𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐋𝐈𝐓 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐄 of Shelby Company Limited, Caterina waited for Thomas to return from his lonely crusade to God-knows-where.
Last rays of the days sun peaked from behind the curtains and fell on the dark oak furniture filling the room. It was easy to fall back and disappear behind the massive wooden desk and the impressive set of Victorian chairs.
The next door to the right was her own office, as the brass plate on them suggested;
Caterina Cardinale
Chief of Staff
Down the hallway lined up desks of a few female employees, used mostly for accounting work concerning Tommy's growing legal side of the business.
Flipping through a copy of yesterday's Times she found neatly folded on the desk, Cat let her eyes wonder over every detail of the office.
In the bookcase there was a complete set of every edition of 'Harmsworth's Popular Science,' a volume of modern encyclopaedias. Tommy took her advice on educating himself to heart, though he would never admit it. It was obvious by the way he used long words and formulated complex sentences
Photographs pepper the walls, mostly they of winning enclosures, with smiling owners and jockeys. 'Aintree, second place, 1920'. The owner, Tommy and her side by side, both grinning ecstatically.
There are more framed photographs on the desk; most of Tommy with various minor dignitaries at small race meetings. She takes one in an engraved silver frame.
'With Lord Croft at Ascot.' She is dutifully standing on his right, his hand tucked around her waist, and a dazzling smile at the photographer.
If someone were to look at those photographs, they'd no doubt mistaken her for something more than a business partner. Lowering the frame, she banished the traitorous thoughts from her head.
The rattling of keys stirs her from her daydreaming, as Thomas opened the door to the office. He's far from surprised to see her there in his chair, especially since he bolted from the crime scene with no explanation.
Caterina watches patiently as he took off his coat and cap, running his hand through the sharply cut hair. The tense set of his shoulders reveals more than he would like to admit. Their eye contact remains unbroken as she stands up from the desk and he edges towards it.
"Anything to tell me?"
She busies herself with pouring two glasses of whiskey from the lovely crystal decanter he received last Christmas.
"No." He replied shortly, settling behind the heavy oak desk.
"Liar."
Both glasses remain in her hands, the rings on her fingers scraping against the crystal from the tight grip. Hands on the desk, Tommy leaned in to stare her down. There were things he craved for now, in this tense moment and he desperately needed the alcohol to wash the thoughts away.
His voice came out unintentionally hoarse. "I need that drink."
"No idea what you're on about, Shelby." The Italian feigned innocence, downing both of their drinks with a quick motion.
"It's some good fuckin' whiskey. I do hope it's not Irish."
By the fire in her eyes he realised she had already connected the dots concerning the unfortunate destruction of The Garrison. With a sigh he leaned back into the leather chair, dragging a hand over his tired eyes.
"I need to call Moss. Family meeting at nine tonight."
She takes pity on him, going for a refill of the drinks and placing one in front of him. "Right and then you'll tell me."
"It's my business, and I don't intend to involve you in such matter." He deflects stubbornly.
"Because you don't trust me?" Her mind couldn't help but reminisce of a certain blonde she called her friend, whose shadow still lingered in the back of her mind.
"Because I don't want you to get hurt." He raised his voice, unintentionally. It was the easier way to say she was the only person her fully trusted, and the one he felt completely undeserving of.
"I'll pull it out of you, even if I have to bring in the big guns." It was a challenge, and the one she'd gladly take up. Setting her glass down she marched out of the office, heels clacking against the floorboards as she made her abrupt exit.
Now left alone to his thoughts, Tommy's eyes fixated on one of the photographs on the desk; a photo of a family of three boys and a girl with their mother. It was taken one spring morning, only days before the Easter. Tommy, Arthur, John and Ada posed seriously, pretending to be professional and smart, with a smiling dark-haired woman with her arms wrapped around them.
In the inner corner of the frame there's one more photograph, of the length of a thumb, like the ones used to put into a medallion or passport.
Tommy's electric eyes drank in the smiling face of the woman he loved from the photograph.
Then, he made his choice and grabbed the phone, dialling Moss.
*:･ﾟ♛･ﾟ:*
Though almost two years had passed since the Shelby family extended their premises from their humble betting shop, the family meetings still commenced in the same room, around the same table. The only difference was the increased number of participants and the sleek black piano Tommy insisted on installing in the corner of the room.
