The Camden Girl and The Devil (Tommy Shelby)

"A whiskey is fine."

Ivy was unsure how it happened. She just knew one day, on her usual route through Camden Town, she was taken. It was not forceful per se. A bag was not thrown over her head nor was she pushed and shoved in the back of a vehicle, but she was tricked. Her brother Alfie had mentioned a new suitor for her. Not that she had any care for one. Either they were only on a date with her out of fear of him, or after she spoke for longer than ten minutes, they seem to not want anything to do with her, anyway. She would not be with a man who was threatened by the fact she had her own ideas and opinions.

In the car, she hoped to think nothing more of it and stuck her nose in a book. It helped pass the time and calm her nerves for the actual and eventual tragic date. Alfie always said she was oblivious, but she disagreed, arguing that.

“What is the point of being attentive if I have people following and watching over me every second of every day? I might as well walk around with a bag over my head, and I’m sure I’ll still end up where I need to with no harm.”

“I mean - I never wanted to suggest it myself, but covering up that ,” Alfie gestured to her face, “could help with the dates.”

Alfie and Ivy had been close since they were kids. They often teased each other back and forth, but his overprotectiveness was a pain in the ass. Ivy gave no second thoughts to the random men who would call out to her. Had no worry when she went into a tavern alone or roamed the streets of Camden. Because no one would dare touch her. Alfie had made it clear on multiple occasions what would happen if anyone came to close without his say. A woman not having to fear of being raped or taken was a bonus to being his sister, but it also meant she was constantly under some sort of watchful eye. Until it backfired.

Ivy shut her book, a giddy smile on her face at the wholesome ending. It seemed the woman was going to die until saved at the last second by her husband. Ivy was a sucker for a cheesy ending. But her smile dropped as her eyes caught the fast coming building in front. Her eyebrows furrowed together, and she looked back at the book. She had only just started it, fresh out of the bookstore, and the book was not short.

“Where are we, Harvey?” She asked the driver as they pulled up to the building. It was huge. The only buildings she saw that size in Camden were the factories, but this was no factory. This was a home. Who was she dating? The fucking prince of England? She didn’t like it. She could only imagine how many hallways and rooms there were just for her to get lost in. Like the maze she and Alfie once went through as kids, just for her to eventually give up, sit in a corner, and cry until Alfie found her. Two large pillars stood at the end of the bridge. She placed her book away and leaned forward as they went past. She pouted a lip when she saw the pretty flower bed in the centre acting like a small roundabout. At least, whoever it was, he had some taste.

“Where are we?” Ivy asked again. The car stopped at the bottom of the stairway, leading up to two wooden doors.

“They said they would hurt my family,” his voice shook, and her head snapped to him. Something was wrong.

“What did you do?” her voice stayed even.

“I’m sorry.”

When Ivy looked back to the house entrance, a man stood in a sharp clean suit, his fringe swept to the right, the sides shaved close. He walked down the stairs, cigarette in his mouth and his narrow face was unreadable. Her hand balled into a fist. She knew who this man was.

“Thank you, Harvey,” he said as he approached the car. “Your boat for New York leaves tonight.”

Ivy held her tongue from the vile words forming in her head. Sold out by one of her own.

“Alfie will have your head for this,” she said to Harvey before opening the car door and stepping out to meet her supposed date. “Tommy Shelby.” They had never formally met before, but Alfie kept her somewhat updated with things happening in the business. That was a lie. She forced them out of him when she found documents and listened in on meetings. “I suppose this isn’t a date, then.”