𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐓 𝐆𝐎
- chapter one -

The Peaky Blinders. Everybody in Small Heath knew them - almost everybody was afraid of them. With their shiny razors and guns, how could you not be?

Well, that was everybody but Harvey Ellis. A boy who had lived in Small Heath all his life. He had seen the rise of the Shelby's and he wasn't scared of them. He claimed he wasn't scared of anything. But he was. Oh, how he was scared of his father.

Harvey's mother had died when he was a young boy so he didn't remember much of her. But what he did know was that she was just as afraid of his father as he was.

Leyland Ellis was a pathetic excuse for a man. With his wrinkled hands and his dark eyes, he found that his son was not a lad he could look after. Harvey looked like his mother. He captured every aspect of her beauty. Her golden hair and her blue eyes. Leyland hated it. He hated him. Harvey was the type of boy girls would describe as perfect.

Good looking, kind, unafraid.

It wasn't often lads like that came about now - not with the Peaky Blinders lurking in the dark corners of the night.

And in some strange way, girls seemed to fancy him more when he himself became a Blinder. They fancied him more because he wasn't scary.

He was an angel. Inside and out.
And he just so happened to fall for the Angel of the Shelby Family....

-

Harvey walked with his hands in his pockets, a cigarette balanced between his lips. He only took his one hand from the pocket when he got rid of that cigarette. "Mornin' Harvey," he felt an arm get thrown around his shoulder. He looked to see the face of John Shelby. "Alright, John?" Harvey responded, flashing him a smile.

"Yeah- yeah I am." John grinned. "You comin' to the house today? Arthur's saying he wants to have a family council." John spoke.

"I ain't family, John boy." Harvey reminded him.

John shook his head. "Nah but it's alright. They won't mind." He assured him. Harvey hummed and looked at his feet as they walked. "I think i'll sit out of this one." He said.

The Shelby boy groaned slightly and squeezed Harvey's shoulder. "Alright." He said. "Tommy wants you working today, though." He pointed as he departed from the boy. "Be at the den for five."

Harvey nodded and kept walking toward his own home, a feeling of dread sat in his stomach. He was certain that his father would be home.

He hesitated before putting a hand on the door handle and twisting it, pushing the door open. Harvey stepped inside and quietly closed it behind him.

"It's only me-" Harvey called out. No response. Harvey pulled his cap from his head and placed it on the kitchen table. "What're you doin' back?" He heard the scratchy voice from behind him. Taking a deep breath, he turned. "I was going to go to the market before work- wondering if you wanted me to get anything." Harvey spoke plainly.

Leyland looked him up and down. He snatched the cap from the table and held it up. "I told you not to bring that fuckin' shit into my house!" He scolded.

Harvey lowered his head, eyes angled toward the floor.

"And this-" he ragged the sewn in blade from the cap, "the fuck is this, eh?" He roared.

Harvey dug his nails in his hands and said nothing. Leyland grabbed his chin and forced him to look up. "I asked ya what the fuck it is?" He shouted again.

"It's apart of my uniform, dad.." Harvey said with a voice that was shaking ever so slightly.

"Uniform- fucking uniform." Leyland scoffed. "Do you think you're scary, walking around with a fuckin' razor blade in your hat?" His grip was harsh on Harvey's skin.

"No, dad." He said truthfully.

"God-" Leyland scoffed, "what a disappointment you have become, boy." He said. "Your mother would not be proud." He ripped his hand away from Harvey and dropped the cap and blade to the floor before turning away.

Harvey stared at his feet, his eyes burning at the mention of his late mother.

He clenched his jaw and just closed his eyes, taking a sharp breath.

Harvey kneeled down to pick up the blade and cap before storming out of the house and slamming the door behind him.

-

When Harvey went into the Shelby house on Watery Lane, the betting den was busy as usual. As he passed through, Ada looked up from her book and gave him a once over.

"Afternoon, Pol- Ada." He greeted, brushing past the woman and flashing her a friendly smile. The older woman looked at him softly. "Afternoon, Harvey. Your dad hasn't been giving you any trouble has he?" She asked with a raised brow.

"No, Pol." He said to her, hoping he had been able to disguise his lie well.

