Grace and I walked up to our new apartments. She was at on side of the wall and I was on the other. I grabbed my bags, like her, and we walked into our apartments. 

There wasn't much too it. A shabby little place but I liked it. It wasn't big it was homely. I may have been a rich girl with rich parents but our house was massive and I didn't know them. It made me realise that money wasn't everything, love was. 

I unpacked a little bit before I walked into Grace's apartment. I had to collect my weapons. Grace was placing her folded clothes into the drawers and I picked up a pistol. I pointed at the window and Grace grabbed it from me.

"What are you doing?" Grace hissed and I just sighed a little as Grace placed it back in the bag. She handed me a smaller gun with less bullets and ammunition. 

"Grace." I sighed but she shook her head.

"I have been instructed not to give anything too big because of your past." Grace explained as I sat down on her bed. I placed the gun beside me. 

"What's the plan, Captain?" I asked in a snarky tone and Grace turned around to face me. She didn't look to please but Grace was the only one who knew exactly how to handle me. I liked her for that and she was everything I wish I could be. 

"I will get close to Mr Thomas Shelby and you shall do the same with the younger one Mr John Shelby." Grace explained and I sighed a little. I wanted Thomas, he seemed better. More exciting. 

"Why do you get Thomas?" I asked challengingly and Grace smiled at me, the sunlight was just radiating off of her.

"Because I am more responsible." Grace answered. I wasn't in the mood for fighting. I nodded my head as I bent down and got my gun. I looked at the bullets before I walked into my own apartment. I placed my gun under my mattress before I looked out of the window and onto the streets. 

___

"We're here about the job as a barmaid." Grace stated as we walked into the Garrison. It was Peaky Blinders bar. We needed this job to get closer to them and figure everything out. The man, Harry, looked at us as if we were creatures or something.

"Are you mad?" He asked us laughing and I furrowed my brows.

"Am I what?" I asked him sternly, what did he mean by that? 

"Do you know about this place?" Harry asked us and I fixed my hat. Grace made me wear it so I could come across respectable. I had never been the biggest fan of hats, or dressing up. I think I get that from my real parents, the gypsies. 

"We saw it in an advertisement." Grace answered standing her ground.

"Job's been filled." Harry lied and I stood forward a little, my heels clacking on the ground.

"It was in yesterday's paper." I stated and Harry sighed.

"Believe me, love, I'm doing you a favour." He said to me and the way he said "love" was going to set me off. It was too patronising, Grace spoke up so I could calm down. 

"I'm not asking for favours, I'm asking for employment." Grace added and I nodded my head.

"You're too nice but you might have it." He explained pointing at me. I gave of the idea that I was willing to do anything, along the lines of labour work. 

"How would you know?" I asked him very strong and powerful.

"And too pretty. They'd have you up against a wall." Harry explained to the both of us and I scoffed very loud. 

"And I would have them on the floor with a black eye." I answered honestly and Harry smirked impressed. Grace didn't know what to think of my answer.

"I have experience and references." Grace added as she showed them to Harry. Mine were included in that pile and mine were also made up. 

"What part of Ireland are you from?" He asked Grace. 

"Galway. I worked in Dublin." Grace answered in her polite manner. I used to have that but I lost it.

"Me mother was from Galway." Harry smiled and then he turned to face me. "What about you?" He asked and I didn't have much. 

"Berkshire." I answered and I think that was the answer he was expecting. He looked at the pair of us again. 

"You're too pretty." Harry sighed and that wasn't good enough. He couldn't give me the job because I was 'too pretty'.

"Watch. And listen." Grace instructed as she placed her jacket, bag and hat on the table. I stood back because I knew what she was away to do. She began to sing as she empty the buckets. She did it amazing, once she was down I looked up at Harry. 

"She's good, huh?" I smirked at Harry and Grace smiled politely at me.

"I'd sing in Ireland, my singing made them cry and stopped them fighting." Grace explained in her eloquent manner, unlike mine. My voice might sound proper but I sure wasn't. I guess that's what war and jail does to a girl. 

"What about you?" Harry asked me and I didn't really have much going for me. 

"Can't sing but I sure can hold my own." I answered meaning that I was a tough girl. Harry sighed in defeat. 

"Well, I hope you know a lot of songs and you better have strength." Harry smiled at us and I grinned back at him. Our plan so far was going good, really good exactly. 

___

"Hello!" A man from the parted room shouted. I looked over to see it was Mr Thomas Shelby, I looked down at the horrible outfit I was wearing and tried to smooth it out as I walked over to him. "I need a bottle of rum." He stated not even looking at me, he was lighting his cigarette. 

