NEW REIGN || Tommy Shelby

XIII. COST OF FORGIVENESS

- COST OF FORGIVENESS -

October 13th, 1921

The race hall was filled with people. Everywhere she turned she bumped into somebody who was excited about the race or celebrating with someone, smiling and laughing. They were all wearing shades of white and their finest suits, and hats accented with fall flowers scenting the room with pollen, mixing poorly with the smell of the horses. Everyone was excited about the race- it was the first of the season and she could feel the nerves buzzing in the air.

She scanned the crowd, looking for familiar faces. There was one she wasn't sure she wanted to see, but she couldn't stop herself from looking anyways. At every turn, she braced herself for the bang of a gun or the rising of smoke. If Tommy planned to kill a man, there was no way everyone was making it out alive.

Ada tugged her arm, bringing her back down to reality. She peeled her eyes away from the crowds and down to the brunette pulling her towards the bar.

"Come on, Rosie," she said with another firm tug. "Keep looking like that and people might start thinking this is a funeral!"

Rose just nodded, giving Ada a smile that she knew looked more like a grimace. She tried to relax, but the dress Ada had picked out for her that morning- a pale pink with embroidered pink and white flowers- mocked her storming mood with every step. Ada reached up and pulled Rose's hat back, lifting it out of her eye-line.

She ordered some elaborate cocktails, smiling as she took one for herself and handed another to Rose. She brought it to her lips, but didn't sip, letting Ada bring her out of the bar and to the box that overlooked the racetrack.

Everything looked normal, but that didn't calm her racing heartbeat. The horses were walking up and down, led by their trainers, followed by men and women all making small talk along the edge of the track. She could hear all the chatter, but it all felt distant. All she could think about was Tommy and the weight of the handgun in her purse.

If Ada knew it was there, she said nothing, lounging in her seat and making small talk.

"You know you're a terrible actress, Rose," she said, and finally, she looked up at Ada. She was dressed in a deep blue dress that hung off her body and swayed in the afternoon breeze. It fit her perfectly, cutting through her dark blue eyes. If Rose stared long enough, she could see the resemblance between the Shelby siblings, all in the haunting blue of their eyes.

"What do you mean," she said, this time taking a real, long, sip from her glass.

"I mean that when I got into town this morning I went to the Shop, and Tommy nearly bit my head off for being ten minutes late. Now here you are, looking like a sorry excuse for a Peaky Blinder and, well...just sad in general. It doesn't take a genius to put it together, though thankfully I am one."

Rose scoffed, "If you think there is something wrong, ask your brother."

"And if you think that would ever work, maybe you don't know him as well as I thought you did."

Ada was right, though she would never admit it to her. She was in love with a man that kept everything so close to his chest that he would be buried with all his secrets and lies.

"What happened?" she asked.

She tried to remember it all, but the night before flashed through her mind in a blur of anger and frustration.

"He lied to me," she said once she had finally decided what happened. It still didn't feel like she had chosen the right words. Had he lied to her? Had he deceived her?