A Certain Romance

Chapter 1: No. 1 Party Anthem

     It was a Friday night like any other. I'd finished an impromptu dancing gig at the seedy little Camden Club I worked at and, in exchange for coming in on short notice, the rest of the dancing girls and I were to be given free drinks for the rest of the evening. Obviously, Daria wanted to stick around-- and wanted me to stick around with her.

     "I don't know, maybe we should call it a night..." I whispered to her as she dragged me along to the bar with the rest of the giggling dancing girls. I could feel the eyes of every man in that smoke filled lounge on us. I was used to it. Why wouldn't they stare? We practically sparkled in our dancing costumes amidst the grime and smoke of the club.

     "Why?" She asked incredulously. "There's booze on the house until midnight for us!"

     She turned to order a drink, but I grabbed her wrist and yanked her back.

     "You've heard the whispering Daria-- the Peaky Blinders making a move on Camden Town... it might be dangerous to be out right now. Especially here."

     "Camden is Solomon turf, Celeste," She cut in with an unimpressed sigh, though I noted that her eyes flickered around to see if any of the men were close enough to hear our conversation. "And the Blinders may be a bunch of savages from Birmingham, but they have an agreement with Alfie-- they would never make a move on Camden."

     "Actually, my cousin Dorothy was whoring for a Solomon chap and she heard him talking," One of the other dancing girls cut in, reaching over us to grab a drink from the bartender, Billy. "Says it seems like there's trouble brewin' between 'em and the Blinders. She saw some of Sabini's men visiting Alfie."

      Daria shot her a look.

      "Right and your cousin Dorothy the whore just knows everything now, doesn't she?" She asked dryly.

     "Didn't say that. I'm still here ain't I?" She shrugged, taking her drink and gave me a teasing nudge. "Cheer up, love."

     Daria gestured after her emphatically as she walked away.

     "My point exactly— stop listening to gossip, Celeste!"

     "We could just go somewhere else!" I returned. "This isn't the only place to drink in Camden!"

     "It's the only place we can drink for free--!"

     The bartender, hovering nearby, interrupted us exasperatedly. "Do the two of you want to give me your orders or--."

     I shook my head rapidly.

     "No--."

     "Yes!" Daria spoke over me. "Champagne for the both of us, please."

     "Daria!" I exclaimed as Billy turned away. "What if they come in here and... I don't know, pillage and plunder or whatever else it is those Brummie bastards do..."

      I trailed off, imagining the possibilities. Daria was behaving as though I was being utterly unreasonable, but this was a favorite haunt for the 'bread-makers' of Camden Town. If the Blinders were going to hit somewhere, it could very well be here. Daria sighed and took my hand in hers with her mothering expression on. I pursed my lips.

      "Celeste, dearest... you need to fuckin' relax, alright love? I understand why you're worried, but the likelihood is just so slim that, well, who gives a fuck?" She responded to my scowl with a wide smile. "Oh, come now, I've got something that will put the smile back on your face..."

      She retrieved a little vial of Tokyo from her garter belt and offered it to me. I huffed unhappily but snatched it from her anyway. She smiled at me. I narrowed my eyes back. She smiled harder and wiggled her eyebrows. I rolled my eyes and burst out laughing.