Silence - Chapter 37
Pairing = Thomas Shelby x Reader
Summary = Ana’s parents return from London and reveal some upsetting things for Ana.
Warnings = Language, Grammar, Sexual Themes, Pregnancy announced, Violence mentioned, Gang Activity mentioned.
Word Count = 3352
“Good morning” I greeted walking into the tailor shop the next morning. My parents having returned from London yesterday evening when Tommy and I were sharing our news with his family.
It had turned into such a celebration. Arthur disappeared into the betting shop only to return with bottles of rum and whiskey calling for a celebration. John had told Esme to tell the sitter they needed her to stay longer.
I had never seen a family so happier, so excited to welcome a baby into the world it filled my heart with so much love, I had to excuse myself for a good cry.
“Good morning Ana, how are you?” My father smiled glancing up from his work schedule to spare me a glance whereas my mother eyes lifted from her cup of tea to send daggers my way.
I had to refrain from rolling my eyes at her actions. Clearly she was back to hating my very existence, again. Choosing to ignore it, I removed the coat from my shoulders hanging it on the rack beside the door, getting myself ready for the day ahead.
Most of the morning went by without a word, my father and I busy fulfilling orders or fixing whatever came through the door with ease while my mother potted around the shop, turning her nose up at certain fabrics or making unwarranted comments about my work, which I simply choose to ignore.
By late evening, I had started to pack away most of my things, tidying my workspace for tomorrow when my father appeared next to me, a small smile on his face.
“Ana, did Thomas talk to you about the shop?” He asked quietly checking over his shoulder for his wife. “It’s just I haven’t received anything yet and I wondered if he was having second thoughts?”
“You mean about the sell of the shop?” I asked, squinting my eyes in confusion at his choice of words.
“Yes, I know it’s not an investment for him but I am rather desperate.” He nodded, tongue swiping across his bottom lip, a nervous habit he had picked up over the years.
“You’re desperate?” I repeated in question.
“Yes, I thought Thomas would be interested in buying this place because of you. You are an amazing seamstress Ana and deserve your own place, it’s not much now but you can make it your own, Thomas will help you with that.”
“You approached Tommy about the sell, he didn’t approach you?”
“Oh no, no. It was me. Did he tell you otherwise?” My father asked, eyebrow raised in surprise as he looked at me.
“Father why do you want to sell the shop?” I asked employing the Shelby trait of answering a question with a question.
There was just something about this entire situation that felt wrong. Tommy never mentioned considering buying the shop until he slipped the contract into my purse. Unusual but I believed his reasoning as I had learned over the years that Tommy was a big gesture kind of man, especially after a fight.
But my father, he poured his heart and soul into this place, just like his father and grandfather before him.
I knew he wouldn’t have handed it over so easily, not to mention I was under the impression that Tommy made him an offer that was too hard to refuse. My father’s only stipulation being that he wanted the shop to remain under the control of an Alder, that being me.
“That’s not something…”
“Father I am not a little girl anymore and if you expect my partner to buy the shop from you, you will tell me why. This shop is your life so something has clearly happened to make you want to sell it.” I inform him sternly, pushing my shoulders back so I appeared taller, stronger.
“Ana…”
“No father, I am a grown woman not a China doll that will break. I have seen things, been involved with things that will make your head spin at the thought of your daughter being in such situations so you will tell me or I will tell Tommy it’s not happening.”
“You have certainly grown into a fine young woman” He smiled reaching forward stroking my cheek, a sad smile on his face. “Thomas Shelby is one lucky gentleman to have you on his arm.”
“Dad please, just talk to me.”
“You are gonna hate me for this.” He sighed dropping his hand from my face, his head dropping to his chest so he could look at the floor beneath his feet. Inhaling deeply I leaned against my desk, waiting for him to continue.
“It all started with James. We are a small tailor shop in Small Heath, not one of the bigger ones in the bull ring. Money is few and far between Ana, always has been. You know we only made enough to cover the bills, pay for some fabrics that’s it.”
“Yeah but that’s because your savings went to the Shelby’s.” I nod at him remembering him taking a black bag with a large sum of money to the Shelby family the night Arthur had beaten James to a bloody pulp.
It was that night I started taking over the books, monitoring everything that came and went from the shop.
“No, there was no savings Ana. We had nothing, have nothing still.” He continued with a long sigh, his shoulders dropping in sadness.
“But the black bag, it was filled with money. I saw you walk out of here with it.”
“The bag was empty Ana. That night I went somewhere else, somewhere to get the money.” He spoke, finally looking up at me, tears filled his eyes, a few escaping to roll down his cheeks.
My heart began to beat out of my chest as I waited for him to continue, my mind going back to that night. I hadn’t actually seen my father put money into the bag, in fact I hadn’t even seen him go near the safe, I just assumed.
“There was other conditions with the money. Conditions involving you Ana, but then their son left for America after some trouble. We hadn’t heard from them for a long time we thought it was over. Until word got around that you were dating Thomas Shelby.”
