"Tommy!" Sheamus called out cheerily, as he and (Y/n) made their way over to the men.

"Sheamus........nice to see you again." Tommy replied, as he shook the circus owner's hand. A smile spreading across his lips, as (Y/n) appeared from behind the older Irishman.

"Ya remember (Y/n)............?"

"Of course, who could I forget.........." Tommy agreed, as he took the woman's gloved hand and kissed it. His smile getting a little broader, as a cough came from behind him.

"My apologies, this is...........this is a business acquaintance of mine, Alfie Solomons. Alfie, this is Sheamus Delaney, the owner of the circus; and this beautiful creature, is (Y/n)............." Tommy introduced, as he let go of (Y/n)'s hand. The painted lady making her way over to the big man and smiling as he looked at her. Alfie repeating Tommy's gesture, as he took her hand and kissed it.

(Y/n) didn't need to be told about the big bear of a man in front of her to know what he was. If his surname hadn't given it away, then the way that he dressed most certainly would have. She had met a number of Jews in London when she was younger. Most had fled to the English capital because of persecution they had experienced in their homes in Europe and especially Russia. On the whole, she had found them to be kind, if just a little secretive; not that she could blame them for that, given the horror stories that she had heard of what they had had to go through. Though that said, there was something different about the man before her. This man.............this man didn't seem scared to be who and what he was. Didn't seem to give a shit about what other people's opinions might be about himself, or his people. And she liked that. But more, she liked his handsome face, the way he was built and how he held her hand firmly but gently. That, and the way that he was looking at her, was making her knees tremble a little.

                                                        >>-----------------------------------<<

"And this beautiful creature, is (Y/n)..............." Tommy said, after he had introduced the circus owner. Alfie watching as the woman made his way over to him, her eyes looking up into his. Alfie repeating Tommy's gesture and taking her gloved hand so that he could kiss it.

On the journey out to the circus, Tommy had explained about a number of the attractions that Delaney had in his little show. About the human oddities that the old Irishman had collected over the years. That just like Barnum and Bailey had in America and around the world, he would draw the crowds to the main attraction, by offering sideshows along the way. People that were a little out of the norm. But given the horrors that he had seen during the war, Alfie doubted that any of them would shock him, as they were designed to do with so many others. That wasn't to say that he had never been shocked, hadn't been scared. The bake once able to recall that when he was a child, he had seen such a show; he and a friend had sneaked into a circus when it had come to London. The young Alfie quite taken aback at the time by a thing that had been dubbed, the Beast of Bodmin Moor. Yet the London gangster doubted that anything as lovely as the woman before him could be one of Delaney's oddities.

"Pleasure, miss..............." Alfie replied, as he finally let go of the woman's hand. The smile though not leaving his lips.

"How's Donovan..........?" Tommy suddenly asked, the Irishman chuckling at the sound of the boxer's name.

"Aye, he's good. Put on a bit of timber since last ya saw him; but he still pulls in all the locals lads that think they can beat him. And after they go and get tha snot beat out of them, they go and see our lovely girl here..........." Sheamus chuckled, as (Y/n) nodded.

"Either that, or I send them to him. It's amazing what a young man will do if he thinks that its gonna impress a girl. Even one like me........" The painted lady agreed. Her amusement growing as she saw the confused look on the Londoner's face. It obvious that Tommy hadn't mentioned anything about what she was and her role in the circus.

It was true that she was not like most of the others. Most of them could not conceal their differences; but she was lucky. With her hands gloved and clothes concealing everything up to her neck, she could pass for anyone that wandered the streets of the towns and cities that they travelled thought. Sheamus often using her to run errands and deal with any disgruntled townsfolk that might come calling. That might try to demand that they move on, before they were due to.

"Why don't I take ya ta see him? I'm sure that he would like ta show ya what he can still do. Maybe ya can arrange a fight for him while we're here. And in the meantime, (Y/n) could show your.........business acquaintance around tha place. Show him what we do here." Sheamus said, as he looked towards (Y/n).

"Oh, I wouldn't mind at all. Why don't you follow me, Mister Solomons..........." (Y/n) agreed happy. Gesturing for the baker to follow her, as Tommy and Sheamus walked off in the other direction. Alfie watching them for a moment, before turning back to the lovely (Y/n).

Of course, Alfie was no fool, he knew what was going on. That somehow Thomas had got word to this friend of his, and they pair's true intentions were to talk about business, while keeping him distracted. But as the woman looked at him, he found that he didn't care about what Tommy was going to be up to. The baker more than happy for once to allow himself to be distracted. Alfie gesturing for her to lead the way, and admiring the sway of her hips as she walked off into the crowd of smaller tents and painted caravans.