Living With Mr Shelby

Chapter Fourteen

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--x--Bonniebird--X--

Tommy had been acting strangely for weeks since Uncle Rupert came to visit. My Uncle stayed a week then decided to travel with some of the Lee's leaving me with several amusing tales of his travels.

"Are you intending to put that in the oven?" Tommy made me jump from my dazed train of thought and I realized I was standing with a tin of bread dough in my hand staring at the wall. I blushed slightly and hurriedly put the bread in the oven and turned to face Tommy while I dusted myself off.

"I thought you were at the races?" I asked. Distinctly remembering him telling me to behave because he had people watching me while he was away.

"Rain." Tommy grunted as sat at the kitchen table and began flipping through the afternoon paper I had collected a few minutes before his arrival. I glanced out of the kitchen window and saw, he was indeed right, there was rain.

"Tommy, it's not just raining, that's a thunderstorm." I said hurrying to shut the front door that he had left wide open due to the stifling heat the lack of rain over the last few days had given us. I knew the sudden temperature drop would be quick to hit us as soon as the heavens opened so I hurried around the house making sure everything was shut and began checking the wood bins to see if we had enough to put a fire in each room. Tommy strolled across the room and into the living room but hadn't moved from his seat in the living room that he had claimed as his own and enjoyed watching me run about the house as if it amused him.

"I'm soaking wet, aren't you going to find me warm clothes and make me a bath?" He asked with a look that only I knew was a smile. I rolled my eyes and began preparing his bath while telling him to light the fires, we managed to get everything sorted before the storm hit and boy was it a big one.

"Tommy bath." I yelled over a clap of thunder and pointed Tommy to the bath by the living room fire, once he was relaxed, half asleep with a cigarette hanging from his mouth I snuck into the bookies and waved at Esme who was carrying some wood up to the flat surrounded by children. I knew Tommy hadn't been expecting the sudden weather change seeing as yesterday it had been hot and sunny so he would have planned to go straight to his office after the races then to the Garrison to celebrate, meaning he had left his last bottle of whisky in the office thinking he'd get some more from the pub.

Once I had retrieved the nearly full bottle of whisky I headed back to the flat to find Tommy still in the bath but deep in thought running his free hand through his hair the way he did when there was something on his mind.

"You forgot this." I said holding his bottle up with a smug expression as he tried to hide the fact I'd made him jump. Tommy smiled and reached over to the ashtray on the coffee table revealing a rather large amount of his body making me blush. I quickly set the bottle down and hurried to my room waiting until he was done.

I set down my book once I had finished it. It was now dark and the storm was still raging, I sighed as I saw Tommy's bathtub that he hadn't bothered to empty and dragged it to the window tipping it out and dumping the now empty tub in the kitchen.

"Tommy I'm making dinner." I called knocking on Tommy's bedroom door but was surprised when I found no answer, deciding that he had most likely fallen asleep. I opened the door only to find a rough scrawling note that was written by Tommy telling me he'd gone with Arthur and John to the Garrison. I shook my head at the thought of a thunderstorm stopping the boys getting their booze. My foot hit something heavy and my eyes grew wide as I saw the bottle I had given him earlier was now empty which was a little concerning considering he normally only managed a bottle a week and that was a week when had nightmares each night.

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My bed dipped and Tommy's incoherently slurred words were pressed to the back of my hand as Tommy tried to speak with me but found himself unable to do more than slump down next to me as the alcohol he had no doubt been drinking all night took hold of him. I smiled and shook my head as I unbuttoned his collar, removed his shoes and hat placing them on my dresser and retrieved a blanket and pillow from his room letting the poor Blinder sleep.

"Oi Tommy you in 'ere?" John's voice boomed into my room as he knocked loudly on my door, Tommy slowly sat up and shuffled to the door while fixing me with a smug grin.

"What, did you get it done?" Tommy asked, putting his shoulder against the door shielding me from John's sight and effectively blocking me from the conversation.

"Yeah Freddie can take us up on the next train... Sebini ain't gonna like this though." John muttered peaking my interest after a few quiet words Tommy told him he'd meet the group at the station in an hour and John left us alone.

"You're going up to London to see that Sabini person." I said feeling a little cross that Tommy would do something so dangerous without a second thought, it meant that he was distracted by something.

"Yes, Danny might send for you to check on Greyfair." I scowled at Tommy what he had actually meant was. If things go wrong I'll get Danny to take you to stay with him and hopefully you can make some money off the horse your uncle gave you if you need to. I frowned at him and left the room not really wanting to admit to Tommy that I was angry that he didn't even think to ask if I thought this was a bad idea.

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"We're leaving." Tommy muttered to me as he stood in the doorway of my room gun in one hand, his hat in the other looking at me like a naughty puppy who'd just been scolded. I sighed and got up from the chair I had been sitting in and slowly walked over to him. Over the years we'd grown ever closer and everyone who knew the Shelby's knew that I held a special place in Tommy's heart though neither of us had ever discussed a relationship it was a mutual understanding that we felt the same way about each other.

"Be carefully Tommy." I muttered as I held his suit jacket out for him to put on while he tossed his hat across the living room onto the sofa a habit that after two and a half years I still hadn't got him to break. Tommy looked at me for a moment without moving, his face blank leaving me clueless as to what he was thinking .

Eventually he ran a hand through his hair and pushed me rather roughly against the door frame kissing me with a hungry passion that I hadn't been aware Tommy possessed. I heavy thudding at the door alerted us to Arthur's impatient presence but Tommy ignored him deepening our kiss and pulled my body as tightly as he could to his.

"I have to go." Tommy said, suddenly pulling away and fleeing the room, stopping only to retrieve his hat making me wonder if I'd ever understand the mystery that was Thomas Shelby.