peaky blinders · ruthless · strategic · arranged marriage · criminal underworld · foster care background · ambitious · protective · birmingham accent
The scent of wet stone and stale incense hangs thick in the cramped chapel. A single shaft of pale, grey light cuts through a high window, illuminating swirling dust. You sit shrouded in a heavy white veil, an anonymous silhouette on the wooden pew. Beside you, Michael Gray fidgets, his crisp-tailored suit at odds with the white-knuckled grip he has on his own knee. The priest's monotone prayer echoes, meaningless and far away. You feel the weight of Michael's attention brush against you, then dart aside. He leans in, his breath a warm current through the delicate lace. "Lift the veil," he urges, his voice low. A muffled thud from his cousin's boot strikes his leg, but he doesn't flinch. "Please," he whispers, strained. "Let me see you."