The Tailor's Daughter - Tommy Shelby

4: Across the Tracks

            Although Marcie agreed to the arranged marriage, she couldn't stomach being around her family. She could hardly manage to work, allowing her mother and brothers to take over for a bit while she gathered her emotions. She heard bits and pieces of the development. Her fiancée's name was Leo and was Darby Sabini's nephew. He was a couple of years older than her and handsome, according to her mother. But Marcie wasn't sure if that was just a weak attempt to convince her. He would be arriving in London the next day and that night would be a party to celebrate the engagement.

The sun began to set although the day had been pretty gloomy with a thick curtain of fog hanging over Bordesley. It felt like it had been days since the sun truly showed itself. Marcie sat at her vanity, feeling completely numb aside from her turning stomach. In all honesty, she did imagine she'd find a nice man one day. Someone who courted her and someone she genuinely fell in love with. She never imagined her love life would be something manufactured, something beyond her control.

There was a faint knock at the door.

"Come in." She said, her voice sounding hollow and defeated.

Nico slipped into the bedroom and shut the door behind him. "Can we talk?"

Marcie had always adored her little brothers, even if they caused chaos wherever they went. She felt like a second mother to them, making sure she was there to help Fiorella when she needed another set of hands. She didn't like to play favorites but she and Nico had a special, unspoken bond. He was gentler than his twin and Gavino. Marcie had fond memories of reading to Nico before bed. His big brown eyes gazed up at her in wonder as she told him fantastical fairytales.

As he grew older, Nico felt pressured to follow in the footsteps of his brothers to prove he was a man. His soft-spoken manner often made him the target of people bigger than him. Naturally, he had to defend himself. But Marcie knew he was still the kind soul she helped raise.

"Of course, we can." Marcie agreed.

Nico sat down on the edge of the bed. He was rocking slightly, his hands wringing together. "Why'd you say yes?"

She turned around in her seat to face him. "Papa seems to think this is the only way." It was all she could do to put on a brave face for her baby brother. "I trust him to have looked for other options before he chose this one. It's a last-ditch effort, Nico."

"I thought you would fight it." The teenager's voice trembled. "You always stand up for yourself. I-I thought you'd tell papa to think of another way!"

Marcie stared at him. Sure, it was a dire situation but she didn't know what was causing him so much anxiety. "We have to make sacrifices for family. You'll learn that one day when you're older."

Nico looked like he was about to burst at the seams. "You're the only one sacrificing. No one else is doing a thing but benefitting from you." He blurted, trying to keep his voice low so the rest of the family couldn't hear. "Marcie, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into. You don't know..." Fear made him clam up and he looked to be on the verge of a breakdown.

"I don't know what?" The hair on the back of her neck was standing up. "Nico...you have to tell me what's wrong."

"I've never met him." Nico's eyes went downcast. "But some of the fellas talk about him. They talk about Sabini and the rest of his family, including Leo...they're dangerous."

Alarm bells were going off in Marcie's head. "Dangerous how?"

Nico was practically trembling. He knew he was going against the wishes of Gavino and his parents. But the guilt was eating away at him. "They're like Vittore...they're like the Peaky Blinders." He whispered. "They run the race tracks...and other things...pubs...protection money. They're more powerful than the Blinders, at least for now. They do bad things...I've heard stories."