Summary: After managing to avoid seeing Thomas Shelby (and attending the annual Christmas party) for several years, Executive VP of Shelby Company, Ltd., Charlotte Miller must attend the company party in Birmingham.
Note: Written for @runnning-outof-time‘s K’s (Almost) 2.5k Holiday BINGO! (It’s also my first bingo, so fingers crossed.
Modern!Tommy Shelby x OC Series
Everything’s a Negotiation (In Progress)
Summary: Mackenzie Theil’s cousin is in debt to the Peaky Blinders and in order to save his own life, he offers up Mackenzie's services. Unfortunately for Mackenzie, she piqued Thomas Shelby’s interest.
Warnings: canon typical violence, language, sexual situations, consensual public sexual situations, possessive behavior
Tommy Shelby x Adeline Taylor (OC) Series
The School Teacher (Complete)
Summary: Adeline Taylor is a new teacher at the primary school in Small Heath. Looking for a fresh start, she’s excited to do something that will have a positive impact on the world. She soon encounters the men of the Shelby family, and her hopes for a quiet life are dashed. (Set in Season 1; not all events are chronological.)
Warnings: period typical sexism, series typical violence, period typical views of PTSD, canon suicide attempt, angst, period typical racism, smut, blood & gore, brief non-graphic descriptions of assault, possessive behavior
The Messenger (Complete)
Summary: Secrets from Adeline Taylor’s past threaten the life she’d been building with Thomas Shelby. Tommy has plans of his own, plans to expand his family, and his business. Not even the demons from Adeline’s past will get in his way. (Loosely follows the events from Season 2, but picks up at the end of The School Teacher)
*This is a series, so you should read The School Teacher first if you want to understand everything.*
Warnings: period typical sexism, series typical violence, period typical views of PTSD, angst, period typical racism, smut, blood & gore, possessive behavior, depictions of war, mentions of suicidal ideation, angst
The Spy (In Progress)
Summary: After the events at the Darby, Adeline Taylor must face her greatest fear while keeping those she loves safe. Thomas Shelby, reeling from the events of the Darby, makes reckless decisions that endanger not just him, but everyone he cares about. (Loosely follows the events from Season 3, but picks up at the end of The Messenger.)
*This is a series, so you should read The School Teacher and The Messenger first if you want to understand everything.*
Warnings: period typical sexism, series typical violence, period typical views of PTSD, angst, period typical racism, smut, blood & gore, possessive behavior, angst, infertility, child loss
fandom is a lot more fun when your goal isn’t to be “that big, popular account” within the fandom but just to have fun and talk about what brings you comfort and happiness by the way
Warnings: period typical sexism, series typical violence, period typical views of PTSD, period typical racism, blood and gore, angst, sexual situations
Summary: Adeline has a conversation with Linda that might be why day drinking exists.
**Note: This is a series, so you should read The School Teacher and The Messenger first if you want to understand everything.*
Word Count: 2127
Birmingham, 1924
Pulling her gloves from her hands, Adeline tucked them into the pocket of her coat before hanging it on a hook near the snug. As predicted, she found Sidney sitting at the bar, staring down into the bottom of the glass as though it held the answers to the secrets of the universe.
“I’m here. Tell me whatever it is your masters have said and I’ll be on my way.”
She heard his snort, but he didn’t turn to face her.
“You’re taking the Grand Duchess to the factory today. She’ll be giving a full report to the family. We’ve also been invited to dinner.”
Adeline frowned. “I had hoped to avoid more of their particular form of hospitality.”
“If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you sounded jealous, my dear.”
“The moment I’m jealous of the princess, I’ll throw myself in the Cut.”
Sidney turned to face her. “You’ve changed.”
Since it wasn’t a question, Adeline felt no need to respond.
“I noticed it when we were reunited, of course. I would expect the time apart to have caused a measure of change, but I didn’t expect it to make you soft, foolish. A couple nights with the Shelby’s and you stand there confident of your success.”
Ignoring him, she glanced around the empty pub. It’d been years since she’d been here, and she could still hear the happy voices, see the smiles on the Shelby’s faces when they’d reopened it. Of course, she still thought the gilding was a bit much, but it made Arthur happy, so really, it didn’t matter what she felt, not when Arthur’s happiness was more important.
