The Tailor's Daughter - Tommy Shelby

7: The Stars Above the Roof

"Marcie?" Nico popped his head into his sister's room to find her standing at the closet. In the weeks since the Potenza siblings had been in Small Heath, they'd managed to build a bit of a foundation. Marcie had more clothing beyond the scant amount she'd brought with her when she ran from Bordesley. Her bedroom was feeling a bit cozier once she was able to secure some homely comforts. A nice, knitted blanket, a new lamp, little things that made Marcie feel more like herself and less like a prisoner in a strange land.

Of course, now she was poised to venture further into that strange land. Even if her common sense was telling her it was a bad idea.

"Hm?" She barely looked over at her brother, too caught up in her own thoughts.

"Patrizio said you were going out tonight." Nico looked worried.

"Oh, well just for a bit." She answered and considered one dress, removing it from the hanger.

"Is that a good idea?" He leaned against the doorjamb, nervously chewing on his bottom lip. "I thought we weren't going to get comfortable here."

"We can be comfortable here but we can't let our guard down. There's a difference."

Nico's nose scrunched up slightly. "Doesn't sound like there's much of a difference to me."

"It'll be okay," Marcie said although she was having trouble looking him in the eye. "Tommy suggested I should go to his pub. I just want to show him that we're not a threat to him or his family. We're just regular people."

If Nico thought the excuse was weak, he didn't say anything. "Okay, will you be back late?"

"No, I'll be gone just an hour or so." She promised. "I have to get ready; dinner is on the stove."

Nico nodded and shut the door of her room to give her privacy.

~~~~

The streetlights were turning on as Marcie walked down the street to the Garrison. She wore a simple dress, nothing to attract attention. At the end of the lane, the pub lit up the night. There was already a decent crowd inside and loud conversations could be heard even from outside.

Marcie had no idea what she was walking into but her last interaction with Tommy had piqued her interest. She wasn't ready to treat him like a saint but perhaps there was more to the man than she initially assumed.

She didn't immediately garner attention the second she stepped through the door. The crowd was mostly Blinders but there were a few women and locals scattered in the mix. It seemed Small Heath wasn't afraid of at least socializing with the gang.

Slipping through the crowd, Marcie slowly made her way around the bar, trying to at least appear like she fit in. She almost considered ordering a drink to fit in but she was almost certain that people would be able to tell she didn't drink much.

Luckily, Tommy would come to save her. "Marcie." He seemed to appear out of thin air as she was passing by the booths.

"Oh, Tommy." She gave him a polite smile.

He was leaning against one of the booth dividers, a cigarette poised at his lips. "Good to see you here." He was definitely at ease in the environment, a king in his palace.

"Well, thank you for inviting me out. It's a nice change of pace." She admitted no matter how anxious she was in the new place.

"Come meet me brothers." He beckoned her closer. "Lads." He cleared his throat and turned toward the booth.