"Miss Day!"
Sybil jumped as she heard the enthusiastic tone, clutching her hand over her chest in a frightful manner. She'd been inside her own head all day, and having someone shout her name as soon as she stepped off campus wasn't ideal in the moment. Turning, she was (unfortunately) met with the familiar face of Archibald Hayes, in all of his pesky glory.
"Don't creep up on me like that!" Sybil scolded, trying to steady her heartbeat.
Archibald, however, just found the situation to be one of much hilarity, which only made Sybil's disdain for the man increase.
"And what's so funny?"
"Nothing! It's just—" he cut himself off, laughing more. "What would you have done? You know, if I were an actual threat."
"A great deal more than you'd assume, Archibald. It'd do you well to stop underestimating women. Especially when they feel threatened."
Archibald just rolled his eyes at the girl, but kept smiling, catching up with her as she kept walking.
"I'm sure, I'm sure," he acquiesced. "Bet you're the toughest person in all of Birmingham, eh? Give the Peaky Blinders a run for their money, don't you?"
At the mention of the Peaky Blinders, Sybil knew that she had to dodge that topic like it was an arrow flying towards her head. Men like Archibald Hayes were dangerous. They talked too much, and asked too many questions — ones that could get a lot of people in trouble. And with the looming threat of that inspector and his (alleged) little barmaid overhead, Sybil wasn't taking any chances.
"I'm sorry, but did you need anything?"
Archibald noticed the way she dodged his question, and narrowed his eyes at her for only a split second before composing himself.
"I wanted to see you." he shrugged.
"Well, showing up to my place of employment without notice isn't the way to do it."
"I thought showing up at your door would be too much."
The thought of him knowing exactly where she worked and lived was unsettling, to say the least. All she knew about him was that he worked in construction, fancied her, and that he was one of the most annoying people she'd ever met in her life. Oh, and the fact that Tommy Shelby wanted to kill him.
"And why did you want to see me?"
"Because I think you're lovely, and I want to court you."
At that, Sybil's eyes widened. Before this, they'd met two times: one being right after she'd witnessed a murder, and the other time being when he refused to let her walk alone. And now, he's trying to court her. It was all very sudden, and if she was being honest, it was very strange, too.
"What?"
"I said that I'm want to court you." he repeated himself, sounding more confident now. "I fancy you, Miss Day."
"You barely know me, Archibald."
"Maybe so, but I know about you." he persisted. "I know that you're a school teacher, and that you're the best in Birmingham. I know that you're not married, and that your family want you to be. I know that you're kind, and that you'll make a great mother to our children someday—"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Hayes, but there's been a misunderstanding." Sybil interrupted.
At her new way of addressing him, his face fell. She'd only called him Archibald from the moment they met, and now, she was calling him Mr. Hayes. He couldn't deny that it was a blow to his self esteem.
"I'm not married because I don't wish to be married, not because I can't find a husband." she clarified. "I... I'm just not looking for that right now."
Archibald was silent at that, staring at her in a way that Sybil couldn't quite put her finger on. All she knew was that she had to get out of the horrendously awkward situation that she was currently in, and fast.
"I best be on my way, then," she spoke softly, hiking her basket higher up her arm. "Goodbye, Mr. Hayes."
But Sybil only got about a metre away from the man before he spoke again.
"It's because of that Tommy Shelby bloke, innit?"
Sybil froze at his words, his now razor sharp tone a stark contrast to the goofy one he'd just only possessed.
"I beg your pardon?" Sybil asked, turning around once more.
"You're shagging him, aren't you?" he asked, looking manic. "That's what this is all about. Tommy Shelby. He's why you won't give me a chance."
Archibald Hayes' mood swing was so hard and fast that it made Sybil's head spin. Not even five minutes prior he was laughing and joking — now, he looked frightening. The type of frightening that had Sybil clutching onto her basket tighter than usual and her adrenaline beginning to rush.
"I don't know what you're talking about—"
"Yes you do!" he insisted. "I've seen you!"
At this, her blood had run cold.
"Leave me alone," she demanded, trying her hardest to not come across as intimidated.
"Or what?"
"What the bloody hell is going on here?"