“It’s not my success I’ve confidence in. It’s your failure. I only hope the two coincide. Whatever your planning doesn’t need to involve me,” Adeline said. “It never needed to involve me. I wonder if you’d simply tell me why you brought me into this? Why not simply leave me alone after all this time? Why the ruse with dearly departed Major Campbell when it was you pulling his strings all along.”
“I didn’t lie when I told you that I missed you.”
Adeline nodded. Unfortunately, she did believe him. It wasn’t the whole truth, but he’d always been fond of her.
“We both know that’s not why you made me a part of whatever game you’re playing.”
“Do you truly think this is a game?”
Adeline glanced at him, offered a sardonic smile. “It’s always a game with you, Sidney. Each more dangerous than the next.”
“Is that part of the message I should pass on to our good friends in the Economic League?”
“You can tell them all to go to hell.”
She could see it in his eyes. The need he had for her to back down, to submit to him, to acknowledge his power. Unfortunately for them both, she’d die before she allowed that to happen. Some lessons took longer, and as she’d been painfully reminded over the past few days, she was the stubborn sort, but she knew her strength. Knew it might not be enough. Even the Shelbys and fucking Alfie and all their combined power might not be enough this time. Still. Something so small as the possibility of failure hadn’t stopped her before.
The bell above the door broke the spell that had enveloped them. Adeline cursed under her breath. She hated Mondays. Linda strode through the door, trying - and failing - to hide her surprise at seeing the bar occupied.
“Linda.”
The woman paused, glanced between the two of them. “Does Thomas know you’re here?”
“Aye.”
What absurd question. As though she’d need his permission to be in a pub - especially his pub. Linda’s lips pursed as she tried to make herself look more relaxed than Adeline figured she felt. A woman of God in a place like the Garrison had to make the hairs on her arm stand on end. The better question would be if Linda knew where she was - because she figured Arthur wouldn’t give a damn one way or the other if his woman was in a pub - again, specifically this pub.
Sidney slid from the bar. He paused next to her, wrapped his arm around her waist and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I’ll see you at dinner, my dear.” He whispered the words against her skin and she wanted to peel the mustache from his face, maybe melt it off with acid.
Something of her thoughts must have shown on her face because he smiled down at her. “Beautiful.”
Even knowing Linda’s eyes were on her, judging, calculating, she didn’t pull away. Linda was a mere pawn on the board, nothing worth sacrificing position for. Not when facing Sidney. The wink he gave her as he disentangled himself from her felt like a loss anyway. Bastard.
“Arthur sent me ‘round to collect the books.”
“Lying’s a sin, you know,” Adeline replied as she rounded the bar. She pulled a glass and a bottle of whiskey from the shelf. As she poured the amber liquid into the glass, she felt a genuine smile cross her lips. When the whiskey touched her lips, she moaned. Damn, she’d forgotten exactly how much better the whiskey at the Garrison was. Good thing Tommy wasn’t around to hear it, else they’d have gotten nothing else done the rest of the day.
“You don’t know me.”
“Aye, but I know your type.”
“As I know yours.”
Adeline raised an amused eyebrow. “What would a proper, Quaker woman know about my type?”
“I know Arthur.”
She bit back the words on the tip of her tongue. Remembering what John had told her.
“I also know Arthur won’t make me his wife without his family’s approval.”
Adeline leaned her elbows on the bar, an indulgent smile on her lips. It’d be a cold day in hell before the family gave Arthur their blessing. Even if Adeline had never come home, had never met the Shelby’s, no one would have approved of Linda.
“Well?”
Taking another sip of the whiskey, Adeline blinked up at Linda. “Was there a question?”
She looked so out of place standing in the middle of the pub, early morning light shining through the windows. There was a defiant fire in her eyes, but unfortunately for her it reminded Adeline a bit of a toddler who’d been denied a sweet. If the woman stomped her foot, she might not be able to withhold her laughter.
“Are you going to give your blessing?”
“I’m not a Shelby.”
It was Linda’s turn to raise an eyebrow at her. “As good as from what I’ve been told. You introduced yourself to me as Thomas Shelby’s fiancèe.”
At this, Adeline nodded her head. “As good as. But it’s not my approval you’ll need. It’s Tommy’s. And of course, that’s why you’ve sullied yourself by deigning to enter a pub, pretending to be on a business errand for Arthur. You want me to convince him.”
Linda looked down, fiddled with the clasp on her purse before looking up again. “In spite of what you think, I’m not stupid. I know how things work ‘round here. Thomas Shelby runs Birmingham, and nothing happens without his knowledge. ‘Cept you. Seems the rules of Small Heath don’t apply to you.”
