The Thomas Shelby's country home was quiet. Alice rummaged through her suitcase to find some more athletic clothing. Her muscles were becoming soft from being stuck indoors. A letter from David sat on the dressing table. It spoke of his need to manage certain needs of the business so he had briefly returned to Birmingham. She pulled one of his Tommy's undershirts over her chest. The window in her room provided a pleasant view of the estate. A peaky blinder was pacing around the perimeter.

The man waved his coat to waft himself before he caught her watching him.

She found a pair of high waisted tight shorts. They were men's shorts she had asked to be altered to allow her frame to fit. Reaching into the suitcase, she pulled out a pair of boxing boots. The smile on her face was one of mischief rather than happiness.

The sound of her feet bouncing down the stairs felt loud in the quiet of the house. Her newly acquired cricket bat clicked off the banister. Charlie grinned at her with still chubby cheeks at the bottom of the steps. He was dressed in a cute suit which reminded Alice of his father.

"Do you want to play Charlie?" Her hair swung in its ponytail as she bounced towards him. He mumbled a 'yes' then led her by the hand out in the garden.

By the time Tommy returned, Alice had managed to coerce a couple of men to join them for a game of watched from the driveway with his arms crossed. Alice ignored him and showed Charlie how to swing properly. The bat was too heavy for his small hands but they tried to play fair and she threw him a weak ball.

When Charlie hit the ball, Alice cheered. Her arms surged up into the air in celebration. She ran towards Charlie and scooped him up. They danced together in a fake victory lap. Charlie's giggling nearly broke Tommy's collected exterior.

As if finally seeing Tommy standing there, Alice made a shocked face for Charlie's benefit. "Look who's home, Charlie," She pointed at Charlie's father and received a small smile.

Alice walked over to Tommy with Charlie in her arms. Charlie grinned and reached out for his father who quickly took him from Alice.

"I played cricket!" Charlie said happily.

"I saw that, son, you did a fantastic job," Tommy's face lit up. He looked at his son properly for the first time since he had got home. "Now on you go into the house, I'm sure Mary has something for you." Charlie eagerly jostled from Tommy's grip at the prospect of sweets. Once he was set down, he took off at speed.

Alice set herself for the telling off she was expecting. She crossed her arms and looked back at the scenery around them. "How was your day?" She bit her lip and pretended to squint into the distance.

"It was fine," Tommy said. "Until I came home to find one of my business associates dressed in my undershirt and men's boxing shorts in broad daylight, outside of my house... when she's supposed to be in hiding."

Alice smirked. Tommy walked around her and pulled lightly at the fabric on her stomach. His eyebrow was raised in question.

"I was trying to keep myself active," Alice smirked. "I can't just sit in your house smoking, and drinking for weeks on end. Oh - and taking opium." She huffed and felt his hand snake around the base of her back.

"I understand but you can see the position you're putting me in. However, I do appreciate you playing with Charlie," Tommy said sincerely. He gave her a smile that was just for her. It was the first time she had seen it since arriving at his home.

"What are you wearing?!" Lizzie had appeared from behind them. Tommy broke away from Alice and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"It's sportswear," Alice uncrossed her arms to rest one hand on her hip. Her smile turned sour. "From New York." Alice's lie was unnecessary and she felt Tommy's cold blue eyes on her face. She didn't falter. "How are you, Lizzie? I've not seen you at the house for, oh, at least a week." Alice feigned interest.

"I'm good, I've been very busy at Small Heath with Tommy –" Lizzie started. She had put her arm around his. Alice had grimaced at the unfolding forced normalcy.

"That's great, I'm happy to see you kept busy," Alice cut her off. "If you two would excuse me, I need to do some sort of activity before I age rapidly and die of boredom." Her smile didn't reach her eyes and she proceeded to back away from them both. "I'll see you at dinner." She broke into a run. Behind her she could hear Lizzie exclaim some complaints about her state of dress.

Alice ran for at least 10 minutes before she found herself back at the front entrance of the house. She had done some laps and received some strange looks from some of the blinders men but she just focused on the breath burning in her lungs. She was out of practice.

She bounced back to the room before softly closing the door behind her. Lizzie was the most difficult part of being on house arrest at Tommy's home. As the bath ran loudly in the bathroom, Alice locked the door. Tommy's scent could still be smelt from his undershirt. Her nose pressed into the fabric and she inhaled happily. Then picturing Lizzie downstairs, hands snaking around him, she tore the fabric over her head and with grunt threw it at the mirror above the sink. She sat there naked on the toilet while the bath steadily ran. She crumpled forward and ran her hands through her scalp.

Lizzie was the mother of one of Tommy's children. She deserved a place in the house but the woman was so possessive and ignorant that Alice couldn't stand to be around her for any length of time without some form of toxin in her own system. She was in charge of a gang of crazy women and men, she had dealt with men who were a couple of screws loose but she found herself being baited by a whore who was living in a fantasy land. Lizzie was succeeding at getting under her skin.

Her hand reached for the silver tin containing rolled cigarettes. Alice had left it on the shelf above the sink. She took a match and quickly lit it. The smoke quickly combined with the steam from the bath. She was immersed in a dense comforting fog.

A gasp escaped her. She sank happily into the warm bathtub. Her cigarette hung from her lips and she leaned forward to turn the tap. Smoke spilled through her lips. Images danced in her vision of Lizzie's hands on Tommy, Lizzie's glares over dinner, her twisted grin, and her slender figure. Alice took a longer drag and felt the familiar burn at the back of her throat. Her body sunk deeper and felt the water ease the tension in her limbs.

As she closed her eyes on the next drag, she saw Tommy smiling with Charlie. Her eyes flashed open. She shook her head in the hopes of dispelling the creeping feeling. Lizzie appeared in her mind and Alice groaned. She hated the woman. She had never felt so much distaste for someone who was in their world. Her mind started to conjure up images she couldn't bear.

Lizzie's hands were on Tommy. They lost their clothes and were clinging to each other. Faces contorted in pleasure.

"Shit!" Alice forced her eyes open and she stared at the tiled wall. She sucked on the cigarette while she stood up. The water sloshed around her.

Hearing calls from downstairs, she dried herself quickly and walked across the hall to her room. Her brazen nakedness was probably seen by some from outside however as she was on the upper floor, she merely proceeded to calmly dress in her finest clothes. The only men outside were just soldiers of Tommy.

Alice produced a bottle of rum from the case and took three large gulps. She caught her reflection and made an accurate assessment. Her hair was pulled in a loose bun with escaping tendrils. Her dress hugged her skin and there was dew across her collarbone from not drying herself completely.

She smiled before taking another large gulp. It burned less than the first gulp but she swore under her breath anyway.

Alice slipped on shoes and headed down to dinner.