Miss Fortune {Peaky Blinders}

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓹𝓸𝔀𝓮𝓻 𝓸𝓯 𝓪 𝓷𝓪𝓶𝓮

Important: I noticed a mistake in the first chapter. I changed the time setting to January instead of November. That makes more sense, since the entire first season plays in 1919 and that over several months.
_____________________

𝓝𝓪𝓶𝓮𝓼 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓹𝓸𝔀𝓮𝓻.

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓛𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓣𝓱𝓲𝓮𝓯

"I need a new suit. Full set."

Thomas Shelby said in his usual dry manner.
Full set meant trousers, waistcoat, suit jacket and a bow or tie.

Taking a deep breath I made my way over to him, mentally preparing myself for questions regarding yesterday.

"I'll have to take your measurements, please take off your jacket and shoes, Mr.Shelby."

I said and took the measurement tape from around my neck, looking everywhere except for his eyes.

"How come I've never seen you here before Miss...?"
He asked with a tone in his voice I didn't like.
It was almost playfully.
Like he already knew who I was.

Not planning on giving him the satisfaction of knowing things about my person, I hopped onto his game.

"Oh but Mr. Shelby, you have seen me before."
I said with a deliberately innocent voice and looked up into his eyes for the first time that day.

Even tho it was only for a brief second I could clearly see the dismay in his eyes.
He knew that I caught on to his charade, but that didn't seem to stop him.

After he slipped out of his shoes, I started by measuring the length of his arms and took his hand to pull it upwards, so he would extend his arms away from his body.

"The Garrison, yesterday. It was you, who calmed down Danny Whizzbang."

He said, watching my every move, as if I was planning on stabbing him with the pencil behind my ear.

"Indeed, it was. You and Freddie did a poor job, in trying yourself."

I said as if it was the most obvious thing. Which it was, how do they expect to calm down a scared person, by screaming at them?

"Oh and why is that so?"
The Shelby shot back a bit to fast, showing me that he was hurt in his pride.

"Tell me, Mr. Shelby, how exactly do you expect fucking screaming is gonna help a person calm down, who's scared for their life?"

I said slightly bemused and huffed, while scribbling down the measurements of arm and torso length.

Probably taking in my words, he didn't respond to me.

Walking behind him to take the measurement of his shoulders, I chuckled quietly.
I didn't think it would be that easy to mess with Thomas Shelby.
After I had also scribbled down those numbers, he seemed to have found his voice again.

"Why is it that you don't want to tell me your name?"
He asked still looking at the wall in front of him.

Stuffing the pen back behind my ear and the notepad into the waistband of my skirt I grabbed around the man's torso, to measure his chest. Pulling the tape around I held it together on his backside loosely.
I wasn't completely sure, what led me to my next move, but I needed him to breath in, so I went slightly onto the tips of my toes and whispered into his ear, with a mischievous smile.

"Breath."

And even though his shoulder slightly tensed up, he followed my order and breathed in deeply, which made the tape around his chest widen.
As soon as he breathed out, I took a step back and scribbled down the numbers, still not having given him an answer.

"Say, what difference is a name gonna do? My name won't give you any kind of special knowledge. It's just a name."

I said whilst walking circles around him, to measure his hips and waist. It's not like he wouldn't find a way to get my name on his own.
And even if he had it, there was no way my name would give him any kind of background information about me, after all, I basically didn't even exist.

To be completely clear, I wasn't born yet.
Getting closer to him once again, I draped the tape around his waist.

"Breathe."
I requested again, holding the tape loosely, so it would widen with his breath.

"If it's just a name, what stops you from telling it to me?"

He quickly riposted with a sly expression.

"Touché."
I said with a somewhat proud smile, since he quickly caught on and used my own weapons against me.

"I know who you are Thomas Shelby, I know what kind of men you and your brother's are."
I said while draping the tape around his hips and subsequently wrote the numbers down.

"Therefore I would be a fool to involve myself with your family and the like. You might think of me as a threat, but I am seriously just trying to stay out of trouble."

I said while measuring the length of his leg.
When I came back up, I saw the puzzled expression in his face.

"I don't think of you as a threat. Just as someone who has one too many secrets."

He said and dished my disingenuous smile right back up to me, but I wasn't giving in that quickly.

"Don't we all have a secret or two Mr. Shelby?
That would be all, any preference of colour or fabric?"

I asked, changing the subject.

"I prefer tweed. I'll leave the rest up to you."

The man said, while putting his newsboy cap back on, ready to leave the shop.
As I turned around to go to the back room and the bell rang, signalling that the door had opened, Maddie came into the salesroom.
"Annabelle, how was your first customer?" She asked with excitement, and made me stop in my tracks.
Not hearing the bell ring a second time, I also knew that the Shelby was still in the doorway, now in knowledge of the name he wanted to get so badly.
I turned around sighing defeated.

"So Annabelle is the name of the mysterious lady."
He stated with a mischievous little smile on his face.
Ugh.

I had already opened my mouth, wanting nothing more than to give back an overly sassy comment but could stop myself the last second.

I closed my mouth again and put on, my best 'fuck off' smile.

"There you got your little name, Mr. Shelby, may it let you sleep peacefully tonight."

Was what left my mouth in the end.
For a mere second you could see the discomfort in his eyes, as I mentioned his sleep, but the self-absorbed slight rising of the corners of his mouth never left his face.