"So this is the girl Tommy wants takin' down to Camden?"
Liz noted the bald man stood on his canal boat, his hands knotting a section of rope together. Curly had helped Liz down from the back of the cart, his hands holding her waist as she jumped down. She smiled across to him and waited for him to lead her to the correct boat. The canals were quiet with a few boats tied up to the side. The boat she was to take was a deep green colour, filled to the brim with flour and oats.
"Aye," Curly spoke. "Tommy wants her to get to Camden in one piece."
Jim Wright chuckled at that. His son stood by his side, looking at her with an arched brow. He could have sworn that he had seen her photo before. He could not deny that she was pretty. Her hair was long and light brown. Her face was pale and he couldn't help but think that she resembled some form of porcelain doll.
"And is there a reason for that?" Jim dared to ask and Curly looked down to Liz.
"Can't you 'ave a guess?" Curly wondered.
Jim studied Liz for a couple of moments, dropping the rope he was knotting to the ground. He stepped forwards towards Liz and Curly, placing his hands onto his hips.
"Miss Poole." Jim held his hand towards her and she wondered if he knew the truth. She appreciated Tommy keeping up with her fake name, but she didn't know if he truly believed it. She hoped that he did, for his own safety. "A few rules on the boat. First off, make sure you keep inside. Second, don't touch anythin'…and if you need owt then just ask."
"Thank you," Liz nodded softly and Jim held his hand out towards her.
"Anythin' for Tommy," he declared. "And this is my son, Bobby."
"Pleasure," Liz smiled across to him.
He was still looking at her with suspicion. He wondered just how long it would take him to work it out and whether he would work it out. This girl was something to do with Tommy and he knew how dangerous Tommy was. Did he really want to know who she was?
Liz took hold of Jim's hand, stepping onto the ledge of the boat before practically falling from the ledge and into the boat. Jim caught her by her arms as she laughed at her own clumsiness. Jim chuckled with her as he steadied her and Curly began to mount his horse again.
"Clumsy one, aye?" he checked with her. "You're goin' to 'ate the water."
"I am sure I shall learn how to cope," she told him. "Thank you for this."
"No problem," he told her. "You get inside and we'll be off in a minute or two."
Bobby moved out of the way as Jim pointed Liz in the direction of where the cabin was towards the end of the boat. She stepped down a couple of wooden steps that were suffering from damp into a small area. There was nothing on the boat but a tiny bed in the corner and a small counter for preparing food along with a barrel of water in the corner.
Liz frowned. It wasn't much, but she only hoped to be on the boat for a couple of days. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, she looked around and sighed. So this was it.
"Tommy…we're off…what are you doin'?"
A loud snap came from outside and Liz took a couple of seconds to realise that it was his name that was being snapped out loud. Looking up and to the door, she found herself moving up the steps and back onto the small wooden area that was not covered in barrels and bags.
Looking to the side she saw Tommy stood on the bank, less than a couple of metres above her. Tommy's gaze found hers and he instantly jumped down into the boat, landing on his feet perfectly as Liz wondered what the hell he was doing. She kept silent as Tommy moved towards her, one of his hands moving to her cheek as she noted that he was shaking slightly.
Struggling to work out what had gotten into him, she allowed his warm fingers to caress her cold tinted skin, her mind working overtime as to what was happening. Tommy's over hand clasped hers, longing to pull the gloves from her fingers to feel her bare skin. What the hell had come over him?
"I know you 'ave to go," Tommy told her. "I know that, but I 'ad a thought I needed to work out."
"Don't," Liz pleaded with him.
She had been too scared to tell him what she had really been feeling the day before when they were in the yard. She had told him that he was the one thing she cared for in Birmingham, after only four weeks of knowing each other. But she didn't know if she could cope with him telling her something similar. It was all too late for confessions now. It would only play on her mind if he told her something she had desperately wanted to hear. She would rather have silence.
"I 'ave to," Tommy said. "You came to Birmingham and I thought nothin' of yer…just a spoiled girl running away from life. And you are…but yer also…not who I thought you were and I can't explain it. I don't know how to explain it. I pitied you…but now…that changed."
Liz was fed up of crying in front of Tommy, but she couldn't stop herself. Her free hand moved to cover his holding her cheek. Her gaze fell to the floor as her incomprehensible noises rang through Tommy's ears.
"I barely know you," Liz managed to tell him. "How can it hurt this much? I know nothing of you…truly…"
"You know more than most," Tommy promised her.
Liz had to admit that she felt worried as Tommy moved closer towards her, his hand holding her cheek moving to the back of her head as he cupped the back of her neck. Liz watched as his eyes closed and she noted that he was still wearing only his shirt and trousers. He must have forgotten his jacket. She continued to watch, unsure of what to do as his mouth came closer to hers, the smell of cigarettes invading her nostrils as he parted his lips.
Inhaling a sharp breath, Liz tried to escape his grip. She couldn't do this. She was leaving. A kiss would surely make things worse. Not to mention he fact that she had never kissed a man before.