I felt vomit rising in my throat at the thought of my parents making a deal with someone and using me as a pawn to secure the money. I knew they didn’t care that much about me but to use me as part of a deal was a brand new level of low.
“They weren’t happy, you were promised to their son. A wife to settle his wild ways…”
“Stop” I held my hand up stopping him mind sentence, my head suddenly becoming light due to everything he was saying. “Stop talking father.”
“I’m sorry Ana, I never wanted this but…”
“You were selling me off to pay a debt?” I spat back, angry tears filling my eyes as I glared at my father. “The Shelby’s would have given you time to pay the money father, free tailoring services probably would have been enough.”
“Then why did they take the money if they are such good hearted people.” My mother’s voice spoke from the doorway.
I wasn’t sure how long she was standing there but with the sour look on her face it had been a while, she was just waiting on her moment to jump in to defend her actions.
“Who wouldn’t take money that was handed to them mother? They are business men. If you wanted to offer above and beyond your means they aren’t going to stop you. They had no loyalties to you, not then.”
“They are monsters who take everything they can to get rich and render the rest of us poor.” She growled back, her frail body barely managing to march over to stand next to her husband who couldn’t even make eye contact with me.
“They are the monsters? You were selling off you daughter to the highest bidder because you couldn’t just sit down and discuss a deal with them and you call yourselves business people?” I scoffed, shaking my head at the pair of them.
“It’s not something I’m proud of Ana…” My father started to say only to stop himself when he realised he actually didn’t have the words to say. The truth had finally come out.
“But it had to be done.” My mother finished for him, a hateful look on her face as she looked over at me. “Then you had to go and mess it all up, letting that devil in your bed.”
“What is the difference between him and the devil you were trying to marry me off to mother?” I asked knowing that the only people in a town like this, with a lot of money were in fact gangsters just like the Shelby’s.
I watched my mother’s face contorted into shock at me words, her eyes blinking at least ten times a second as she tried to come up with a answer to my question but I knew I had her stomped. She had nothing.
Tommy may be a devil to some, I wasn’t naïve I knew he did bad things. Killed people, hurt people but he always had a reason behind it. He didn’t do it because he wanted to. In his own words, he did bad things to a good end. Mostly.
Shaking my head I walked over to the door, grabbing my coat to place it around my shoulders. My mother stood in shock at the realisation of what I had said.
Tommy was no better than the man she was so hell bent on me marrying, the past two years of her hatred was for nothing and she knew it. She was just blinded by whatever ransom these people held over her. And now she had ruined whatever little relationship we had and there was no coming back from that.
“Tommy and I are expecting our first child together, we found out yesterday so consider this my resignation father.” I tell him. My words bringing his head up from the floor to look at me with an unknown expression behind his eyes.
I didn’t want to resign, I loved this shop, I loved tailoring but I couldn’t work here anymore, not with the total strangers I once considered my parents. Watching the realisation of the words, their jaws dropped at my words just as I closed the door tightly behind me.
******
It was only when a drop of rain hit off my nose did I break from my thoughts. Since leaving the tailor shop I had walked, just walked becoming completely lost in my thoughts that I was unsure of where I actually ended up.
Looking around I noticed I had walked to Tommy’s office in town. Everything around me was closing. It had just gone after 6pm, people were starting to go home for the day to their families, something Tommy will be doing within the next nine months.
Smiling at the thought I pushed open the large black door, a welcoming warmth hitting my face as I closed the door softly behind me.
“As long as there is more coming in, we are alright.” I heard Tommy’s voice, sighing a breathe a relief that he was here. I just really needed him right now. I needed his arms around me and his chin resting on my head as I inhaled his scent.
“The decorators in the Garrison want paying, Arthur forgot and pulled a gun when they asked so, they’ve stopped.” Lizzie told him, her hands resting on the edge of her desk as she rattled off the information.
“Tommy?” I spoke softly making my presence known as I walked into the room. For once Lizzie wasn’t throwing herself at him, if anything she looked rather stressed with the workload she had been given.
“Alright, just pay em Lizzie.” Tommy brushed off, concern in his eyes when he saw me.
Immediately he knew something wasn’t right as he took in my face. Nodding his head at me, silently summoning me to join him before turning his attention back to the taller, dark haired woman.
“Oh and we need to put an advert in the mail, Garrison grand reopening.” He pointed his index finger at her, immediately Lizzie had a pencil writing his words down.
“And you said there is a letter to go today, special delivery. I wrote it in the diary.” Lizzie spoke up just as Tommy nudged me towards the office door, leading to the staircase and to his office.
“Yes.” He sighed out a heavy breath, his eyes cast down to me before returning to the other woman. “I haven’t written it out yet.”
“Well you can just tell me and I’ll write it down. I learned short hand.” Lizzie explained allowing herself to sink into her chair, pencil at the ready to write, a proud look on her face.
“Fair enough” Tommy nodded, leaving me by the door to walk back into the room, clasping his hands behind his back, he began to speak. “Dear Mr Churchill…”
“Is your pencil broken?” Tommy asked after a moment.
