Animal Instinct | Peaky Blinders [Thomas Shelby]

05 - Esme

Vivian yawned from underneath her umbrella.

Downtown Birmingham was overwhelming at this time of day, only made worse by the state of the weather. The traffic was slow as people side-stepped puddles in a worthless attempt to keep their feet dry, and motorcars slowed to a crawl as workers and coppers alike ran into the streets to get to where they were going. From her place in the crowd, it isn't bad, and the rain masks the stench of burning coal and rotting refuse that's enough to make milk curdle on any normal day, and washes away the rainbow streaks of oil and grease.

The streets deflate as Vivian turns a corner, with everyone closing their shops for the day. The workers are distracted, and it's easy for her to feed from their wares. She let her right hand dart in and out of the crowd in light touches, while her other kept a hold of the umbrella. She doesn't take much -- a few shillings from a man's back pocket, a golden ring from a woman's finger -- enough to fill the inside of her coat pocket without it seeming suspicious.

She stops when she notices a pair of coppers across the street, but they weren't looking in her direction. Instead, their attention was solely on a man with a blinder cap, and their conversation seemed to be coming to a close. The man tipped his cap, before he discreetly passed the coppers each a few paper bills from his breast pocket.

With enough pounds, any crime could be overlooked, and it wasn't uncommon for gang members to pay cops to turn the other cheek. The thought of it made Vivian's skin crawl. She wondered how much it would take for them to overlook her pick pocketing. She wondered if the coppers would help a murderer dump a body if they were paid enough or hold down a woman and let a man rape her for a pocketful of crowns.

The troop of traffic moved and Vivian let it carry her to the end of the street corner. She slipped her gloves on and buttoned up her trench coat, before she stepped out of the crowd and started walking in the opposite direction.

It was far less crowded on this street. The shops were closed, and any of the few people on the street were waiting outside the school house. It was a short, but long, building held up by white pillars and made of a fresh red brick, making it stand out against the black buildings around it.

It was the most prestigious school in Birmingham, and if it weren't for Cecily, who ran a program to get kids from the poorer neighborhoods a better education, Leo wouldn't have the chance to attend. Rather than pay for his attendance, Vivian took the class once a month to a nearby pasture and taught them to groom and ride the horses. Other parents from the same neighborhood show them how to farm, fix cars, or help out around the school.

Through one of the windows, Vivian could see Leo's class. In the second row, Leo doodled in his notebook while Cecily talked in front of the black board.

She still had a few minutes before his class was to be dismissed, so she sat on one of the benches outside, where a woman was already sitting. She was dressed in a grey, loose fitted gown, which was soaked from the rain, and she was mumbling to herself as she wrung out her cap.