Violent Delights | Peaky Blinders [thomas shelby]

THREE.

( book i, CHAPTER THREE )

          "THOMAS?" SHE WHISPERED. OF ALL the people she could have run into, it had to have been a Shelby- and of all the Shelbys it had to have been Thomas.

She was overjoyed to see the Shelbys again, but under her circumstances and the way she had left things with Thomas- everything felt foreign and uncomfortable.

Tommy stayed silent as he watched her. Her hand was now busy in brushing through the golden locks of a young boy. His first thought skimming over the idea that this child could possibly be hers. But he didn't let the idea dwell much longer before he softly spoke, "Elizabeth."

The Ramsey girl quirked her lip in a sort of awkward, half-smile.

At least some things haven't changed, she thought amusedly to herself, Tommy still can't make a bloody conversation.

"Um- how are you?"

He stayed silent. He expected that once he said her name she would fade into a distant memory- as if she was a luminous ghost of his past life. He had so many questions, so many things he wanted to say- to ask.

"Why are you here," is how he chose to respond instead.

"There's nothing for me in London any longer," she answered quietly, her grip becoming tighter on the boy before her. While she knew Thomas in their younger years, she did not know him now as well as she once did. The Tommy she knew as a child would never have given her up to those whom hunted her and her family, but the Tommy before her may choose to do so.

Humming at her response, he immediately knew she was telling the truth- but not all of it. He wanted to chuckle, Eliza was still a terrible liar, but at least now she knew to only tell certain aspects of the truth in place of a lie.

"Where's Poll? And Ada? And the boys?" She quickly asked, changing the topic from her return to Small Heath.

"You're changing the subject."

She sighed, tapping Ron on his shoulder causing him to look up at her, "Go stand off to the side over there and wait for me, yeah? I need to talk to Mr. Shelby. I'll be there in a moment, darling."

He nodded, but before he scurried away, Eliza grabbed his arm and pulled him back, "No running off, understand?"

He shot her a grin, but nodded nonetheless. She smiled and kissed his head and watched him run off to the corner to play with a chained dog.

Once he was far enough, she turned back to Thomas- her smile falling.

"We needed a fresh start, Thomas."

"And Small Heath is what you consider fresh?" He bit back. He enjoyed her company- it was what he secretly hoped for in the days during and after the war, but he knew better. Thomas Shelby was not a man whom wishes were granted for.

"No, but it was where I was most happy," she responded honestly, "I couldn't keep Ronan in London- not after his brother died," she continued, "And with my father gone- I refused to stay."

In all technicality, her words spoke the truth to a certain extent. Living in the same house as William and her father hurt Ronan and herself deeply. She recalled all of the times she found Ronan sitting quietly in William's room, looking around as if he was waiting for his brother to pop out of the closet at any moment. But Ronan wasn't stupid, he understood. William was with his parents, and he would not be returning home.

"Your father...?"

"He passed away not even a month ago."

"I'm sorry."

She hummed softly in response and looked back at Ronan once more, "Small Heath was the only place I thought of to go. From what I hear, your family still rules over this town. So, I'm asking you, as an old friend, to allow Ronan and I to stay. Please, Thomas."

She was desperate. If Tommy threw her out of town, which he most definitely had the power to do so- she and Ronan would have no where else to go. She could hardly afford a week's stay in Agatha's inn- much less having to pay for another way out of Small Heath.

Yet Tommy made no response, and in his silence, she found her answer.

She sent a look of disbelief mixed with disgust towards him before turning around and beginning to walk to Ronan.

For a moment, he thought of letting her go. She was too good for him. Elizabeth Ramsey was the angel sent by God himself. And he was the devil. But even if it was too good to be true- that chance had stumbled it's luck upon him- he was a selfish man. He spent years of his thoughts on her. During the war, all he could hear was her voice, the smell of her hair, the rosiness of her cheeks- Thomas Shelby was a selfish man when he wanted to be. And Elizabeth Ramsey was his Achilles Heel.

He grabbed her wrist.

"What-"

"Promise me, Elizabeth," he stated, "Promise me, you will not leave again."

It was a wonder how Tommy never suspected it. He could always tell when she was lying. But it seemed as though his heartbeat pattered too loudly in that moment to differentiate the falsities in her words.

"I promise."

And so it began.