Sitting on the evening train headed for Birmingham, my knees wobbled together as the carriage dashed through snowy fields, leaving a trail of black steam lingering in the sky. My stomach buzzed with bees as the train came to a squeaking halt, but when I stepped onto the familiar streets of Birmingham, it was a breath of fresh air. I missed the winding road that led to the old church in Yardley, and I missed the way the wind grazed across my cheek as I strolled down the hill to my family home. By the time I saw the bare branches of the shrubs that grew up the front of my house, distinguishing it from the brick-built bunch, a wave of nostalgia had crashed over me, and I couldn't wait to step inside.
"My sweet Adeline! You're here!" My mother hollered from the kitchen as her Irish accent rushed through the room, almost bringing tears of joy to my eyes. Opening her arms to me, I fell into her chest, feeling her embrace. There was nothing quite as comforting as the touch of one's mother.
"Where's me brothers?" I giggled as I quickly adapted to my old homely routine. I wasn't gone for long, but it felt like I was gone for years, especially since I had to carry myself like royalty at Charles's house. I mourned the carefree life I lived before I knew Charles. I wanted to go back to when I worked with my brothers and spent my spare afternoons painting lilies in the park. Still, I couldn't predict my future, especially only a few days before my wedding.
"Adeline..." My mother's voice went dead as her fingers steadied my face, allowing her to examine my rosy cheeks and the marks that were the same colours as a cold, rainy morning sky. Worry seeped out of her eyes as fast as rain spilt out of a heavy cloud. I didn't need to say anything for her to know what suffering I endured at Charle's estate.
"Over my dead body, will you marry that beast!" My mother screeched as tears rolled off her cheeks and flung to the floor. My eye split into two as I watched my mother cry. Night after night, I listened to her howls of pain as she mourned the death of my father and brother, Michael. She lost a chunk of her heart in France, and I didn't need to cause her further heartache. That's why I wasn't utterly truthful about the horror I experienced at the Darcy manor.
"Your brother is home." Mother sniffled as she tenderly slipped her tired hands into mine, trying to change the subject. It wasn't long before James strolled through the front door, and I was finally in his comforting arms. Covered in dust from the dirt-filled streets, I didn't care. Hugging him was rhapsodic.
"Now that you're home, I can tell you that I left Yardley and Sons." James firmly announced as his lips curled into a smile of pride, and his eyes had a fresh radiance to them. My lips couldn't prevent themselves from raising their corners as I saw a spark in him that I didn't think existed anymore. The tile masonry wasn't a family business now. It was a shame to see the once-thriving company fall apart, but the joyous look on James's face assured me his departure was for the best.
"You know that Jack got the business in a lot of debt. He was gambling with the company's money." James added as he joined our mother and me in the sitting room. Jack was a disgrace to the family name. Gambling with the family and company's money was enough for us to go bankrupt. The shame nested deep in my mother's eyes caused me to despise Jack more than ever.
"I've gotten a job at a bakery in Small Heath to help pay the bills." I couldn't believe that Jack was selfish and stupid enough to risk everything for a game of chance, but when my mother confessed to working again, I wondered how low he would go.
"He put money before family." The words flew out of my mouth, leaving bitterness on my tongue. Jack was my brother, but he was doing nothing but tearing apart the strings that held our family together.
"He arranged a bloody marriage for you! He sells you off like a horse at auction!" Aggression seeped out of James's heels as he pressed them into the floor with each pacing step he took. With flames growing in his hazel eyes, I could see his resentment towards his brother.
"Where's Jack now?" I questioned, noticing how late it was becoming. It was unordinary for him to be out so late, but when James indicated that Jack had moved out, I pushed a gust of air through my lips. With Jack no longer present in our shrinking family, it would be easier for me to flee Charles and end the engagement. Jack wasn't present to command me like one of his toy soldiers. I had an opportunity to be as free as a bird.
~~
Cough after cough, I navigated through the foggy streets of Small Heath with my head low. Passing mills and smokestacks, my mind was full of tyranny and terror. I was in a city that gave life but took it away. The coughs and groans of women and children passing me vanished as my heels clicked against the polished floor of The Garrison tavern. It was noon, but it was evident that the men already had enough alcohol for the day. Taking a seat at the modern bar, I wasn't alone for long. The warm scent of a familiar musk filled my nostrils, and a husky voice lingered in my ears, calming my soul.
