Fatal Facade

Saturday morning had begun with a warm gentle sunshine and white clouds, it was a nice variation to the normal grey clouds and bitter winds. I woke up at 7am, so I had time to prepare for today and get to the races themselves. Although nervous about what I had to do today I was also eager and excited to get the job done. If all went well today, I would be able to move out of this BnB and rent a nice 1-bedroom terraced house in the area. I had thought about perhaps moving onto a different town entirely, but the prospect of travelling again was too daunting and dangerous. Besides, I still had my fake passport to show any potential landlords, they wouldn’t have to know my real name.
After having a wash and dressing myself in my normal attire I begun packing my bag. My plan was to travel by horse to the perimeter of the races and then stop in a nearby field or wooded area. I would then undress and get changed into my race day dress, put on my wig, and ensure the full ensemble was complete. I packed the dress, the hat, the wig, the certificate, some stockings, and some matching shoes. I already had my small knife strapped to my thigh which I didn’t intend to remove.

Bag in hand I begun the small walk to the stables. I had noticed on my travels through Birmingham that beside the canals, tucked away between the factories and warehouses were some stables. After observing from afar I noted there were about 10 separate horse stables. The plan was to find the owner of the horses, or the stable manger and rent a horse for the day.

I trudged along the muddy pathway of the canal and turned onto the lane that held the stables. I surveyed the area for anyone that appeared to be working with the horses and I slowed down my walk. Before long I spotted man heaving around bales of hay, he wore an ordinary hat, a brown blazer, and trousers, with a white undershirt. I cleared my throat and smiled as I approached him to indicate I was here for friendly business. Before greeting me, he put down the bail of hay.

“Hello there miss, what are you doing down this end?” He spoke very kindly but appeared to have a speech impediment or learning disability of some kind.

“I was hoping to rent a horse for the day” I said with a smile. “Just a simple mare will do, I intend to use her to travel down to the races.”

The kind man shook his head and looked away.

“Oh no miss, its either buy or sell. We don’t rent horses here.”

I contemplated his reply and moved towards a brown mare in the closest stable to me. I noticed she had a diamond white mark on her forehead and a gentle look in her eyes. The man followed behind me closely, I wasn’t sure if he suspected me of foul play or not.

“How much did you pay for this mare?” I asked, turning around to look at the man again. He continued walking up to the horse and patted her on the head.

“The Boss paid 70 pounds for her, she’s not a race horse unlike the ones he normally buys. Just a gentle mare that he visits from time to time.”

I pulled out 140 pounds from my bag.

“Mr..?” I enquired about his name. He looked at me with a small grin.

“Oh its just Curly miss, call me Curly.”

“Curly. Here’s 140 pounds, double what was paid for her. I only need her for the day and she will be back before 6pm.”

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, clearly uncomfortable. I decided to persevere.

“I’m staying at the BnB on the corner of Watery Lane, so you can find me if I don’t bring her back. Consider it high business profit. Don’t you think your boss would make the same choice?” I asked him before continuing.
“An easy 70 quid for lending out 1 horse just for a day.”

He eyed the money carefully before looking at me for a few seconds.

“You seem like a kind lady, promise you’ll look after her.” He said, the speech impediment making him appear younger than he was. I walked forward tenderly and placed the money in his hand.

“I promise.” I said softly.

Curly took the money and pocketed it.

“Want me to saddle her up miss?” He asked me.

“Call me Iris, and no thank you. I can manage.” I replied as I helped myself into the stable that held the horse. I looked behind me and saw Curly observe me closely with the horse. I suppose he was just making sure I knew what I was doing, and that I was gracious towards the horse. He seemed to really care for the horses he looked after. An admirable quality now days, most people seemed to only care about what profit they could fetch.

