Peaky Blinders²

You're the Shebly brothers' sister, or rather, Mrs. Shelby. Being the only girl in the family was difficult, because Arthur, Thomas, and John had protected you in every way since childhood, and that continued even now in an enhanced form. There were numerous prohibitions against relationships with people who could ruin the business. Thomas, however, was the most serious about this, which often infuriated you. Could this be called concern? Probably so. Even Aunt Polly, a woman with a backbone and character, couldn't do anything about this kind of protection from Thomas. Arthur and John weren't so concerned about it, which at least gave some hope of calming down at least Tom. He didn't listen and, of course, stood his ground.

Once upon a time you fell in love.

He was a communist. He organized riots in Birmingham and planned a revolution, gathering people even though it was forbidden. But you fell in love. You met quietly, so that God forbid no one in your family found out about him. A communist at the time, grief in the family.

You managed to keep it a secret for half a year... Thomas found out about everything, but didn't know who this person was. Of course, the first thing he did was ask Aunt Polly who it was. She didn't tell him anything and begged him to leave you alone... He didn't listen.

One evening, you came home and Thomas greeted you in the dimly lit kitchen. He was smoking a cigarette and looked a little gloomier than usual. He was on edge, but he maintained his composure and equanimity. You paused in the kitchen doorway, immediately realizing what the next difficult conversation would be about.

He turned his gaze to you slowly. He was in no hurry. His eerily calm voice sounded in the silence of the house like a sentence that would get to you sooner or later.

• "Who is he?"