𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑-𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒 || Peaky Blinders

V.

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜰɪᴠᴇ
ᴅᴇᴠɪʟ'ꜱ ᴅᴀɴᴄᴇ

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    HIDING OUT, AVOIDING the man seemed to have been the best tactic. She stayed at home mainly, cultivating ideas with Julia on her next move, and went to work. If he happened to wander into the Garrison, she would slip away to the backroom or busy herself by washing down the tables. For the most part, he left her alone. Though it was obvious he hadn't told anyone else what she had been up to, he was still buzzing with questions. She had nearly closed all the deals with most the rich men at various races, her friend from London had been a lot of help. Zabini had no issue helping her topple a rivalling empire. At the end of the day, he was a man and couldn't face seeing Martha as a threat, it would wound his ego greatly. So, she sat back and let him and his men do the hard work - why wouldn't she? There wasn't anything she had to prove, she didn't need to.

   "Morning," A young woman entered in a floor-length dress that looked closer to rags than anything in the shop. Her hair was half-covered by black cotton with beautiful silver stitching that ran up the sides and in her hands was a basket of baked goods. Looking around, she spotted the three girls at the counter and made her way over.

   "Ali!" Julia hopped up, pulling the younger woman into a hug followed by Elizabeth, who greeted her by taking the large hamper with a thank you and returned a bundle of clothes to her. If you weren't as observant as Martha, you probably wouldn't have noticed the small revolver that had been slipped underneath for the woman to take.

   "Martha this is Alison Johnson,  her family own the bakery next door." Elizabeth explained to the two equally intrigued girls. The woman couldn't have been any older than nineteen. Maybe around the age of her sister, potentially older."Alison this is Martha Harper, my cousin." She added, causing Alison to smirk slightly.

   "Except she won't blow off your kneecaps because of a minor altercation," Julia added, taking her seat back on the counter as Elizabeth whacked her on the back of the head.

   "Watch yourself, Smith. I'll have you put on the list, right after the Lee brother's." Her cousin commented, pulling away from Alison's embrace.

   "It was lovely meeting you, I shall see you all tonight." Alison offered her a small smile as she thanked Elizabeth once more and left.

   Ah yes, tonight. Charles was coming home to celebrate his birthday with those he loved the most. He'd been in America for the past few weeks, looking for new opportunities. Martha's father had once told him that their biggest hope would be the states. With the war gone, things looked promising to Charles. He'd fought in France, discharged early due to severe injuries. He wasn't really fit to lead the family anymore. When the opportunity arrived, James (Julia's father) had offered to go to New York with him. Thanks to Martha, James already had a few connections that would keep Charles hopeful. Ruth was of course reluctant but someone had to help Polly and had to keep these boys in line.

♱

   Once Annabelle had arrived to take over, the three left to pick up their own dresses. They headed towards the nicer part of town, hoping to find something nice. In the dress shop, Martha sat whilst Julia and Eliza tried their dresses on. Both of them had had their eyes trained on their dresses for a while. Martha didn't have the time to worry about what she wanted to wear. The girl had been here for nearly a month and time was running out. Joshua was about to become bankrupt because of Martha and all she needed to do was seal that fate. It was easier said than done. They were both Westbrook's after all. But she had that edge, she lived on the streets and she knew how to get to people and she was so meticulous with everything she tried.