Mrs. Shelby (Thomas Shelby x OC)

Chapter Nine - Gift

April 1920, Birmingham

John called us to the Garrison pub, claiming there was a matter to announce. He said he was going to marry Lizzie Stark. I don't want to comment on this. Everyone's a whore; we just sell different parts of ourselves. Those were Tommy's words.

Lizzie Stark is a good person; at least she knows gratitude. She took care of Martha before she died, and even after, she often visited Martha and John's children.

But John is a Shelby. How can Thomas Shelby's younger brother marry a whore? What does that mean for the future of the Peaky Blinders? What has happened to the Shelbys? Love runs deep, and for the sake of love, people throw everything away.

"Tommy, can you understand?" John pleaded with his brother. "You have Diana, and I deserve love too."

...Why should I care? I am Lady Vanessa from Chelsea, and would it be embarrassing for Tommy and me to be together?

At this moment, Finn rushed in, saying we had been robbed. The Lee family made it clear that they are also a bunch of bastards.

As I flipped through the ledgers, reconciling the lost property, Tommy found a pair of pliers on the table in the meeting room.

"Don't move! There's a hand grenade here," he warned.

Listening to their stories about the "jokes" on the battlefield, I was stunned. Still, I quickly responded, "No, there isn't. Otherwise, we would have been blown up when we came in."

"The bullets they sent only have my name on them. They want to kill me."

...Alright, what bullets? Tommy kept this from me again.

I watched him run out of the betting shop, seemingly knowing the location of the bomb.

I looked down at the ledgers. Money can be earned again, but things more precious than money are irreplaceable. If we want to replace Billy Kimber, we cannot afford a setback and let the Lee family take advantage. We must negotiate and become a tight unit.

Tommy returned, having found the bomb in his car.

He listened to my thoughts and nodded. I asked if he wanted me to accompany him.

He remained silent for a moment and shook his head. "The Lee family knows I have a beauty with me, but they don't know you."

"So what?" I frowned at him. I didn't understand. I just wanted to help him bear more, and besides, we were going for negotiation, not war. What's so scary about them knowing who I am?

Tommy shook his head and gave me a teasing kiss. "Can you... uh, smoke less..."

Tommy went to the outskirts market, and I accompanied Polly to find Ada.

Poor Ada, pregnant and living like a rat in the dark basement. Love? If this is love, I'd rather not.

Ada gave us the address of one of Sean's associates, a life for a life.

Since Ada left home, this was the first time I had seen her. She had changed from the lively girl of those years into a thin woman with a bulging belly. Her face was pale, and her eyes rolled around like a frightened quail.

"Don't torture yourself just because you hate Thomas," I squatted down, trying to persuade her gently. "And Thomas has done a lot for you and Sean, even though he sometimes seems annoying, he loves you. Go home."

I tried to persuade Ada to go home for rest, but she firmly refused.

It was raining heavily. I tightened my coat and stood in Tommy's garage.

Finally, Campbell arrived.

I handed him a note with Chapman's address. "This is Stanley Chapman's residence, and he has £200 from the Russians."

Campbell reached out to take the note but I dodged. "Use it to exchange for Sean."

He nodded. "You have my guarantee, Miss Turner."

Guarantee? Who would believe your guarantee? I raised an eyebrow.

His eyes betrayed him; he seemed to see me as a little animal that could be played with. He probably thought I was a gentlewoman protected by Thomas, harmless and innocent.

I didn't bother to correct his mistake. Let him see the consequences of his prejudice.

He asked me to pass a message to Thomas, asking him to hand over the weapons as soon as possible, and made a series of threats.

"Your spy, Grace from Garrison Pub," I spoke as he walked away. "Quite useless."

I watched Campbell stop in his tracks, turn around, and look at me.

We silently confronted each other.

"Miss Vanessa," he called me by my title.

That's right.

Despite scoffing at the news of "grandfather looking for me," I still managed to contact the informant who came from London. My grandfather, David Barton, was in poor health, his only son had already passed away, and he wanted me to return to be his heir, inheriting his factory and vast wealth. He even offered to help me inherit the title of Baroness—even though my younger brother George was still the current heir.

My grandfather went as far as seeking Churchill's help to communicate with me. Although I was indifferent to inheriting the wealth, I felt a bit emotional seeing the news of my grandfather.

In the face of the upcoming war, the support of such a wealthy old man would be a great help to the Shelby family. So, I decided to return to London temporarily.

I briefly talked to my grandfather on the phone, but the most important thing for me was to find information about the Russians.

The Shelleys sent a car to pick me up.

I drove my car and waited at the entrance of the Garrison. I planned to tell Thomas about my temporary departure to London and also to ask him about the Russians.

But Thomas seemed to be in a bad mood.

"Tommy," I called his name, but he only gave me a cold look.

"I'm leaving for London. Grandfather asked me to inherit the family business," I said softly.

This time, he finally looked at me seriously. "When?"

"As soon as possible. I'll be back after handling the family affairs. It's just a temporary return."

He didn't say anything. I could feel the chill in his eyes.

"I need to know more about the Russians. Do you have any information?" I continued.

He finally spoke, his voice indifferent. "We're dealing with them."

That was all he said.

I left Birmingham without saying goodbye to the others. As I boarded the car, I took one last glance at the Garrison, hoping that when I returned, everything would be fine.

However, fate had a different plan for me. I didn't know that my temporary departure marked the beginning of a series of unpredictable events.

As I stepped into the car, I could feel a storm brewing on the horizon. Little did I know, the storm would change everything.