The both of them turned, seeing a man who Sybil hadn't ever been so thankful to see: John Shelby. Out of all of the Shelby boys, he was the one she had yet to have a proper encounter with. And as of that moment, he couldn't have picked a better time to become acquainted with her.
"I said," John repeated, getting in between the two of them. "What the bloody fuckin' hell is going on here?"
"Nothing." Archibald seethed, looking into Sybil's eyes one last time before storming off in whatever direction of whence he came.
Sybil let out a deep breath that she didn't know was holding, shaking her head. She just couldn't get a break, could she? Between being beaten, witnessing a murder, being interrogated by the police, and now having an apparent stalker, she couldn't even catch her breath.
"What the fuck was that?" John asked, turning to the distressed woman. "Who was that prick?"
She contemplated telling him the truth, she really did. She contemplated telling him everything Archibald Hayes had said, but then she knew that he would tell Tommy. And although she just scratched the surface of knowing about what he does and what he's doing, she knew that the last thing he needed was this. He was trying to run a legitimate business, and she wasn't going to let anyone or anything come between that. Besides, she could always go to the police if things escalated, and things became worse.
"Nothing," she lied. "He's no one."
"Yeah? Well, that didn't look like 'no one' to me."
"He's just a man trying to court me."
At this, John was surprised. He knew that his brother, despite not having confessed it yet, had his eye on the school teacher, and that Sybil Day wasn't exactly the marrying type. She was the work first, life later type of person, and she always had been. Everyone knew that. He just couldn't believe that someone else had his eye on her, and that he'd actually attempted it. The way John figured it, if she was interested and ready, she'd probably be the one doing the courting.
"That didn't look like a man who was trying to court you."
"No, no he didn't. That was the look of a man who'd just been rejected." Sybil muttered, running a nervous hand over her face. "Just... please don't tell Tommy, I beg of you."
Sybil knew that his first instinct as soon as he linked up with his family again would be to tell the tale of how he saved Miss Sybil Day from a courting gone wrong, and she also knew that the first thing that Thomas would be to get involved. And right now, as of that moment, that was the last thing she wanted. She felt like a constant bother to the man and his family, and she was growing tired of that feeling.
"What? Why?"
"Because... I just don't want him to know, alright?" she said, looking into his down turned eyes. "I can handle this on my own, and there's no use of crying over spilled milk."
Sybil and John knew that this was a little spilled milk. However, John just nodded.
"Let me walk you home," he insisted. "I'm on my way to the Garrison anyways, it'll be no trouble."
For once, Sybil didn't object. She didn't know where Archibald may be lurking about, and now, since she knew that he was watching her, needed to be more careful.
"Thank you, John."
"No problem," he shrugged, sending a little smile her way. "...How's work?"
"Good. Busy, but good." she replied with a sigh, happy to move on to another subject. "And yourself?"
"Just about the same, I reckon." he chuckled. "I'm headed to a family meeting right now, so that might take a turn for the worst."
Sybil tilted her head at his confession, confused by his statement. As she understood, things were going well for the Shelby family and their business.
"Why is that?"
"Because I want to get married, and they're not going to like it."
"And why not?"
"Because... the woman I want to marry... she's Lizzie Stark."
Now that came as a shock to Sybil, rendering her speechless for a moment. But, just as she always did, she quickly composed herself and recovered.
"That's... lovely."
"I love her, y'know?" he asked. "And she loves me. But my family..."
Somehow, Sybil knew that John didn't really love Lizzie, nor did Lizzie love John. She could just tell.
"They won't exactly be happy about the choice you've made."
"That's an understatement." he mumbled, kicking some of the gravel on the ground as they walked. "But... my kids. They've been running circles around me. I can't do this alone. I just can't."
So that was his motive.
Sybil was taken back to the day where she and Thomas Shelby sat next to each other at her cousin's wedding at his words and reasoning, reaffirming everything they talked about that fated morning. Weddings and marriage truly meant nothing these days.
"When's the wedding, then?"
"Don't know. I have to get Tom's blessing, though. Then I'll figure that shit out."
"Why his blessing?"
"Because he's the closest thing to a father that I ever had."
"What do you mean?"