Before saddling up the horse I took a brush that was hung up on the wooden wall of the stable and began brushing her. I was smoothing down all the hairs ensuring they were all facing the same way towards her rear, as well as removing any dirt and rough patches. It was important the saddle lay comfortably on her, considering I would be riding for about 2 hours. Rough patches would chafe on the saddle and on her skin.
After smoothing down the hairs and ensuring she was clean I laid down the saddle blanket on her back, the barrier between saddle and skin would ensure even more protected riding. I was lucky everything was readily available in the stable. Each horse must have their own saddle and saddle blanket. I gave little thought to who the boss of the stables must be before moving onto placing the saddle on the horse.
I picked up the heavy leather saddle, it smelt like old leather and slightly musky. I gently placed it on the horse and double checked that the blanket underneath was fully protecting all areas and not wrinkled.
I took the girth in one hand and pulled it under the horse to attach it on the other side of the saddle, this would ensure the saddle didn’t slip off during the ride. Once everything was attached and felt the appropriate tightness I moved towards the front of the horse.
I stroked her head and murmured things into her ear. It wasn’t necessarily legible things. Just soft-spoken words to gain her trust. After about 15 minutes of bonding with the horse and stroking her I decided it was time to set off. The day doesn’t wait, and neither should I.

I sat upon the horse and waited to let her adjust. She wriggled a little bit but settled fairly quickly. She must be used to being ridden. As I trotted out the stables I waved to Curly, for someone who seemed very reluctant to let me rent the horse he appeared very happy and waved back to me. After observing me saddle her up and communicate with her I suppose he felt some degree of trust. I moved the horse carefully over the canal pathways and towards the edge of Birmingham. I breathed in the air as it began to get clearer and thanked God for the beautiful weather.

---

I had been riding for about 1 hour and 50 minutes. When I first left Birmingham the roads seemed desolate and other horses and cars were scarce. However, now that I was nearing Cheltenham Races cars and other people riding on horses would pass me rather frequently. I saw the entrance approaching the horizon and decided to stop here. I was a little closer than intended but it would be less suspicious than if I was walking from further away.
I dismounted the horse and guided her into a woody area on the left side of the road. Once I was far enough into the dense wooded area I tied up the horse to a branch and gave her some water and some food. I knew it would be a long walk for her, so I ensured I had a flask of water, a bowl to put it in, and some food. I have her an apple and she ate it greedily before I poured out the water for her. At least she was in the shade here, so she wouldn’t overheat.
I began to see to myself, before getting undressed I glanced around again to make certain there was nobody else around. I couldn’t see anyone nor hear anything apart from the noises of the road so decided it was safe. I got undressed and slipped the pink and white dress on before stuffing my other one in the bag. Afterwards I clumsily put on my stockings and shoes. I say clumsily as it is hard to do so without a place to sit down, and only balancing on one foot. Finally, I tied my hair up and placed the brunette wig on, making sure none of my ginger hair was poking out and that it looked natural. As a final touch I put on my pink hat and took my pink handbag out of the larger storage bag I had brought with me.

I put the handbag over my arm and smoothed out the dress with both hands, doublechecking it hadn’t got dirty in the process. I fished around in my pink bag and checked I had the I.D certificate with me before checking my face in my small compact mirror. I noticed some dirt on my left cheek so licked my thumb before rubbing it off. Nodding to myself I put away the mirror and with a deep breath began the walk back to the roadside.

As I started up the roadside I noticed a group of ladies getting dropped off the back of a wagon. They were giggling and laughing. Clearly excited for a day at the races. I gave them a bittersweet smile and walked behind them, staying close enough to appear part of the group but far away enough so that they wouldn’t think I was strange. A part of me was envious of their carefree attitude, they weren’t here to earn money in order to survive, they were here to enjoy a day with friends. They must’ve already had plenty of wealth under their belt, or should I say their husbands or families belt. I suppose one of the benefits of what I do is that my money was my own, no one could take charge of it and no one could tell me how to spend it.

While I walked up to the gate I fished around in my bag and took out 2 pounds, as that was the entry fee. The gentleman at the gate enquired about me not having an escort and I explained I was meeting family inside. Luckily, he didn’t say much more, he probably took into account the length of the que that was forming behind me and didn’t want to waste anymore time.

Inside the races themselves it was bustling with activity. There were men shouting the gambling odds trying to persuade more people to place bets, and there were food stands that sold a variety of things such as savory and sweet pastries, various cakes, and snack foods like roasted nuts and olives. Around the entirety of the race track was the seating area that had already begun to fill up. I had massively underestimated the size of Cheltenham; this place must seat at least 7000 people. There were also various bars dotted along the side of the stadium in various intervals, I counted at least 20. At the moment they were all humming with action, no doubt once the race started however they would all clear out. I noticed a sign on the side of a food court that was pointing towards the top box. I looked over and saw my destination. Up a level of white stairs were 2 double doors adorned with flowers and other decorative symbols. I saw a que forming to get up there, the que consisted of clearly wealthy women and men. I could also see people being turned away that didn’t quite meet the standard. Without a second thought I waltzed off in that direction, adjusting my posture to one which the king himself would’ve been proud off, I made my way to the bottom of the line and waited.

