A vintage's touch: Rumours Rumours... - Tommy x Polly-

A vintage's touch: Rumours  Rumours... - Tommy x Polly-

// Just Tommy talking with Polly. They're discussing business, Michael but also Mary. 

xxxx

"Tommy...Tommy!...Tom!" -Polly's dry tone pulled Tommy Shelby out of his own brain. He was thinking, deeply thinking after an exchange he had with Alfie, a couple days before.  The Jewish gangster, while conducting business with Tommy, told him that a man was frequently visiting Mary at the Grace Institute. He described the man to Tommy and even told him that the streets said the stranger was also looking for Tommy, for business purposes.-

"Polly." -Tommy said her name, in order to give his brain some time to adjust to the present. She had noticed that her nephew was nervous, he was smoking cigarette after cigarette and was barely holding his anger in check. What could have possibly put him in such a mood? She puffed out some smoke and bent a little forward. Tommy's blue eyes looked down, where her elbows met the table and he narrowed his eyes.-

"You've said nothing ever since I set foot here. Nothing, except for my name. Talk to me."

"There's nothing to discuss right now." -She shrugged and shook her head- "Just... rumours I won't waste my time on."

"Are you sure?" -He didn't answer which made her lift a brow- "Just as I thought. You're going to mop around all day or you're going to tell me what this is about?" -She asked while inhaling some smoke.-

"There's a guy who's been visiting Mary more than once. I don't like it. I don't like it one bit. Rumours are saying that he's trying to woo her and she's way too oblivious to do it, she thinks he's a potential new donor. Rumour has it that he's also trying to do business with me."

"Yet, you seem more worried about him visiting Mary than about him wanting to conduct business with you. So which is truly on your mind?"

He looked at the woman with a light frown on his forehead. How could he tell her that he suspected her son, his cousin, Michael, to be doing something against him? It was no secret that Michael wanted to take Tommy's throne. He wanted to be the new King of Birmingham and wanted to be at the head of the Peaky Blinders... of the Family. Polly had warned her boys about a potential war between the two of them and had advised that they each went their separate ways. She agreed to help Tommy if Michael was to be sent to America. She wanted to protect her child, Tommy could understand that, and he was courteous enough to allow Michael his exile to the new world. However, Tommy knew he kept sending letters to his Mary and he didn't like it. 

Michael used to like Mary, that was a secret to no one. She never returned his feelings and what was genuine attraction turned into an obsession. Mary became a symbol. She became Tommy's weakness in the eyes of Michael and he wanted to take her from him. Mary never wrote back to him, but that didn't deter the young man from writing letters to her. He'd tell her about the things he knew about her, things he learned from his mother or, as Tommy suspected, from potential spies. Either way, he didn't confront Polly about it, because he knew she'd find all the excuses in the world for her boy.  Tommy's jaw clenched and he ground his teeth. Polly puffed out her smoke and pointed a cigarette at him. 

"I don't like the fact he's seeing Mary that much. He's not interested in investing money. Clearly. Besides, if he wanted to conduct business with me, he knows where to find me."

"Do you have a name?" -Polly asked, an eyebrow lifted as she was probing her nephew with questions. She knew he would not tell her everything that was crossing his mind, but she also knew that he would want to alleviate his mind. Of course, he knew, Tommy knew everything that came and went in Birmingham. He would know the name of the man who was looking for his girl and who was stalking her -let's, not mince words here- The Shelby rubbed his chin and groaned lowly. 

"Archibald Worthington III. He has a fucking pompous name! he's British but he travels to the USA. I'm still looking into him because I refuse to believe that it's a coincidence that he goes around to Mary and wants to meet me at the same time! It sounds like a trap!"

"Do you honestly think that this is a plot against you?" -Polly lifted a brow- "Come on. Can't you believe that he wants to do business with you and he met Mary and fell for her?" -Tommy scoffed and rubbed his forehead- 

"He goes to the USA!  Polly! He's turning around Mary! I can't believe that it's not your son's doing!" he accused, waging his finger at the older woman. Polly gasped and inhaled some smoke. She was pissed off by the accusation, hurt that he brought it up again and accused her son to conspire against him again.-

"You're paranoid! Tommy! Michael is thriving in the USA! He is married and they're trying to have a child! Why do you think he's going to ruin your life? Do you think he's going to ruin your life when you're the one ruining your life???" She accused, her tone was dry and that ruffled his feathers. He stood up, hit the table with the palm of his hands and waged his finger at her. 

"I know what I'm doing! Polly! You can't fucking look at me and tell me that your son is not trying to steal my spot! He wants to be the king! He has always wanted to have what I have, to be who I am but he never will be! Mary is mine! Mary's fucking MINE!"

"Then GO CLAIM HER!" She yelled, running her hand through her hair. "How can you look at me and accuse my son of doing something he has no interest in? How can you look me in the eye and insult my son in front of me??? You're insulting me! You keep telling me that you don't care about Mary, that I'm wrong and that I didn't clock you from the moment you set your eyes on her! You pretend you're not into her and yet you're losing your mind because someone is trying to woo your girl!" -Tommy shut down again, his eyes wide open, staring at the woman before him with fury in his heart-

She was right. He was even more upset about the fact this stranger was stalking Mary than the fact he wanted to do business with him. He didn't like the idea that the young woman was vulnerable and it irritated him even more to learn that he was trying to seduce her. It was fear lingering at the back of his head, that someone would come and sweep her off of her feet. He didn't want her to meet with someone who could give her all the right things, all the things he couldn't give her. he looked at Polly who was defiantly staring at him. He was fuming, and blood was flooding his cheeks, but he grabbed a cigarette instead and lit it.

"I don't want to have an argument with you Polly. I don't want to insult you. I just don't like when new players come and try to take away what I've built so hard. I don't like this Archie guy and I don't feel good to know that he's visiting Mary. She's naive, she would not see him coming. If he wants to meet me, then so will he. I'll arrange for a meeting."

"Point taken." -Polly didn't forgive him but she decided to move forward. She resumed smoking her cigarette. She pointed her finger at him and nodded quietly.- "However, Tommy. If you want to make a move, you better make it fast. Mary might be naive, she also needs to know where you stand with her. She won't wait for you forever." She said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'll have our people keep an eye on this Archibald. Perhaps he has another motive and perhaps he might become an enemy of the family."

"Thank you, Polly."

"Don't mention it, Tom." 

-TBC-