By Order Of The Peaky Blinders

Chapter Two

Small heath was...something, Viola fought back her grimace as she stared around the busy streets, it was clearly a lower economic area and a far cry from her village, her manor, her home. She missed the clean country air, the kind people, the slowness of time, and her horse. Biscuit.

Small Heath was loud, busy, filled with smog and people who weren't-well they weren't rude, they were just occupied with their own lives unable to see outside of themselves and their own priorities which wasn't bad. Just different and a little overwhelming.

Viola had been adamant that she did all of this by herself, yes Papa and Mama had seen to her accommodations and alerted friends nearby that she would be there, so people would be stopping by but Viola would be making her own meals, mending her own clothes, keeping her own time, all of it.

It was exhilarating in such a new way.

"Are you just going to stand there?" A woman's voice snapped Viola out of her thoughts and she jumped and whirled, pale cheeks flushing red.

"I'm sorry! I'm just lost you see" Viola babbled to the short woman, she was rather beautiful with brown eyes and short brown hair, curled at the ends. The woman had an air of no-nonsense that reminded Viola of her governess and she fought not to fidget underneath her all-knowing gaze.

"Yes, you are" the woman stated her thick working-class accent a stark difference to Viola's own crisp aristocratic one.

"I'm looking for Belmont Road" Viola explained "I just moved here, for nursing school"

She didn't understand just why she felt the need to explain herself to this woman but she did.

"Nursing school..." the woman trailed off and Viola gave her a small smile and nodded her head.

"Yes Miss"

"Hmm, interesting, I'm Polly Shelby and you are?" Polly asked the woman in front of her, she looked just like a filly grown into a mare, almost done, but still, time to bloom. Not that she wasn't already beautiful, she was. Which is why Polly had come over, dragging her oldest nephew with her. Beautiful Things didn't do well in Small Heath, and she was...important. Polly could feel it in her gypsy soul.

"Viola Crawley" the woman offered back with a happy smile, utterly oblivious to who she was offering her hand to and while Polly didn't want to drag such a bright light down...anything for family.

"Well then Viola, I'll take you to your new home and Arthur will carry your bags-"Before she could protest Polly whacked the back of her nephews head, the boy- he will always be a boy to her- grumbled but moved forward to pick up her luggage, shooting a wink at Viola.

"A'lrigh'?" Arthur asked her and Viola smiled back

"Thank you for the help" she thanked them, relieved someone was going to help. This place was rather overwhelming and it made her feel nervous. 

"So, where are you from?" Polly asked hooking her arm with the girl and leading her down the street with full confidence, amused when people kept out of their way.

"Oh, I'm from Yorkshire, Downton village?" Viola told them, she couldn't hide her upper-class accent or mannerisms, not that she wanted to but letting slip that she was a Lady living by herself...she might be a little naïve but she wasn't stupid. Both Barrow and Carson had warned her.

"I've heard of it" Polly replied reassessing the girl, clearly, she came from wealth even if she'd taken the time to wear lower quality clothing, though it was clearly still upper class.

Viola moved around the small one-bedroom flat, the place was...tiny, and the furnishings were subpar, the couch sunken and the curtains moth bitten. She frowned at the kitchen and the oven seemed to loom ominously at her, she was still figuring that out Miss Patmore and Daisy had a grand time giggling at her when she got something wrong but now, she could do the basics and make tea! It wasn't like she was totally hopeless in fact; she had started to rather enjoy it.

"Well, it could do with some work but I'd be happy to show you some shops that can cater towards furnishings" Polly offered to her and Viola smiled thankfully.

"Thank you, Polly, Arthur, it really means a lot that I've met such kind people, I feel a lot better about being here by myself," Viola told them.

"Ah, Pol? We should head off, got that...meeting to get to" Arthur piped in and Polly nodded her head in understanding, though why the boy had to try and make it sound so mysterious was beyond her.

"Yea, we should go but Viola love, if you need anything come to Watery Lane, we'll see you right, I'll be by tomorrow to show you the area, find you some furnishings and such" Polly smiled at the girl who looked thankfully back.

Viola led them towards the entrance, as was proper and shot a slightly nervous look over her shoulder at the empty apartment.

"Oh, Love, do be careful going out and about by yourself yea?" Arthur told her gruffly but his eyes held a glint of concern

"I will" Viola promised him

"Pretty girl like you...rough area like this...it's ah, ain't good yea? So if you need anything you call the Shelby boys yea?" Arthur grumbled at her as he handed over a card with numbers on it.

"Thank you, Arthur, I will," Viola said "you've both been so kind"

"Think nothing of it" Polly waved off before pressing a kiss to Viola's cheek and then yanking Arthur out of the flat, a self-satisfied look on her face.

Polly and Arthur Shelby strode down the dark foggy streets, unconcerned with the danger about, they were the most dangerous beings in small heath after all, this was their Kingdom and why would a Queen and Prince be scared of the common rabble?

"You were kind to her" Polly murmured to Arthur as she lit a cigarette, eyes sharp.

"Following your lead" Arthur grumbled at Polly, the lad was always so defensive when he showed his soft heart to the world.

"You're thick but you ain't that thick" Polly huffed at him frustrated

"There's something about her...something important" Arthur admitted "She, just, seems like a Shelby to me"

"That's your Gypsy blood, listen to it, that girl is going to be a Shelby. A nurse and a solider, the stallion and the doe" Polly hummed, whimsically twirling around as she let off a bell-like laugh.

Arthur rolled his eyes at his aunt, always so insistent on Gypsy blood and being able to divine the future, though she did seem always so able to figure out when he and his brothers were up to trouble.

"Can't you hear the thunder overhead?" Polly called out to the skies "There's gonna be a lightning strike!" 

AN//

I'm stumbling in the dark right now but we'll get there!