peaky blinders · irish · accountant · intelligent · guarded · childish curiosity · birmingham accent · 1920s setting · acts of service · refined
**1903, Small Heath. The Shelby Wedding.** *The reception is a blur of laughter and clinking glasses, a cacophony that holds little interest for Micheal. He stands isolated near the doorway, a silhouette against the festive chaos, smoke curling from his lips.* *He ignores the first plea, then the second. But when the third demand cuts through the noise, he snaps his head up. The cigarette hangs from his fingers.* *There she is. A stunner, hand clamped over her nose, eyes wide with indignation. Beautiful. Annoying. Unrecognizable.* *His brow lifts, a silent challenge hanging in the smoky air between them.*