"Clara, whatever it is, it's on the house." Harry whispered in my ear as he came up behind. I slowly nodded my head before my eyes were locked onto Thomas'.

"A whole bottle?" I asked him trying to be calm. I was a getting a feeling in my stomach a feeling I have never felt before. It was weird but incisive. 

 "Yeah." He answered and I walked over to them bottles of Rum.

"White or dark rum?" I asked him as I stood their, looking over at him.

"Don't care." He mumbled as he kept the cigarette in his mouth. I grabbed the first bottle I could see and walked back over to him.

"Harry said it's on the house." I replied as I passed it over to him. He didn't look at me just the bottle.

"Are you a whore?" He asked me bluntly and I raised an eyebrow at him. Offended.

"Are you?" I asked him in the same manner. I could tell that he was taken back, I looked at him dead in the eye. I wanted him to know I wasn't some women that got slapped around for fun. 

"Cos if you're not, you're in the wrong place." He continued, ignoring my previous question, before he started to walk away. I had to have the last word in this.

"You can't judge me like that." I stated and he slowly turned around to face me. "You don't know me." I added getting a little nervous.

"You are a rich girl trying to be tough. You are trying to prove to your rich parents that you can make it on your own. But you will end up with your wealth and money before the week ends." He explained and he couldn't be more wrong if he tried. 

"That's wrong." I replied and Tommy looked like he didn't believe me. I continued to walk away and I slammed the window doors shut. How dare he speak to me like? Or think that he knows me?

"He's one of them you warned me about?" I asked Harry as I held glassed in my hands. Harry just sighed. 

"Look, Clara, you're a strong girl but be careful with them." Harry warned and I raised an eyebrow, I wanted more. More than a warning. "If I say something's on the house, then say nothing to whoever you're serving. If they decide that they want you, then there's nothing anybody could do about it." Harry explained and I got nervous. I didn't want any boys to claim me. "Lucky for you, since he got back from France, Tommy doesn't want anybody at all." Harry smirked before he walked away. I looked at the window where we stood, sad. 

___

I stood in front of John Shelby, my mission. He did look like his older brother but he just wasn't Tommy. He looked to young for me. 

"What can I get you, sailor?" I smirked at him before I moved all the straggly pieces of hair out of my face. I had a bun in but my hair was following out of it minute by minute. 

"You aren't like most of the barmaids in here." John answered as he pointed at the Rum. I walked over to the wall and grabbed the rum. 

"Please tell me that's a compliment because I have already been called a whore once or twice." I explained smiling a little as I held the bottle of Rum in my hand. 

"You say what you please no matter who they are." John replied and I nodded my head.

"We are all humans, Mr Shelby, no different from each other." I explained as I grabbed a glass from underneath the bar. "But I take it that's not how it works here." I added and John nodded his head. 

"We're Peaky Blinders." He replied in his Birmingham accent. I shrugged my shoulders.

"And I am Clara Baxter." I smiled at him as I poured his rum into the cup. "It's on the house Mr Shelby." I continued as I placed the cork back on the bottle. 

John thanked me as I placed the bottle back on the wall. I bit my lip before I walked back over to John.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked him and I could see John edging a smirk on his face. 

"Depends." He answered and I gathered that as a yes. I wiped my hands on my apron before I spoke. 

"Is there any girls in Peaky Blinders?" I asked him as I leaned on the counter. I could see him looking down at my chest, men, honestly!

"Who's asking?" He asked me just before I coughed. To signal I knew what he was doing.

"A women wanting equal rights." I answered, it wasn't entirely true but it also wasn't entirely a lie. 

"You were a Suffragette." John stated and I nodded my head as poured some man a drink. 

"Proudly." I replied as I passed the fine gentleman his drink. I walked back over to John.

"We have some." He answered and Grace could tell I was getting a little to into the conversation. She marched over to me. 

"Clara, back down." She whispered in my ear before she went back to serving the men. I looked up at John before I nodded my head.

"Very well, Mr Shelby." I replied before I walked down the bar. I recognised a fellow on the end, it was Thomas Shelby. I knew that Grace was going to be annoyed that I spoke to him, but I just had too. I didn't like the way we ended things. 

"Can I get you anything, Mr Shelby?" I asked Tommy and he looked over at me. I got feel Grace's eyes looking straight at me but I ignored them. 

"Rum." He answered. 

"Do you care what kind of Rum this time?" I asked him a little snarky, well a lot snarky. I was very much so annoyed with him. 

