BABY, YOU'RE A RICH GIRL ⇉ ARTHUR SHELBY

TWO

THE ROOMS THAT HARRY HAD LET OUT TO DIANA WERE a world away from what she had lived in previously. He had been surprised when telling her the price to rent, to which she happily excepted when many either refused or were hesitant.

"So what brings you to a town like Small Heath?" He asked her as he handed her the keys, she smiled at him lightly as his thick Birmingham accent came through when he spoke. "I wanted a new adventure in life, my old life was so boring, this seemed like a second chance to find out who I am." She told him, beaming.

Harry just looked at her, not quite sure what to think of the girl who seemed so full of life, something that not many people were in this town. "So where are you from originally?" He questioned her, wanting to know more about the girl. She began moving a few things around in the room while absentmindedly answering his question. "I'm originally from London, quite a boring place if you ask me and then I moved to Yorkshire and now i'm here!" She told him before carrying on, "all that's left to do now if find a job and settle down."

Diana had never had a proper job, not surprisingly to many who she had told, but she had always been a hard worker at whatever she had done, whether it was learning, interacting with the people she needed to, to help her father's business or whether it was helping people that needed it, especially in the war. However, she did have skills, which she had gained during the war, she knew how to practically stop a man from dying with a bullet inside of him, she knew how to stitch up someone's cuts and she knew how to calm a child down from seeing the worst things imaginable. She wasn't happy with the way she had come to know all this, the war was not something to be proud of or happy about, but she could help people, and she was thankful enough for that.

Harry shrugged, "well, I ain't heard of no jobs going around here unless you're a bloke, but I have had a young girl just hand her notice into me about being a barmaid, but I don't own this pub, so I'd have to have a word with the owner if you're up for serving a few pints?" He told her as she opened her mouth shocked, not quite knowing what to reply.

"Would you do that? I don't even know what to say." Diana told him, shocked at his kindness towards her, now knowing that the conductor on the train was wrong, the people around Small Heath weren't people that were up to no good in dodgy business, some genuine people were willing to show a stranger like Diana kindness.

The older man just smiled at the girl, who was so enthusiastic to be in Small Heath for reasons he didn't understand. "Don't think anything of it, the owner will probably be in sometime today, he and his family are always in here in the evening, makes them forget about their daily business." He told her as she looked at him questioningly.

"What's his name?" She asked him, as he just swallowed at her question.

"Arthur Shelby."

++

It was later in the evening, all the men had finished work in the factories and instead of going back home to their wives and children, they all flocked to the Garrison for a drink, to forget their troubles and instead drink themselves silly.

Diana came downstairs from her rooms, walking into the Garrison, hoping to find the man who she now knew of the owner of the pub, Arthur Shelby, and introduce herself in hopes to charm him into hiring her. When walking in, dress in her best clothes, each man in the Garrison's head turned to look at her with wide eyes. Not being oblivious to the looks and stares coming from the men, Diana simply walked over to the bar where Harry was stood, almost chuckling at the looks on the other bloke's faces.

Diana just leaned over to him on the bar, "i'm guessing they aren't used to having a woman come into a pub?" She questioned laughing as he just shook his head.

"Trust me, sweetheart, we've had women in here, just none like you." He told her, chuckling. Diana looked at him questioningly, "what do you mean, women like me?" She asked, wondering whether it was a bad thing that she had come into the pub.

Harry just stared at her, "no one as lovely as you, I mean, not in a bad way, but you look a world away from the women of Small Heath." He told her as she just smiled shyly, knowing everything about herself was a world away from here, but she was simply no different than anyone else.

Sitting on one of the stools at the bar, ordering a drink from Harry, Diana placed her head in her hand, looking around the pub, not knowing if one of these men was the one she was meant to be looking out for. But Harry had told her earlier, 'you'll know him and his family when they arrive.' But she didn't understand what he meant until she finally did.

The men's laughter filled the pub, their conversations surrounded the room until the door opened. It was then it fell silent, almost as if someone had died, but instead three men stepped in. Not noticing the silence, nor Diana sat at the bar, the three men made their way to the locked booth that Diana had noticed early one, walking in. Before one of the men could enter, Harry leaned over the bar.

"Arthur, sir, can I have a word?" Harry asked as the man-made his way over to the bar. At first look, Diana couldn't help but swallow the lump in her throat, in her lifetime she had met the tops of society, she had even come close to meeting the king herself, being at the same ball as him, but she had never been as nervous as now.

To say the man looked intimidating was a step below how Diana would describe it, his tough exterior was highlighted by the clothes he wore which looked like they were made by the most delicate yet strongest hands, his hat hides his face well, though Diana could see the roughness in his face and the young girl could have even sworn she saw a blade in his hat. But that didn't stop Diana from wanting this to go well, it had to go well, she had to prove to herself she could do this, and not even nerves would become the best of her. Harry turned to the man, and then back to Diana, motioning to her.

"Mr. Shelby, this is Diana Stone, she's just moved her, she's hoping to get the barmaid job here." He told Arthur, looking to be careful at what he was saying, not wanting to say the wrong thing.

Arthur just looked Diana up and down, as she shifting in her seat. "You don't look like one of the whores," he told her as she just raised her eyebrows, not quite sure what to reply to the man.

"Uh, no, i'm not a whore, Sir." She told him, not understanding what he was trying to imply. He just looked at her suspiciously, "can you pour drinks?" He asked her as she just nodded, he looked her up and down once more before turning to Harry.

"Fine, she starts tomorrow morning, make sure she does a better job than the last one." Diana looked confused, what was wrong with the last one? As Arthur left, Diana breathed a sigh of relief as Harry turned to her.

"Word of advice, stay clear of the Shelby's."