「 𝐢 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝙮𝙤𝙪 」
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Thailiana Wilkinson lost her brother in the war. Of course the news had affected her in all the ways it could but she knew that instead of grieving, she just needed to continue on with he...
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THAILIANA WILKINSON
It was still early morning when Thailiana Wilkinson and Polly Gray found themselves sitting in the betting den, leaning back against their chairs as one smoked a cigarette and the other downed the cup of tea she'd made herself, almost burning her tongue in the process. They sat in silence, neither of them feeling the need to speak. Footsteps startled them out of their dazed states, the oldest of the two quickly putting away her bottle that sat on the desk and swallowing the remnants of the liquid in her glass. Thailiana silently wished she had kept her tea as she watched Esme walk behind the desk, feeling as though she could've sipped it dramatically to add on to the tense atmosphere. She stood from her spot, deciding to pour herself another as she waited for either one of the other women to break the silence.
"You're against this the same as me, aren't you?"
Unsurprisingly, Esme had been the one to speak first, having much less pride than the Gray woman.
"Look out for anyone putting big money on Divine Star at the 3:30 at Newmarket." Polly's tired voice ignored whatever her nephew's wife had said. "She's one of ours. Anything over a pound, tell me."
Thailiana leaned against the table as she, unlike last time, slowly drank her cup of tea. She stared in curiosity as Esme stood, making her way over to Polly.
"Polly," The young gypsy woman said, "I don't wish to pry into your business, but you should know something. That woman is a trickster."
"What woman?" The off-duty barmaid, who couldn't work due to the bombing of the Garrison, inquired.
"Her sister was in the wash house early, boasting there'd been a Shelby at the table."
"What woman?" Polly repeated, her head now lifted as she seemed more interested in whatever she had to say.
"Gypsies talk to each other."
"What woman?" Thailiana insisted, knowing her friend's patience would wear thin, despite not knowing herself what they were on about.
"You went to see Mrs. Price in the Patch last night." Esme explained, placing her hand on the older woman's shoulder. "I'm sorry-"
She barely had time to finish her apology before Polly had stood and held her against the wall, grabbing onto her coat. The brunette that had simply stood staring at the interaction, quickly placed down her cup of tea and stood straight, not moving closer knowing very well that she shouldn't get involved.
"So, what do you know?"
"I know they push the glass," The Shelby-wed woman replied, "The man, he's her cousin. He pushes the glass- it's a trick. They tell you what you already believe, she set up after the war because of all the widows."
"Polly..." Liana interrupted, getting cut off herself by Esme as she continued to speak.
