Disclaimer: I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.
Chapter Nine: The Unknown.
"Any word from Tommy?" Ada asked hopefully, smiling at Rosemary; it had been nearly a month since her brothers had gone to war, and she was upset that none of them had written to her yet. Her eyes watched her sister-in-law knowing that Thomas leaving hadn't been easy for her especially since it had been so soon after their wedding and they had no idea when he would return.
"Not yet," Rosemary replied setting down some sandwiches on the table, the four Shelby women had come together for lunch and she was glad to be out of the house; it was strange being there without Thomas. It was too quiet for Rosemary's likening and she was going to have to get used to it; she just hoped that it wasn't going to be permanent.
Work was keeping her busy right now and Rosemary was thankful for that, she had even helped Polly with some paperwork since she had been left running things while the boys were gone. Rosemary didn't know much about the work that Thomas and his brothers did, however she was quickly learning the ropes to help Polly in any way that she could.
"I am sure he will write when he has the chance… war isn't something that can be put on hold," Polly mused, it wasn't like he was sitting around doing nothing while he was gone; he was fighting in a war and that was certainly going to keep him busy. Ada frowned, she didn't like waiting around and she wanted to hear from her brothers; she wanted to hear what they were doing and what it was like over in France. Things were boring here, and Ada wanted to hear all about what it was like in France, she couldn't imagine living anywhere else than in Birmingham and the street that she had grown up on.
"Did you hear a telegram arrived at the Kirkwoods?" Ada announced, the gossip was all over the street and she was quick to share what she had heard with her family. There was silence at her words and Ada didn't notice how pale Martha had become, a trembling hand sneaking under the table as she tried to stop herself from crying; she couldn't imagine what they were going through right now.
"I can't imagine one of them coming here, apparently Allison Kirkwood was screaming hysterically," Ada continued, she missed how quiet Rosemary and Martha had become at the idea of a telegram coming to their home. It was a sign that neither of them wanted, a sign that their husbands had been killed in action and neither of them wanted to think about that happening.
"Enough Ada," Polly interrupted stopping her, the younger girl frowning before she caught sight of her sisters-in-law and realising why her aunt had quietened her; she looked down at her hands, she hadn't meant to upset someone. No one spoke for a moment, all trying to shake the bad thoughts that had been brought forward by Ada's words about the Kirkwoods.
"We shall offer our deepest condolences to the Kirkwoods when we attend church… let us not forget that William was a wonderful man," Polly insisted getting to her feet, she didn't say another word before leaving the kitchen. It wasn't going to be easy and things would more than likely get worse before they got better but they could only pray that Arthur, Thomas and John would return safely from the war.
Rosemary sat down at the table and picked up a biscuit, she nibbled on it ignoring the uneasy twinge that followed; the telegrams seemed to be arriving quickly and she didn't know what she would do if she received one.
Leaning back in his bunk, Thomas looked down at the letter that he was trying to write and groaned; nothing seemed right and he hated that he couldn't find the words to say to those back in Birmingham. Nothing he had written sounded right and Thomas couldn't bring himself to share how bad things truly were; he couldn't share much about where he was and what he was doing with them.
It did help that he was with Arthur and John, it wasn't much of a consolation, but it was better than worrying what was happening with his brothers while the war raged around them. The downside was that he also had to deal with his father-in-law and Robert didn't seem prepared to forgive what had happened just yet.
Thomas did his best to stay out of his way while they were at training and while they were in their tent; there were ten of them shoved in there and Thomas knew most of them from the streets back home. Training was rushed, the food was terrible, most nights he collapsed into bed; his limbs aching, and he knew that soon they would be off to France. His uniform was itchy, and Thomas would be glad when he never had to wear it again; he couldn't imagine when he would be able to take it off permanently.
Looking to where John was, Thomas smiled spotting his younger brother writing a letter to his own wife; he missed being at home with Martha and their children and hoped to see them soon. The sudden sound of shouting outside of the tent disrupted the peace that had fallen over the tired soldiers and Thomas frowned wondering who was stupid enough to start a fight here.
The last thing that any of them wanted was to be forced to start doing drills because some idiot had upset the commanding officers again; they were tired enough as it was. getting to his feet. Thomas headed out of the tent and frowned at the sight that greeted him; something had happened, and no one looked happy about it.
"What's going on?" Thomas asked the nearest man, his blue eyes sweeping the gathering as men started to head into their own tents; there were so many of them here and they were packed in like sardines. The man paused and looked at him, he looked back at the commanding officers that were walking through camp; he couldn't believe what was happening.
"We're getting shipped out in the morning," the man told him before moving away, his words make Thomas frown; they hadn't had much training and he worried that people would die because of this. The training had been far too quick for his liking and Thomas doubted that everyone would be prepare for the fighting that was happening on the other side of the channel.
Slowly moving back into his tent, Thomas suddenly found inspiration for something to write; he didn't know what would happen over the coming months, but he knew that there was something that he needed to do. It was no secret to those around them that news was coming back of men being killed in action and there was no escaping the fact that it could be any of them next.
Sitting down on his bunk, Thomas picked up his pen and paper to start writing; he hoped that this letter would never need to be sent. This was the letter that he wanted delivered home if something happened to him; he would carry it with him until he was done with this war then it would either be delivered upon his death or come home with him.
Thomas started to write, everything that he wished that he could say to Rosemary; his hopes for their future together and what he hoped for her should anything happen to him. He wanted her to have this letter in the event that something happened to him.
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