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Grace Burgess believed that the thing she hated most about working at the Garrison was definitely the Lee men. Most Birmingham men were crude and vulgar but none compared to the Lee men. They never spit directly into the spittoon, only tilted their heads back and spit wherever they pleased. This was especially annoying considering Grace had to wipe the floors every night after the Garrison was empty. It took her ages and she left the Garrison when the sun came up on nights like that. She never complained aloud though. Tommy already was skeptical of her since he found out she was lying about working at a pub in Ireland. She didn’t want to complain to him and draw unnecessary attention. So, she swallowed her pride as she bent over every night and cleaned the floors, cursing all the Lee men in the process.
Then, Tommy had come in one night after closing for a drink. He had expected to be alone but upon seeing Grace on the floor cleaning, he tightened his posture. He hadn’t spoken to her since their kiss. He had meant to speak to her but between keeping Billy Kimber and his men at bay and dealing with Inspector Campbell, he had no room for the blonde. He quickly regained his composure and promptly asked her what she was doing. It was way past closing now and she should be home. At first, Grace wanted to lie. It was humiliating to admit that she was cleaning up chewed tobacco, but she saw the concerned look in Tommy’s eyes and she couldn’t lie to him. Those vibrant blue eyes could tell when she was lying. She was scared to admit it, but Tommy knew her better that she knew herself sometimes. So, she told him the truth. When she confessed, she could instantly see how outraged he was for the complete disregard for proper manners the Lee men had for Grace but he controlled himself. If Tommy was known for anything, it was for his control. Whether it be killing or maiming, Tommy was controlled in his actions. He told Grace to go home and that he would take care of it in the morning. She wanted to argue with him and tell him that it was no problem but she knew it was no use. Tommy was as stubborn as she was, maybe even more.
The next day, when Grace arrived at work, the spittoons were bigger now. Tommy had gotten rid of the smaller ones. When Grace questioned Arthur over the change, he said that Tommy had threatened everyone, especially the Lee’s, that if their aim didn’t improve with these bigger spittoons then he’d cut off their tongues so they’d never spit again. Although a little mortified by the threat, Grace couldn’t help but smile. He had proved her wrong yet again. Under that tough exterior shell, Tommy Shelby cared. Especially for her. When she saw him that same day, she wanted to run to him and hug him. Although insignificant to many people, this was important to her. Her back was beginning to suffer and Tommy had helped her. She remembered Campbell’s words of how selfish and conceited he believed Tommy was but she no longer believed him. Not when she saw those larger spittoons. Someone who was selfish would never care as Tommy did.
“Hello Grace.” He spoke softly, lighting a cigarette between his lips.
Grace placed a glass in front of him and started to pour his favourite whiskey. “Hello Mr. Shelby.” Once she had poured his drink, she stood there for a moment, watching him smoke. He looked right back at her and only broke his gaze to take a sip of his whiskey. They had been staring at each other for way too long but no one in the Garrison seemed to notice. Finally Grace spoke, the tension too much for her to bear. “Thank you.”
There was a ghost of a smile on Tommy’s lips as Grace spoke. He knew what she meant. He didn’t speak. He only nodded at her. He was afraid that if he spoke, maybe she’d see his true intentions behind replacing the spittoons. Yes, he wanted to make Grace’s job easier by replacing the spittoons, but it was more than that. He cared for Grace deeply. She seemed to be the only one that truly knew him these days and she never judged him. She saw him and was sweet to him anyways. No one was ever sweet to Tommy Shelby, especially if they saw him for who he was.
Slowly, Grace turned around to put the whiskey back on the shelf. Finally, she let herself smile. She rarely smiled as she worked at the Garrison, scared that any man would take her smile the wrong way. But, with her back to Tommy and any man in the Garrison, she smiled to herself. Once she had that moment to herself, she turned back around. Except Tommy was no longer in his spot before. He had met a man at the door and was now shaking his hand. He pointed to the unoccupied room in the back of the Garrison and the man nodded, walking ahead of Tommy.