Before I knew it, I was at the front of the que. I smiled gracefully at the man before I assumed to walk past him. Confidence was key. If I didn’t believe I was the Cousin of the Duchess of Gloucester, then why should anyone else. The man at the barrier put his arm out to stop me.

“Sorry Ma’am but I can’t allow you entry unless you’re with a man of notable credibility.” He said.

I took another deep breath before putting on a posh accent and a facial expression of offence. I turned around to face him.

“Excuse me Sir but I think you’ll find I’m of notable credibility without the aid of a man” I opened my bag and fished out the certificate, tutting to myself and acting like this was very tiresome. I shoved the I.D into his hand and continued with my demonstration.

“I’m here to enjoy the races away from the ruffians below. If you have any authorization to deny me entry I suggest you take it up with my Aunt.” I finished before looking at him with sharp eyes and raised eyebrows.
He squinted his eyes at me before looking at my I.D certificate again.

“Sorry miss, enjoy the race.” He handed back my I.D and motioned for me to go inside.

I snatched back my I.D continuing to act offended and marched inside. Once inside I had a good look around the room. As I always do first when completing a job, I kept an eye out for possible quick exits. In this case there were 2 exits, either the double doors I entered through, or a single door at the back, behind the dancefloor.

The room itself was large and glamorous. There were gold ornaments and chandeliers adorned over the dancefloor and bar area. There was a small crowd gathered near the bar and seating areas spread out surrounding the center of the room. The majority of guests were either dancing or sat at the tables. I decided to go to the bar and get a drink. I weaved through the crowd and approached the bar. It was made of white marble and framed with gold paint, the stone felt cool under my hands and I rested my elbows on the bar, waiting to be approached by the barman.

After ordering a glass of champagne I decided to get to work. I scouted the room and noticed a man stood by himself smoking a cigar and observing the dancefloor. He appeared to be about 50 years old, his brown hair had grey flecks on either side and the skin beside his eyes were wrinkled. The suit he was black with gold trim around the collar, he had a gold pocket watch dangling from his waist coat. His entire persona screamed sophistication and class. I walked over to him and smiled, trying not to cough at the aroma of cigar smoke that tickled my throat. He noticed me and smiled before introducing himself.
“You enjoying the races so far miss? My names William.” I noticed his teeth were yellow, and his voice coarse.

“Yes, William I am. I’m Jenna Lovelett” While introducing myself I placed my hand over his hand for a few seconds. To an outside observer it they may not have even noticed, but to William it would appear as slight flirting and that I was interested in him. He took my hand in his and asked me to dance.

“Yes.” I answered with a smile, this is exactly what I wanted. This way I could get close to him and any touching could be deduced as being part of the dance. He led me into the center of the dancefloor and we began.

The song playing at the moment was a medium speed flapper song. The couples around us were spinning and laughing. William and myself started off slow, both unsure of dancing with a stranger, as we didn’t know each other’s skill. I moved in closer to him and started to match the speed of the other ladies around me, showing him I was able to keep up with the beat. The saxophones and drums in the background urging me on. I placed both my hands on either shoulder and ran then down his chest, I was just about to slip my hand quickly in his pocket, but he gave me a sudden twirl.
I cursed his enthusiasm with another smile, luckily after the twirl I lost my balance slightly and placed my hands upon his chest to steady myself. He laughed slightly at my genuine ineptness and kissed me on the forehead. This was the perfect time to make my move. I slipped my hand in his pocket while his lips still rested on my head. To him it would’ve felt like I was exploring his body shape. I grasped what felt like a very thick wallet in hands before looking up to him and gazing into his eyes, appearing bashful and modest. I instigated a second twirl in order to quickly draw my hand away from his pocket, wallet between my fingers. During the twirl I quickly shoved the wallet into my brasserie, ensuring it was smoothed down so no lumps and bumps appeared. I turned back to him ready to finish this dance, it was important not to run off straight away or he would pick up something was off.

