To Monaco & Back - Finn Shelby

1

1927 - Somewhere across the Sea
Wednesday 15th October. 15:24

The boat rocked side to side softly, hardly noticeable to someone who would've been preoccupied with business, or perhaps a children's game. But to Isabella Lopez, the slight rocking of the boat felt like a deadly earthquake which was getting ready to swallow her whole.

Hours had gone by on the lonely canal boat, she was pleased that only minutes remained until her arrival in Small Heath. Her only tasks had been to sleep, read, draw, paint and stare at the ceiling thinking about how bored she was.

That is all that she has in life. Boredom. Isabella could never get rid of it. Her only source of fun was when her father had gone out of town on business, so she had enough time to sneak out to multiple pubs. To visit her one and only friend. Alcohol. As well as the occasional little snow. I say occasional, it was more or less an every night occurrence.

But as she stared at her ceiling she began to wonder. Why on earth would my father travel all the way to Birmingham? It was a question that replayed over a million times in her head. She knew better than to ask him. Knowing her father very well she knew what his reply would be to anything, which explains why they have so little communication. All she knew was that they had business to attend to regarding the Shelby family.

The family which have wound themselves up in a feud with Mr Lopez. After a misunderstanding in a bar in London, just about everything between the two sides has gone wrong. Isabella secretly begged that the 'peaky blinders' would finally come to their senses and just kill the man.

Throughout the 18 years of her life, he has done nothing but cause chaos and misery in her life, as well as everyone else's who he came across. It was safe to say he wasn't a liked man, unless you were foolish, dull-witted or simply just mindless. Isabella has met many men who fitted all of these categories. You wouldn't be surprised to hear that all of these men are acquaintances of her father. 

Isabella rose from her bed, grabbing her luggage and pulling it through to the top of the boat. She squinted her eyes together, expecting to be met with a bright sun, but it was a dull grey cloud which hung above their heads.

"Don't get no sunshine here." the man said. The boat driver. He must've been sat in the same spot for hours on end. He had picked them up from London and taken them all the way here, without standing up for stopping for a break once.

"I can see that now." Isabella shook her head, slightly concerned as to how people could live like this all the time. But you can't blame her, she was only used to the sun and beaches which were across Italy. 

"Leave your suitcase Isabella, you aren't a servant. There will be people waiting to get it themselves for you." Mr Lopez scoffed. Isabella sighed and took a seat on the end of the canal boat. She held her dress up in the air slightly, she tried to not seem as much like a snob but she truly didn't want to get her dress mucky. After all it was specially made and imported from America just for her.

The man picked up the candle which was sat next to him and blew it out, as the boat slowly drifted out of the tunnel and out into an open yard. Isabella was invested in looking at every part of the place where she was. She was mesmerised by the scenery, it was her first time in England and she hoped to make the most of it.

A group of men were stood waiting at the side, all of them dressed in long black blazer coats with peaked caps rested on their heads. Isabella wondered where the name Peaky blinders came from and now she knew.

The boat came to a halt, the man who drove it jumped out onto the gravel, then put his hand out to Isabella. She pulled her luggage towards her, picking it up and passing it to the man first, then gave him her hand and he helped her up. She nodded her head towards him and stepped away from the boat as her father climbed out.