Tommy felt her struggling and he opened his eyes again, but he refused to let her escape this time. His determination took a hold of him and he moved his head down as she bowed hers, his lips moving upwards to press against hers. Liz gasped at the motion; her arms still hanging idly down her sides, as she remained stiff. Tommy knew girls who kissed better, but that wouldn't be difficult compared to Liz's unresponsive state. It took a moment before he elicited a moan from her, listening intently as his tongue swept over her bottom lip.
Elizabeth had no idea what she was doing. She only knew that she should maybe move slightly. Her mouth twitched as she felt Tommy demand access. Moving her hands, she gently took hold of his upper arms in her fingertips, his shirt crumpling underneath her grip. Elizabeth jolted forwards as his arm wrapped around her waist and pushed her flush against him. It was impossible to think of anything when she was trapped against him like that, but she soon came back down to earth.
A loud cough came from Jim and Tommy reluctantly allowed his lips to pull away from Liz as she gasped for breath, her hands still holding onto Tommy's arms tightly.
"We 'ave to get goin', Tommy," Jim said, having the decency to look slightly embarrassed at interrupting the two of them.
"Don't go," was all Tommy managed to say to Liz, his forehead resting against hers.
This was not how she envisaged anything. Her first kiss was supposed to be on the night a boy asked for her hand in marriage as he walked her through the gardens. She was supposed to be elated at the prospect of spending the rest of her life with him. She shouldn't be full of sadness. She would have known more about him.
"You know that I cannot do that," Liz responded. "I have to go."
"You can stay hidden," Tommy muttered, wondering what had come over him. Was he really begging for her not to leave? Thomas Shelby begged no one, especially girls who were above him in social circles. "I will keep you safe."
"I do not doubt you," Liz promised him. "But I cannot spend my days hiding in your house. Someone will recognise me. I stand out, Tommy. You cannot deny that. I cannot continue to put your family at risk."
Tommy had to admit that she was so young. She was seventeen, but she was so sincere. She spoke with common sense: something Tommy didn't think she would have. He was twenty-five. It was a considerable age difference and Tommy should have stuck with someone his similar age, but there was something about Elizabeth Kimber he couldn't shake. He wondered if he would be able to. No girl had sustained his interest for this long before, but he suspected most girls didn't come with death attached to them.
"Write to me," Tommy demanded from her. "Promise me you will do that, eh?"
"Of course," Liz promised him. "As soon as I am settled."
Tommy took hold of the lapels of her coat, pulling her to her toes so that he could kiss her once more. It was brief, as Tommy knew that it would be easier for her to go straight away. Reluctantly, his arm moved away from Liz and he climbed back from the boat, doing his best not to think of the ache in his chest he felt. Liz kept where she was, her arms moving around her body to forget the sudden chill she felt from the loss of contact.
"Goodbye Tommy," Liz managed to speak and Tommy's lips pulled up into that soft smirk she had grown accustomed to.
"Goodbye Liz," he responded.
Liz continued to stare after him as the boat moved down the canal. It was only when he was out of sight did she move back inside and allow the pain in her chest and stomach to take hold of her.
…..
It took two weeks before Tommy received the first letter from Liz. Pol was sat at the kitchen table after a day of work, waiting for Tommy to come in from The Garrison. Pol had seen the changes in him ever since Liz had left for London. The morning the girl had gone had found Polly watching Tommy the entire day.
He had walked into the kitchen after an hour, out of breath and pushing his hands manically through his hair. He had sat at the kitchen table and started drinking and smoking there and then. She had stopped buttering the bloomer she had and turned to look at him, waiting for an explanation. But an explanation never came.
"This came in the post for you this mornin'," Pol informed Tommy, holding the letter in between two fingers in the air. "Fancy writin' and from London."
Tommy had remained calm and collected. He sat down at the table and Pol handed him the letter. Pulling it out from her grip, Tommy's gaze finally left hers as he tore the envelope open and pulled out the letter. It was folded in half and the corners were slightly bent and damp.
Pol watched as Tommy slowly read the letter, his lips pursed and his gaze narrowed. He dropped it down once he had finished, folding it back in half and tucking it into the pocket of his jacket.
"Well?" Pol asked of him.
Glancing back to her, he shrugged his shoulders. "She 'as a room and a job in east London. She mends gowns still."
"And is that all?" Pol asked.
"Aye," Tommy said after a long pause.
He didn't mention how she had been terrified of living in a room with another woman. He said nothing of how she worried about walking home alone at night and being robbed. Liz would have to toughen up if she was to make it in London. Sighing, Tommy looked to the table. She had to protect herself. So why did he feel guilt about being unable to be there to do it?
"Tommy," Pol snapped him from his daydream. "It is better this way. You know that, don't yer?"
"I know," Tommy agreed. "She is seventeen, Aunt Pol. She is young…"
Pol scoffed at that, sipping on the whiskey she had poured herself. "That girl looked older than seventeen and spoke like it too. You know that, eh, Tommy?"
Tommy had to admit that she was right. He said nothing on the matter, choosing to stand up and leave Pol to her own thoughts. She didn't bother to call after him as he made his way up the stairs and towards his bedroom. He needed to be alone for a while. It was for the best.
