Elizabeth sat quietly in her chamber, holding the ring Tommy had given her the morning before he had left her. She twirled it in her fingers and looked down at the dull stone, wondering just what was happening to Tommy. The letters she wrote were locked away in the drawer of her desk. She often left the ring in the top drawer of her dresser and looked at it when she knew Billy was not in the house.
She would sit and hold it in her fingers, remembering the moment Tommy had asked her if she would marry him. She would remember everything about him; from the way he would hold her to the way his cheeks would crease when he laughed. She could only hope that he would come back from the war and he would find her. Liz had to hope that would happen or she would have no faith left.
Squeezing the ring in her fingers, she tightly closed her eyes and bowed her head. "Come back, Tommy…please, come back."
….
Relief echoed through the nation when the war ended. Liz watched on as people cheered and celebrated in the dining hall of the mansion. She walked among the crowds, holding her dress in her hands as she felt her heart beat quicken. She could escape somehow. She could leave whilst it was busy and return to Birmingham. She could only hope that Tommy was back there. She longed to know that he had come home and was safe.
But she wanted Billy to know nothing about him. She worried what he would do if he found out about her and Tommy. There was something about her brother that scared her more than she cared to admit. She would pretend that he didn't bother her, but every time he raised his hand or his voice, she would flinch. She should have grown used to it by now.
She should have learned how to hold her tongue and avoid such scenarios, but she found that anything she did always angered him.
"Ah, my dear sister."
"Speak of the devil," Liz mumbled under her breath, turning her head over her shoulder to see Billy moving towards her, a taller and balding man by his side as they went.
She recognised the man vaguely as one of Billy's business associates, but she had no idea what his name was. He was tall and thin, with a lack of brown hair on top of his head. His eyes were a deep blue and were narrowed towards Elizabeth. The young woman kept still, her hair loose around her shoulders as she contemplated making her escape.
"Liz, this is Matthew Crawford. He works with me," Billy declared. "Matthew, this is Elizabeth."
"And where have you been keeping this beauty?"
Elizabeth could feel her skin crawl. This was the last place she wanted to be. She wanted to run into the streets of Birmingham and discover if Tommy was home or due to come home. She had to get away from Billy…Matthew…Mary's pessimistic attitude.
"Well," Billy chuckled, "she has been here, but has been unwell for quite some time. Perhaps now the war has ended she will be socialising a little more."
"I can only hope so," Matthew said and Liz did her best to think of only Tommy at that moment in time.
"I have to go," Liz said, forcing a smile onto her face. "I need to freshen up before the dances begin."
Billy said nothing to stop her, but she could hear him whispering and speaking of her as she went. Rushing away through the crowds, Liz almost wondered why these people were celebrating. They did not deserve to celebrate. They had done nothing but hide in their mansions and allow other men to die for them. Yet, here they were, laughing and joking about the war.
Liz felt sick about it all. She had to go. Moving with haste, she rushed to her chamber and took hold of her coat, pushing it over her shoulders and inhaling a sharp breath before she moved back into the corridors to peer down the staircase. She knew that if she was quick she could run with haste down the steps and out the front door. From there she knew that it may be difficult. She had money in her pocket for a bus to take her towards Birmingham.
She almost laughed at how pathetic she seemed. She couldn't do anything on her own. She couldn't stand on her own two feet, but she had to. If she wanted to find out about Tommy then she had to. She worried what he would think. Did he know she was back with Billy? Had he read the news? Did his Aunt Pol tell him?
It was those thoughts which helped Liz run from the house. Everyone was laughing and joking; too involved in their own conversations and importance for them to notice her. It was the only time she was grateful to feel the cold on her as she ran down the driveway and away from Billy Kimber.
…
Tommy's entire world had collapsed around him when Aunt Pol had told him the news. He had entered the house with Arthur and John in tow, his eyes looking around the kitchen, almost as though he was hoping to see Elizabeth Kimber sat at the kitchen table waiting for him.
But she wasn't there.
And then Aunt Pol had told him where she was.
Tommy had shaken his head in disbelief, his fists slamming on the table in rage. He wore his green army uniform, his beret falling from his head as he bent over the table, his hands still gripping the wood underneath his tips. He had challenged Pol to begin with, demanding to know where Liz was. He couldn't help but feel as though he knew Liz better than this. She had promised him that she would not leave. She had promised him she would wait. She was going to marry him, for heaven's sake.
"Tommy."
Tommy looked to the side as soon as he heard Pol speak to him. They were sat in The Garrison as men sang loudly and drank, holding their drinks high up in the air.
"I know that it is difficult," Pol told him as Arthur found a woman to laugh and flirt with. "But she has gone, Tommy. She told me 'erself…said she couldn't wait…"
Tommy didn't want to discuss this anymore. He finished his drink and slammed the glass down, moving to stand up and button the jacket he wore. Pol looked up to him and he ignored her stare. Her apologies and words would not placate him. Nothing she said would make him feel any better regarding this situation. He wanted his Liz back, but she had gone. She had gone without a word to him.