Tommy followed behind the man, only stopping once to speak to Grace. He took the cigarette out of his mouth and put it out on the ashtray. “Grace, bring me one bourbon.”
Grace nodded wordlessly, turning around to grab the bourbon and filling a glass halfway. Tommy hadn’t specified what type of bourbon for his friend but Grace took an estimated guess. There was only one type of bourbon she knew Tommy liked best so she took her chances and poured that one. She then discreetly made her way to the back room and tentatively opened the door. It creaked when she did and the conversation instantly halted. Tommy had a cigarette between his lips again as he sat on one side of the table while this mystery man sat on the other side. Without making a sound, Grace made her way across the room and set the bourbon in front of the man. He ignored her as she did. Usually men would make a crude remark or even smile at her but he did no such thing. He was too focused on Tommy. He had been staring at Tommy the entire time and if it wasn’t for the sound of Tommy blowing out the smoke from his lips, the room would have been silent.
Grace looked to Tommy for a moment. His eyes were already on her. Although he didn’t smile, his eyes were soft when he watched her and she could tell he wanted to smile and thank her but he would not show that type of weakness in front of a man he hardly knew. She nodded towards Tommy and then left the same way she entered. Once the door was closed, she felt like she could breathe again. There was so much tension in that room and she knew it was because there was some type of business going down. Although Grace wanted to know what was going on, she knew they would never speak business in front of her. She reminded herself to eavesdrop more today. Arthur usually came in here before closing and, when he was especially drunk, he would sometimes tell her some of the business they were doing. It worked out because he was so drunk he didn’t remember what he had told her. Maybe what Tommy and that man were talking about would get back to Arthur and maybe Arthur would come by the Garrison tonight and tell Grace. Most of Grace’s job was listening to men’s troubles and, unlike most barmaids, she was actually interested in what Arthur had to say.
Her thoughts were cut off by the sound of glass shattering. She had been restocking on some old gin and it was such a simple task that her mind could wander and she could still keep count. She set down the old gin and turned around, scared to see what awaited for her. Unfortunately, what waited for her was not good. One of the Lee men, someone Grace knew as Frank, had dropped a glass full of liquor and was now cackling along with his cousins. Grace was well acquainted with this man for only one reason; he had asked to walk her home one night. Grace, growing up as a girl in England during a period where women were not respected, could sniff out a man’s true intentions within the first seconds of meeting him and she knew Frank’s. Not only was he a Lee, he was a rambunctious, egocentric man who Grace had seen disrespect Tommy and his family before. He was rarely allowed in the Garrison, especially when Tommy was here. They had never been on the best terms and considering how ruthless Tommy was, Grace knew he would not appreciate Frank being here today.
“For fuck’s sake,” Harry grumbled, looking up from pouring the whiskeys for the customers in front of him. He slammed the bottle on the wood of the shelf and grumbled under his breath. Grace knew how many times Harry had to deal with Frank and none of those occasions were exactly peaceful. Frank always put up a fight when he was being kicked out or even when Harry began to warn him to cut it out. Now, Harry was growing tired of doing the same thing over and over again and Grace could tell.
Grace slowly approached Harry and reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. “I can go.”
Harry shook his head, dropping his head in defeat. “Nah, love, I’ll deal with that fucker. You just clean up the glass. Don’t want any of these drunk bastards getting hurt.”
Grace nodded and walked to the closet behind the counter, where a broom was being hidden. As she turned her back from Harry, she felt him move from his place from behind the counter and slowly make his way to Frank. Once she had the broom in her hand, she turned back around and looked for Harry and Frank in the sea of men. They weren’t exactly the easiest men to spot since the crowd was beginning to get larger as the evening was getting closer. Yet, when Grace looked closer, she saw Harry and Frank in a heated debate cross the room. Harry had his hands up in the air in exasperation while Frank continued to shout in Harry’s face and flip him off.
