complete," Polly spoke as she came to a stop in front of the counter.
"And it is. Let me go fetch it from the back for you," Celia smiled as she stepped through the curtains to grab the dress from the hook. "Here it is, Ms. Gray," Celia stated as she set it on the counter.
"Thank you, Celia. I needed it for a special engagement tonight," Polly stated then, handing her a few bills then.
"Yeah? Well I'm happy that it's been finished in time," Celia responded, watching as Polly pressed her lips together as if she was in thought.
"The Garrison is reopening today. We're throwing a celebration in honor of the occasion. Would you want to attend?" she then asked the younger woman, who's expression turned to one of surprise.
"You'd want me there?" Celia asked before agreeing, having this habit of double checking when it came to things like this.
Polly nodded, "of course. Tommy'd be happy to see you're in attendance, and it would be a good opportunity to meet some more members of the family."
"Well then if you want me to join, I'd be honored to," Celia smiled, nodding her head firmly in acceptance. "Great. I will be seeing you later then, Celia," Polly smiled, grabbing the garment bag from the counter before she turned to exit the shop.
—
Luckily her mother and father weren't home when she arrived, going straight for her bedroom so that she could find something that fit the event that she had been just now invited to. Grabbing the pale yellow dress out of her closet, she held it up to her frame in front of the mirror before nodding. This was the dress she'd wear. So she slipped it on and then worked on making sure her hair and make-up looked proper. Slipping into her low heels, she grabbed her purse and overcoat before going to the door to leave the house.
The walk to the Garrison wasn't very long, and soon she could hear the chatter of everyone inside. She entered the establishment and was greeted with a crowd of people that were chatting and drinking merrily. Not seeing anyone she knew, she moved to an empty spot at the bar. Soon enough, a man wearing an apron was in front of her. "I'm sorry, miss, but I can't serve women who are without a male counterpart," he told her, and Celia looked around once more, hoping to see Tommy, but to no avail.
She then opened her mouth to speak, hoping that Tommy would have followed through with his statement and told the barkeep about her. Before she was able to get a word out, small doors in the corner of the bar opened to reveal the very person Celia was looking for. "Oi, Harry! Can I get another bottle of whisky in here please?" Tommy called for the man behind the bar, at first not noticing who that man was caught up in conversation with. Before Harry spoke, Tommy's eyes focused on Celia, realization flashing across his face before he disappeared from the window. Seconds later, he was exiting through a doorway and coming to see her. "I just take the bottle from here, Harry," he nodded to the barkeep who already had the bottle of whisky ready. "I'm surprised to see you here," he directed his statement to Celia now, a slight smile on his face.
"Polly told me this celebration was happening. Said you'd be happy to see me and told me to come," Celia explained the reason behind her being present.
"I am happy to see you. You don't need to be out here though, come into the snug with me," Tommy said with a smile before he nodded his head in the direction he'd just come from. "Wait, you need a drink. What'll you have?" he asked then, waving Harry over then.
"Just a gin please," Celia ordered and Harry nodded, going to retrieve a glass of what she desired. Once she had the glass in her hands, Tommy moved off of the bar and began leading her to where he was previously.
A man called out as Tommy opened the door, "What fuckin' took you so long, Tom?! My glass has been empty and calling for more whisky!" Celia's eyes fell on a thinner man who also had piercing blue eyes and a defining, bushy mustache that sat upon his upper lip. "You've brought company," the man pointed out, his eyes looking Celia up and down as she just smiled sort of awkwardly.
"I wasn't gone long, and if you needed booze so fuckin' bad, you should've gotten up to get some yourself, Arthur," Tommy addressed the man, Celia making a mental note to herself: man with themustache was named Arthur. "I found Celia at the bar. She works at the tailor's alongside Mr. and Mrs. Robinson," Tommy addressed the new woman's presence to the four people sitting in the snug. There were two more men and a woman sitting in the booths around the table.
"Hello, Celia! Tommy's mentioned your name a few times. Nice to be able to put a face to it," the man next to Arthur, who had dirty blond, almost brown hair that was slicked against his head spoke up with a charming smile. Before anything else could be said, the woman sitting to this man's left slapped his arm. Celia watched as the man sent the woman, who was glaring at him, a glance, holding his hands up in surrender then.
"Alright then lads, some introductions are in order. Celia, these are me brothers, Arthur and John. The woman sitting next to John is Esme, she's his wife. Michael Gray is Pol's son and is the newest member of the Shelby Company Limited," Tommy went on with introductions, making sure that Celia had names to put to the fresh faces. She just smiled and waved at them as Tommy worked on pouring whisky into the empty glasses before he sat in the chair that was positioned next to the booth. He then picked up the cigarette from the ashtray and stuck it between his lips before waving Celia over to fill in the empty spot on the booth next to him.
