Angelina listened to her brothers most of the time. She was a good girl, she didn't like to cause any trouble for anybody, and so usually she did as she was told.

Only one afternoon not long after her move to Birmingham, she found herself back in The Garrison pub, sat at the bar with a newspaper in her hands and an untouched glass of whiskey in front of her.

It was four PM. Angelina's brothers had gone to work and said they wouldn't be home for a couple of days. A few different men had been round to check on Angelina, just making sure she was okay. She didn't mind, she just wished her brothers would send the same man so she could learn a name.

"I thought you didn't drink?"

Angelina didn't look up from her newspaper. Instead, she turned the page.

"I don't." She said.

"Monaghan Boy," Thomas Shelby leant over her shoulder, his finger tapping the name of a racehorse in the paper, "You should have a bet."

"I don't bet, either."

Thomas laughed quietly, sitting down at the bar beside her. The barman poured him a drink, leaving the bottle on the bar before disappearing, leaving the two of them and a group of men in the corner alone in the quiet pub.

Angelina read in silence while Thomas drank. She liked to read the paper everyday to try to catch up with the news around her new home. She also hoped she'd see something about her brothers, giving her a clue what they did for work since they wouldn't tell her a thing. But as of yet, she hadn't read anything to point her in the right direction.

"You're too pretty to be sat in here, you know that?"

Angelina's head snapped up as she heard the sound of court heels on the worn wooden flooring.

"Are you saying that to all the girls now, Tommy?"

Angelina met eyes with the woman who had just entered the pub.

She was slender with pale skin and short blonde hair, an accent on her that Angelina had never heard before. She went straight behind the bar and began cleaning empty glasses.

"Grace," Thomas' face appeared to grow rosy, Angelina could sense he had perhaps said something he shouldn't have, "This is-"

"Angelina Santoro."

The woman - Grace - put down her cleaning cloth and looked at Thomas, then Angelina.

"Santoro, like Stefano and Lorenzo?"

"The very same."

She just nodded, pursing her lips and narrowing her eyes slightly, glancing in Tommy's direction again.

"I'm Grace, Tommy's fiancée."

She made sure to offer her hand to Angelina which bore a beautiful golden ring. Angelina shook her hand, a false smile on her lips.

"You should know your brothers don't drink in here. You should try the Marquis, less trouble for you."

"I didn't say they were my brothers." Angelina replied to Grace, reaching for her drink this time and taking a small sip.

"Either way," Grace said, returning to her cleaning, "You might find someone single in there to talk to, also."

"Grace." Thomas said firmly, glaring at her.

Angelina could sense some tension between Thomas and his fiancée. It had been the first piece of drama that she'd had since she moved from Italy. As much as she didn't want to get involved, she had to do something to make her new life here slightly more interesting.

"Thomas," Angelina said, causing his eyes to be pulled away from the glass he was swirling around in his hand, "Could you perhaps show me where The Marquis is? I'll be out of your hair, then."

Thomas cleared his throat, avoiding the gaze from Grace that came from behind the bar. Angelina wasn't looking at the woman, but she could feel her eyes boring into the back of her skull.

"I'd be-"

"Oh look," Grace interrupted Thomas as the door chimed, "Arthur can show her. I need your help with something, anyway."

A group of men approached Thomas at the bar. Angelina finished her drink, Grace said nothing.

Thomas sighed, "Arthur, would you be so kind as to show this lovely young lady where The Marquis is? She's new here."

The gentleman which a thick moustache and an intimidating pair of eyes stepped forward from the rest of the men.

"Of course, do I get a name?" He smiled at her, putting her nerves to rest.

"Angelina."

"Santoro." Thomas finished her name for her. Arthur just looked at him, his eyebrows raised. Thomas did nothing but nod, waving in his hand in the direction of the door before pouring himself another drink.

Following his brother's orders, Arthur cocked his head and Angelina followed, thanking him as he held the door open for her.

Arthur held out his arm with a warm smile. Angelina smiled back at the gentleman who no longer seemed as scary as she first thought, linking her arm through his and placing her hands together.

"Italian then, like your brothers?"

"Very much so. Here is a lot different to Rome."

The sky was dark now, thick with black smoke from the factories and shadows cast from the tightly packed terraced houses.

"Do you know my brothers?" She asked.

Arthur drew in a sharp breath, she could tell he was reluctant to answer.

"Our families aren't the best of friends, darling."

"How so?"

He just shook his head, looking down at her pitifully as they continued walking through the streets, the occasional gentleman greeting Arthur with a 'good afternoon Mr Shelby'.

"Nothing to worry your pretty little head about. Here we are."

Angelina looked up at the sign that was swinging from the breeze above her head. The Marquis.

"Would you like to come in for a drink with me, Arthur? It's least I can do to repay you for your time to show me here."

He hesitated for a moment, swaying back and forth on his feet. Angelina thought he was going to decline as he opened his mouth to speak, but when a breeze blew so hard Angelina's dress blew up slightly and his eyes fell upon the stockings hiding underneath the linen, Arthur quickly agreed.

The pair sat and talked for a while, and it turned out Angelina didn't hate alcohol as much as she thought she did. Either that, or Arthur's company made her completely forget about what she was doing.

He made her laugh, her prejudice of him being proven wrong as the eyes she thought were intimidating slowly began to put her at ease, her body relaxing as his arm lay across her shoulders.

They talked about Rome, Arthur keen to know about Angelina's upbringing. It saddened her to know that he was also without his parents, but made her feel less alone in the pain that she held in her chest every time she woke in the morning.

"It's a shame," Arthur started, "I think my brother has taken a liking to you."

Angelina blushed as Arthur's eyes traced across her face and down her body.

"Thomas? But his fiancée?"

Arthur chuckled, "The sooner she disappears the better. I've never known our Tom to be so miserable with a woman in his life."

Angelina's mind was filled with a million questions. She had barely spoken five words to the gentleman, or any gentleman in Birmingham apart from Arthur.

"Do you have a man waiting for you back in Rome, Angelina?" Arthur asked, sinking the rest of the liquid in his glass.

She shook her head.

"I tend to be better on my own."

"Well," he laughed, licking his lips, "In that case, you and Tommy should get on like a house on fire."

*an;
hi!!! I just want to quickly point out that I'm not at all taking the timeline from the show and basing this story off that, so if any characters or anything don't line up with the TV series that's why, this is a total stand alone story, I'm simply taking some characters from the show and creating my own plot.

thanks for reading!!

-martials