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*/ Chapter One - The Hate You Give
The streets of Small Heath had always been, and will remain, a cacophony of gunfire and the aftereffects of booze. If it was one thing that Evelyn Marsh—Kelly, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Sutton's corrected—remembered about home, it was that it was never quiet. In fact, it took her a long, long time to get situated to the silence at her home in London after being accustomed to Birmingham's white noise.
The scarf tied around her head to keep her pristine curls in tact had been undone in the chaos that it took to load her baggage into the car, prepared by Sutton's men. The first order of business, before everything else, was to check on the shop. Kelly & Kin Tailors was one of the only known franchises to sell good quality and up-to-trend designs, and their one and only store in Birmingham was one that was always brimming with business. Up until Brooks had opened up right across the street and by some order, Evelyn was not sure who's, business had been dwindling. But it made enough, simply by the stacks of cash from widowers and spinsters who had too much money to spend.
"Thank you, Milton." Evelyn chided softly as the chauffeur helped her out of the car. Her gloved hand in his, the heels of her shoes made its first click upon the cobblestones of her home.
Immediately, the wind swept through her hair and nudged at the pins that held her hair back. She withheld a breath—simply one second back in Birmingham and it was already tugging at her seams. Milton simply nodded his head, the older man remaining quiet as he clambered into the front seat again. Her luggage would be delivered to her childhood home, and if no one was around to greet him, he would meet her right back at the shop.
Evelyn pushed the door for the shop inwards, the small bell tinkling above her head. Brown eyes darted towards the abandoned counter, her lips coming to an unsatisfied purse. This won't do, was the immediate thought in her head. No one manning the counter. What if a customer had walked in?
"Hello, welcome to Kelly & Kin's," a pleasant voice sounded from far inside the shop, before the owner showed himself. An older gentleman greeted her, a little put out by the finery of her clothes. He cleared his throat. Despite the high-paying spinsters being rich themselves, he had never seen such delicate fabric outside of the shop. "May I help you?"