Ada's eyes were still on the boy and he hadn't noticed yet. Polly had noticed, though. And she sniggered to herself. "What're you laughing at?" Ada asked after finally taking her eyes from the boy who had turned to pick up a betting book.

"Don't you worry about it, love." Polly excused, looking down at her newspaper.

"Harvey.." Arthur emerged from his office. "How're you doing?" He asked with his hands on his hips. Harvey nodded and scribbled with a pencil. "I'm good Mr Shelby. And yourself?"

"Yeah i'm gettin' there." Arthur patted his shoulder. "I didn't know you were working today."

"Neither did I, Mr Shelby." He joked lightly. "But I don't mind." He said truthfully. Arthur chuckled and patted his shoulder again. "You're a good lad." He said.

"Thank you," Harvey nodded, unsure if it was a compliment or a joke.

"Maybe one day you'll come to the races with us. Or even the fair." Arthur suggested. "That would be nice." Harvey agreed, trying not to sound too uninterested or too eager.

Arthur soon walked away to leave him to it and Harvey got on with calculating the earnings of that week.

Ada had looked over at him again but could only see the back of him. She hummed to herself and stood. "Where are you off to?" Polly frowned at the girl. Ada stopped abruptly. "None of your bloody business." She joked.

"Watch your tone with me, girl." Polly warned.

Her eyes followed Ada as she walked out of the betting den and into the house. Clearly Harvey had caught her eye and she was doing a terrible job of hiding it.

-

Ada walked into the Garrison nervously. She looked around and peeked into the snug to see John and the other blinders sat playing a game of cards.

"Can I have a gin and tonic, please?" Ada asked the barman. "Of course. It's on the house, Miss Shelby." He told her before turning away to pour her a glass.

Ada smiled to herself and leaned against the bar, waiting patiently.

"A whiskey when you're done, Harry." A voice spoke from beside her. She tried her best not to look but couldn't help it and, to her surprise, there stood Harvey Ellis. He hadn't noticed her yet. But he did when Harry placed down her gin.

"Evening." He said to her politely.

Ada pretended as if she hadn't noticed him and smiled at him.

"Do you usually drink in here? I feel i've not seen you in the Garrison before." Harvey said. Ada shook her head. "Only when i'm with my brothers. Usually Aunt Pol forces them to take me with." She laughed lightly.

Harvey, having had a suspicion she was the same Shelby girl he saw not very often when being at the house, let out a laugh. "Well, it's nice to have finally met you properly, Ada." Harvey nodded.

"You too." Ada was grateful he walked away after getting his whiskey because she could feel her cheeks burning ever so slightly. Harvey walked back to the snug and closed the door over. "Your sister is out there, John." He said.

John looked up from his cards. "Who, Ada?"

Harvey looked at him funny. "Do you have another sister?" He asked. John's face fell when realising how stupid he had sounded. "Right." He said and stood, walking to the door.

He stuck his head out of the door and whistled to get Ada's attention. "Oi, you." He said to her. She looked to her right and rolled her eyes at the sight of him. "Get in 'ere. Aunt Pol will go mad if she finds out i've let you drink here by yourself." John hissed.

Ada took her drink from the counter and dragged her feet toward her elder brother. He opened the door further for her to slip inside the snug.

"You lot, this is my little shit of a sister Ada." John introduced. There was a collection of nodding and quiet hello's as she entered. John returned to his seat beside Harvey and nodded at the chair opposite for Ada to sit in and she did.

"I'm fully capable of drinking in a pub by myself." She told John.

John raised his eyebrows at her and almost laughed. "You can't even make toast properly, Ada. And your wonder why Aunt Pol prefers you to drink with one of us." He mocked.

Ada bowed her head in embarrassment and shook her head slightly when a few of the Peaky boys began chuckling. It was nothing harsh, of course. None of them would ever dare take the piss out of a Shelby.

Harvey had watched the way her face had turned red and felt slightly sorry for her. He knew what it was like to feel embarrassed in a room full of people.

"What're you drinking anyway-" John leaned over the table and took her glass. Ada tried to stop him but failed. He lifted it to his lips and took a big sip of the gin before putting the glass back down. Ada slapped his hand away.

"And you wonder why I don't like drinking with you." She retorted angrily, sliding her glass toward her.

John winked at her playfully and swallowed the liquid.