"I'm happy you brought your purse," Tommy welcomed me as his assuring hand nested in the curve of my back. It felt like home to see and feel him again. His advice gave me the courage to sneak out of Charles's mansion. I would have never returned to Birmingham if it weren't for Tommy. With comfort, my eyes travelled down the fag hanging from his lips to his hands as he poured me a glass of golden whiskey. I had to clench my stomach even to bring the glass of alcohol to my nose.
"A toast to you, Adeline, and new beginnings!" Tommy announced as I accepted his toast with the click of our glasses. Tommy's words floated in my head, causing heat to rise in my cheeks. I knew I wanted my new beginning to include him. I was at ease the entire time I confided in him about my risky escape from Charles's estate. My heart was swollen with fear, but it vanished with each nod and pacifying stare from Tommy. I knew Charles would tear every city in Birmingham apart until he got his hands on me, yet that didn't matter at the moment. I was with a man who listened and cared- a man who would let no harm come to me.
"Those bruises on your jaw and cheek, Adeline. When did he do that to you?" Tommy lowered his voice and eyes. My heart and mind crumbled to the floor as Tommy's words triggered the memory to surface from my unconscious. It was a gruelling night when Charles struck me with the back of a book, leaving me defenceless. He took my pride and my dignity.
"The bruises are much better now," my fingers pressed into my cheek as I touched the tender flesh. I didn't want to discuss what happened that evening. I would be better forgetting about it and acting as if nothing happened.
"Adeline," Tommy's sincere voice meandered through my ears, grounding me. "From now on, until this wicked feud blows over, you're under the protection of the Peaky Blinders." As threatening as it sounded, a colossal weight slid off my shoulders. Birmingham's most feared and fatal gang was watching out for me. No one would mess with me with the Blinders on my side.
When Tommy noticed the gentle smile creep up my face, he took my fingers in his, assuring me everything would fall into place. Whenever Tommy touched me, it was as if I was a delicate rose. So pure, beautiful and elegant. It was a pleasant change after being slapped around for weeks in Manchester.
"There's one thing you need to learn," Tommy reinforced as he reached into his jacket and slipped a small pistol into my lap. Studying the piece of metal as it sunk into the material of my dress, I dug my teeth into my bottom lip. Even though I was not too fond of the deadly weapon nestled between my legs, I carefully slid it into my purse, accepting his gift. I had never fired a gun before, but I had to prepare for the worst with the devil roaming the streets for me.
"There's a first for everything, Adeline," Tommy's eyes bore into mine as his lips curved into a devilish smile. Guns were second nature to Thomas, and by the surly way his cap hung over his eyes, I knew he owned more guns than the coppers in Small Heath.
As we approached the docks of Small Heath, my eyes observed a thin, older man busy rummaging through a scrap pile. It didn't take long for him to notice Tommy, especially since Tommy had me- a woman on his arm.
"Adeline, I'd like you to meet my Uncle Charlie." I shook his grease-covered hand, causing him to grin at me. He must have known I was a Brummie.
"We're here to practice shooting. Need a good target." Tommy announced, glaring around the scrap yard. Charlie was surprised by his words, and I didn't blame him. A man like Tommy wouldn't need much practice.
"It's my first time," I spoke up as a shy giggle passed through my lips. I had little time to prepare myself. My fingers soon clenched to the silvery chain of my purse before reaching inside to retrieve the piece of metal. With Tommy behind me, he wrapped his arms around my petite frame and helped me raise the gun to my eye level. I took a few deep breaths, followed Tommy's orders, and glanced down the gun's barrel, steadying my narrow eyes on an empty bottle. When my fingers leaned against the gun's trigger, my hands trembled against Tommy's, and an uneasy feeling brewed in my stomach. Without Tommy's grip, I would have never been able to hold the gun.
"Take a deep breath, eh?" Tommy chuckled, feeling my nerves rattle in his hands. After a few breaths, my finger pulled back against the trigger with his hands never leaving mine. I didn't let go until a striking roar echoed in my ears, masking the sound of my heartbeat.
I squeezed my eyes shut until I saw starbursts. Tommy lowered his hands and guided me to the now broken glass bottle in the distance. Trying to wrap my head around the idea, I stumbled in my steps before admiring my perfect shot.
"Just like your brother. Clean shot!" Tommy exclaimed as he tilted his head at me with a rather impressed grin plastered on his face. Coming down from a rush of adrenaline, I picked up a piece of shattered glass and shoved it into my purse.