John chuckled a little bit, thinking back on his father.
"That son of a bitch left. Around ten years ago, maybe more. He was never a good dad, and even though Tommy ain't the oldest, he's still more of a father to us than our real one ever was. So it means a lot that I have his blessing."
Sybil didn't think that she could like Tommy more than she already did, but there she was. Hearing that just made her respect him more, and it also made her feel empathetic toward the man. All of the boys she'd grown up with were forced to grow up far too soon — the war had stolen every bit of an adolescence that they should have had. But with Tommy, not only did he lose that in France, but he was forced to give up any hopes of living life as a young man when he got home, as well. He had a business to run, a family to take care of, and more that Sybil knew that she would probably know about.
"Well, I hope you get his blessing, then." she smiled a little, checking over her shoulder to make sure that Archibald wasn't following them or anything. "I'm dreadfully sorry about your father, though. Parents can be hard at times."
"He's better off gone," John shrugged. "Weren't you close with your dad though?"
At the mention of her father, Sybil smiled sadly. It'd been a while since she'd thought of the man she cared so deeply for, and she felt guilty about it. There'd just been too much going on in her life for those kind of thoughts, she supposed.
"Yeah. We were really close, actually."
"What happened?"
"He died a few years ago. Illness took him." Sybil explained. "He was probably my best friend, as pitiful as it sounds."
"Sorry to hear that."
"It's alright, it's been a while." she shrugged. "The most tragic part of it, though, is the fact that I'm now left to deal with my mother and her side of the family on my own."
John let out a laugh, shaking his head. He recalled her family dynamic from when they were children, seeing that it hadn't changed a bit. Her father was always encouraging, giving her books to read and letting her do what she pleased, while her mother was the more... uptight parent, per say. She was strict on Sybil, and everyone knew. She wanted the girl to grow up to be like a proper lady, and that was one of the reasons that she was forbidden from going near them as children.
"Yeah, mums' sides are always worse," he chuckled. "Try growing up with Pol around. Jesus, I can still feel her beatings."
"Polly is lovely."
"So is a bear, until you get too close to it."
Sybil smiled a little bit and said nothing more, stuck in her own head. Her mind was swimming with everything that'd happened recently, and she felt like she was drowning. She not only had to balance work, home, and her personal life, but now she had to juggle her relationships with the Shelby family, Inspector Campbell, Grace Burgess, the murder of the Italian man, and now a stalker.
When she and John finally arrived at her home, she quickly thanked him, wished him luck at the family meeting, and rushed inside, much to John's concern. He didn't know Sybil all that well, but he knew that the last thing that she was was a coward. She didn't hide from things, nor did she shy away from telling the truth. But he knew that whatever he had interrupted had caused her to do both of those things, and he didn't like it one single bit. But he'd made a promise to the woman, and until further notice, he would keep to it.
For the time being, that is.
But for Sybil, things weren't that simple. She was now paranoid about everything in her own home. The one place that she had to herself had become tainted, and she hated it. She hated the fact that she couldn't seem to catch a break, she hated the fact that men couldn't ever just take 'no' for an answer, she hated the fact that Tommy Shelby always had to be her knight in shining armour, and she hated the fact that she couldn't be with that aforementioned knight. Right now, she hated everything.
So, she did the only thing she could. She drew all of her blinds, locked the door, and then shut herself in her room, where she knew she would be safe.
Or so she hoped.
n// impotant note! please read!
okay so i know this seems very dramatic and whatnot but please remember that this book follows the timeline of the show and that things are spaced out. not everything is happening one day after another; there's some time that isn't shown. so between her meeting archibald and this chapter has been around roughly a month, maybe more. and i know that it seems like he's done a complete 180 or that im just trying to make him bad, ut i promise that this was all planned. i made him like that to show how terrifying of a character he actually is. he was designed to be unpredictable. so sorry for the long note, but i'm just trying to rationalise this for everyone because it feels like im rushing things??? idk i just really love this book and don't want people hating it!!!
anyways, thank you all for your continued support. these past few weeks especially have warmed my heart, and it's because of you guys that i love writing this book as much as i do. so thank you so much, and just know that i love you all!