𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧 𝐚 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞 🍞PEAKY BLINDERS 🥖

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Thank you everyone for the sweet words from my author's note last chapter. I've been wanting to share that for some time, especially given my absence on here sometimes.

Your words and kindness never go unnoticed, I promise.

CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

Kizzie hadn't been by the betting house in forever.

She wasn't exactly allowed to. Especially not without Ozzy. But her friend was with Tommy and her brothers.. Tommy maybe didn't expect for Kizzie to be out so soon after--

Her heart gave another leap. Kizzie wondered how long the lump the size of a pumpkin would remain in her throat.

"Without men here, they'd be like dogs pissing up the wall!" Esme said as Kizzie and Aunt Polly walked in. "It's not fair."

"Kizzie." Lizzie was startled by the girl's presence behind Polly. She was paler than normal, with deep sunken eyes; she'd been crying. Lizzie and the rest of the Blinders were not permitted to speak about the death of Arthur Shelby. Not that Lizzie would anyway. She never met the man, and the family had nothing but bad blood for him.

Esme turned around in her seat. "Kizzie!" Then spoke in Shelta.

Lizzie never learned the language, couldn't even pick up a word. She had always been rubbish at learning new languages.

"I'm okay."

Esme pulled away the chair beside her. "Sit."

Aunt Polly banged her face against the large, walk-in safe at the far back of the room. "Forgot the combination," she mumbled.

Lizzie shook her head. "24-8-22."

"How'd you know the paper cash combination?" Aunt Polly asked.

"Thomas talks in his sleep,"

"Shut up, Esme," Lizzie scolded, looking over to a rocking Kizzie. It was hard to tell, when she began doing that, how much she was paying attention to.

Esme snorted some more cocaine while Lizzie went over to assist Polly with the safe.

The door to the shop opened, revealing Linda. Apparently there was a strike going on.

Linda came over at Arthur's request, to help, given the lack of workers.

"What is a strike?"

Linda smiled the way she did when she spoke to small children at church. "It means people are out trying to demand fairer work and money, Kizzie." She knew the girl was in a bad way after hearing about her father. God rest his soul.

Aunt Polly waved the woman away, still stumbling over her feet.

"Jessie Eden is organizing a women's walk-out too."

"Who's that?"

"She's the lady shop stewart down in Lucas. Organizing all women to leave work this morning at 9:00 and protest down at the Bull Ring... All oppressed female workers welcomed."

The women debated amongst themselves until the first men at the door started banging to be let inside.

"Open the fucking door!" they demanded.

"Fuck it..." Aunt Polly said. "I'm not in the mood today." She looked at her niece. "Get your things, Kizzie. We're all going."

"But I don't work."

Linda smiled wider. "Oh, Kizzie... You do more work than anyone else in the room most days, keeping Thomas happy."

♡ ̆̈

Happy.

Kizzie wasn't so sure Tommy was happy these days. Not with the loss of Grace, certainly. He hadn't even much said anything about her not being home as much... She couldn't decide if that bothered her.

Nor could she decide if it was her job to keep him happy.

People shoving meant her legs were off-balance.

A hand reached out to steady her. "Easy," the person said. He had the same accent as the bad man who wanted to hurt Tommy years ago. But that wasn't what had every single hair on Kizzie's skin raise.

The man frequently called 'Father' remained the same as he had from when Kizzie was smaller. The same dark green, nearly black colors oozed from him like a poisonous veil.

His smile unnerved her; he always smiled. Even when handing out punishments. Despite never receiving his special treatment, she'd been spanked before. Been intimidated and near bitten by the dog he kept leashed to his hip.

"Little Kezia Shelby," he said. "I imagine you don't remember me, do you?"

Her mouth went dry. Dry like every time her own father spoke to her.

Father Hughes nodded. "Ah, I assumed as much... I sometimes visited Birmingham Borough Asylum during the holidays to pray and provide comfort to the sick and unfortunate children." The gleam in his eye was different now. Not so sneaky in a way that caused bile to swim up Kizzie's throat. "You have grown up."

"Okay."

"Grown in the body but not the mind."

Was she meant to agree? Kizzie didn't understand what his words meant.

He reached into the breast pocket of his coat to pull out an envelope. "This is a letter for Thomas. I understand you live with him... Can you please save me a trip to the post office and deliver it to him please?"

How did he know Tommy?

The revelation forced a whine out from her throat. This man was still. And if he knew her brother, Kizzie feared for her brother's safety.

"Oh!"

Linda appeared from the crowd behind the fog forming around Kizzie's eyes.

"There you are, Kizzie. I know there's a lot of noise and people but you must remain with us."

"'Kizzie'," Father Hughes repeated. "What a precious nickname for such a precious gift of God."

Kizzie's next whine was drowned by the noise around them. Tightness formed in her muscles. She twisted her fingers over each other like knots and rocked side-to-side on the balls of her feet.

"Father," Linda greeted. Her tone and smile was one of utmost respect.

"I am sorry to have caused the poor creature any discomfort. I knew her as a small child at a hospital she stayed in. I have not seen her since."

Linda pressed a gentle hand on Kizzie's knotted fingers but the girl flinched away and nearly fell back. They needed to leave. Now.

"It is alright, Father..."

He smiled. "Hughes."

"Father Hughes. Kizzie dislikes crowds and loud noises. Please take no offense."

Linda noticed then, for the first time, the envelope in his hand. "For Kizzie?"

Father Hughes shook his head. "Her brother—Thomas. I was on my way to deliver it at the post office when I noticed little Kizzie. If she sees him, I was hoping she could save me a postage."

Linda took the envelope. "Of course. Kizzie lives with her brother. I will make sure she delivers it to him."

Author's Note:

I never intended for Lizzie and Kizzie to sound and be spelled similarly, but it makes for a fun, if not gross and creepy future coincidence.