After the faced paced song was over I noticed some other gentleman trying to get our attention, they must’ve been Williams friends. He noticed them too and began to make his way over to them, my hand in his. I tugged on his hand slightly and stopped walking. He looked at me, confusion in his eyes.

“Sorry William, I’ve never been very confident in large groups of men.”

He gave me a disappointed look but insisted I follow him.

“You’ll be with me, dear Jenna” He tried to speak softly but it was rather impossible with his gruff voice.

“Sorry but I must insist.” I continued.
“I’ll be here till about 3pm, I’d very much like another dance before you go.” I gave the impression I was still interested, of course my intention was to avoid him for the rest of the day.
He nodded and bowed to me slightly before leaving. I observed him slightly ensuring he didn’t reach for his wallet straight away, if he did I would have to leave rather quickly as it wouldn’t be hard to make the connection, however if he didn’t check for it and only realized later on he lost it, it would be harder to pin the connection on me. Luckily for me he begun chatting with his friends and didn’t reach for his wallet, someone also passed him a drink which was even better, so he wouldn’t attempt to buy a beverage anytime soon.

I turned around and begun making my way towards the lady’s room, I had to get his wallet out my brasserie and into a secret compartment in my bag. Through experience in my past I knew that policemen were sometimes uncomfortable looking in a lady’s bag. They may open it and glance in it, but they wouldn’t rummage with their hands, hence why having a secret compartment was important.
As I made my way to the toilet I noticed a man at the bar buy a drink and leave his wallet beside him, the perfect opportunity to get something else. As I neared the edge of the bar I bumped into a man that was also walking past, I did this hard, as it also hit the man who was sat at the bar. He turned around and quickly vented his frustration onto the gentleman I bumped into. While asserting his anger and telling the other man to be more careful I slipped his wallet off the bar and into my bag and carried on walking. No one noticed it was gone until it was too late. As I entered the toilets I heard him shout that the man had also stole his wallet. Perfect.

After entering the toilet cubicle, I opened both wallets to take the money out, the first gentleman’s wallet had a tremendous 400 pounds cash in it. That was a fortunate find. The second mans wallet not as much, at 75 pounds. However, 475 pounds was still a good start to the day. I put the money into small compartment in my bag and shoved the wallets behind the toilets. Although this was the top box the toilets were still rather uncleanly, as is the norm for most large events. So, no one would find them there until the very end of the day when the cleaners begun their job.

For the next 2 hours I continued in the same pattern, I danced with 2 more gentlemen, yet unfortunately only managed to lift one wallet. After introducing myself to a few groups of ladies as the Cousin of the Duchess of Gloucester, I was invited into various social groups. During these times I was able to lift pieces of jewelry off bodies during hugs, and slides purses out of handbags while sat at tables with them.
After a final trip to the toilet I counted how much I had got throughout the day. My total cash profit was 1125 pounds, I had also obtained 1 bracelet worth about 150 pounds, 2 wedding rings that certain men had left in their pockets for obvious reasons, these were worth about 100 pounds each, and a necklace with sapphires on it. This was worth about 600 pounds by itself. I was very happy with my yield of the day. I decided to have one more drink and then call it a day.

As I made my way to the bar I noticed a familiar face in the crowd. He had just arrived in the top box and had a pretty woman on his arm. He wore his usual 3-piece suit with pocket watch and flat cap, except the suit he wore was obviously more expensive than his usual attire, the woman on his arm wore a red dress and looked slightly lost. As he entered the room through the double doors he looked around the room. I noticed his eyes hover over a large table by the dance floor. I followed his gaze and saw a table of about five men and two women, the man in the middle looked like a class A twit.

I turned to the bar and ordered my drink, another glass of champagne. I sipped my glass and felt the bubbles on my tongue before swallowing, I silently hoped he didn’t see me, he could ruin all my days work. Before long I felt a familiar presence beside me. I heard the recognizable deep voice order a drink for himself and for the lady next to him. He ordered a whisky on ice, and she was ordered a champagne. I could feel his eyes burning into my cheek as he recalled my face, despite it being hidden under the brunette hair.

