How To Love A Bad Man|Thomas Shelby

3| Here comes Thomas Shelby

Home sweet home...

Then my door was bashed, the splinters of wood sprinkled onto my floor. I had spoken too soon. The clicking of heels threw me off track, it wasn't Arthur Shelby.

"We can't normalise anyone slapping a Shelby and attempting to stab them." Polly Gray, the aunt of the Shelby brothers threatened me. Her hand curled round my light hair, she tugged me out of the door, and we strolled silently to the Shelby house. The street was wet, mostly with blood from this morning.

She lead me into the creaking, eerie house that she owned. She sat me down in a dusty chair and walked away. That familiar clicking disappearing entirely. I prepared myself for Arthur Shelby's wrath.

"Don't think you're special for slapping a Shelby." A deep, intimidating voice started to me. I gulped, I knew this wasn't Arthur, or John, or Finn. I knew who it was but I didn't want to admit it. "I admire your reasons for hitting him." He admitted, ruffling through his coat.

"The Shelby's carry guns 99% of the time"

"But we have a reputation to uphold...." the end of his sentence was an invite for me to say my name.

"Rosalind." I whispered reluctantly, here comes Thomas Shelby and his gun. Here comes the bullet in my head. Here comes an early grave.

"Do you have any last words Rosalind?" He prodded, pressing the cool metal of a weapon against my skull. I didn't answer. "After horses, women are the worst to kill."

I didn't respond to that either.

"Look at me." Thomas Shelby demanded, tilting my head up by grasping my chin. "Look at the last face you'll remember, savour it."

"I'm blind." I said bluntly. At my words, I already envisioned Thomas freezing. The gun slowly drew back from my head, and soon enough, a chair was pulled in front of me.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - /

Polly struggled not to laugh. "Arthur Shelby got hit by a blind woman." John didn't conceal his chuckle. "I mean I bet she didn't even know where he was, come on Arthur!"

"Aight, aight. Shut up." Arthur spat at the ground, clearly in denial. I sat patiently, I didn't have any input in this conversation.

"Thomas Shelby almost shot a blind woman." Polly exhaled in disbelief. I didn't think it was so necessary to label me so much, but a family such as them didn't fumble much for preferences.

"Not one of my proudest moments." Thomas puffed on his cigarette, unintentionally blowing the smoke my way, "but then again, I have no proud moments." Even if I couldn't see Tommy. His voice sent shivers down my spine, it ignited my heart and sent it pounding. "Rosalind's gone quiet. I'm not surprised, but if you're bored I can send you out."

"I'm certainly not bored. It's been an interesting day." I smiled softly. "Can I have a drink? Whiskey if you have any?" I asked politely, crossing my legs and brushing some dust off my skirt.

"Of course." Polly said, returning a minute later with a glass, she put it on the table, I put my hand out and struggled to find it. When I finally touched it, I found that it was on the very edge and I knocked it off. The sound of glass smashing made me flinch and curl up. "Alright, she's definitely blind."

"Now you can drink." A glass was put to my lips, I pried it off their hand and into mine.

"I can drink on my own. But thank you." It was terrifying, someone giving you something that could've been poison. I sniffed the drink, it was as safe as I could tell. I cautiously took a sip. It was beautiful whiskey, I almost moaned in my mouth and threw back the rest of it.

"She can take her drink better than you John." Polly joked. I tried not to smirk but failed. "Oh I wouldn't smirk. We won't kill you, but you'll have to look beaten for us to still have the same respect." Away the smirk goes. Away it goes.

"I'm out of this one. We need to get a fucking move on with Billy Kimber boys!" Thomas rushed all the brothers out the house. Leaving just me and Polly. Two women, both with status, one with vision.

"As a woman who sometimes goes to church, this is difficult for me to do." Polly stroked my hair gently. "Once your punishment is done, I'll cut your hair as an apology. It's getting quite unkept."

"It hasn't been very luscious since I went blind." I told her, I hated how mangled it had gotten. Sometimes I'd have luck and it would feel fine. But it was getting harder, at father's I was kept in one room most of the time. Here, there were stairs and I never remembered where I put my brush.

Polly muttered 'sorry' under her breath and then came the first strike. My face stung as her hand collided, I gasped at the suddenness of it. She didn't do it continuously, just one and then paused again. "How long have you been blind?"

"Just less than year." Then came the second hit to the other side of my face. Fuck, that one was painful. I cried out as she grabbed my throat hard, I felt my airways get tighter and tighter. I couldn't breathe. I could not fucking breathe. Her hand left my neck and I started breathing heavily, trying to get the air back in.

"That'll all bruise. Just one last one, and I'm done with you." Polly pushed a sharp thin object against my cheek until blood started trickling out. It only pierced slightly, but it did the trick. No one similar to a girl like me would attempt the same thing.

This was why I was always scared, I didn't know what'd happen to me. I didn't know who was behind or besides me until they spoke. Anything anyone could see, I didn't know anymore.

"Dear lord, forgive me. Amen." Polly begged unwavering in her speech. "You've only been blind quite recently?" She directed it at me and I nodded. "What happened?"

"I don't like talking about it." I admired the fact there wasn't tension between me and Polly, even after she'd hurt me, she didn't want to, it was just what she had to do. "On my journey to Birmingham, I was losing my sight. By the time I got here it was all gone."

"Must be dreadful." She gave her quick sympathy, then opened a door. "Now, go out there and look horrified." She ordered me.

I nodded respectfully. I was expecting death, not an acting class.

"We'll be seeing you soon."

"I look forward to the next time I'm almost killed."