Fear No Fate

Chapter Five: Gypsy Blood

Polly, of course, was right – the day was quite nice. The weather was rather warm for early spring, the sun high in a cloudless blue sky, and a soft breeze added a crispness to the open country air. Wherever in the country they happened to be. The Shelbys' accents pinned her somewhere outside of Birmingham, she supposed. Not an area Theo had ever been familiar with, but this particular place offered a quiet charm.

After a long bath, fishing an outfit from the hastily-packed luggage Tommy has sent ahead from London, and struggling to put her hair up in a sensible fashion with pins she'd found in a vanity drawer, Theo finally left the room she'd been given upon her arrival at Arrow House.

The hallways were wide and shadowed, all the doors apparently kept closed even during the day. Each wall was busy with artwork of all sizes; oil paintings of landscapes, inanimate objects, horses, portraits. Theo slowed her steps, running her fingertips over the grooves of a distant swell of waves. Each work was designed with the precise, lifelike detail of a logical mind and steady hand. While beautiful, there was nothing abstract or open for interpretation. They were a snapshot in time; a photograph on canvas.

A large portrait hung at the top of the stairs, which Theo stopped to study. A young woman, beautiful, with blonde hair, long and solemn features, and heavy-lidded eyes that seemed to follow her as she moved. The position of the portrait placed her as an important member of the household, and the fashion of the dress she wore indicated the piece had only been commissioned within the last few years.

Was she looking at the lady of the house?

It would be odd that the mistress hadn't yet made her presence known, nor had there been any mention of her. Theo surmised that meant she was likely only away, running another house, and mulled over the idea that bullish Thomas Shelby was, in fact, a family man. Hardened at the edges but soft in the middle, with an elegant wife and a gaggle of blue-eyed children running round him at holidays. She smiled a bit at the image, and continued down the stairs and out the front doors into the day.

Theo found herself wandering the gardens off the side of the house. Flat stone formed a neat path down the center of trimmed grass, but the beds to each side were lush and overgrown with native flowers just beginning to bloom. Specs of crimson, pink, yellow, and purple dotted the deep green foliage. Bees buzzed around her and birds chirped from their hidden nests.

She took a deep breath, and thought of her home back in Holland. A red-bricked castle, beautiful and old and proud, surrounded on three sides by a moat of water fed in from a nearby river. At times, it could feel overwhelming among the many DeNobles who kept residence there, so she found solace in the large and open grounds, and the welcoming townsfolk. She spent many hours wandering the nearby parks and markets, buying produce for the kitchen and fresh-cut flowers for the hall, small trinkets, and the occasional piece of art or hand-crafted furniture. As much as she and her attendant could carry home, in support of the local vendors.

It would drive Hans up the wall when she did this. It wasn't her job to shop for the house, he'd say, there wasn't any room for all of her junk. She'd argue that someday it would be her job, and it should be their honor to display the work of their residents with pride.

Theo made a small noise of displeasure, chiding herself for allowing her mind to wander back to her husband. Polly's words echoed in her mind. What's done is done. That much was true. She would be lady of no house, countess of no lands. No sense in getting lost in what once was or could have been.

She bent down to gather a few sprigs of lavender, bringing the small bouquet to her nose to inhale the sweet and calming scent, just as the rumble of a car's engine could be heard. First at a distance, but quickly growing louder as the vehicle approached. Theo couldn't help the nervous chill that crept through her. She felt silly for it – Arrow House had been host to a parade of visitors that would come and go throughout the day. But she was normally tucked away inside her room, safe and hidden from anyone who might catch a glimpse of her.

She tiptoed to the edge of the garden, peeking around a large boxwood to see who might have arrived. Her guard dropped instantly, anxiety dissipating as she watched Tommy's Vauxhall roll to a stop in front of the house.

Tommy had never felt so relieved to return to the quiet of Warwickshire. His entire trip to London had been a whirlwind of clubs, casinos, contracts, and shipments. Meetings with men he didn't like, smiling and kissing the hands of their wives, who would stare at him a bit too long over the rim of their glass as they sipped from their martinis and laughed emptily at every terrible joke their husbands told.

He hardly slept the entire trip. Even less than his usual scraps of rest. And when he did, he was haunted by the scrape of shovels against tunnel walls, the crack of a gunshot, a noose slipping around a bruised neck, indigo eyes silently begging him to save her…

He would jerk awake, drenched in sweat and in absolute need of a cigarette and a few fingers of whiskey.

Tommy had just parked the car and was beginning to climb out when he spotted her, standing at the edge of the garden, looking like she belonged among the flowers. She was barefoot, dressed in a pale pink cotton skirt and a white silk blouse, with a warm smile brightening her face. His very own welcoming committee. "My lady," he greeted in mock formality as he shut the door and began to walk over to her.

Theo met him half way. "Hello," she said, and he gave a start at the weak voice. "Tommy."

Tommy couldn't stop the smile that cracked across his hardened features. "You look well," he said. And she did. The swelling had gone from her eye, and the bruises were beginning to fade into the healing stages of yellow and green. She was healing faster than he could have imagined. But then again, if there was anything he'd learned about her thus far, she was quite determined.

Theo nodded her thanks, fiddling with the bundle of lavender in her hands. She cleared her throat, then asked, "London?"

"Successful," he said as he slid his hands into his pockets, looking down the bridge of his nose at her. "Everything's settled, there's no need to worry." She gave a quiet snort, not meeting his eyes as she brought the lavender up to her nose.

Tommy had calls to make and what was probably a tower of letters to open, but he felt frozen in place, searching for an excuse to put it all off as her indigo eyes flitted up to meet his gaze. After a long moment, he broke their stare, moving his focus to the distant grounds over the top of her head.

"Is this your first outing?" he asked, recalling that Theo had not yet left her room before his departure. The shock of that first night had quickly faded, and she'd spent those first days in deep mourning. He could hardly blame her. She lost a husband, family, her future, innocence, trust in others, all in one fell swoop. She coped by sleeping long hours and chain smoking in her waking ones.

He was happy to provide her what she needed, but worried all the same. Each morning when he came to check in on her while she slept, he'd replace the cigarettes in the silver case she left on the window sill, and remove the barely-touched trays of food left on a table inside the door. He'd fight the urge to wake her, draw her a bath, make her join him for a meal or two. But it wasn't in him to tell her how to act. God knows he never made any smart decisions when he grieved.

"Polly kicked me out," Theo half-whispered with a guilty smile, and a bark of laughter slipped from Tommy.

The old sap. Polly could only be made of stone for so long before she caved in and extended a helping hand to the one that needed it. "She's probably having the whole fucking room stripped and scrubbed as we speak," he said.

"She is."

"Of course." Tommy rubbed a hand down his face, adjusted his cap, and pulled out his pocket watch to check the time. "She might be awhile yet, and I've got some time." He didn't. "Have you been to the stables? I can show you the horses."

He didn't miss the way her eyes lit up at their mention. She swiftly joined his side and tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow. Tommy began to guide her, but stopped, eyeing her bare feet that walked across the gravel as though it were smooth marble. "Don't you want your shoes?" Theo only gave him a look that said the idea was absurd. He shrugged, continuing on, and said, "Are you sure you're a lady? I'm starting to think you've got gypsy blood in you."

The laugh that escaped her was sharp, and broken, and the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard.