At Your Service [Tommy Shelby]

Glass house - Part 1

The  next day, that fight Thomas and Lizzie shared was the talk of the day. Not everyone had heard it happen first hand, and by the time the story had reached Vivian she had heard about 10 different versions. One of the staff even said that Thomas had hit Lizzie, this of course was a story coming from a friend of a friend of a friend. And somehow it even angered Vivian a bit, she was certain he wouldn't do something like that. He's been so soft and respectful to her, how could he do that? Then again.. she has seen him coming home with a suit two pounds heavier dripping with blood.

As the day proceeded she couldn't shake those stories out of her head. Things really took a turn when another story added to the pile, of Thomas going out with yet another woman that afternoon. Luckily no one had mentioned her name. However she did not like the added- 'yet another'. She does not like to be received as yet another woman he goes out with, not by him and not by others. It did not improve her mood that day to say the least..

There was another woman in the house with anything but a good mood. Lizzie went out of her way to avoid Thomas and the one time he did come in the same room she threw him a deathstare and stomped out of the room, leaving a heavy-sighing Thomas alone. There was that toxic cycle again, they keep pushing each other into it. And Lizzie wouldn't be Lizzie if the staff wouldn't get some of that anger and frustration targeted on them. "What are you looking at!?" Vivian got thrown at her head, for just checking in on her. The only one who seemed to be able to tame her a little was Polly who dropped by to put some paperwork straight with Tommy. When she saw the tall woman pouting on the couch she already knew what time it was.

With all that negativity going around, Vivian wanted something to cheer her up. She had been looking for a reason to stop by Thomas ' office all day, but she couldn't really make up a good one. Besides today she was only on cleaning duty, Francis and Cathy were serving Thomas, which Cathy of course loved to do. Was that a tinge of jealousy she felt? It wouldn't have been much, because a whole wave of embarrassment washed it right away after she realized she is just like the rest of the women working there. Embarrassment turned into frustration and frustration send her into a cleaning frenzy. She even got compliments for her work form Francis, which is really not that common.

Now after dinner, she is pretty exhausted, she'd outdone herself today, if she may say so herself. However she still had not thought of a reason to barge in his office and start a conversation with that intriguing man. She went as far as pretending to have some cleaning to do in front of his office, but the man didn't seem to go out for anything. Looking at the clock, she sees it has already been 8 o' clock.. tomorrow she would have another busy day, so she'd better just go to bed. Frustrated and ready to throw in the towel she decides to put away her cleaning supplies and call it a day. She has done everything she had to do and more, she'll talk to him another time.

15 minutes later she'd put away her cleaning supplies and when she closed the closet door she suddenly heard a muffled thump coming from a couple of rooms further down. She walks into the hall where the noise seems to come from. Now she hears the voices accompanying the loud thump. Yet again, it was a screaming Lizzie, a shouting Thomas. Glass breaking. She walked around the corner, up in the hall next to the office. The voices immediately got much clearer. It was clear they had chosen the office as wargrounds now. Usually you could find staff everywhere in the house, but when there was a fight it was like the place was abandoned. Perhaps she should leave as well.. Yet she stood still. Was it curiosity?

More glass breaking, a crying Lizzie. "For fuck's sake, Lizzie. When will you fucking drop it?" She heard Thomas shouting, followed by two loud thumps. It sounds like the whole room is being destroyed. "WHEN YOU TELL ME THE TRUTH TOMMY.. TELL ME THE TRUTH." Lizzie's crying out. There was a loud and long silence. Vivian guessed that was Thomas taking his time to think of a response. And he did respond, yet he was talking calmly and quiet. Too quiet for Vivian to really hear what he was saying. But what he said was apparently the wrong thing, because Lizzie called him a bastard which was followed by a harsh clap. The door swings open, so hard it made a pictureframe drop from the wall.