From the moment she was born, Esther was promised to marry Tommy Shelby in order to join their families. But two years before the Great War, her father died and her mother snuck their family out of Birmingham to America. Years later, when Ada Shelby finds herself pregnant, she calls on her best friend Esther to talk some sense to Tommy. So, Esther makes her way back to Birmingham and the man she still loves after all this time. But does he still love her?
- Chapter 1 -
Summary: Esther comes back to Birmingham.
Word Count: 2.1K
Warnings: Coarse Language (It’s Peaky Blinders)
Home.
Esther was finally home.
It had been since before the war since she had set foot in Birmingham and yet the sight of the city brought tears to her eyes. She hadn’t a sense of belonging, purpose, or home since she had fled the city at her mother’s behest. Secretly, Esther wondered if there was something wrong with herself. Had the years been that cruel to her? Had she changed so much that she could never feel things such as joy or a sense of belonging again? But the tears rolling down her cheek told her otherwise. It had simply been a terrible case of homesickness. One that had lasted for seven years.
A blonde curl escaped her perfectly coifed hair, but Esther didn’t care. She simply tucked it behind her ear and smiled at the city. Most people probably wouldn’t have been quite to happy to see Birmingham as Esther. Her mother would be appalled, especially if she knew where she was here. With assistance from her younger sister, Esther had snuck away from her mother’s house under the cover of darkness to board the first ship bound for England the next morning. Of course, she had only done so at the insistence of Ada Shelby.
Ada Shelby had been Esther’s best friend when she had lived in Birmingham, even though Esther was about two years Ada’s senior. Despite the physical distance between them, the two girls had continued their friendship through correspondence over the years. Needless to say, Esther was quite surprised when Ada telephoned her, revealing that she was pregnant with Freddie Thorne’s child. That didn’t surprise Esther much so much. Ada had talked and written about Freddie for years. What surprised Esther most was the fact that Ada insisted she needed her to talk some sense into her brother, Thomas.
There had once been a time when Esther was promised to marry Tommy Shelby. Their fathers had been insistent on joining their families. At the time, Arthur Shelby Sr. had two sons Arthur Jr. and Thomas. The two fathers had settled on Tommy, acknowledging that young Arthur might be needed to form a bigger strategic alliance as the older son. So from the day Esther was born, Tommy Shelby had been told to protect her and treat her like his princess. And he had.
Esther had grown up knowing that she would one day marry Tommy Shelby. While most girls hated being trapped into an arranged marriage, Esther hadn’t minded it. She had loved Tommy for as long as she could remember and he had loved her back. Or at least she remembered him loving her back. They had been nearly inseparable growing up. For quite some time, there was no one who knew Tommy Shelby better than Esther. But her father’s death changed everything.
And yet, here she was back in Birmingham. Ada had given her a small bit of hope. Tommy hadn’t married. There had been another girl before he went off to war, Ada had told her that. But she had died and then Tommy went off to fight. Ada said he had changed when he came home, but Esther couldn’t help but hope that Tommy might still feel something for her. Tommy Shelby was the only boy she had ever loved and kissed. And Esther planned on keeping it that way, one way or another.
The ship finally docked and Esther joined the queue to get off this bloody boat. It had been too long since she had last set her feet on dry land. Once her feet were on solid ground, Esther closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Yes, it certainly smelled like Birmingham. Most people would have found the smell repulsive, but it made Esther sentimental.
When she opened her eyes, she found a man leaning against a crate looking at her smugly. “Well, well, if it isn’t Queen Esther finally returning home,” the man said in his Birmingham accent which she had sorely missed hearing. America was a melting pot of many accents, most of which were hard to understand.
Given the fact, the man called her Queen Esther, she knew that she used to know him, once upon a time. Esther looked the man over and shook her head, immediately wondering how she hadn’t recognized him, to begin with. “You’ve gotten fucking old, Charlie,” she teased.
Charlie Strong shook his head and smiled before he opened his arms wide. “Oh, come ‘ere, you,” he laughed. Esther stepped into his warm embrace and hugged him back. Charlie had been friends with her father and was also uncle to the Shelby siblings. They had interacted quite often while Esther was growing up and she thought quite fondly of him.
“What are you doing here?” Esther asked after she pulled away from Charlie. She tugged her stubborn curl behind her ear once more.
“Fetching you,” Charlie said, his tone implied that she should have already known the answer to her question.