Lizzie just looked over at him with wide eyes due to the nature of the letter whereas I stood by the door wide eyed as Tommy had his back to her the entire time, how did he know she wasn’t writing? The man never ceased to amaze me.
“No, no do go on.”
“Dear Mr Churchill…” Tommy began again.
I felt my eyebrows pull in confusion at the mention of him having to carrying out a task that remain unspecified after being approach by a person of the crown. My mind immediately went to what Major Campbell had said to Tommy at the hospital.
He said he would be back in touch with Tommy once his health had improved and clearly he had been. I dreaded to think how deeply Tommy was involved if this went right up to Churchill. Was everyone corrupt? Was Tommy the good man in all this?
Once he finished speaking, Lizzie informed him that she will have it written up and posted before 7pm. Thanking her, Tommy came to stand next to me once more taking my hand in his with a light squeeze.
“Oh and this came for you today, from America. A place called Poughkeepsie.” Lizzie spoke after him, pulling a letter from her desk, holding it out for him to take, her face unbothered.
“You’ve go to be fucking kidding me” I growled pulling my hand from Tommy’s roughly.
This was the final straw today. I had enough.
Growling to myself, I held back the tears as I looked over at Lizzie who was taken back by outburst, confused by what was happening.
Shaking my head, I walked towards the main door, unsure of where to go but I just couldn’t be here right now. I couldn’t take anymore, I felt like I needed to be alone right now. Everywhere I went to seek comfort, something happened to ruin it.
“Stace, Stace…” I heard Tommy call after me but I chose to ignore him, the tears already starting to fall. “Fuck sake Anastasia.” He yelled, voice vibrating off the walls. It was a tone he had only used once before in the Garrison when I tried to give back the money.
Stopping in my tracks, I held my head high, inhaling through my nose as I wiped the tears away on my coat, refusing to turn around. A big change from the shaking, scared mess he had me in before with that voice.
“Go to my office.” He instructed. Without moving my feet, I looked towards the main door leading out to the street, considering my options. When he spoke again the tone of his voice dangerously low. “Don’t you dare walk out that door.”
I felt something inside of me snap when he said that. Everyone around me was treating me like I was made of glass, afraid that I would break at the slightest touch or cruellest word.
I wasn’t the same Anastasia Adler I was two years ago, I had grown, a lot in those past two years and it was about time everyone had seen it.
“Stop telling me what to do.” I glared over my shoulder at him.
In my peripheral I saw Lizzie’s eyes widen at my disobedience. With a shake of my head I walked outside the rain fully coming down now, soaking me within seconds.
*****
Tommy didn’t follow after me when I left his office, at least not right away and not that I knew of. After spending some time at the cemetery I walked home, wanting to get out of the wet clothes that was clinging to my skin, what started out as a good day turned into something so horrible and I prayed it was nothing more than a nightmare.
My head was pounding by the time I arrived home, in the space of a few hours I felt like my world had been flip on it’s head once more and I didn’t know how much more I could take.
“Welcome home.” Tommy’s voice carried from the kitchen, he appeared around the corner with a cup of hot tea in his hands, dressed only in his white shirt and waistcoat. The first two buttons of his shirt undone.
“Thank you” I whispered, taking the hot cup from his hands after fighting with my coat. It was so wet it had attached itself to me like a second skin making the material harder to get off.
Walking further into the room, the letter from Poughkeepsie sitting on the kitchen table glaring at me. With a scoff and a roll of my eyes I slammed the cup on the table turning on my heel to head back to the bedroom only Tommy stood in my way.
“Read it” He instructed, eyes staring down into my own, the fingers in his left hand pointing towards the table.
“No”
“Why?”
“I’m not reading your whore’s letters Thomas, I do not care for them, nor her” I inform him, making a move to walk around him only he held out his hands taking my upper arms into his carefully stopping my movements.
“Nor do I.” He stated with a shake of his head. Without warning he walked with me back towards the table but he didn’t press me against it. He reached over taking the letter into his hands. “You are who I care about and this baby.”
Releasing me from his grip, he reached into his pocket pulling out his box of matches and taking one from its confines. Striking the stick against the box, a beautiful orange/red flame started to dance between us.
Staring up into his eyes he held the letter between us, the back still sealed, the letter remaining unread. I watched as he put the lit match against it, almost immediately it went up in flames. Tommy’s eyes never looked away from mine as he held the burning letter in his hand.
Feeling the flame getting closer to his fingers he dropped the paper to the ground stomping on it with his foot so it wouldn’t set fire to anything else.
Lifting my gaze from his foot to his face, his face was emotionless but his eyes were hungry not with lust but with love. He was silently telling me everything I needed to know.
I was his, and he was mine and together we were going to get through anything.
Needing to be in his arms I threw myself into his body, wrapping my arms around his back, burying my face into his chest. His scent bringing a feeling of calm over me.
Tommy placed his arms around me, pulling me tighter into him, his head coming down to rest his chin on my head just like I had wanted, just like I had needed.
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