𝐖𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝗉𝖾𝖺𝗄𝗒 𝖻𝗅𝗂𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝗌

vi. d o n ' t t e l l p o l l y

t h e w o m e n o f w h i t e
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act one — six
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1919

within the chilled streets

of small heath thomas had chosen to walk edith to the garrison. the shelby man hadn't asked or offered but simply matched his step with the younger girl; both silently making their way down the cobbled paths. edith tilted her head just slightly to catch a glance of the peaky boy, her dark iris flicking over his face, as thomas lit yet another cigarette.

silence surrounded the pair, and it wasn't awkward, it was almost like a warm bubble where company was just enough. facing forward once again was when thomas took his turn to catch a glance. her nose was blotched red from the icy weather as small ringlets of caramel hair fell along her face. "there was a mix up. when i sent my men to get a crater of gin." he spoke smoothly but completely out of the blue; however edith knew exactly what he was on about.

"the bsa factory?" she questioned.

thomas wasn't sure what made him reveal the secret to this women but a small weight was lifted from his shoulders as he did. "instead, when they dropped it off in charlie strong's yard we found; twenty-five lewis machine guns, ten-thousand round of ammunition, fifty semi-automatic rifles, two-hundred pistols with shells. all bound for libya." it seemed as if the list never ended as the shelby man spoke in a monotone voice.

edith's feet came to a stop as her jaw had fallen slack, black eyes wide with shock but as tommy looked at her he noticed no fear. "that's why they sent a copper?" she breathed quietly, her eyes focused on her shoes that rested dirtily on the ground. her mind raced with all the possibilities, all the trouble and chaos that thomas had brought upon them.

he stayed watching, waiting, for any type of outburst from the girl. yet the brunette stayed, brows knitted together, lips pursed and eyes glazed in some sort of thought. "polly, will tell me to get rid of them." sighed thomas as he turned his head down for a second.

as edith lifted her head she caught sight of his tensed shoulders. taking a slow step forward she turned her head both ways, making sure there was no one listening, before resting a hand upon his shoulder. he lifted his head slightly icy eyes meeting her warm dark ones in a beautiful collision of colour. "but you're not getting rid of them, are you thomas." just in a manner such as his own she stated her question rather then asked. "you'll use them to bargain with the copper." she asserted with much more confidence then thomas had ever seen her with.

his own brows frowned at her unwise intentions; but that was just the thing it wasn't unwise. piecing her brown eyes with his icy blue, thomas realised something. edith dawson was more then a tale of small heath, she was more then polly's god-daughter; she was smart, ambitious and maybe just a little too much like himself. "welcome to the business, edith." he was just shy of a smile upon his words as thomas turned on his heel and sauntered back down the lanes.

her black eyes were fixed on his retreating figure; mind wondering what storm thomas shelby was brewing up inside that head of his.

✝︎

it had seemed that the dawson girl was not alone with her late night. within the early hours of the morning edith was returning from her shift at the garrison; only to be met with a black and blue arthur slumped in front of the door. she herself was still unsure to how her petite and slender frame managed to carry such a large man.