love knows no bounds | thomas shelby

hell for our king

just as eveline was wiping down the counter with a damp cloth, a flash of movement caught her attention. 

finn, as mischievous as ever, claimed onto the counter where eveline ward was working, his small feet balancing on the freshly cleaned bar.

"oi! finn! what are you doing, you little rascal?" eveline asked, tying to hide her smile behind a fake stern expression.

he reached out and grabbed a picture of the king that hung alone on the wall.

"we're having a fire," the little boy declared.

he then hopped down from the bar and, without hesitation, grabbed eveline's hand in his tiny palm. she couldn't help but to follow his lead.

the barmaid glanced back at harry, silently communicating her temporary departure. she tossed the damp cloth she had been holding onto the bar. with finn's hand tightly clasped in hers, she allowed herself to be led out of the garrison.

eveline walked hand in hand with finn as the young boy lead her through the narrow street of watery lane. they moved swiftly with their footsteps echoing against the worn cobblestones as they made their way towards their destination. as they turned a corner, they came across john, who was clutching a picture of the king tightly in his arm.

joined by john, eveline and finn continued their journey until they reached the center where the big fire blazed. a group of people gathered around it, their faces illuminated by the flickering flames. the air was thick with anticipation and rebellion as the pictures of the king were being thrown into the fire, being consumed by its fierce heat. 

amongst the crowd, eveline's eyes fell upon thomas, a figure well-known for his infamous cap and a cigarette forever hanging from his lips. he stood near the fire, tossing a picture of the king into crackling flames.

feeling finn's small hand slip into hers once again, eveline turned to look down on him, and she watched as finn took a sip before passing it to her. the taste of the drink was sharp and strong, awakening her senses and fueling her spirit.

moments later, eveline found herself moving closer to thomas and arthur. thomas rested his hand on eveline's back, his touch soothing and reassuring. with a gesture of amity, he handed her the cigarette he had been smoking, and she took a drag, the smoke twisting with the air around them.

they stood there, united. their faces bathed in the warm orange glow of the fire. a man then approached them from behind, his presence unexpected and intriguing. the glow of the fire caught in his glasses. eveline felt a mixture of curiosity and caution, unsure of what this man would bring to their gathering.

"you're mr. shelby?" the man asked.

"i am."

thomas always seemed to exude his composure.

eveline felt his hand leave her back, and that was her signal to leave the two alone. she then parted with arthur.

"you said i would be protected."

"you're protected," said tommy, looking into the fire.

"what's going on?" asked the man.

"there are some things i want you to write down."

the following day, eveline ward found herself seated at the kitchen table, accompanied by polly. polly was deeply engrossed in the pages of the newspaper. eveline, on the other hand, had a book open before her.

eveline's dark hair was carefully pulled back into a low messy bun, a silent reminder of the night she had spent at the fiery gathering. the tendrils that escaped from her bun danced freely around her face.

in the midst of their quiet reading, ada entered the kitchen. with her attention still locked onto the newspaper, polly casually said, "good of you to join us. where have you been all day?"

eveline looked up to see ada in her nightgown.

"in bed. i couldn't sleep," said ada. "then i couldn't wake up. then i was cold and then i had to go for a wee."

in the midst of their conversation, eveline and polly shared knowing looks. as their eyes locked, polly's hand slowly lowered the newspaper. 

as the conversation in the kitchen continued, a sudden sound broke the focus. the sound of hurried chewing caught the attention of the girls.

eveline and polly turned simultaneously to ada. and there, before them, ada was sitting with a plate of bread and jelly, hastily scarfing down her meal.

"ada, how many weeks late are you? i remember you mentioning something about being late," eveline inquired.

"one week."

eveline gave ada a look that said she didn't believe her.

"five weeks," admitted the sister. "seven if you count weekends."

polly's eyes widened as she looked to eveline. she then looked back at ada.

"stand up," demanded polly.

"why?" asked ada innocently.

"you need to stand up, ada," eveline urged.

ada glanced up, her eyes narrowing as she looked between eveline and her aunt pol.

ada did as told, putting down her bread and jam, wiping her hands.

eveline watched as pol forcefully grabbed ada's breasts.

"polly, what are you doing?" asked ada, surprised by the sudden movement of polly.

"whose is it?" eveline's voice held concern.

ada's eyes flickered with a momentary hesitation, her lips pressing into a thin line. she understood the weight of eveline's question. she took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts before responding to the girls standing in front of her.

"if i tell you eveline, you'll tell tommy, and he'll cut him to pieces."

"i won't let tommy cut 'em into pieces, ada."

her words resonated with a deep sense of protectiveness. ada's gaze met eveline's, searching for the sincerity behind her words. ada knew tommy's reputation very well, and the dangers that lurked.

"will he marry you?" asked polly.

"i don't know. i don't know where he is." 

disappointment clouded eveline's eyes as she struggled to find the right words.

"jesus, ada." whispered eveline.

"he's gone away, but he said he'd come back."

"yeah, but they all say that they'll come back," polly quickly responded.

"he's not like that. he's a good man. he promised," cried ada. "he will come back, eveline and pol, i know he will."

aunt pol embraced the crying shelby sister.

eveline's heart ached with both empathy and frustration as she contemplated ada's situation. deep down, eveline knew that ada's silence about the father stemmed from her loyalty to thomas. she felt a flicker of hurt that ada didn't trust her enough.

in the quiet recesses of her mind, eveline reassured herself that everything she, thomas, and the brothers did was for the sake of their families safety. she wished ada could fully grasp the depth of their bond, the lengths they went to shield their loved ones from harm.