Roguish Women- Tommy Shelby

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            Kate didn't remember what she said to Tommy. In fact, she didn't remember leaving the Garrison. Perhaps it was a good thing to know that she didn't have many reservations about getting blackout drunk with the Shelbys at their establishment. It just reinforced the idea that she trusted them. And trust was not easy to come by.

Still, she didn't remember what she'd said. And Tommy didn't tell her.

He was sitting downstairs in the kitchen when Kate came downstairs wearing the same dress she had on the night before. She didn't look pleased with the hangover she was sporting.

"Tea?" Tommy offered.

"No, thanks." She sat down at the table and took out a cigarette instead.

He simply turned the page of his newspaper, partially hiding his face behind it. He couldn't be certain how much she remembered. Although she was certainly out of it, at the time that didn't mean she forgot. Besides, Tommy didn't want to mention it if she had forgotten and it was simply a mistake. Maybe he'd misheard her or she was just spouting nonsense. That was a convenient answer, one he held onto because he wasn't willing to explore what he felt deeper. If he did, he was afraid of what he might find. Nevertheless, it would complicate things. So he chose not to bring it up.

"Did you come to the Garrison last night?" Kate asked.

"No, John brought you here. You weren't making much sense." He replied trying to sound nonchalant as if to portray the idea that she hadn't said anything that bothered him or meant anything, to begin with.

It reassured Kate and she didn't suspect he was hiding anything from her based on his demeanor. Of course, when she woke up at Six Watery Lane, she was horrified that she'd done something foolish. Perhaps she showed up at Tommy's doorstep declaring her true feelings for him. How embarrassing that would be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been quite some time since Kate had been in a legitimate ballet company. Not since she'd been in the States. And it had been a while since she'd been in a studio or any sort of suitable practice space. The thing about Birmingham and London was it all felt so cramped. There wasn't enough room to do much of anything. Still, Kate did her best to stretch and keep herself somewhat in a condition to dance again. Maybe it was blind hope that she would one day find herself back on stage.

Back to that feeling that had escaped her for so long. Something that couldn't be replicated. It was the closest thing she'd known to flying. She felt weightless on her feet. Able to leap like a gazelle, making it look effortless, and as if she could walk on air. Of course, they were fleeting moments. If she were to be lifted by someone, the feeling lasted much longer. But it came with a price. The price of trust and having to rely on someone to keep her aloft. There was still a man there, holding her up. Kate always wanted the man to disappear. That way it would be her alone. That's all she needed. She didn't need someone else's support.

When Ada arrived, Kate was stretching in the hallway, using the staircase railing as a makeshift barre.

"Come in!" Kate welcomed her in.

Ada startled a bit, unsure at what the woman was doing with her leg so high in the air. "Is this a bad time?"

"No, no, just stretching." Kate folded over her lifted leg, reaching for her toes. "Make yourself at home."

"Alright then." Ada did so by hanging her coat up along with her purse and hat.

Kate could still hear her old instructor counting as she stretched.