“I’m not much good with rules.”
“You’ll convince them to let me marry Arthur.”
Adeline smiled, genuinely amused by how serious the woman was, how sure of her own power.
“No.”
“I love him.”
Pouring another measure of whiskey, Adeline once again called herself a fool for leaving. But, Arthur was a Shelby, too. Just as stubborn as the rest of them. It was possible he’d have found himself in this situation even had she been here to see it happen.
“I understand you kept Arthur from becoming completely consumed by snow. If you know Arthur as you claim you do, then you know how dear he is to me. I’m thankful to you for helping him while I was away, for stepping in to help fix what I’d unintentionally broken.”
Rounding the counter with her glass in her hand, Adeline leaned against the front of the bar, legs crossed at the ankle. She took a long sip while she observed Linda. It was there, the eyes. A sort of love for Arthur. But, in the way she stood, chin high, eyes narrowed - giving her overall appearance a pinched sort of look said it wasn’t the right sort of love for Arthur. Same problem poor Lizzie had.
“You don’t think much of the Shelby family. Not that I’d expect a woman like you think any differently. Not in your nature. You’re a righteous sort. All full of the power of the Lord and the threat of a fiery end. And as the good, God-fearing woman you are, you just happened upon the Shelby family. A broken, heathen, sinful family - and you saw an opportunity. How blessed you must have felt.”
Linda tensed, her eyes narrowed the more Adeline spoke.
“I love Arthur.”
“Aye,” Adeline agreed. “You do love Arthur, just not all of him. You love the version of Arthur you think your meddling will manifest because it’s your duty to save him.”
Adeline set her glass on the bar, took two steps closer to Linda and paused. She waited until Linda met her gaze. Saw the fierce determination there, the conviction. Damn, her mother would have been proud of a woman like that. Unfortunately for Linda, that doomed her even more. Adeline leaned in close. “”Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins’.”
Linda let out a small gasp, eyes wide with surprise and something close to fear.
“I told you I knew your type. James chapter five, verse twenty. A favorite of my mother’s. Tried to convince me it was my duty, my responsibility as one of the chosen to bring others in from the dark. Figure that’s what you’re doing here. Let me guess. I doubt you’ve let him fuck you yet, gotta have some leverage to get him to marry you. But you let him get enough of a touch that he won’t stray. Once you get married, it’ll be kids - makes you less disposable that way. In between of course, you’ll work on getting him to work only during the daylight hours - devil’s work happens at night. You’d use your body to persuade him - surprise fucks at the office - anything’s alright if you’re married - even more so if you’re saving his soul. He’d let you - Tommy, too. Bless, but men are thick when it comes to women. Polly would try her best to stop it. Do what she could to make you uncomfortable enough to leave on your own. She’d be worried about upsetting Arthur - about him finding his way back into the snow if you left.”
Linda did her best to appear unaffected. Stood there - wrapped in her righteousness. Powerful knowledge that she was doing the right thing. Same conviction she felt from poor Irene. Fools and their causes. Doomed before they even have a proper go of it, and none the wiser until it’s too late.
“I can do it. Allow him to fill my womb with a child. Even if we weren’t married, I could make him do right by me after allowing him to bed me.”
Adeline nodded. “Aye. You could.”
Linda smiled, a knowing glint in her eye. Adeline finished the whiskey. Keeping her eyes on Linda, she rounded the counter, grabbed another glass and poured a second drink before refilling her own.
“You might want to drink that before you hear what I say next.”
By small increments Linda’s shoulders tightened, her jaw clenched, her eyes moved a bit restlessly around the room.
“Go on.”
Her hand trembled as she brought the glass to her lips and took a tiny, trembling sip.
“Spoke with John this morning. He had a few things on his mind, and one of them was you. According to him, you’re my fault. As he sees it, me leaving led to you having a way to slither your way to Arthur’s side. Maybe he’s right. Don’t matter in the end because it’s been made my problem to solve. Should you do something foolish like spread those righteous thighs of yours and receive a Shelby bastard, I’ll drown you and the babe in the Cut myself.”
“You’d take the life of an innocent child?”
Adeline’s smile was bitter. “Wouldn’t be the first one, but it might be the most satisfying.”
“You’re a monster.”
“Aye,” Adeline nodded. “I am. It’s best you remember that when you leave here and start thinking, and praying, and making plans.”