"No." He answered and I swore I saw his lips twitch a little. He smiled but it quickly went back to his smouldering frown her wore day and night. 

"It's on the house." I answered robotically as I poured him his drink and placed the Rum beside him. 

"How was I wrong?" Tommy asked me as he drank some of his rum. I knew what he was talking about, earlier before. I sighed before I leaned on the counter a little. 

"I came from a rich family, had a wealthy childhood. Then I learned about the Suffragettes, I thought they were brave soldiers. So I joined them, I got arrested and my parents disowned me. A few years later war broke out, I went to France and I was a nurse in the trenches." I explained to him, missing out some vital information. For example, I was an orphan and adopted by my parents. I shot the Germans from the Front Line of the Trenches, I am spy working with other spies to take down you and your family. 

I didn't think they were worth mentioning. 

"Is that how you got your scar?" Tommy asked me and I looked down at my arm. I completely forgot that I rolled up my sleeves, the incident with the german soldiers caused this scar, remember?

I shot the men but one caught me right in the arm, that was the last straw for the agency so they sent me here. To Birmingham. 

"Clara, I need your help." Grace smiled at me and I nodded my head. 

"Bye Mr Shelby." I smirked at him before I followed Grace into the storage closet. She closed the door behind her. 

"Clara, don't ruin this for us." Grace moaned and I shook my head. I was just trying to get information. I made one mistake one time and now everyone thinks I am this loose cannon. 

"I am not." I stated, I wasn't ruining anything. At least I didn't want to ruin anything. 

"Thomas is my target, you have John." Grace hissed before she walked out. I sat down on the chair before I sighed. 

___

Grace and I were walking through the Art Gallery, this was how we were going to communicate with Campbell and read him information. 

"Are you in position?" Campbell asked us and we walked around the corner.

"I am, sir." "Yes." Grace and I said at the exact same time as we walked past him. We didn't want to draw too much attention to ourselves. Word traveled fast in this town.

"Your first impressions?" Campbell asked us and Grace answered. She was better at the talking side then I was.  

"I am quite shocked at how these people live." Grace answered and the three of us walked with space between us. 

"Have you found anything out that might help us?" I asked Campbell as we walked on the hard floors. 

 "I interrogated the head of the Peaky Blinders." Campbell answered as each of us looked at different sculptures. "He didn't know anything. A brute." Campbell continued and I walked around them to looked at the other sculptures.

"It strikes me that it isn't Arthur who heads the Shelby family." Grace replied as she followed me.

"It is the younger one, Thomas. They say he won two medals for gallantry in the war." I continued for her as Campbell edged closer towards me.

"You sound fascinated." Campbell stated and I just continued to look at the artwork. 

"However, my opinion has not changed." I replied and we all stayed quiet. "The bookmaker gangs have other business and the Communists are too weak to have planned this." I explained looking at the pair of them. 

"I believe the guns were taken by the IRA." Grace added and I didn't know how she came up with that hypothesis. 

"You must not let your personal history cloud your judgment." Campbell instructed and I could see Grace was getting annoyed. 

"What history?" She whispered before she continued to walk, I followed her in pursuit. "That the IRA murdered my father will not affect my judgment." Grace whispered from behind Campbell before she walked over to me. Campbell handed us both a list.

"If you see any guns, check the serial numbers against that list." Campbell instructed and I nodded my head as I looked at the list. I could only briefly hear what Campbell was saying to Grace. I had a feeling that he had feelings for her. 

"Your father was the finest officer I ever worked with. I know he would be very, very proud of you." Campbell said before he walked away. I looked at Grace and she started to walk in the opposite direction. I placed the list in my jacket pocket before I followed after him. 

___

I had finished my shift at the Garrison, I stood outside in the snow as Grace spoke to some man. I let my dark curly hair fall past my shoulders, the snow that was falling rested in my hair. 

I looked over to see Tommy Shelby lighting a cigarette. He looked over at me and our eyes locked for a spilt second. I slowly turned around to walk to my apartment, he walked the other way. 

It was the utter most strangest feeling that occurred in my stomach as our eyes locked. I had never felt it before, ever. 

+++

first chapter, what do we think? Do you guys like it? Do you guys like the character of Clara? Is she too mean or too forward? Please let me know in the comments below. 

I really like this chapter and I hope you guys did too. Don't forget to vote and comment. If you follow me or add the book to your reading list then you will get notified of when I have updated the book. I would suggest it. 

Lots of Love, 

Mrs N O'Brien Xx