She was convinced it would bring a dose of professionalism and posh into the betting establishment.
Buying off the next two houses in the Watery Lane, the shop was extended, polished up and able to house a new safe room and offices, as well as more space for the bookies and the customers to wait to place their bets.
"Where the bloody hell is Tommy?" It's John that breaks the silence settled between the family members, checking his watch for what had to be the tenth time in two minutes.
He stood near the stairs where Esme sat, though not a blood member of the family she earned that place by loyalty and mothering one of John's children.
"He's on his way." Jumping to his feet, Arthur set off towards the crates stacked by the fireplace, his heavy footsteps echoing through the room.
Behind his back John and Polly exchange both looks of concern and amusement. For the last few months Arthur had become a slight cause for concern. He spent his days in the boxing ring, his mood swinging like a pendulum clock, and temper mirroring the one of a tempest.
"While we're waiting..." He turned with a grin and set the box full of whiskey bottles heavily on the table, passing them around the room.
" ...This is all the stock that's left from the explosion. So..."
Bottles are opened. Even Finn, the newest member of the meeting gets his hands on one of the bottles, two swigs of the amber liquid already making him feel the warmth seeping to his head.
A drag of whiskey and his wife's urging look prompts John to hesitantly get up on his feet. He cleared his throat anxiously, trying to get the full attention of the raucous room.
"Before Tommy gets here, I think we should get some things sorted out between the rest of us."
"Which means it's not something Tommy approves, am I right?" Nobody had heard Caterina enter through the back, hands on her hips and looking at John expectantly. With a shake of her head, striding past the stairs to take a seat next to the oldest Shelby in the room.
As soon as she sat, Arthur passed her a bottle with a look that read you'll need this. To her left young Finn was turning red in the face but still kept pouring another glass of the liquor. Cat noticed that and snatched the bottle away before he could overdo it, sending the fourteen year old a stern, motherly look.
"Yeah. I want to know. When did we take a vote on this expansion South?" There's anger lacing his tone now, demanding an explanation from the room.
"If you have anything to say, you wait for Tommy."
"Yeah, at least have the balls to say it in his face." Cat gave him a tight lipped smile as a warning.
Arthur raised the bottle in her direction. "Amen sister."
"I see all the books. Legal and off track. Stuff you lot don't see." He corrected himself once he noticed Cat's glare. "Well, most of you. In the past year, the Shelby Company Limited has been making a hundred and fifty pounds...a day."
The room was happy to ignore John before but the figures he announced shocked them into silence.
"A fucking day. Sometimes more. So why are we changing things?"
"It's called improvement. Growth." Cat pipped up drily, making Arthur chuckle slightly, but no-one else.
With one look she noticed Polly actually listened to what John had to say, if not shared the sentiment.
"Polly, look what's happened already..." Deliberately, John continued while looking at his aunt. If he could persuade her to talk sense into Thomas they could still save their heads. "We haven't even set foot in London yet and they've already blown up our fucking pub."
Not in the mood to listen to unnecessary whining, Cat leaned on the table, one hand propping her chin up as her eyes scanned around the room. The paintings she ordered a few months ago came recently, and now the room seemed much more livelier. They were all reproductions of their winning horses, with a little gold label underneath it featuring the date, name of the horse and the derby they won.
"You've got to take a risk once in a while." Arthur is swigging whisky at an impressive rate, no obvious signs on inebriations at all.
"Anyway, who says it was the cockneys?" He added.
"Who else?" It was Esme that piped up, for the first time since she was allowed to sit at one of the family meetings.
"So you know who did it, do you?" Polly asked her, mockingly. Esme is defiant but sits down.
"I'm told only family are allowed to speak." Esme couldn't help but to cast an envious glance at Cat and her privileged spot next to the table. Then, all of a sudden..
"Everybody's allowed to speak." Deep baritone of Tommy's voice makes the heads turn in the direction of the door. No-one had noticed him looming on the shadows for last few minutes, listening to the tense complaints and bickering around the room.
"On your feet Esme. Let's hear what you have to say." He moves from the door frame, stalking inside the room like a lion on the prowl.
Esme hesitate, looking to John for support, though she only got a nervous stammer.
