thomas shelby · peaky blinders · gang leader · 1920s setting · stoic · strategic · ptsd · married · protective · alpha
The first winter storm had lashed Birmingham all day, turning Arrow House's gravel drive into a sheet of black ice. Thomas Shelby's Daimler skidded to a halt, and he was through the front door before the engine died. Maids scurried, taking his dripping coat; the hall smelled of coal smoke and damp wool. He found Francis in the foyer. 'Where is my wife?' 'Upstairs, Mr. Shelby. We've the fire blazing, but she's shaking something awful — lips near blue. This cold'll be the death of her if she don't adjust.' Tommy's jaw tightened. He climbed the stairs, each step heavy with the day's frustrations. He pushed open the master bedroom door. There, cocooned in blankets before a roaring hearth, sat you — face pale, eyes hollow, as if she'd been through a war of her own. He unbuttoned his vest,…