Esther smiled and gently touched Charlie’s arm. “It’s not that I mind, Charlie. Truly, it’s good to see you again. I’ve missed you. It’s only Ada said Polly would be the one coming to get me, said she had it all arranged.”
Charlie nodded his head. “Pol was supposed to come down, but then Ada got it in ‘er head that Tommy would be suspicious of Polly coming down to the docks in the middle of the day. So, you got me instead.”
Esther sighed. “I take it Ada still hasn’t told him I was coming.”
“Wants to surprise ‘im is me understanding.”
“I’m sure that’ll go over real fucking well.”
“I do believe you didn’t tell ‘im either, Esther.”
Esther rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t like I had time, Charlie. I boarded that fucking boat only a few hours after Ada’s telephone call. Before then I was fucking packing. I didn’t have fucking time, Charlie.”
Charlie chuckled. “Looks like you can take the girl out of fucking Birmingham, but you can’t take fucking Birmingham out of the girl.”
“I honestly think it’s Birmingham that fucking does this to me,” Esther groaned. “I wasn’t like this in America, I swear.”
“With your mother, I wouldn’t think so.” Charlie shook his head remembering Esther’s mother, Harriet, unsuccessfully trying for years to clean up the language of the Peaky Blinders. They had found it quite annoying at the time, so most of them took out their aggression by teaching Esther as many naughty words and phrases as they could. It had been great amusement for the men and much agitation for Harriet.
Esther nodded her head in agreement.
“How is ol’ Harriet?” Charlie asked.
“Married to some rich old man who’s gone and gotten himself into politics. It’s not the politics I mind so much, it’s him. Although, I do believe I prefer him to Harriet. How fucking sad is that?” Esther folded her arms across her chest defensively. She hated her mother and she couldn’t think of one instance where she actually liked the woman. Harriet had always resented the fact that Albert, Esther’s father, had promised her to a Shelby and Esther had always resented her mother for that.
Esther scoffed derisively. “She’s been trying to marry me off too. Did you know that?”
“I heard,” Charlie said nodding his head before he grinned. “Also heard tell you were becoming a nun.” He laughed heartily after that.
When Charlie finally settled down, Esther responded. “I certainly fucking threatened it enough. I’m hoping Harriet thinks I’m at the fucking convent before figuring out the truth.”
“And how exactly were you planning on being a nun with that mouth?”
Esther threw her head back and groaned. “I swear, it’s fucking Birmingham that does this to me.”
“Then it’s about time you came back,” Charlie said with a grin on his face. “Birmingham always did seem to suit you. Now let’s go see about your luggage and go give Walt a visit before we descend upon the madness.”
“You think it’ll be that bad, Charlie?” Esther asked before pursing her lips.
Charlie shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine, Queen Esther. Your guess is as good as mine.”
“That’s reassuring,” she muttered to herself as Charlie gently took her elbow and led her to where the luggage was being unloaded. They stood there together and patiently waited for Esther’s things to appear.
“How is Ada, truly?” Esther asked.
“She’s being forced to choose between love and family. How do you think she’s doing?”
Esther chewed her lip. “I can only imagine,” she responded. She had been forced into the same position years before. The decision was made for her, by her mother; but if Tommy had only asked she would have chosen differently. Perhaps, in a way, Ada Shelby was facing the consequences that should have been hers.
“That looks to be all of it,” Esther said pointing at a stack.
Charlie’s eyes widened and he removed his cap, slapping it against his thigh. “You weren’t fucking lying when you said all you was doing was packing,” he said staring at Esther’s luggage in amazement. In front of them stood steamer trunks, shoe trunks, suitcases, hat boxes, and leather travel bags.
“No, I fucking wasn’t,” Esther retorted, folding her arms across her chest.
He looked at her rather incredulously before he asked. “How long you planning on staying, Queen Esther?”
Esther straightened her stance and set her shoulders. “Let’s put it this way, Charlie. I’m not planning on to leave ever again. There are only two ways I see this going, Charlie. One of them being I give up all my worldly possessions and become a fucking nun.”
“And the other?” Charlie asked curiously.
She smirked. “I think you already fucking know.”
“All hail, Queen Esther,” Charlie laughed as he bowed slightly. He then examined the luggage again. “On second thought, best get one of me boys to come fetch this.”
Esther watched as Charlie walked over to one of the men unloading the luggage. The man looked rather frightened as Charlie approached him. “You see this luggage ‘ere?” Charlie asked the man as he pointed toward Esther’s large pile of luggage. The man nodded rather enthusiastically. “It’s property of the Peaky Blinders, it is, and you’re going to make sure no one touches it. Got it?”