Grace gulped. She did not want to get between the men to clean up the mess but she knew she had to. This was another thing she didn’t exactly love about her job. The bar fights, although happening all the time, were brutal and Grace sometimes had to look away as men pounded each other until they bled. Grace took a deep breath and walked forward, making her way closer and closer to Harry. Once she got closer to the pair that were still arguing, she could finally hear them. And it was not pleasant.
“Well, tell them Peaky Blinders that I’m not leaving!” Frank yelled in Harry’s face, spit flying from all directions.
Harry sighed, glancing at Grace for a moment before looking back to Frank. “Frank, I’m tellin’ you; if you throw another glass, Tommy’ll come out and deal with you.”
Grace ignored the two as they continued to fight. She minded her business and just did her job. She sweeped the glass into a pile slowly, making sure all the shards were collected. She knew how often many men came in barefoot, having sold their shoes to buy booze, and she didn't want them to cut their feet. Most men like that were true sweethearts to her, they just had a problem. When everything was in one pile, Grace remembered she needed the dustpan as well. It was back in the closet and although she didn’t want to make a second trip, it was her fault she forgot it. Just as Grace was about to turn around to go back to the closet, someone yelled for her.
“Miss!” Grace knew this had to be directed to her because she was the only woman in the Garrison. The voice belonged to Frank. When they made eye contact, she shivered. He had the most devilish grin on his face and Grace knew this grin could only mean one thing. When she didn’t answer him, he spoke again. “What’s ya name?”
Grace gulped. Dread coursed through her veins. She wished she was invisible sometimes. She believed wholeheartedly that being an invisible barmaid would be easier for her. Of course men hit on her constantly, but never someone as determined and crude as Frank Lee. Although she would never admit it aloud, she was scared of him.
Harry intervened before she could speak. “Listen, Frank -”
“Ah!” Frank cut Harry off. He raised his finger to silence him. Harry quickly rolled his eyes at the gesture but then his attention quickly turned back to Grace. He thought of her as a friend and didn’t want any man like Frank Lee to bother her.
“Grace.” Grace said confidently. Although she was scared on the inside, she was not about to show it.
Frank nodded, a sinister smile on his lips. “Beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”
Grace glared at him, clearly not amused. Not only had she heard this line many times before, the fact that Frank Lee was saying this to her made it even more weird. Grace decided it was best for her to say nothing. She hoped that if she gave him no reaction, maybe he would take the hint. Of course, he did not.
“Tell me, lovely girl,” Frank says, stepping towards Grace. His large boots step on the glass, crushing it in tinier pieces. “When do you get off?”
“You’re stepping on glass.” Grace coldly said, ignoring his first question. Her hands were shaking and to hide it, she gripped tightly onto the broom handle. She reminded herself to take deep breaths as she spoke, trying to control her nerves.
Frank looked down at his foot and then looked back up at Grace with a smirk. He shrugged his shoulders. “Whoops.” Even in that one word, Grace could hear the sarcasm in his voice. It annoyed her to no end.
Grace was willing to ignore his total disregard for others and walk away from the situation. As she tried to do so, he grabbed onto her. Grace was so shocked, she barely had time to react. She tried her best to break free but within the first few times it was clear he was not letting go. The broom fell from Grace’s hand and hit the floor as she tried to pry her wrist away from Frank’s grasp.
“I’m talking to you.” Frank seethed, clearly annoyed that Grace did not seem interested in him. Frank was brought up to believe that the Lee men were the most handsome and irresistible men in England and no woman would ever turn them down. And, no woman had. Until Grace.
“And I’m telling you,” Grace said back, meeting his glare. Harry stiffened behind Grace, scared for her. He had warned her in the beginning that men like Frank rarely took no for an answer and yet here Grace was, tempting her fate. “That you’re stepping on the glass.”
Harry finally grabbed a hold of Frank’s shoulder. “Frank -”
Without a second thought, Frank roughly nudged Harry causing the man the fall on the floor. Once his body came in contact with the floor, there was a loud boom and the entirety of the Garrison fell silent. Grace leaped for Harry, trying to help him up but it was no use. Frank had a death grip on Grace’s wrist, preventing her from helping her friend.
