Forbidden Alliances // Alfie Solomons Peaky Blinders

(64) I've grown to love your pain

*edited 03/14/23*

The week following, Tommy was in Ireland, getting to know his in-laws and sightseeing with his fiancée.

Freya had avoided all social calls made with her brothers since Arthur's birthday. She didn't want to see Arthur for the fear he too would be put against her but even so, he wasn't around too often for her to fight shy of.

She avoided Tommy like the plague. When she entered the betting den and Tommy was there, she quickly did a portion of her work and moved to the Garrison to drink and pull income. If Tommy was working at the official corporation of Shelby Company Limited, she would either lock herself in her office or resort back to the den.

Then there was John. She wasn't mad at John but she didn't want to talk to him about the night at Arthur's party so she avoided them all the best she could.

She had driven herself crazy with mindless thoughts of him. She still had his tunic from the night after Sedar and his smell still faintly clung to the fabric. She found herself falling asleep with the cotton to her nose and nuzzling close as if to be near him as she reached an unconscious state of mind.

That went on every night since. She wouldn't cry and she wouldn't mope but there was a spark in her that died as he seemed to avoid her. There was no phone call, no letter, no reason to come to Small Heath, and no reason for her to go to Camden. Their communications were seized.

To cope with the loss of his voice, she had to find someone who could keep her company without wanting to start fights and begin rumors about her. So, she spent a lot of time with Lizzie in her office when Freya was idle. They talked about fabrics and fashion and despite their contradicting styles, they seemed to manage their differences perfectly, respectfully, and admirably. 

If only Tommy could look at her like that.

It must have been a week since Tommy left for Ireland with Grace, allowing autumn to take over the trees and breeze in his absence.

The warm nights turned cool and less fragrant than the Summer. It was Freya's favorite time of the year and yet her mind was preoccupied with other things besides the dying trees and falling leaves of maple.

Instead of finding beauty in the rebirth of the planet, finding the leaves to be peaceful funerals and the wind to be blissful caresses by Mother Nature, she lifelessly walked the streets. 

He was always there. Remnants of him continued to live inside her head when she didn't want him to. He wouldn't allow her to appreciate the season in the same way when he refused to reach out.

Late one night, Lizzie and Freya were working overtime together in her office which sat between Tommy's and the rest of the building. In order to enter his study, someone would need to pass by Michael's desk, then Lizzie's a little further down.

The phone had kept Lizzie busy and the sudden gain in their sports kept Freya preoccupied with the money. They seemed to enjoy one another's company as they worked separately until the phone in the room next to them went off. 

Both their heads shot out toward the sudden ringing coming from Tommy's office but seeing as Lizzie was in the middle of a conversation, Freya shook her head and silently assured her she could take care of it.

Since Freya was Tommy's right-hand woman, or, at least was, Lizzie didn't see an issue in it. When Freya walked inside, she didn't bother to shut the doors behind her as she rushed toward his desk several feet away.

She got to the phone on the fourth ring and called out, "Shelby Company Limited."

"You don't sound like Thomas Shelby." The voice had an accent Freya couldn't distinguish immediately as the man sounded like he was from all over the world.