"Have youse heard about that police inspector that's coming here?" John asked his friends. They all responded in the same way: shaking their head with confusion. "Something to do with cleaning up the city or something." He shrugged.

"What's there to clean up other than horse shit?" Harvey asked seriously, not expecting the laughs that erupted between the lot.

Ada too found his comment funny and placed a hand over her mouth whilst she laughed.

"What- i'm being serious!?" Harvey told them. John patted his shoulder. "Oh, Harvey. This is why we love you, mate." He said genuinely. Harvey still didn't know what was so funny about what he had said but didn't bother asking, looking away when feeling his face burn.

-

"You need to get home." John said to his sister. "I'm not a baby, John." She complained. "No, you're not. But Polly will have my head if you stay out any later. Did you even tell her where you were going?" He responded.

Ada shook her head.

"Exactly." John huffed.

"Well when are you going? I don't want to walk by myself, John. It's dark." Ada said, knowing what the men were like at this time of night when they were drunk.

John groaned and glared at his sister.

"I can walk with you." Harvey offered. John looked at him. "Nah, don't worry about it." John tried. Harvey, who knew John wanted to stay longer, shook his head. "I'm going home anyway. Dad will be expecting me soon." Harvey assured him.

Harvey stood and got his coat from the free chair at the end of the table and held the door open for Ada.

"Thanks, Harv. I owe you one." John said before he left properly.

"You didn't have to." Ada told him as they stepped outside. Harvey shook his head. "What kind of boy would I be if I didn't walk you home?" He asked. Ada shrugged and hugged her coat around her frame.

"Do you live near?" Ada asked him, trying to make conversation.

"Yeah. I live round the corner." Harvey said plainly, taking out a box of cigarettes and placing one between his lips. He titled the box toward Ada and she accepted, balancing one between her two fingers.

Harvey lit the two cigarettes and took a drag before talking again. "It surprises me that tonight is the first we have met properly."

Harvey and Ada actually had met before, when they were younger. There had been a few moments where he defended her when John wasn't around but it seemed that the Shelby girl had forgotten all about him.

"It's not often i'm in the betting den." She said. "Or in the Garrison for that matter. I get sick of my brothers." She said truthfully. Harvey laughed slightly. "They're not that bad." He said. "Trust me, if you had to grow up with them, you'd hate them." Ada challenged.

Harvey smiled slightly and shook his head. "I don't have any siblings."

"Really!?" She asked with genuine shock in her voice. Harvey shook his head. "None at all. Just me and my dad." He said.

"And your mum?"

Harvey felt his heart drop slightly. "She's.. she died when I was younger." He said quietly. Ada's eyes widened and she felt awful. "Oh my- I'm so sorry, Harvey. I didn't know.." she apologised quickly.

"It's alright." He stopped her. "I can't remember much about her, really."

Ada tutted and looked at him with sympathy. "My mum passed when I was little too." She told him. Harvey looked at her. "I'm sorry." He said. "What was she like?"

"She was kind." Ada thought back to her late mother, Martha. "Had the type of motherly love that could make you cry. But our father- he destroyed her." Ada's face fell into a frown when rethinking all those things in her head.

Harvey didn't know what to say. He didn't want to say anything that would upset her.

"Your Aunt Polly is a good woman." Harvey moved on. Ada nodded and felt a small smile creep on to her lips. "Yeah. She looks after us. We are a bloody pain in her arse but she looks after us." Ada laughed slightly.

They soon got to the house on Watery Lane and came to a stop. Before Ada opened the door, she looked up at the blonde boy and offered him a smile. "Thank you, Harvey."

"Any time." Harvey nodded with his hands now in his pockets after throwing his cigarette to the floor.

He stepped away and waited for her to be safely inside before making his way to his own home. Something which he dreaded - somehow more than the last time he would have been there. He knew that if Leyland was awake he wouldn't be in a good mood. Probably drunk.

He debated turning around and going back to the Garrison but he knew that would make things worse for when he did return home.

Harvey put his keys in the door and unlocked it, holding his breath as he got into the house. Deciding that he couldn't be bothered speaking to Leyland, he tried his very best to get up the stairs quietly.

Something he usually did.

As like usual, he was successful in doing so.

chapter 1
[ gracessecretshelby ]

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