“Let go of me!” Grace yelled, all eyes on her. Frank would let up though, continuing to pull on Grace’s wrist as he tried to calm her down. She was indignant, not letting Frank get a word in edgewise as she screamed.
“Listen woman -” Frank tried once again, beginning to get pissed off at all of Grace’s fighting.
“No!” Grace screamed again, watching as Harry struggled to get back up. The wind had been knocked out of him and now he was struggling to catch his breath.
“Listen -” Frank began to start over again, pulling Grace to his chest. Grace kicked him in the shin but it was no use. It barely hurt him.
“No, you listen.”
Everyone stopped. It was almost as if all of the air in the room had left the Garrison. Frank’s body froze and Grace was able to escape from his grasp. Everyone’s eyes moved to the corner of the door, where Tommy stood at the doorway. His friend had left only seconds ago and now the man that everyone knew to be a killer, was giving Frank Lee a death glare.
Tommy had heard the commotion from inside. At first, when he heard a glass shatter, he paid no attention to it. There were so many times in the day where glass would be broken, his ears had gotten accustomed to it. But, when he heard Grace’s scream, that’s when his blood went cold and he knew something was wrong. His mind went instantly to Campbell. He had never liked Tommy and he thought maybe Campbell was willing to hurt the person closest to him. He bid the mystery man a goodbye before rushing out the door. When he finally saw what was going on, he was even more angry. Frank Lee, a man he didn’t want to see today, was aggressively gripping Grace. She was trying to break free and although it was endearing that she was trying to be strong, she was not strong in the physical sense, compared to Frank. As the heat of anger reached every part of his body, Tommy finally got everyone’s attention. It was already very quiet but the second he spoke, he could tell people were trying to be even more quieter.
“Tommy…” Frank said in disbelief. Frank had not heard Tommy would be in the Garrison at this time so that was the only reason he came. Although Frank would never admit it, he was afraid of Tommy. Before the war, Tommy and him had fought and, to put it lightly, Tommy had beat his ass. Now, Frank would get into arguments with Tommy but would never actively try and start a fight with him. Frank was smart in that sense.
“Get the fuck outta me bloody pub before I beat the shit outta you.” Tommy seethed, threatening Frank. He stepped closer to Frank and as he did, Frank stepped farther away.
“I was only joking Tom.” Frank said, holding his hands in the air.
“Get out of me bloody pub.” Tommy seethed yet again, ignoring what Frank was saying.
Frank knew Tommy would never understand or even sympathise with him so he did as Tommy said, moving past the customers that were watching everything unfold. Grace stood in place, stunned for a moment. She, of course, knew Tommy’s reach in Birmingham and how many people were intimidated by him but still, it shocked her. For so many weeks, he had been kind to her and although she was intimidated by him at first, considering the circumstances, she was never really led to believe he would ever hurt her. Now, as she watched Frank leave, she became increasingly aware that Tommy in fact was a threat and he had done things that made himself a target. Even though she realized this, she still couldn’t swallow the feelings she had for him. Grace felt trapped, standing between two lives.
“Grace…” Tommy softly said, approaching the blonde. He had watched her as she stared off into the distance and was worried for her. It had been a long time since he was worried about anymore other than his family.
Grace looked up to the man who had just saved her. She was sent here to hurt him and make sure he’d pay for his crimes. So why was she now regretting ever coming here? There was a pit in her stomach as she watched him approach her. He reached out for her hand and this time she did not shy away unlike when Frank reached for her. “I’m okay. Thank you.”
Tommy nodded solemnly “Always.” He barely knew this woman yet the things he was feeling for her seemed so real. As if he had known her for years. Maybe, in another life he had. Maybe in another life, they were lovers. It felt like that and, by the way Grace looked back at him, he knew she felt it too. They both knew that they both understood each other. They knew each other.
Little did Tommy know, he barely knew Grace at all.