❝ my head is bloody, but unbowed... I am the captain of my soul. ❞
━ william ernest henley.
in which tommy shelby drags a dressmaker into peaky blinder business
and she's none too happy about it.
𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐁𝐘
𝐏𝐑�...
ACT: THREE CHAPTER xxvii: ' irish, jews and italians! '
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There was little time for a break in the time Eli had reopened her shop. It seemed most had dearly missed her and her never-ending supply of clothing and perhaps, even boosted of her abilities to the others who had yet to step foot in the dressmakers on Linenhill Lane, resulting in double the amount of her usual customers. All in all, it appeared Small Heath was more than happy to have her back in business.
The new wave of customers had forced Eli to bring in her secret (or not so secret) weapon: Rose Montgomery, the mini Eli with a passion for all things pretty and pink. Rosalie handled pressure well and her dreams of dresses of silk and chiffon and lush designs had her eager to work for her elder sister... in return for something of course. She wasn't dumb, she knew how to get her way and so that's why Eli reluctantly agreed to make her brand new dresses every month for a year.
Truthfully, Eli was more than pleased with how packed and busy her shop was in the week she'd reopened, with the help of a few of her mother's friends helping her get the place back in order — the amount of dust and spiders had been more than Eli had been able to manage on her own. But with her new busy schedule she was able to keep her hands full and her mind occupied.
Distraction was an easy coping mechanism that everyone subconsciously succumbed to from time to time. Eli found she didn't want to focus too much on the fact her parents were still caught up in the catastrophe of a country being torn in half back in Ireland; and the fact her sisters were now completely her responsibility considering she was their sole guardian in England. So she busied herself with her shop and it was working just fine so far.
Polly hadn't been round as much as she used to. At first, Eli just dismissed it as she was busy down at the betting shop but she'd come to realise it was more than that. There was a sadness lingering around Polly's shoulders; an air of darkness and gloominess, something Eli couldn't ignore if she tried. But it was also something Eli hadn't had the chance to speak with her about. Not yet anyway.
The day was just dying down towards it's end when Tommy Shelby walked in the door and gained the curious glances of the three old women in the corner discussing which dress would look better on them. Eli and Rose were standing behind the counter with Rose serving the customer at the till while Eli watched over her shoulder to make sure she was doing it correctly. The older Montgomery's eyes snapped up to his in acknowledgement of a new customer before quickly dropping them back to what Rose was doing as she saw the customer off.
He approached the till and waited until the customer had turned to leave until he stepped forward for a word with Eli. Rose's eyes shifted between them suspiciously, leaving only when her sister gave her a harsh push in a silent way of telling her to fuck off.
