𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙡𝙨 𝙂𝙖𝙢𝙚....
In which Thomas Shelby finds himself beaten by Billy Kimber and a rival Romani gang. Evelyn Heron, the daughter of Birminghams new leader, has spent years on the run, living in the shadows in an effort...
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It was nearly dusk as Evelyn and the Shelby's approached the Lees encampment a few miles outside of Birmingham.
Unlike the Shelby's set up, which was inexperienced and haphazard, the Lees were true to Romani roots. A cluster of colorful, weathered caravans, each adorned with intricate patterns and fabrics fluttering gently in the cool evening breeze, nestled into the natural landscape as if they belonged there. Fires crackled in the metal braziers, casting a warm, flickering glow to create a rich contrast with the encroaching twilight. The smoke from the fires, which signaled neighboring travelers, rose and mingled with the crisp, fresh air of the spring evening.
Scattered around were makeshift wooden tables and benches where people began to gather to share food of recent game and picked wild berries from nearby. Children, who could hardly pause to eat a meal, darted around their yelling parents, laughing against the occasional bark of a dog or the distant clatter of cookware.
The encampment had an aura of both resilience and warmth, one that reminded Evelyn yearn of her life before her mother died. The lure forwards sent her tumbling, her knees suddenly unable to hold her weight. She could fall to her knees, allow herself to be immersed in the culture she had been denied for so long. This could be her home.
But before she could fall, John caught her elbow, pulling her tight against his side.
"Careful," John murmured, "We can't rush in too soon."
He had mistaken her weakness for urgency — the need to connect with the Lees and find out what they knew about her father.
What they knew about her son.
But no, for a brief moment, Evelyn's thoughts had been clouded by nostalgia for her life before it all. She tried not to feel guilty for it, but it had been so long since she had felt the comfort and stability of family; the freedom of movement when it came to travel. She didn't correct John — he wouldn't have understood. The Shelby's had been out of the game for some time. Instead, Evelyn nodded silently, forcing the past out of her mind.
Besides, traveling with the Lees would never fulfill that side of her. Her mother was dead, and the Lees were partially responsible for the mess she found herself in.
They all stood for a moment longer, surveying the sight of Lee men, unarmed and unprovoked. Evelyn knew that each one of the Shelby boys was determining who would be the easiest to fight if something broke out. She studied them too, attempting to uncover any familiar faces amongst the blurring crowd. Her eyes settled on each man, searching for ghostly traces of her son's appearance but coming up empty.
Instinctively, she reached for James's picture, just as she caught the eye of an older woman rising from her spot at the dinner table. Her face sent a sudden warmth down Evelyn's spine, and the reaction causing her to shiver.
"Who is that?" Evelyn nearly whispered.
"The queen," Polly joked behind her, her laughter tickling the back of Evelyn's hair.