Caterina smirked behind her glass of whiskey. Obviously the couple never thought they'd get this far with their complaints, perhaps only to light the fire of doubt in the minds of family members.
"I speak for our household." John tried to save at least a bit of his dignity. "So-"
"Shelby Limited is a modern enterprise and believes in equal rights for women. We have our chief treasurer and chief of staff here, both women." He emphasised, gesturing at Polly and Cat. Then he turned back to his brother's wife. "On your feet Esme."
Tommy wandered deeper into the room, moving around the table only to lean on the back of Caterina's chair.
Esme's fazed only for a second, rising from her place on the stairs. There's a wild sense of confidence in her eye, gypsy blood in her veins giving her heart the courage and tongue the freedom.
"I am not a blood member of this family..." She began, careful not to glance into Cat's direction.
It was no secret that, despite their closeness and friendship, Esme envied Cat for her spot at the table though she was neither a blood relation or a spouse. And still, she had a prominent position in the company and was able to express her thoughts and plans to the inner circle.
There's a particular, ornate way in which Esme spoke; like a character dropped from a novel, and yet mixed with the strong Roman burr all the Lee's seemed to have in common.
"But perhaps indeed because I am not a family member I can see things in a different light..."
"So I will get to my point."
"That would be nice." Polly snarked, eliciting a snort from Cat. Tommy's hand slipped down to her shoulder, squeezing it in a don't be rude manner of warning.
"As my husband said, Shelby Company Limited is now very successful. But London.." She paused, looking at Tommy.
"I have kin in Shepherds Bush and Portobello. It's more like wars between armies down there. And the coppers fight side-by-side with them. And there are foreigners of every description and the use of bombs is the least of it." Esme said. "I have a child. Blessed with the Shelby family good looks. I want John to see him grow up. I want us to someday live somewhere with fresh air and trees. And keep chickens or something. But London is just smoke and trouble Thomas."
'Thomas'? Polly mouthed to Cat incredulously, as her eyes swept over the sympathetic room. The other woman simply rolled her eyes at the play acting out in front of her, taking another drag of her cigarette.
With one last winning look towards Thomas, Esme concluded her little monologue and set back down on the stairs, straightening her skirt. "That's all I have to say."
There's a silence in the room, some holding back giggles, some shooting glances towards Tommy's passive face.
"That was a lot of words, Tommy. Have a drink to wash them down?" Arthur suggested cheekily, offering the bottle to Tommy. Tommy takes it to the window. He unscrews the cork and takes a swig.
"First of all, the bang in the pub was nothing to do with London..." He began, taking a swig of his drink. A swarm of questions flooded the room but Tommy raised his hand, silencing them effectively.
"The bang is something I'm dealing with on my own."
"Of course you are." Caterina whispered, rolling her eyes in annoyance.
He straightens a photograph of the King then turns. We might notice that Tommy has the use of longer words these days and has the diction of a man that reads...
"And we have nothing to fear from the proposed business expansion. So long as we stick together. And after the first few weeks nine-tenths of what we do down in London will be legal."
He crossed the room to clap Arthur's shoulder in support. "The other tenth is in good hands."
"That's right." He nodded proudly.
John's crestfallen face revealed his disappointment, and for a moment he doubted if perhaps Tommy gave Arthur the control over the old business because of his act of defiance.
"There are many in this room who have expressed their reservations." His eyes were on Polly as he stalked the room, the woman refusing to meet his persistent stare.
"There are some of you who welcome these new advancements with open arms."
It was Cat's turn to look smug. Unbeknownst to anyone other than Thomas himself, no-one knew it was actually her that suggested expansion Southwards.
"And any of you who want no part of the future of this company are free to walk out the door. Right now." Tommy offered a sharp smile to John and Esme, both staying completely silent. "Go and raise your chickens."
He then turned to the rest of the room, scanning it for hesitance, staring them down.
"But those of you with ambition? The expansion process begins tomorrow."
With one last swig of his whiskey, he slammed the bottle back on the table and disappeared through the back room. On her right, Polly's mouth fell open in shock before bolting after her nephew. Mildly pleased, Caterina was hot on her heels.
"Tomorrow?!"
