Chapter 4
Tommy inhaled the last bit of his cigarette as he watched Evelyn slip through her tarnished front door. Once he heard the click of the lock he flicked his finished cigarette onto the cobbled street and turned back towards Watery Lane. Evelyn Trevellick. Tommy mused. Not a very northern name. It was a name you would find in the West Country, more specifically Cornwall. Her accent on the other hand was the other end of the country. It was a puzzle. One that Tommy wanted solving. He'd had a suspicion she was from a well to do family at first. She had that air about her but her accent was a contradiction. As much as she tried to hide it she would lapse. The first time he'd met her it had hardly been there. She had been the refined school mistress but just then, as she worked herself up over six year old Finn she'd slipped into a Yorkshire accent.
Evelyn had certainly been earning a name for herself since her arrival. Least of all in the Shelby household. Tommy heard her talked about in the streets even in the Garrison, although the topic of conversation amongst the regulars was considerably less appropriate. To them she was an exotic creature from outside the city. One that clearly didn't belong in Small Heath. With his thoughts still on the newcomer Tommy's legs carried him to the Garrison. He pushed open the doors and into the side room. A good drink, that's what he needed to clear her from his mind.
"Tommy!" Arthur's voice carried out of the open door side room loud and proud.
"Arthur," he greeted as she stepped into the side room of the Garrison pulling the door shut behind him. Arthur, having already had a skin full held out the bottle of Irish whiskey for Tommy.
-x-
Evelyn greeted her class at the gates the following morning noting who was missing for the day. A few of whom were starting to worry her. She knew it was winter and illness was rife but there in Small Heath it seemed a hundred times work. Twice she sent children home with fevers. So far, she touched wood, she'd avoided any of the germs. It was one particular boy who had been poorly the previous day and had yet to turn up that had Evelyn concerned the most. He had an awful rattling cough. She was so engrossed in her thoughts she hadn't noticed Finn Shelby sidle through the gate.
"Miss Trevellick. These are for you. I didn' mean fer yer to get 'urt," he held out a handful of battered wild flowers. She had no idea where he got wild flowers in Small Heath. It was dark place even on the brightest of days. Open green space was certainly lacking.
She took the flowers from Finn, "Thank you Finn. Did you pick these yourself?"
Finn looked back out through the gate where his aunt stood just outside the gate, "Pol helped me. They're to say sorry. I didn' mean to 'urt to yer."
Evelyn couldn't be mad at him if she tried. It didn't matter to her that it was instigated by Polly, "You just make sure that it doesn't happen again. I'll put these on my desk."
"Yer can't do that!" he looked outraged and glanced through the railings at Polly who was fixing him a scowl. Clearly Polly was there to make sure Finn was doing as requested.
"Why not?" Evelyn asked the youngest Shelby.
"I don't want anyone to know I gave it yer," he mumbled.
Evelyn knelt down to Finn's level, "I won't tell anyone. Your secret's safe wi' me. Run along then."
It certainly wasn't what she expected from a Shelby. She gave Polly a smile in acknowledgement and ushered the rest of the children inside feeling nothing but disbelief. An apology from a Shelby. She certainly hadn't expected that. Evelyn set the flowers in a glass on her desk before settling the rowdy children for the day.
-x-
As December begun to pass restlessness slowly swept through Small Heath. It started small from the murmurings of those working the boats bringing news from London to the educated few who read the newspapers. Unrest in Europe had begun to seep into mainland Britain. Just like it had crept, in the form of excitement, into Evelyn's classroom in the week leading up to Christmas. They were wild animals. She dismissed them for an afternoon break early on the last day before the Christmas holidays. She needed the time to clear the dull headache that had plagued her all morning. After setting up for an afternoon of history she went outside for some fresh air. A game of football, using an old battered leather football, had taken over the small yard. She smiled seeing children of all ages playing until her eyes fell on one particular child. Finn.
She watched as his little legs scrambled up the low wall pulling himself up by the railings to talk to two strangers. "Finn lad, we've got a job for yer," the taller of the two spoke over the noise of the children playing. It set alarm bells off immediately. Evelyn strode across the yard, disrupting the game.
"Can I help you?" she enquired.
"We need Finn," the shorter man answered.
"Finn is in school," she answered and turned away, "Come along Finn. You better head inside. Games over children. Let's go."
"Did yer 'ear that John boy? Finn's in school," the taller nudged the other, "Thing is we need 'im."
"Finn is in school," Evelyn repeated, "He is staying in school."
"Do yer know who we are?" John boy asked.
"I'm not interested in who you are. Answer is still no," Evelyn knew exactly who they were, Peaky Blinders. Ignoring them she steered Finn by the shoulders towards the door where the rest of the children were waiting. Finn shrugged her off and stomped his way inside. She let him go.
Evelyn didn't look back to the two Peaky Blinders at the fence as she closed and bottled the door. Just to be on the safe side. "Miss Trevellick, yer just said no to the Shelby's," Mary, one of the youngest girls tugged on the sleeve of her dress.
"I did and I would do it again," she answered swiftly ignoring the look of awe on their faces. Best not to dwell on it any further.
"Aren't yer scared?" Robbie asked.
Evelyn was petrified but she kept it quiet, "I'm not scared. None of you should be either." These two Peaky Blinders were very different from the one she'd met on first morning at school. The one who had walked her back safely. These two were unpredictable and dangerous. Evelyn hadn't missed the razor blades in their caps. She decided to play it cool and carry on with the afternoon's lesson. She could focus on that and deal with the fall out later. "Yer should. Arthur and John, they're Peaky Blinders," Finn stood up from his desk scraping his chair back. Murmuring broke out in a across the classroom that set the tone for the afternoon's lesson. They made her out to be some kind of hero for saying no to the Shelby's.
Evelyn was glad to see the end of the school day as she said goodbye to the children, "Cheer up mardy bum," Evelyn said to Finn as he sulked his way out of the school for Christmas. He'd crossed his arms and refused to do any work for the first part of the history lesson on the British Empire. Finn ignored her and took off running out of the school gate leaving Evelyn powerless to stop him from joining his two brothers. She didn't hang around at the end of the day. The empty school room giving her the jitters. She packed up her stuff and headed to the security of her small home. Evelyn wasn't waiting around to see if the Shelby's returned.
Not the best chapter, I blame tiredness but hopefully you'll enjoy. Thank you to all of you lovely people who have left reviews!
