Mabel | Downton Abbey

MABEL

PROLOGUE // 1912

Thomas Shelby stormed down one of the dirty streets of Small Heath, intending to arrive on Watery Lane once he turned a corner. His infamous hat was placed securely over his head and he kept his head lowered as he walked, so that the razor sewed into the lining of the hat was visible to any observers. It was dark and Tommy was late to the family meeting that he had called himself. It didn't matter, however, he knew they would wait for him.

He pushed open the dark painted wooden door to the family house. It was quiet inside but a slight murmur indicated to him that his family were indeed waiting for him. He walked briskly through the narrow hallway and pushed the kitchen door open. He was met with the strong scent of smoke that nearly every member of his family enjoyed smoking. He hardly looked at them as he walked quickly, removing his hat and jacket from his body which he then hung on a hook.

Every member but Ada was seated at the table, even young Finn. The two mentioned weren't meant to be there at all, Tommy noted in annoyance. The two youngest Shelby's weren't meant to be involved in any of the family business until they were older. Finn wouldn't normally try and intrude on meetings but Ada would regularly try and it annoyed Tommy to no end.

Arthur was leaning back in his seat, swirling a glass of whiskey in his hand. It was doubtful that it was his first and Tommy was sure that it wasn't going to be his last. Arthur was the oldest Shelby member and the most unpredictable. His love and arguably his reliance on substance made him rash and reckless but Tommy didn't let that be a disadvantage to the family enterprise.

John was the third oldest Shelby, Tommy was aged in between John and Arthur. Despite being younger, John was the only member of the family to be married and was blessed with children. His wife, Martha, was a childhood sweetheart of John's and the Shelby's were delighted to welcome her into the family.

Polly Gray was the glue that held the family and business together. Known to be as hard as nails, Polly knew the importance of family. She was a strict woman and had no time for messing nor mistakes. She sat at the head of the table, smoking one of her clove cigarettes which only she enjoyed.

Tommy eyed the table again, frowning as he realized that a family member was missing. Mabel Shelby was the fourth oldest sibling and the oldest female. She took after Polly in some ways but differed from her greatly in other ways. She was finally old enough to be part of the meetings that held the family business together and Tommy was shocked to see that she was missing.

"Where the fuck is Mabel?" Tommy demanded, his eyes studying each of his siblings carefully to decide if they were hiding something. It was Polly, however, who looked the most suspicious of them all. Tommy was waiting for an answer but none came, much to his annoyance. "Well?"

"Maybe she's taking after you, Tommy. Making us wait for God knows how long." Arthur complained but didn't look concerned about the absence of his younger sister. Arthur downed his strong drink and tilted his head backwards. "Let's start without her."

Tommy sighed but nodded his head. He began to pace, typical of him before he got the meeting started but then suddenly remembered the presence of the two youngest Shelby's. "Ada and Finn out. Now!"

"Polly told us to be here!" Ada immediately protested, adamant that she wasn't going to leave the kitchen before the meeting was finished. She had been surprised when Polly had told her to come to the meeting, normally she was kept as far away as possible.

"Polly?" Tommy questioned in annoyance, this meeting was not going the way he wanted it to. He wiped the back of his hand over his forehead and noted that Mabel still hadn't turned up yet. He figured she had gotten distracted by a man at a bar somewhere. He would deal with that later.