"I'm company treasurer, you should speak to me first." Polly reminded him, the two following him to the safe room of the betting shop. "It's Newmarket tomorrow, third busiest day of the year."
"We have 18 staff." Tommy reminded her.
Polly drew out a chair, sitting down. "Who you trust with 200 quid takings?"
Thomas stopped with unsuccessful combination cracking, glancing first at Polly who was lighting one of her long, black cigarettes, then Caterina. "I trust Cat to hire reliable and trustworthy."
"Oh, I changed the combination." Polly added nonchalantly, inspecting her nails with a smug smile on her face.
Taking his hands off the safe, he turned to Cat with a raised brow. "Polly's the big guns?"
"I'm very persuasive when I want to be." Cat smirked as Polly commenced her interrogation.
"Who did you meet at the Black Lion?"
"Give me the combination Pol." Tommy urged his aunt impatiently, but it was obvious she would not budge.
"You could've presented it with a bit more tact and not make a complete fool out of your brother." Caterina reprimanded him. For as long as she had known him, she was aware of John's confidence issues; he was neither as clever as Tommy or as strong as Arthur, and had confided in her once that he always felt overlooked, excluded.
"I know how to deal with John" He assured her, one hand running through his short hair. "Never should've gotten him a gypsy wife, putting wild ideas in his thick skull."
"She's not all that bad. A bit annoying but them's wives." She turned to Polly, trying to ease the woman's nerves if possible. "London is a dangerous game to play, yes, but we've been gambling with our lives for years now haven't we? And this set of cards looks very promising."
Thomas nodded in agreement. "What happened to the pub was Irish business. We're in a situation where, for everyone's safety, it's best for some things to remain undisclosed."
"Why tomorrow?" Polly spoke up, tapping her nails against the waxed surface of the table.
"It's simple really — tomorrow's Newmarket. All the London bosses will be at the races, far enough from the city so we can strike." Cat explained, leaning her back on the cold metal of safe doors.
"We take the opportunity to show our hand. The Italian gangs and Jewish gangs have been at war in London for six months, and The Jews have been having the worst of it. They need allies. "
"Yeah but we don't." Polly argued.
"We need a foothold at the southern end of the Grand Union. The Jews control Camden Town. We go down tomorrow when it's quiet and we leave our message." Tommy added. "If Alfie Solomons and his Camden boys come to us, we'll negotiate the use of a secure bonded warehouse and then our legal activities in London can begin."
"Thankfully, I have experience in both expanding legal business and dealing with dangerous gangsters." Cat and Tommy exchanged a barely noticeable smile.
Cat was thrilled to finally be able to use her skills in managing legal work she acquired over the course of years on the board of Cardinale Imports. It would feel good to, in a way, return Tommy the favour of employing her, providing a proper roof over her head, a proper family — with all its dysfunctions — she always wanted.
"Do you know, it was a fine speech you made in there, about this company believing in equal rights for women." Polly finally spoke up, a disappointed tone evident in her voice. "But when it comes to it, you don't listen to a word we say. Maybe you don't trust us."
"I do trust the two of you." Tommy defended himself. By the sharp glares he received from both it was more than obvious they weren't buying it.
"We'll be off to London tomorrow morning. You're in charge." He turned to Caterina.
Cat scoffed at his words, shaking her head. "Oh I'm coming. Polly does a fine job running the shop, anyway."
"A provocation." A look of realisation crossed his face, pleased with the cunning of the brunette in front of him. "Clever girl."
Trying to suppress the bubbling in her stomach at his words of endearment, Cat ducked her head slightly in order to conceal the redness of her cheeks with her dark tresses.
"That and a fuckin' damage control for you three idiots." Jabbing her manicured finger into his chest with a chuckle, Cat finally turned to the safe, putting in the numbers of the combination.
With a glazed look in her eyes and a sigh Polly watched the two she considered her own exchanging jabs as they counted the wads of money inside the company safe. Two years she watched them dance around each other and their obvious feelings, hurting each other and themselves in denying the evident tenderness they felt.
"Identical set of fools, you are." Polly whispered, though determined now more than ever to do everything in her power to bring the two the happiness they desperately needed.
*:･ﾟ♛･ﾟ:*
ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ's ɴᴏᴛᴇ
i definitely recommend reading this story in the smallest font, with a black background — the mood it creates is divine