The man, not seeing that he really had any choice in the matter nodded his head.
Charlie smiled and patted the man on the back. “Good man, good man. One of me boys will be by to fetch it.”
The man nodded again.
Charlie winked at Esther before he wrapped an arm around the man’s shoulder. “It’ll be your pleasure, won’t it?”
Another nod.
“Now, lemme ‘ear you tell that to Queen Esther.”
The man swallowed hard. “It--it’ll be my pleasure.”
Charlie looked at the man and made a motion with his hand for him to continue.
The man looked nervously at Charlie before he looked back at Esther. “It’ll be my pleasure, Q--Queen Esther.”
Esther smiled sweetly at the man. “Thank you.”
‘That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Charlie laughed as he slapped the man’s back. Clearly, Charlie still enjoyed his influence as a Peaky Blinder. Although, Esther was rather certain he was just showing off for her sake.
Charlie escorted Esther to the car. He opened the door and offered Esther his hand to help her into the car. She accepted his help and climbed into the car. Once she was seated, Charlie closed the door behind her and walked around to the other side of the car and got in himself.
“Was that fucking necessary, Charlie?” Esther asked, referring to the scene he had just made.
Charlie looked at the man standing guard of Esther’s luggage and then looked back at her and grinned. “Yes, Queen Esther, I do believe it fucking was.” He then started the engine to the car and moments later they pulled away.
Esther looked out the window, taking in Birmingham, comparing it to the Birmingham she remembered. That damn curl came loose again, so she tucked it back. “How long before he knows, do you think?”
“Does it really matter?” Charlie glanced at her with an eyebrow arched.
Esther sighed and shook her head. “No, I suppose it doesn’t.”
Charlie grinned. “Then I’m guessing he’s finding out right about now.”
Word Count: 985
Summary: After Arthur’s proposal, Esther finds Tommy
Warnings: Language
Esther rounded the corner to find Tommy Shelby standing there, leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette. He had been listening the entire time. He had heard her entire conversation with Arthur. He had planned it that way...and that infuriated her. Ada had mentioned that Tommy had changed. That he liked to toy with people. She had never expected to be one of them.
“Did you hear what you needed to hear?” Esther asked Tommy with her hands resting on her hips. “Hmm?” She narrowed her eyes at him.
Tommy shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He was lying. She knew that much. Even if his tell, which only she could recognize, hadn’t given him away; she wouldn’t have believed him anyway. “Don’t play fucking stupid with me, Tommy Shelby. It doesn’t suit you. You’re a lot of things, but stupid isn’t one of them.”
Tommy nodded his head before a small smile found its way onto his face. “I see that you still think rather highly of me after all this time.”
She rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. “That was never a secret.”
He took a final drag from his cigarette before he tossed it to the floor and snuffed it out with his shoe. Tommy exhaled before looking at Esther once more. “I’m not the same boy you knew when you left. I haven’t been him for some time now.”
Esther pursed her lips and shook her head. “No, you’re not. You’re a man who forces his own brother to propose to the woman he once fancied but was at one time betrothed to his brother. Rather cruel, no?” Arthur had always fancied her growing up, but it was with Tommy the betrothal had been made.
Tommy just shrugged. “Arthur knew what he was getting into.”
“Did he now? And what if I would have said yes? What did you tell him to do if I said yes?”
“I told ‘im he could marry you if that’s what you wanted. I wouldn’t stand in his way.”
Part of her didn’t want to believe him. She wanted to believe that they were only words, that he would have stood in the way of Arthur trying to marry her. But she couldn’t let Tommy know that. Esther scoffed. “It would have been easier on all parties involved if you would have just asked me if I still had feelings for you, you know.”
Esther closed the distance between them and grabbed the collar of his shirt. She brought her face up was nearly touching his. Her blue eyes focused on his blue eyes. Tommy inhaled rather raggedly, but he didn’t make any move to stop her. So, Esther said, “That is the first and last fucking game you play with me, Tommy Shelby. Do you hear me? Do you fucking hear me?”
His gaze moved from her eyes to her lips before he responded, “I hear you, Esther.”
“Good.” Esther then released his collar before she gently patted down his lapels. He then straightened his stance and she took a step away from him.
