Bête noire → Peaky Blinders [Tommy Shelby] [ BOOK 1 ]

Twenty nine.

Chapter twenty nine: Selflessly selfish

The boat vigorously pushed its way through the tides in each river, still engulfed by a mist that seemed to never end no matter how far they progressed away from the harbour of Small Heath. Caroline and Curly had no common ground whatsoever, except their mutual relations to Thomas, but he was a topic that nobody dared to discuss, apart from Caroline who defied all laws of society.

Curly was a man of many words but little thought capacity. It was evident that he suffered from a disorder that had yet to be discovered, however, maybe that was not the case. Perhaps he was overly friendly, being the first man in Birmingham to carry out his daily tasks with a beaming smile on his face, seemingly not bothered by the horrors around him. Still, Caroline attempted on several occasions to provoke a conversation about Thomas, but Curly wouldn't budge. She understood why. Curly was his uncle but she wondered if he knew that she and Tommy were engaged, or together at all.

Throughout the duration of the boat journey, Caroline allowed her mind to wonder. The sights on the river were minimal, except the odd school of fish that swam alongside the boat, but that was it. So, to distract herself from boredom, she indulged her thoughts on Thomas; the man she knew little about but wore his ring to remind herself that from here on out, they were bonded by a piece of jewellery.

He rarely spoke about himself, so Caroline received facets from his family members and those who knew him beyond the industry. But, it all boiled down to herself. Every passing day she spent with him, she learned something new about him, only parts of his soul that he exposed to her.

Humble was one word for Thomas. With his fortune, he continued to live in the estate where he was born and raised as a reminder that during the dark days in his life, the people around him dusted him off and pulled him back onto his feet when he fell down. It eventually got to the stage where he managed to stumble up himself with few casualties, but nevertheless, money wasn't the motive-not really. He wanted the things that money couldn't buy; unconditional love.

Maybe that's why their relationship wasn't so open. Thomas was humbly in love and if the world knew, they'd try to burgle a heart, so forgive him if he may seem insensitive, she continued to chastise herself. She was assured by the man himself that the ring was a symbol and soon, all speculations would be confirmed, but she couldn't help but feel on edge. From her knowledge, Lizzie Stark was lurking in the shadows, her eyes dead set on Thomas, but this time, without the sexual desire for his criminal exterior and his money. 

What if Lizzie was the reason as to why Thomas wanted the relationship to remain disclosed? What if Lizzie waited for Caroline's departure and made her move on Thomas? With each stomach churning contemplation, she felt sick and pursed her lips, folding her arms over her body and until the boat neared the harbour in Camden Town, she couldn't help but think; would Thomas betray her?

Caroline was greeted by the lingering scent of a variety of fish as the fishermen unloaded their cargo simultaneously as she clambered off the boat. On the pier, she held her suitcase tightly, scanning the new sights and become aware of her surroundings. In the distance, the smoke rose up from the factories behind the many shops littered along the road. From where she stood, she could see that this town was busy, probably just as busy as London. People ran to and fro, walking with friends, talking with a smile and the others were in a rush to find their destination.

Wherever it was that they were going to, Caroline supposed it wasn't as important nor thrilling as the address which had been scribbled on a sheet of paper for her to find. She studied Thomas's handwriting repeatedly with her eyebrows furrowed, wondering how on earth would she find the location before the sun fell beyond the horizon. She turned towards the small boat she'd just stepped off, hoping Curly could perhaps send her her off correctly, but her eyes widened when she noticed the boat was halfway out of the bay. She was all alone.