“I like your wig.” He stated out of nowhere, clearly trying to one up me and show he recognized me. I turned to him unable to hide a bit of fear that was creeping into my chest.

“I didn’t know you’d be here. Don’t worry I’m leaving after this drink.” I told him. I remembered his threat from the first day I met him, and as I intended to stay permanently in Birmingham it was important I took it seriously.

“Good, I have serious business to attend to” He replied. I was about to open my mouth to reply when I saw William spot me and begin to approach me. I felt a lump form in my throat, Tommy Shelby might just drop me in it. As he stopped to stand next to me he placed his hand over mine that I was resting on the bar. He looked directly at Tommy before turning to look at me.

“Is this man bothering you Jenna?” He asked in a snobby, gruff voice, clearly trying to prove to me he was better than this other guy I was talking to. Before replying I widened my eyes and slightly shook my head to Tommy, in a way that said don’t say anything.

“Of course not William, he was merely asking about my choice of bets today on the horses.” I had to reply in my posh voice to William. Tommy had a faint look of amusement on his face.

“Where are you sitting?” I asked William. He pointed to a table at the far side of the room.

“I’m over there with my brother and his wife, I would like it if you considered joining us.”

“Let me finish my drink and then head to the bathroom, I’ll join you after.” I smiled and touched his arm lightly again. He grabbed my hand that was caressing his arm and I immediately felt the nerves rise in me. Did he know? He kissed my hand before looking at Tommy again and making his leave. I watched him leave before turning to look at Tommy again.

“Thank you.” I said to Tommy, he could’ve quite easily exposed my true intentions.

“Jenna?... That quite a believable accent you have.” He said in a tone of mocking. Although I heard under the jest that he was clearly impressed.

“How did a lone woman get into the top box by themselves?” He enquired. I thought about how to answer this. I had a feeling he would know I was lying if I didn’t tell the truth. I reached into my bag and pulled out the I.D certificate.

“For Jenna Lovelett the Cousin of the Duchess of Gloucester it quite easy to do so.” I told him, reverting to my fake posh accent.
He eyed the certificate carefully and then nodded at me proudly before he handed it back wordlessly. Although confused at his reaction I decided now was a good time to leave the top box. I could always get a drink at the lower levels and I was also getting hungry, so food was now on the agenda.
Putting the certificate back into my bag I stood to leave.

“Enjoy the rest of your day Tommy and...?” I looked at the blonde woman beside him.

“Grace.” She said in a slightly melodic voice, I noted she was Irish.

I nodded my head and walked to leave. Tommy made no move to stop me as I walked through the double doors.

As I was walking down the stairs I saw a food cart offering meat pastries. I brought one for 5 pence and while eating it made my way to the lower bar. Compared to the elegant bar in the top box this one was full of rowdy shouting men. I clutched onto my bag tightly and pushed my way to the front to get a drink. There was no champagne down here which I was silently thankful for, drinking it upstairs added to the persona of being from a wealthy family but in reality, I hated the stuff.
I ordered a gin and tonic and made my way over to an empty table. While walking over I spotted the other Shelby brothers and a few flat cap cronies. The man called Arthur glanced over to me but luckily for me he didn’t recognize me. I felt my stomach settle and continued to walk over and sit on the table behind them. From the look on Arthurs face the hand gestures of the other Peaky Blinders I assumed they were about to do something very precarious. I sipped my drink and listened closely.

“The Lee family already hate us.” I heard John say.
“Tommy knows what he’s doing, if we get Kimber on our side we could get a legit license.” He carried on, before Arthur butted in.

“Yeah, and he’ll let us fix 3 races a year. May not be much but it’s a fucking good start.” He said before laughing and downing his drink. I saw John check his pocket watch out of the corner of my eye.

“1 more minute boys then we corner the Lee boys and take the cash off them and give it to Tommy. He’s expecting us in 10 minutes, so we have about 7 minutes to fuck ‘em over and get the bags to Tommy.” He said in a hushed but excited tone before downing his drink.