"I'll keep it as a memory!" I giggled as Tommy shook his head with disapproval before dropping the used brass bullet into my hand. I hadn't held ammunition since my time in the munitions factory during the war. I never wanted to have a shot between my fingers again, but it seemed I didn't have a choice.
"You're a natural, Adeline," Tommy called as I took another practice shot, adjusting to the feeling of having a gun between my hands.
"I learned from the best," I chirped while sliding my pistol back into my purse. In the distance, I noticed the Shelby brothers strolling towards us with a woman leading the group of gangsters. Dressed in black from head to toe, the only hint of colour seen on her was the red embers that burned at the end of her cigarette.
"Here comes me family," Tommy mumbled through a deep exhale before shoving another fag between his lips. The hint of stress that seeped from his blue orbs told me he needed it. Approaching us with a waggish grin, John kicked the pieces of junk scattered along the ground, annoying the rest of his family and causing Tommy to roll his eyes.
Finally, coming face to face with the woman, I was mesmerized. With chestnut hair, chocolate eyes and a warm complexion, she was striking in every way possible. The second I glanced into her fiery brown eyes, I saw Shelby blood. Blood that was full of ambition, loyalty and danger.
"You must be Adeline Yardley." The woman spoke, keeping her mysterious appearance. She emerged cold and calculating, much like Thomas at times. However, after a simple glare into my eyes, her lips curved into a pleasant smile, causing the nerves creeping up my back to fall.
"I'm Elizabeth Gray, the boy's aunt. You can call me Polly." I yearned to know Polly better, but Arthur chirped in with a more pressing topic- family business.
"It looks like you've enjoyed yourself this morning, eh Tommy?" Arthur snickered, sniffling as loud as he could. I didn't blame him. The air in Birmingham was anything but fresh.
"I have a business to finish. Family meeting tonight then, eh?" Tommy announced to his family as Polly kept her eyes on me, examining every move I made. I couldn't tell if her glance was a good or bad thing. She was far from being an open book. The moment I locked eyes with her, she placed a hand on my arm. It was a motherly hand that felt familiar- a hand that experienced much like my own. When the men broke into a conversation about the gambling business, Polly pulled me aside with sympathetic lines etched into her face. I hadn't said anything since I met her, but it was as if she knew my life story.
"Your heart is in a million pieces." Polly was not mistaken. I appeared strong and jovial, but my windows to the soul told a different story. A story scarred with grief, bitterness and agony. A story I didn't want to tell, especially to a stranger.
"The bruises on your cheeks tell a thousand words, Miss Yardley," Polly added when I didn't respond. She seemed to want to say more, but she kept quiet with the men approaching us. I was glad she respected my privacy. I hadn't been entirely forthcoming with Tommy about what happened the night Charles hit me with a book. I was afraid if I did, a war would break out.
"You have your pistol, Adeline?" Arthur implored as his eyes travelled down to my purse. It seemed my business was becoming Tommy's family's business too.
"Good thing then, eh? That Charles bastard is in Small Heath," Arthur hissed through clenched teeth. Fury rose in Arthur faster than the blink of an eye. His face became as red as fire, and his eyes glazed with rage. I didn't mind his honesty and raw emotion, but Tommy shouted Arthur's name, prompting him to halt speaking.
"How do you know Charles is here?" I demanded, hoping Arthur was wrong.
"We know who enters our fuckin' city!" John chimed in, biting on a match stick. My stomach fell to the ground. A piece of me was disgusted and alarmed, but another was completely numb. It was as if that part of me didn't care. I was out of his cage. He couldn't control me and use me, yet the other part of me knew he could drag me back to his prison.
As Polly noticed uncertainty manifest in my body, she proposed an idea. "She'll stay with us. Tommy will give Adeline his room for a few days." Polly's words caused chuckles to fly out of John and Arthur's mouths. I didn't care where I stayed as long as I never came eye to eye with Charles Darcy again.
"Do any of you boys want to give up your room, then?" Polly spat, wiping the boyish grins off John and Arthur's faces. Tommy's cold blue eyes shot his brothers a firm warning. As I noticed the hint of protectiveness emerge from him, a wave of pride surged through me. It was a soothing feeling I hadn't felt in ages - a feeling that caused my heart to grow with each beat and my worries to seep off my back. I was with Thomas, a man who vowed to protect me with all his might. With him, I knew I would be alright.
Hi!
I know this is overdue, but I hope it sets the tone for what's coming! Xx
K