devil's backbone 🗝 tommy shelby

chapter 7

"Good, Finn. Now, read it back to me."

"S-S-S...Sally went... to... the..."

"'To the...'?" Billie repeated, urging him to finish the sentence on the page.

"M-M...Mar...Market...?"

Billie couldn't hide the grin that stretched from ear to ear, happy as a clam. Finn was making such incredible progress, and she couldn't have been prouder. She knew the boy was bright — she knew that from the first day she laid eyes on the little lad — but there was something so impressive about him coming this far in only a few weeks of studying with her. She couldn't imagine being as old as he is and not knowing how to read or write. Hell, she didn't even want to imagine it.

"Excellent, Finn," She complimented, giving the young boy the praise he so unabashedly sought after. "I'm very proud of you, and how far you've come."

"Thank you, Miss Day."

"Please, Billie will do." She smiled, looking down into the youthful face of the little boy.

"Tommy said if I called you anythin' but 'Miss Day' he'd ring me neck." Finn spoke, knowing that in the Shelby family, Tommy's word was as good as law — if not stronger.

After all, Tommy was the Almighty to him.

"Is that so?" The schoolteacher spoke, finding it amusing that Tommy had taken the time to ingrain that of all things into his little brother. "Well, don't worry about him. Between us two, though, you can call me Miss Billie. It'll be our little secret. How's that?"

The small boy smiled and nodded eagerly, wanting nothing more than to share something as precious as a secret with the woman his brother had hired for him. Who knew that learning how to read could be so much fun?

Billie smiled at his enthusiasm and then got back to working with him, having him write out the alphabet and more small little words, then string them together. It was a slow process, but one neither of them minded. Finn was eager to learn (although apprehensive as hell in the beginning) and Billie was reminded of why she did what she did. It was for this. Children who were ready and willing and excited by all the things they had to learn.

As Finn worked on some of his spelling (he was writing out a series of words multiple times), there was a knock at the door. Checking the time, Billie frowned, seeing that they still had a good twenty minutes before Tommy had to pick up his brother.

"Keep working, Finn," She smiled at the boy. "I'll be right back."

Heading toward the door, she checked to see who it was before opening it to reveal the handsome devil with the bluest eyes she would ever see in all her days, Tommy Shelby.

"Hello, Billie." He greeted, tipping his hat a little.

"Tommy," She reciprocated, inviting him in. "You're early."

Tommy took off his hat and Billie took that and his coat, hanging his signature accessories up on the rack by the door.

"It was a slow business day."

Shaking her head with a small smile, Billie folded her arms over her chest, looking up at the man.

"Finn's not quite done yet, do you mind waiting a little bit?"