The rest of the Blinders stood up with Tommy and John before making their way to wherever these Lee boys were. After they left I sat there and contemplated what I had just heard. I assumed this Kimber fellow was the guy Tommy looked at when entering the top box. From what I could gather John and Arthur would forcefully get some money off another gang and give it to Tommy, so that he could present it to Kimber in the hopes he would gain his trust. I suppose the main goal was to get a legit license, as well as the privilege of fixing 3 races a year.
I thought about what I could do with this information. I could divulge a little bit of it to Tommy and act like I knew his whole plan, this way I might be able to walk the streets without having to avoid the people in flat caps. I could also demand protection off his gang incase my family ever turned up or I could demand money. A part of me knew that it wouldn’t work though. Tommy seemed very stubborn and struck me as a man that didn’t give in that easily.

I decided to hang about for another hour or so. I had finished working by now but just wanted to enjoy the atmosphere. I watched men drink their money away and saw wife’s getting annoyed. It wasn’t very often I got a chance to relax in this kind of place. Normally for me it was all work and leave straight away.
When the races started the bar area cleared out apart from a few people. I remained where I was seated and just enjoyed the commentary, as I was unable to see the action from where I was seated.
After finishing my forth gin and tonic I decided it was time to leave. By now there would no doubt be knowledge of a thief in the area and I had already pushed my luck my staying. If the police conducted their investigations properly it wouldn’t be long before they realized all victims had the connection of being in contact with a brunette woman in a pink dress.

I left through the front gates and remained composed and confident. There were 2 policemen at the front exit, but they didn’t give me a second glance. Fortunately, word had not gotten around about my description yet. I turned right out of the gate and walked quite quickly down the road to the wooded area where my horse was held. I didn’t realize how tense I felt until my muscles relaxed after putting the races behind me.

I found the horse rather easily. She was settled on the ground sat beneath an oak tree. My bag and belongings remained untouched. I gave the horse another drink and another apple before getting changed back into my normal clothes and removing my wig. I sighed with relief at being back in comfortable clothes again. The horse nuzzled onto my shoulder with her nose after I was finished dressing. I got the feeling she had missed me, as I stroked her neck she let out a small, soft neigh. I rechecked the saddle before mounting her again and continuing the long journey back to Birmingham. Today had been a successful day in more than one way. I had earnt more than enough money to rent my own place, and I had also gained some useful information on the Peaky Blinders plan. I wasn’t sure yet if I should divulge to Tommy what I knew, perhaps an opportunity would arise in which I could use it to my advantage.

I had been riding for about an hour and a half now, I could already see Birmingham on the horizon drawing closer. A few cars had passed me on the way home, but non-had paid any attention to me. When I heard another car approaching me from behind I didn’t pay it any mind. As far as I knew it was just another person going home from the races. It was only when I heard it slow down that I became nervous.

“Iris!” I heard the familiar voice of Tommy Shelby shout. I looked over and saw him looking over at me with a cigarette hanging out his mouth.

“You impressed me today, your appearance and certificate were very authentic.” He said honestly. For once I didn’t feel frightened in his presence. I noticed he had stopped the car, and I too had stopped the horse from moving.

Acting poised and calm, I retorted back to him.

“You know its getting awfully hard to avoid you when you keep stopped to talk to me.” I said this with a grin.

Tommy smiled back to me, a devious look in his eyes.

“I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to talk to a woman of the Cooper family, I thought I knew all the gypsy’s in the area, even if you are only half.” He knew he had me. I froze.

“Your brothers were tunnellers in the war.” He advanced with an air of respect.

“They were good people.” He paused. Clearly waiting for me to say something. My brothers were a sore spot for me as they had died in a tunneling accident in the war. Tommy must have done a lot of research about me in order to find all this out.
I got off the horse and made my way over to him while looking around my bag. I got hold of the sapphire necklace I had lifted today and threw it through his car window and into his lap. He looked down at the piece of jewelry and felt its weight in his hand before putting it in his glove box.

“I suppose I’ll find out at some point how you know my true name.” I said. I nodded to his glove box indicating towards the necklace.
“That’s for your discretion.” I finished.

Without another word I mounted the horse again and started trotting back to Birmingham. The fact her knew my true last name and even the fate of my brothers shocked me, I didn’t want him to see how shaken I was.
A few minutes passed before I heard the bar behind me start up and slowly drive past. I glanced through the window as he drove past. He didn’t even look at me.

I watched his car fade into the horizon and saw the smoke and soot of Birmingham rise higher into the sky. An indication that I was nearly home. That I was back in the territory of the Peaky Blinders.