Rumours || Thomas Shelby [1]

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KATHERINE WILLIAMS KNEW A LOT OF THINGS. Somethings were harmless and some things not so harmless. But that was her job - knowing things - and working in the local market selling fruit and veg - but that's less exciting to talk about. Kat revelled in the fact that she knew a lot of things, especially things that she shouldn't know. She loved the way she held power over people, how she could order anyone to do what she wanted. All she had to do was whisper a secret into their ear and suddenly they were falling on their knees, begging her to tell no one and that they would do whatever she wanted. She loved the rush of power.

The market where Kat worked was busy, unusually so for the end of the day. Kat's feet ached from the long day of standing continuously and she was fighting to keep the scowl from her face. Kat's reputation was enough to keep some people away, she didn't need to be scaring more people away with her scowl. That what her boss, Sammy, told her anyway. Despite her reputation, her stall always did well everyday and that was probably because their fruit and veg was the freshest.

A blonde strand fell in front of face, having come lose from her clipped back hair throughout the day. She tucked it behind her ear as she sighed. The day had passed slowly and she was dying for a drink. She was ready to scream when a timid looking woman hesitantly approached the stall. She was a petite woman, too skinny and boney. Her clothes hung oddly off her shoulders and her skin was an odd grey colour, Kat noted.

The woman was wringing her hands together by the time she reached the stall and Kat was distinctively unimpressed. It was evident that woman wasn't there for food, the poor woman obviously couldn't afford it and Kat nearly wanted to give her some on the house. But Kat was a bitch and she had a reputation to uphold.

Her boss huffed behind her but disappeared into the back room. That was the agreement Kat and him had agreed - well, what he reluctantly agreed to after Kat threatened to tell his wife about the multiple affairs he had with her sister. Kat nodded at the woman, telling her to join her. Once the woman stood beside her, Kat raised an eyebrow at her. The woman opened and closed her mouth a few times, clearly trying to gather the courage to talk to the intimidating woman.

"My sister." The poor woman whispered, her voice shaking. Her dull eyes were wide and her body trembled with nerves. "Can you find her?"

Kat blinked in surprise. Normally, people came to her to confirm suspicions about their cheating partners or something trivial like that. "Is she missing?"

The woman nodded, the action looking painful for her and Kat sighed. This woman couldn't afford her, her prices weren't cheap. The woman seemed to sense that Kat was thinking this and pulled out a wad of notes. Kat stared at the wad of notes and then at the woman, who stared back at her with wide eyes. "Find her?"

Kat wrapped her hand around the wad of cash and the woman's hand, sighing. "You're wasting your time and money, woman. Buy yourself some food. God knows you need it."