Defiance (Finn Shelby)

Part 16

Since Fredrick left, even though he was meant to be staying at their house, both of her parents came knocking on her door, asking if they could talk to her. Bunty point-blankly refused to let them in or to listen to them.

Her parents gave up after a couple of hours and went to bed, she heard her father's loud snoring.

She moved back her dresser quietly, thankful of the carpet for muffling the noise it did make. She then snuck out of the house and made her way onto the street with Nickel following behind her. She walked to Michael's and Polly's house and she knew that Polly was with Ada in London so that means Michael would be home alone.

She knocked on the door and Michael came out, tired as he rubbed his eyes, confused to see Bunty with red eyes and her dog at almost three in the morning, and he only came out with his pyjama pants on. "Bunty, what's going on? Are you okay?" Michael questioned in confusion.

"I...I..." She tried to speak but she began to sob.

"Michael? Who is it?" A young woman's voice sounded from behind the door.

"It's a friend, Lottie. Go back to bed" Michael told her.

Bunty quickly sobered up, "you...you have a woman over?"

"I do" he awkwardly scratched his neck, "I was going to tell you but you've been gone a lot"

"It's okay," Bunty told him, it wasn't truthful, it did hurt that he didn't tell her, even if they were in a no strings attached relationship, she would have rather him telling her. "I'll leave you two alone" Bunty turned to leave but Michael grabbed ahold of her wrist, she winced as it was the same spot her mother had grabbed before.

"Bunty, what's the matter? What happened?" He questioned, worry etched into his features.

"Nothing." She lied, "it's all right, Michael"

"Obviously it's not nothing if you came here at three in the fucking morning!" He shouted and he regretted shouting at her as her face dropped into a frown.

"Just never mind. I'll go someplace else. Be with your girlfriend" Bunty told him hotly, ripping her arm out of his hand. "Come on, Nickel" Bunty ignored Michael's shouts as she went down the road.

She decided to go to Isaiah's as it was the closest house, she knocked on the door and Jeremiah appeared, "please can I come in?" She questioned, her voice getting hoarse and she felt extremely tired.

"Sure, Bunty." He let Bunty and Nickel in, "Isaiah!" He shouted. Bunty heard a tumble and Isaiah popped his head over the railing.

"Bunty?" He raised his eyebrow before coming down the stairs only in his boxer shorts, "woah, what happened?" He pulled her into a hug, he looked at his father for an explanation but he shrugged and left the two alone.

"My parents... They're forcing me to marry this fucking toff and I don't want to" Bunty shook her head burrowing her head into her arms, "fuck that sounds childish"

"You don't have to marry him-" Isaiah started but Bunty scoffed.

"I can't get out of it, Isaiah," Bunty told him, looking up. "They will literally kill me if I don't, mum almost did with one of my sisters when she didn't want to marry her husband, every time she said she wasn't going to marry him, she'd hit her. Soon she caved in and agreed. Now every time someone raises their hand she flinches."

"That's horrible," Isaiah said. "You know," he started after a few minutes of silence, "there's one way that you don't have to marry him"

"Is there?" Bunty questioned, unconvinced.

"Marry someone else," Isaiah told her, "then you don't have to marry that Toff"

"But I'd still be marrying someone" Bunty exclaimed.

"Get Tommy to find you a nice bloke, you can see what they're like and if you don't like him, Tommy can find someone else," Isaiah said as if his plan was genius.

"Who the fuck would marry me? A female Peaky blinder, they'd be mad" Bunty laughed.

"Would you rather see if Tommy could find you someone better or be super unhappy with a fucking Toff?" Isaiah questioned, when Bunty frowned he knew the answer, "we'll go see him in the morning and we'll get him to find people"

"That's the problem, we're getting married tomorrow"

"Fuck" Isaiah swore once more, "that's going to limit your options," he told her, "let's just go to bed and go to Tommy in the morning, he'll know what to do"

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Bunty and Isaiah woke up a few hours later, Isaiah got changed while Bunty just watched, having not brought any spare clothes with her, but she'd be able to change once she goes to the Shelby residence.

They went to the Shelby residence and surprisingly no one was about, but the door was unlocked, either way, Bunty made her way inside and quickly changed and then rushed back out. "I forgot to tell your dad "thank you" for looking after Nickel for the day"

"It's all right" Isaiah waved it off. "He doesn't mind"

They made their way to the offices and asked Lizzie if Thomas was there. "Yeah, he's only here for the morning since it's the dinner tonight, remember?"

"Oh, fuck!" Bunty swore in frustration, "I fucking forgot"

"Bunty, it's okay. There's plenty of time." Lizzie gave Isaiah a questioning glance but he shook his head, telling her not to question it. "Can we see Tommy now?"

"Yeah, of course," Lizzie led them into his office, announcing their presence.

"Isaiah, Bunty, what brings you two here?" Thomas said, stopping doing what he was doing and leaning back in his chair.

"Bunty" Isaiah urged her on.

"My parents are forcing me to marry a toff, I don't want to marry him." She then breathed out shakily, trying not to get emotional, "Isaiah said that I can't marry him if I'm already married to someone else"

"And where do I come into this?" Thomas questioned.

"I was hoping you'd be able to find someone willing to marry me who's not an arrogant toff," Bunty told him.

"Why don't you marry Isaiah?" He said, pointing at the boy.

"No" Isaiah immediately said, "sorry, Bunty, but I enjoy being single."

Thomas hummed, "what about Finn? You two are best friends, you two don't hate each other and he's nice"

"He wouldn't want to marry me," Bunty told him and both Thomas and Isaiah scoffed, "what?"

"Finn likes you," Isaiah told her, "he has done for a while"

"I mean he did kiss me after the race at your wedding, Tommy," Bunty said, "he said it was a spur of the moment which basically means that it was nothing special"

"When do you plan on getting married?" Thomas asked.

"As soon as possible, I'm set to marry the toff today"

"There's no one better than Finn who'll marry you today. Why're you so against marrying him?"

"I don't want him to hate me by forcing him to marry me on such short notice" Bunty frowned.

"How about we tell Finn the situation and if he says no, we'll find someone else. But if he agrees, we'll get you married"

"Today's your charity dinner, I don't want to take the spotlight away from it"

"You won't. Just... Isaiah, find Finn and hurry up" Thomas told Isaiah who nodded and dashed out of the room.