CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Trouble Finds You
A WEEK HAS PASSED SINCE JOHN'S WEDDING, SINCE ADA HAS HER BABY AND FREDDIE WAS ARRESTED.
Everyone except Tabitha believed Thomas sold Freddie to the coppers, so everyone was upset with him. Polly was the most upset, since she helped raise Ada, the most angry at Thomas. Ada hadn't left her old bedroom since Freddie was arrested, taking care of her baby boy alone. Polly and Tabitha tried to talk to her and see if they were able to come in, but Ada didn't let them.
Tabitha had been busy since she was promoted to an official bookmaker. She worked with Arthur down at the Garrison most of the day, meaning she got to see Grace a little more. Tabitha mainly worked in the back room because it had a desk she was able to write on and look at the books. There was small calender on the desk to, so she'd write down important dates for the company.
It was Tabitha's first job, and she was working as hard as she could. She started waking up around the time Thomas did, and he was always up before her. Grace made Tabitha's favorite tea for when the brunette came into the Garrison every morning, chamomile. Thomas enjoyed how determined Tabitha was working, but didn't like Grace being around even more.
One morning, Tabitha decided to get to work early, even waking up before Thomas. He was surprised to wake up with her curled up beside him as usual. Polly told him she left to the Garrison for work, but it was only brief because Polly was still upset about Freddie even though Thomas said he didn't well him out.
Tabitha was in the back room of the Garrison that morning hard at work. Grace had made fresh chamomile tea, serving her gypsy friend a cup and let her get back to work. Tabitha was writing down things in book with her calender out as she heard someone come into the room. Thomas was there when she looked up, leaning against the wall next to the door frame, staring down at her.
"Good morning," Tabitha said with a smile. "Grace made some tea if you want some."
"You got up before I did," Thomas said.
"Yeah, I wanted to get work done early."
Thomas then walked slowly towards Tabitha with his hands on his pockets, looking down at her work. She kept her smile, feeling proud about how she was making the new system and how it was going.
"The new system. Everything in the diary, eh?" Thomas asked, and Tabitha nodded.
"Yes, and honestly, I'm quite proud of myself on how it's turned out," Tabitha said.
Thomas moved to grab a pen from his jacket, then bending over and drawing a black star on the third of December.
"A black star?" Tabitha questioned with furrowed brows. "What's black star day?"
"Black star day is the day we take out Billy Kimber and his men. No one knows this," Thomas answered, making Tabitha's eyes widened.
"Not even the family?" She asked surprised.
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HUMBLE BEGINNINGS || T. SHELBY (1)
FanfictionTabitha Hearn is a young gypsy woman whose father leads the Hearn Clan. With her father's bad health and mother raising her younger siblings, Tabitha is married off to a man named Thomas Shelby, leader of the Peaky Blinders, to end a lasting feud be...