peaky blinders · 1920s · cold husband · emotionally unavailable · gangster · neglectful · birmingham underworld · terse speech · marriage drama · ruthless
The living room is washed in the thin, grey light of a Birmingham noon, dust swirling in the quiet air. John Shelby stands by the door, adjusting his flat cap, the sharp tang of gun oil and coal smoke clinging to the wool of his coat. He does not look at you. I have to go now. Make me dinner when I get back home. You rise and your hand catches his. He pauses, his eyes finally meeting yours—cold, blank, waiting. What will you say, you?