The Untold Story of Mary Shelby (A Peaky Blinders Fan-Fiction)

Chapter Two - Turning Point

The rainy weather had seemed to clear by mid-morning but left a damp feeling in the air and a musty smell that infiltrated every house in Birmingham. Tommy was just waking at around eight in the morning to start his busy day. Yawning and stretching, he rubbed his eyes to fully wake himself, he wasn't used to getting a full nights sleep, and when he did, it slowed him down as the tiredness seemed more extreme. However, it did refresh him and set him up for the day. Groggily, he got out of his bed and sat up, slowly pulling himself away from the comfy mattress, walking over to the wardrobe and dressing in his usual clothes that now had become almost a uniform. It signified to everyone in Birmingham who he was, without them even having to know his name. The whole family had their own distinct look, but the three brothers all dressed very similarly and everyone knew who they were just by their clothes. This was the same with Mary, who also had a very distinct look compared to most other women in Birmingham, where they would all wear long dressed and extremely feminine clothes, Mary wore trousers, still feminine, but this was a huge statement and showed her rebel side, going against the stereotypical women's clothing. She loved looking different, and trousers were far more practical and allowed her to do more things that dresses would restrain her from doing. As much as she loved looking different, she also desperately wanted to wake up in a world that valued equality and where women could wear trousers without being criticised and torn down for it. She also wanted to be equal to her brothers and share the same responsibility. Just because she was a woman, she didn't see why it should hold her back.  

Mary slipped into Tommy's morning thoughts once again, thinking of useful she could be to the family business if she was the brains behind it, but she would never be allowed to do the same jobs and him, or his brothers. That's the number one thing he didn't want, Mary, being involved with danger, guns, drugs, alcohol and all evil that was presented in their warped lives. Once Tommy was dressed, he walked out of his room and downstairs. Polly had let herself into his home and was sat at the kitchen table having a cigarette. She had young Fin sat on a chair next to her eating a thick slice of bread and jam. This wasn't unusual as Polly and Fin were always welcome in the Shelby family home whenever they wanted. Polly looked as if she had the weight of the world resting on her shoulders, while Fin pulled his slice of bread apart into multiple pieces on the table, eventually popping each small bit into his mouth, but mostly missing, and thereby covering his face in a sticky layer of jam. Polly, who usually had a skill with young children, looked as if she was already completely done with the day. Fin looked like the most innocent, sweet and polite boy you could find, but Tommy knew the truth. In reality, he was a little shit. Fin often saw the way his older brothers behaved and sometimes copied their behavior, making hin extremely unruly and difficult to handle. 

Tommy acknowledged Polly by just looking at her, but didn't say anything to her, as if she lived there every day. The entire Shelby family were extremely comfortable with one another, and every home they owned never kept its doors shut for family. Tommy walked by Polly, then rubbed Fins head, messing his dirty blonde / light brown hair all over the place. He too got himself a few slices of bread and jam for breakfast and sat down opposite the two of them. 

"Polly, I'm calling a family meeting at twelve PM, make sure everyone knows". Tommy was never really one for pleasantries, so please's, thank you's and sorry's were never really said by him, but he expected the youth to be polite, and didn't stand rudeness from anyone other than Polly, John, and Arthur as it was a matter of business and convenience. They were all relatively equal to one another. Polly nodded but kept eye contact with Tommy. Eventually, the silence in the kitchen was broken by Polly's plea to Tommy, stating "You're having Fin for the next few days, I need a break" in which Tommy nodded, similar to Polly. Tommy's house always had spare rooms for Polly and Fin to stay. Grabbing her black handbag, Polly stood up, pulling her chair in and headed for the front door before saying "I will be back at twelve for the meeting", her long black dress trailing behind her. Polly was a saint and dealt with everything that came her way, but it wasn't solely her job to look after Fin, everyone else should also chip in too in her mind. Fin stayed put, still throwing little bits of bread and jam in his mouth.