“It would have been more believable if you’d make John do it. He’s in more need of a wife.” Esther turned to walk away. She made it no more than a few feet before she stopped and turned back toward Tommy. Esther shook her head and gave Tommy a disappointed smile. “But you already knew that and you were afraid I might actually agree to marry him. So, you sent Arthur.”
Tommy didn’t respond.
Esther shook her head once again. “I wasn’t lying when I told Arthur that I gave my heart away and never got it back. Call me old fashioned, but I made myself a promise long ago that I would only kiss and love one fucking man. Seeing as I’ve already kissed you, I’ve all but damned myself on that fucking account.”
Again, he didn’t say anything, but Esther could have sworn she saw a slight smile play on his lips. Esther tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear. “Do with that information what you will. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I don’t want to keep your sister waiting.”
She made to move past him, but Tommy’s hand snaked out and took hold of her arm. He turned her to face him before he grabbed her face with his free hand and pulled her mouth to his, kissing her. This kiss was bruising and nearly suffocating, vastly contrasting from the shy and gentle kisses of their youth. But Esther wasn’t going to complain. She had waited seven fucking years for Tommy Shelby to kiss her again and it exceeded all her expectations.
Esther’s hands clung to his lapels, pulling herself closer to him for another kiss. He tasted of cigarettes and Irish whiskey. God, his kisses were intoxicating. How had she managed to survive so long without them? It was clearly evident he wanted her. But then he abruptly pulled away.
“Fuck,” Tommy whispered before he removed Esther’s hands from his lapels and fled.
Esther brought her fingers to her swollen lips and smiled. While Tommy’s game had succeeded in him finding out if she still had feelings for him, it had also revealed more than that. Tommy Shelby still felt something for her too.
From the moment she was born, Esther was promised to marry Tommy Shelby. Two years before the Great War, her father died and her mother snuck their family out of Birmingham to America. Years later, when Ada Shelby finds herself pregnant, she calls on Esther to talk some sense to Tommy. So, Esther returns to Birmingham and the man she still loves. But does he still love her?
From the moment she was born, Esther was promised to marry Tommy Shelby in order to join their families. But two years before the Great War, her father died and her mother snuck their family out of Birmingham to America. Years later, when Ada Shelby finds herself pregnant, she calls on her best friend Esther to talk some sense to Tommy. So, Esther makes her way back to Birmingham and the man she still loves after all this time. But does he still love her?
From the moment she was born, Esther was promised to marry Tommy Shelby in order to join their families. But two years before the Great War, her father died and her mother snuck their family out of Birmingham to America. Years later, when Ada Shelby finds herself pregnant, she calls on her best friend Esther to talk some sense to Tommy. So, Esther makes her way back to Birmingham and the man she still loves after all this time. But does he still love her?
who starts putting up decorations in october? Neither. Esther waits until it’s November before putting up anything Christmas and she does it a little at a time to see if Tommy notices, but by the time it’s Christmas their home is a winter wonderland.
who buys the advent calendars? Polly gets them for the kids, so neither Tommy or Esther.
who places mistletoes all around the house? Esther tries to put it up. Tommy mutters that they have people to do that for them, but then ends up taking it from her and putting it where she wants it.
who wraps the presents for other people? Neither, they have people to do that for them.
who puts the final star/angel on the top of the christmas tree? Tommy, they make a little thing over putting the angel on the tree.
who’s the one that hates eggnog? Both of them hate plain eggnog, but they both will drink it with a lot of alcohol in it.
who’s the one that bakes christmas cookies for guests? They have people to bake them for guests, but Esther will still drag Tommy into the kitchen and make a batch because it was their tradition when they were children.
who sends out the christmas cards? Esther makes them. Tommy begrudgingly signs them and they have someone see that they make it in the mail.
who knows all the words to twelve days of christmas? Neither of them. They prefer other Christmas carols.
who’s the better snowman builder? Certainly, Tommy was when they were kids. He doesn’t do it on his own and must be dragged outside by Esther to do it...and even then he only helps because he thinks she isn’t doing things quite properly (which she is purposely messing up to get him to play with her)
who starts snowball fights? When they were kids, Tommy. He’ll do it occasionally as adults, depending on his mood, but it’s usually Esther trying to get him to lighten up a bit.
who’s the one that wakes the other on christmas morning by playing christmas songs really loudly? Neither. Esther knows better than do to that to Tommy. It’s more something she’d do on Christmas Even to get him to sleep, but then she’ll sing a song very quietly and gently stroke his hair until he’s asleep.