Laying on his bed, he moved his hand back to the letter in his pocket and pulled it out, holding it tightly in his hand. Still the image of Elizabeth Kimber refused to leave his mind.
….
Three months had passed by since Elizabeth had laid eyes on Tommy. He had responded to her letters, but the responses were never in depth or full of emotion. Elizabeth had to laugh at some of the things he said, particularly about his younger brothers asking why Liz had to go as they thought that she was a new maid for their house. The room Elizabeth had in London was tiny and she shared it with another woman who worked as a nurse in the east end.
There were two small beds and a desk that sat by the window overlooking the back alleyway behind the house. The desk was mostly filled with medical books her roommate – Dorothy Wallace – read and studied over when she finished her shifts at the local hospital. She was a strict woman who was considerably older than Elizabeth. She disliked mess and she did not speak much. Yet she always asked Liz if she had enough money to see her through the week. She had been there when Liz had found herself in altercation with a man after refusing to hand over her purse.
She had suffered a black eye for it. Dorothy had checked the bruising and insisted that they called the police. Liz forgot to mention that bit in her letter to Tommy.
Writing to Tommy wasn't the same as speak to him, but it was the best she was going to get. She would spend evenings sat at the desk, pouring over the right words to say to him. She wondered if he cared for her words or whether he grew bored of them? Liz only knew that she would go positively insane if she had no one to write to. She had found London to be a lonely existence thus far.
It was only when her eighteenth birthday passed with no fuss did she stop thinking about what she was writing to Tommy. The words seemed to flow, almost as though he was sitting across from him and smirking lightly at her foolish antics. It was ridiculous to feel this way about a man she had only met due to her family being pursued. She almost struggled to believe the way she felt herself. As she informed him of how her birthday had been uneventful she signed off in a different way to usual. Normally she thanked him for everything he had done and told her she wished him the best. She would sign with her name and that was it.
But this time was different. She finished with the sentence 'all my love.'
She did a double take as she folded the paper in two and wondered what had possessed her to write such a thing. Wondering whether it would be safer to wipe it out, she shook her head. She must have said it for a reason. But what did she know about love? Nothing at all. She just knew it was impractical to fall in love with Thomas Shelby.
…
"Shit."
Tommy had to read the final line of her letter multiple times before it finally processed. He wondered if it had been a mistake, but there it was. Her neat scrawl had written those words. She had given him all of her love. Christ what was she thinking? Did she not understand what this meant? Tommy doubted it.
He pulled his hands through his hair and shook his head. He was grateful he had snuck the letter to his room and away from her. It was for the best. He continued to look at the letter, trying to piece together the words he was reading. Did she feel that way about him? Did he feel the same? Tommy knew it was ludicrous. He had known the girl all of a month and he felt more for her than Lizzie and he had known her, and slept with her, for many years now.
It made no common sense to him. But he suspected many things lacked common sense. Elizabeth Kimber certainly did.
…
Elizabeth had heard nothing from Tommy since she had been brave enough to send that letter. She had ruined it. She knew that she had ruined it and nothing she did would fix it now. Why hadn't she burned the letter? Elizabeth was miserable with herself. She allowed the hat she wore to cast a shadow over her face as she made her way to her favourite bakery.
She often went there after a Friday at work for a treat. The cakes they sold were splendid and she often fancied a treat. No doubt she would want an extra large slice of Victoria Sponge after not hearing from Tommy for a week.
Moving into the purse she carried in her hands, she fished around for coin as she approached the shop. Once she had snapped her purse shut she stood up straight and looked to the clear shop window containing all manners of treats. But that wasn't what caught her eye. What caught her eye was the man stood in front of the shop, a small brown paper bag in one hand as his other hand remained firmly in his pocket.
He wore a dapper grey suit on his body, a waistcoat over his shirt and a red tie that was slightly undone to allow his top button to fall open. Liz dropped the coin back into her bag struggling to do anything but gape at him as he moved towards her, his eyes seeming to light up as his lips remained straight.
"I 'eard that these cakes are the best in east London," he drawled lowly, holding up the brown bag he carried in his hand. "Of course, I might need to find someone to share 'em with. Any ideas?"
Liz had no idea what possessed her to react as she did. One moment he was trying to be cocky and the next he was stunned as her arms moved around his neck and she held onto him with every ounce of energy she had. Chuckling softly, he moved his own arms around her neck, ignoring the stares sent their way from people walking around them on the pavement.
Picking her up with ease, he swung her softly and she laughed at the motion before he placed her back down, allowing her hands to move to his cheeks and hold them tenderly as she took in a deep breath and searched his gaze.
"What are you doing here, Tommy?" she whispered across to him.
Tommy kept one hand on the bag and the other hand swept over her cheekbone. "When someone sends all their love…well…it's 'ard to let that lie."
Before she had a chance to protest with her open mouth, Tommy caught her lips against hers. Smiling, he couldn't help but think of how that might keep her quiet for a while if nothing else.
...
A/N: Thank you, once again, to everyone keeping up with the story. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy reading it! In the next chapter Tommy clears a few things up!