"Celia...wait, I've heard your name. Ada was telling me about you. Said you're from America but living here now," the woman, Esme, spoke up as realization crossed her features.
"Yes, I am," Celia responded, glancing down at her glass on the table. She was still warming up to the new company.
"Such a shame you left the land of promise and good fuckin' fortune and wound up in this shithole," Arthur remarked then, laughing as the others joined him.
"This place isn't all that bad," Celia defended. She was in pretty good company now. She had a man who she cared for, and some good friends she could rely on. Everyone was stuffy where she lived back in America. It was hard for her to find somewhere to fit in. She always felt more comfortable when she was around those who considered themselves to be part of the society's working class.
"Don't lie to yourself, love!" John chimed, making Celia chuckle and shake her head, knowing it was a losing fight.
"Where's Pol anyway?" Tommy asked the group then.
"She's out chatting with everyone," Michael spoke up from where he had been quietly taking everything in. Celia noted that he looked rather young.
"As bloody usual," John remarked, making the group laugh.
As if she knew they were walking about her, the door to the snug opened to show Polly. "I believe you men need to come out here and make a speech," she stated, her eyes going between her three nephews and son. She then noticed Celia's presence and smiled in her direction.
"Alright then. Let's get it over with," Tommy stated, him standing causing the rest of the group to stand and file out. He brushed his hand across the small of Celia's back, a way of wordlessly telling her that he wanted her to move first. So she did, and she was greeted with what seemed like thousands of pairs of eyes when she emerged. "Before I turn this over to Arthur to say his remarks, I would like to say thank you to all of you for coming out tonight and celebrating the re-opening of the Garrison," Tommy spoke, his voice commanding silence that quickly fell across the room. "Arthur," he nodded towards his brother who then stepped forward.
"Right. So I'd like to jump off of what Tommy just said and thank all of you for turning up tonight. For not forgetting about this bar, and to take this a sign that even if you try to blow us up, the fuckin' Peaky Blinders are just gonna come back better!" he finished, the people around the room cheering at his words. "Drink up, lads!" he exclaimed then. Chatter resumed around the bar as people went back to their conversations.
Instead of going back into the snug, the men decided to sit around a table in the main part of the bar that was so conveniently cleared for them. Celia laughed to herself at the treatment they received and accepted the chair that Tommy pulled out for her right next to his. As the night went on, more alcohol was consumed, and Celia found herself scooting her chair closer and closer to Tommy's so that she wouldn't be fallen onto by any of the drunken patrons. Tommy now had his arm draped over her chair's back, his hand occasionally brushing against the skin of her upper arm. She couldn't say that she minded his touch.
It wasn't until Tommy looked over at her with hazy eyes that the two finally spoke to each other again, "thank you for coming tonight, Celia," he thanked her, and although he wasn't slurring his words, she could tell that his mind was hazy from the whisky.
"It's no problem, Tommy. I enjoyed being here," she responded, making Tommy furrow his eyebrows and move closer to her. She guessed he didn't hear her and repeated herself, "I enjoyed being here!" she said right next to his ear, hoping he'd hear.
This time he did, and he only pulled back slightly to see her face for a moment before he was leaning in, his eyes fluttering shut before Celia realized what he was doing. At the last moment, she shifted her head so that his lips could press against her cheek. "You're drunk, Mr. Shelby," Celia laughed slightly once he'd pulled back with a confused expression on his face. Although she couldn't ignore the fact that her heart was racing wildly.
"And if I weren't?" he asked, his eyes dropping to her lips briefly before they matched hers.
"I'm still interested in someone," she stated matter-of-factly, the breath currently caught in her throat.
"I'm interested in you," he whispered, a secret for only her to hear, reaching out then to very lightly run his fingers across her cheek, his thumb ghosting against her bottom lip.
"I know you are," Celia laughed slightly at his forward confession, her cheeks heating up. Tommy just smiled at her. "I should be going. It's getting late," she spoke then, breaking the silence between the two. Tommy's eyes searched hers for a moment, but he said nothing. So she reached out and squeezed his shoulder with a smile before standing and proceeding to leave the bar.
She started her walk home then, head swimming with the events of the night.
———
I have so many chapters written for this story already, so be expecting frequent updates! I hope you're enjoying so far!!
Songs from the playlist:
Therefore I am - Billie Eilish
Catherine - PJ Harvey
Free the Slave - KALEO
I Can't Go On Without You - KALEO
Alabama - Bishop Gunn
Thanks so much for reading! Make sure to vote and leave a comment! :)