As the youngest Shelby child and twin to Finn Shelby, Kezia has spent the last 4 of her 10 years locked away for her mental defectiveness.
She returns to Small Heath under the legal guardianship of her brother, Thomas Shelby. Despite knowing she's s...
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Kizzie's outfit for the boxing match.
And a short little chapter as we head into the fire.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-FOUR
Kizzie believed she might be sick.
The knot in her stomach was deep and pressed against her very spine.
She didn't want to see her family. Polly and Ada already told her they were not upset with her, so she had no worries in seeing them. But the others?
Kizzie did want to see Arthur. She missed him dearly. For the past few days, she'd been staying with Alfie. This lockdown in Small Heath was good for something--it meant Blinders couldn't leave without fear of getting gunned down.
Kizzie didn't leave Alfie's home. She stayed in the silence when he was away. Layed with Cyrus or played fetch with him in the house.
She stared at herself in his mirror. It was fight night. A white flag of sorts--Alfie said a white flag meant the person sending it was surrendering--was delivered to Alfie's home. A letter from Tommy. It was very dry; her brother knew Alfie would be the one reading it to her. It asked her to please come tonight.
Alfie was already going. His nephew was the large man who visited Small Heath with him. He was fighting Aberama Gold's son.
"You look stunnin', little bird," Alfie told her when she exited his room.
Her deep red dress had ruby sequins that accentuated her figure. Kizzie wrapped her hair in curls overnight, to tame the frizz, and let her hair fall around her shoulders. The gold headband hid the imperfections the curlers couldn't fix. The white pearls around her neck were a gift from Alfie. As were the black velvet gloves that completed the ensemble. Kizzie never felt so much like an adult before... She didn't know how to feel.
"Thank you," she told him anyway.
Alfie would rather be in Margate already with Kizzie. But for the respect of his nephew, he would attend the fight.
His betrayal of Tommy was two-fold.
When the Italians came to his distillery in London a few days ago, Alfie knew they would offer a lot of money in exchange for Tommy. But killing Tommy wasn't what Alfie wanted--it would ruin Kizzie. Warning the man was enough. The horrible, disrespectful man who hurt his little bird.
And with the money from the Italians, he and Kizzie could live in peace in Margate. Free to walk the boards and eat popcorn on the beach and shop until every closet in his home was filled with her things.
But would she still wish to be with him when she found out about what he did?
Alfie rarely did things in haste, but the impromptu meeting of the Italians was one he could not pass up. To at least hear what they had to say, and to hear how crazy it sounded. They were in over their heads. Tommy and his people were not to be underestimated. If they were in New York, it would be a different story. But no one knows Birmingham better than Tommy Shelby.
"You are thinking."
Alfie blinked and held her hand in his. "I am, little bird."
"About bad things?"
He smiled. "No. About Margate."
Her smile was instead genuine. "Can we just go there now?"
"I must see my nephew, wish him luck," he reminded her. "And speak with Tommy."
Her smile faltered. "You promised to be kind."
Alfie curled his arm around her waist and pressed her against him. "You are the only person I can stand being nice to."
Her fingers curled around his lapels. "Okay... But what do you plan on telling him?"
"Business talk, little bird."
If she was not convinced, she didn't show it. "Okay."
