Another love

Part Twenty - 1920

1920

Sarah was humming away to herself as she strolled through the City of London, that she was now happy to call home. In Small Heath, Sarah was like a big fish in a small pond, but in London she was a small fish in a big ocean, and honestly she liked how it felt, even if it did make her lonely at times.

"Sarah? Sarah Crawford?!"

Sarah froze from the sound of her name being called, not many people in London knew who she was, it wasn't like in small heath where everybody knows everybody, and it's not like she was hanging around with well known gangsters. She slowly turned around as her eyes widened when she saw who it was. He was alive, he had survived the war.

"Freddie Thorne?" She gave him a wide smile as she ran over and hugged him, "What are doing here?" She gasped.

"I could ask you the same thing, this is where you ran off to then?" Sarah went red from embarrassment and looked awkwardly at the floor, as the guilt settled in on her, Freddie noticed and quickly tried to change the subject "I think there's a couple of people with me who'll want to see you."

Sarah took a step back from him, her eyes darting around as she looked around nervously for the man, "Tommy?"

"No, don't worry it's not, Tommy. It's my wife." he smiled.

Sarah smiled and told him to lead the way. Sarah explained as much as she could about her time in London, including why she left small Heath, which Freddie seemed to empathise with. They stopped at a crappy looking flat, which ironically wasn't that far away from her own. "Mrs Thorne, someone here who wants to see you?"

"If its Tommy tell him to-" Ada stopped mid-sentence with a shocked expression, as she came to the door and saw who was staring at her, who shared an equally shocked expression.

"Oh my god." Sarah gasped as she ran over and engulfed Ada into a hug, who was too in shock to hug her back. Sarah pulled away and looked at her "If you want me to leave and never see you again, I will."

This time it was Ada's turn to pull her into a hug as she shook her head in response, "You're my sister, don't go. I have questions but just stay."

Without realising both of them had tears in their eyes which they started wiping away, the thing is, the war changed the women as well because all they had were each other, and they were bonded through that. Much like the men who fought side by side were bonded. Sarah's eyes lit up when she saw Freddie walking back over to her, "Who is this?" She smiled as he introduced her to Karl

"Karl, meet auntie Sarah." Freddie whispered as the baby gave her a smile

"Named after Karl Marx, no doubt" she teased "I think we definitely need a catch-up." She said, laughing with her two friends.

After the couple told her of everything that happened after the war, their relationship, Shelby Company Limited, Karl and the fight against Billy Kimber, it made Sarah's life seem rather boring in comparison. She wanted to ask the couple about Grace and Campbell, but decided that it wasn't her business. When Ada left the two of them to put Karl to bed, Sarah used it as a chance to ask Freddie something that she knew Ada wouldn't want to talk about

"Peaky Blinders are moving into London, aren't they?"

"Why would you think that?" Freddie frowned

"Because they took down Kimber and Darby Sabini is the next one on the list."

Freddie just sighed and looked at his friend

"I don't know, I haven't been involved with that business for a long time. I hope for Ada's sake they stay away, though."

"Me too." Sarah agreed as she squeezed his arm.

Freddie hesitated for a moment, "Do you think Tommy will kill you if he ever sees you again?"

"I've never really thought about it," She said honestly "I don't think so, why, do you think he would?"

Freddie shrugged and rubbed his ear

"He's not the same person that he used to be."

Was all that he said before Ada rejoined them. Sarah loved seeing how in love the two were with each other, a small smile graced her lips, she sighed and stood up.

"Right then, love birds, I'm going to leave you to it, but we should have dinner this week."

"Yeah of course." Freddie nodded

"I'll walk you out." Ada said

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell the others that I'm here. I mean Pol knows I'm in London, and I left Tommy a letter to tell him where I was, but I don't know what the others know so."

"Trust me, I get it." Ada snorted, Sarah smiled at her friend and looked at her

"You and Freddie, huh?"

Ada let out a loud laugh and pursed her lip, "Somehow you don't seem surprised."

"Look to find Freddie Thorne in London is one thing and seeing him married is another, but knowing that you're his wife well that's not really surprising," Sarah smiled sadly at her friend "I am sorry Ada."

Ada's forehead creased with worry, "Why?"

"Because I left you too."

Ada rolled her eyes and smiled at her friend, before pulling her into a hug

"Shut up! I understand, I always have."

"I love you." Sarah whispered into her hair,

"I love you too." She smiled before letting her go.

"OK dinner next Sunday." Sarah smiled and waved at her. Ada nodded in agreement.

When Sarah got home, she did something that she hadn't done in years, she sat down and wrote Polly a letter to tell her she had found Ada, and she would keep an eye on her, Freddie and the baby. Afterwards, she tried to read her book, but her mind kept going back to the evenings conversation about the Shelby's being limited and how Freddie thought that Tommy was capable of killing her. The whole thing made her miss the business and the blinders, and then her mind wandered again she was almost positive that Tommy would expand into London and would be coming after Sabini, who equally could help Sarah move up in the world and maybe be her ticket back into the family she once had, so she set her plan in motion which started with getting a job at the Eden Club.

It only took two months for her to seduce him and once she had, she worked hard to keep things separate, Darby Sabini knew she had family in Small Heath who she wasn't close to, but he didn't know that she knew the Shelby's personally, never mind the fact that she was once in a relationship with one of them or the fact that his sister was living in London. Sarah also didn't tell Ada about her new relationship or where she was now working. Ada and Sarah spent most of their free time together and when Freddie became sick, Sarah helped look after Karl so that Ada could care for her husband until he passed away.