As he stormed out of The Garrison, he could feel his eyes water slightly as his cheeks tinged red. He pushed through the laughing and joking people on his way. He couldn't stand being there anymore. He had to leave.
…
Liz knew it was late in the night when she stepped onto the familiar street of Birmingham. She could see The Garrison at the end of the rows of buildings. Cheers and laughter escaped the pub as the doors continuously opened and shut. She stood outside, wondering if Tommy was in there. She had tried his house, but there had been no response from inside.
She could only assume that it was because they were out celebrating. She hoped it was.
But she never had a chance to step inside the pub. By chance, she looked down the alley by the side of the pub and everything collapsed around her. The sight she saw was enough to make her stomach churn and her body turn numb. She wanted to be ill in the middle of the street. She wanted to lash out. She wanted to go over there and demand to know what was happening.
But she did none of those things. She couldn't bring herself to do anything but stand there and stare, silent tears falling down her cheeks.
Nothing inside of Liz felt any joy at seeing him. She thought that she would cry tears of happiness. She thought that he would look at her and there would be nothing but love and happiness there. But now Liz didn't want him to look at her. She didn't want him to turn around and speak to her.
She thought that Tommy was different to other men. She thought that he was honourable. She thought that he would wait for her, but she was wrong. She felt naïve for believing that there would only be her for now on. Years had passed. Why would he not have moved on? Time changed people, and time had definitely changed Thomas Shelby.
Finding herself unable to look at him anymore, Liz wiped her eyes and took a deep breath before she turned on her heel. She would leave Thomas Shelby alone with the woman he had pressed up against the wall.
…
Thomas's lips left Lizzie Starke's as soon as he heard a sudden noise. He turned his head to the side, his breath coming out in short and sharp pants. He noted a head of curls rushing away from The Garrison, hair bobbing around shoulders and strides long and quick. His gaze narrowed as he swore it was her. He recognised the back of her head. But why would she be here?
Pol had told him that she had left.
"Tommy," Lizzie Starke whispered his name, her hand moving to his cheek to draw his gaze back to her. "What is it?"
"I…I thought…"
"What?" Lizzie demanded, feeling frustrated with him as his mind seemed to be elsewhere. "There's no one 'ere, Tommy."
"There was," Tommy said, pushing Lizzie from him and moving from the alley, his feet stepping in puddles as he rushed off after the figure he had seen. His breath was heavy as he rushed down the street, his gaze searching everywhere for her.
He didn't know why he was convinced it was her, but he had a feeling. He had a feeling which he couldn't shake. But no matter how many streets he rushed down that evening, he would never know that she had boarded the bus he had just seen as he crossed the road to chase after her.
….
Elizabeth accepted her punishment from Billy that evening. He had discovered that she had snuck out and he had not had any kind words to say to her about it. She had tried to hold her head up high, but nothing she did could stop the numbness she felt. Even as Billy roared at her, she couldn't help but think of Tommy. She couldn't think of anything but of how his hands held that girl against the wall and his mouth explored hers. He had changed in the years they had been parted. He looked worldly. Then again, Liz suspected he had seen sights no one would want to see. She couldn't even imagine what he had been through.
"Are you even listening to me?"
Billy's roar and spit flew around the room as Liz stood by his desk. She was silent as he moved behind her, his hand moving to tangle into her hair, gripping it tightly. She winced in pain as he drew her head back to push on his shoulder. His lips were by her ear and his other hand held her arm in a vice tight grip. She did her best not to wince at the pain and demand for him to unhand her.
"Where the fuck did you go, Elizabeth?" Billy demanded. "Who do you think you are?"
"I needed time away from you," Liz snapped back. "You're suffocating me, Billy! You're everywhere I turn! I cannot cope."
Billy pushed her forwards then, watching as she made contact with his desk, doubling over it and wincing in pain as it winded her slightly. Billy watched her try to stand, but he was behind faster than she could move. His towering form leant over her as she remained slightly doubled over.
"Tough, Liz," Billy hissed into her ear, his arms either side of her and trapping her as she looked down to the wood. "You are my sister, do you hear me? You go nowhere without my permission. You should know that by now."
"Hence why I went without your permission," Liz snarled back.
She regretted saying it as soon as she felt Billy's hand on her arm, turning her around with haste. He only move his hand through the air to hit against her cheek and she wince in pain, doing her best not to cry. She had shed enough tears on the bus home that evening.
"Get out of my sight," Bill snapped at her, pushing her towards the door. "You're nothing but an ungrateful little wench."
Liz stumbled out of his office, struggling to regain her balance. She ran towards the stairs, moving up them with haste as Billy slammed the door to his office shut. She said nothing as she did her best to stop the tears from flowing. But it wasn't Billy she was crying over, it was the boy from Birmingham who had just broken her heart.
…..
A/N: Let me know what you think! Don't worry, there will be a reunion in the most unlikely of places!
