1919.
Cora Jane Grayson is the classiest tease on the streets of Small Heath, Birmingham. However, the woman in black and diamonds, finds herself guilty by association when a new Chief Inspector comes over from Ireland and finds her family ties to t...
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In the month following her first introduction to the Shelby clan, Cora had became closer to each individual.
She discovered that Polly knew her mother through her aunt Orla, her uncle Thierry's wife, who she helped in giving birth to Cora's youngest cousin, Fleur.
She had met Ada and the two had hit it off successfully due to their closeness in age, though the two had contrasting personalities and views.
As for the brothers, Cora had developed a friendship with Finn. She couldn't help but relate to the young child who was swiftly kicked out a room whenever Arthur or Tommy needed to speak.
As for the elder three, she had learn of John's troublesome kids, Arthur's violent tendencies and accidentally uncovered Tommy's opium problem when she had offered to tidy the house up a bit. She developed a relationship with all of them; giving John helpful advice when he was stressed, encouraging Arthur's humour and Tommy...
Tommy was complicated.
The two were close and had had deep conversations with one another at the Garrison - that Cora has started to visit more frequently - but they still managed to get under one another's skin and, most of the time, it ended with Cora screaming at him.
Cora had also been the the Betting den and if the state of it was anything to go by, she was correct in saying that they were never going to make it out of Birmingham. The Blinders could probably control Birmingham from the condensed office but not London as well. They'd lose one and there were more players in London with much more power.
However, Cora was in the Garrison once again, at the absurd time of the early afternoon, getting a lunchtime drink with Thomas.
"Surely you have important work this afternoon," Cora stated with amusement.
"It can wait for you," Tommy had answered her statement with a flirtatious tone. Or as a flirtatious tone as Tommy could muster.
"How do you know I don't have much needed work to do?"
"You work?" The Shelby clearly saw an opportunity to have another employee than just a general inquiry.
"After my father died, Grayson Industrial was split between Margarite, Matthew, Catherine and I. Like John, Arthur and you, we each contribute to the business, Tommy."
'Of fucking course,' Tommy thought, 'the poor try and get rich while the rich get richer'. As the Shelbys tried to make it big, the Grayson seemed to prove with each sentence that the standard they were trying to match was getting higher and higher every new trend.
Pleasant conversation between the dark haired Brummie and the blonde Londoner cease when Tommy became distracted by the face that entered through the Garrison doors. Fucking-
"Tommy!" The individual greeted causing Cora to turn her head to see the figure. The figure was male and seemed within the age range of herself - 24, just like John - and Tommy's age of 29 years.
"Fancy seeing you here, with a woman surprisingly," the man teased negatively.
"Freddie, this is Miss Cora Grayson. She's here from London. Cora, this is Freddie Throne," Tommy introduced monotony.
The communist and unaware blonde shook hands, the latter muttering a small 'pleasure' as she did.
"How do you know each other?," Cora questioned, clearly enjoying Tommy's displeasure at Freddie's appearance in their private time.
"We went to school together," Tommy answered bluntly with very little detail. Freddie felt a need to throw in the their former friendship, "Best mates we were."
It was one of those moments when you try to conceal your laughter by keeping your mouth closed but a small high pitched giggle escapes anyway. Cora couldn't help but laugh, she couldn't believe it. On the other hand, she finally knew who the mysterious 'Tommy's old best mate from school' that she was hooking up with was.
The boys looked in confusion at the responsible 24-year-old giggling to herself like a five year old.
"Are you laughing at the fact we're friends?" Freddie asked, worried for the pretty girl's mental health.
"No, no. Trust me, I completely believe that," Cora composed herself, "What I cant believe is that Tommy went to school."
Freddie patted him twice on the shoulder as Tommy glared at the woman, secretly hiding a playful smirk.
The playful moment was disturbed as a large bald man threw his body through the doors of the pub and knocked a table over.
He was screaming bloody murder and Cora could only assume it was stuff about the war. She was shoved back by Tommy who, with Freddie, sprung into action, wrestling the man to the ground and bring him back to reality.
It was an entirely new experience for Cora. He father and brother had been in the war : as well as he uncles and a few of her cousins. Hell, her cousin, Monica, trained and volunteered as a nurse in France. The point was, she had never seen this reaction. The men in her family were lucky to have little post-war stress and if they had anything like this they must have been conservative about it because she knew the war had caused her brother's hot-headedness.
The place was quiet as the man realised what had happened and kept muttering questions. Cora dared to shuffle forwards.
From the angle she could see from, Tommy seemed to be whispering to the man he clearly knew.
He scrambled up with the help of Tommy and Freddie and left. Harry, clearly, prepared with a speech.
"Tommy-"
"For any damages," Tommy slid money across the bar top, now standing to a somewhat petrified Cora.
"Tom, this isn't the first time this situation has happened," Freddie began to lecture before finishing whatever he was saying near Tommy's ear so only he could hear, not that Cora was paying attention after what she had witnessed.
The result of Freddie's wise words was Tommy storming out, dragging Cora with him.
"The two were walking slowly once they were out but Cora was still unusually quiet.
"Who was that?" She asked quietly, clearly still in shock.
"Danny Owens, we all call him 'whizz-bang'. He has been well after the war."
"Does that always happen?"
"Don't know," Tommy answered bluntly but now completely aware that the blonde had never seen that aftermath of the war. "No one in your family act out like that?"
"I don't know. They were all very quiet about the war once they came back, they don't talk about it and if anything like that does happen, it's behind closed doors," Cora said, her voice increasing from its low volume. "Do you ever have that feeling? Like your back there?"
"No," Thomas lied.
"I found the opium in your room," she admitted guiltily, "it's okay to try to escape the memories. I don't believe drugs or alcohol are the way but I never saw the battlefield. I can't relate."
"I'll see you later, Tommy."
And with that and a peck on his cheek, Cora walked back in the direction of her apartment. Leaving Thomas to ponder her words and continue his day of work.
