The Girl and The Gangster
Summary: After being turned down from every secretarial role in Birmingham, Alice becomes desperate. Unable to provide for her sick mother, herself and more importantly, her young child, she takes a chance on joining the Shelby Company ltd. But when she runs into a familiar face, her whole world comes crumbling down around her.
Chapter Nine
One month later…
Life seemed too good to be true, Sunday mornings didn't consist of dragging Johnny to the church with her mother nagging in her ear about her aches and pains. Now, they enjoyed breakfast together as a family and then enjoyed the rest of their time together in front of the fire, Alice reading a book to Johnny as Michael watched over them like a guardian. It was much more bittersweet for them to leave on a Sunday evening because none of them wanted to be apart; but weekends always ended. At least things were starting to get better for Johnny at school so he didn't dread being dragged back to Birmingham, and he knew that his father would be there every morning to walk him there.
She closed over the book and peered down at Johnny, he had fallen asleep and it surprised her; he never slept in the afternoons. Her hand slapped at Michael's chest and when she heard him chuckle under his breath, she whispered, "At least we know he had lots of fun with us."
"I think he's just sleeping off all that food he ate."
"He did stuff himself, didn't he? You probably think that I don't feed him during the week." She twisted her head around to look up at him, a placid smirk on her face. Like her son, she was starting to feel the fatigue that came along with their weekends away from the city.
"I know you feed him, whether or not he likes it better than my cook's cooking, I'll let you decide that one for yourself." He teased as he leaned down, kissing her softly.
"There's nothing wrong with my cooking." She tried to defend herself, there was only so much she could do with eggs, bread and milk.
"Of course, but I can see that he's not the only one enjoying the food here. You're starting to look healthy again, like the Alice that could throw a bale of hay on her shoulder and think nothing of it."
She rolled her eyes and ran her fingers carefully through Johnny's hair as he used her stomach as a pillow. "If I keep eating the way I am, you'll have to roll me into Tommy's office."
"You talk so much nonsense, Alice."
"I partly blame you for my eating habits, you always have me starving by the end of the night." She gazed up at him with a playful look and a happy grin on her face.
"I guess that's just the bad parts of staying with me." He caressed her cheek as he teased her before looking down again at Johnny. "I'll pack up some of his things so that when he wakes up, we can hit the road."
"Maybe it would be better for him if we got him into the car while he's sleeping? It would save us from battling him."
He moved himself out from under her, trying his best not to disturb Johnny. "I'll be quick, just keep him as peaceful as you can."
"I'll try my best."
He walked towards the staircase and looked over his shoulder at his family, she had repositioned Johnny so that she could cradle him, gently rocking him back and forth so that he stayed as docile as possible. He hated Sundays just as much as Johnny did, he just wanted them to stay but he couldn't ask, Alice wouldn't accept it.
Johnny didn't fuss as much as he usually did when he woke up and realised, he was back in Birmingham. Alice pulled him close to her side as she rested her head on Michael's shoulder. Something was wrong, she could feel it in her gut. All Alice wanted to do was tell Michael to turn around and drive back to the country to avoid whatever was waiting for her, but he was already approaching her home. She looked up at him and lifted her head.
"Johnny, will you help your dad get the bags?" she touched the top of his head and nodded towards the car door.
"Okay mumma." He complied as he jumped out of the car.
"Something's not right." She mumbled as she followed her son out onto the street. She turned to Michael and took her keys from her pocket. "Keep Johnny out here."
"What's wrong?"
"I don't know, I just have this feeling." She remembered having this feeling before, it felt like a cold shiver that started in her core and travelled throughout her body. It kept her numb.
He watched her from his seat as she unlocked the door and stepped into the house; he knew that Alice had some sort of gypsy connection to the spirits, but he didn't understand it as well as Pol did. All he knew was, when she said she had a feeling, he knew that something bad was going to happen.
The house was freezing when she walked in and when she didn't hear her mother return the call of her name, Alice dreaded the worse. As she opened the living room door, she noticed that the fire looked like it had been out for hours and when her eyes roamed to the settee, she saw her mother lying there in what looked like a deep slumber, but she wasn't sleeping. She crouched down beside her and looked at the note that her mother was clutching and pried it out from her stiff fingers. She was too upset to read her words, but she couldn't cry until Johnny was sorted out; she didn't want his last memories of his grandmother to be her lifeless body, it had to be that kiss she gave him on his forehead before he left to have a fun weekend.
The wind made her tremble as she stood at the front door, watching Michael and Johnny mess around with their bags. Neither noticed that she was standing there until she cleared her throat loudly. Michael could tell instantly that her feeling was right, and he didn't even need her to tell him what was wrong; there was only one thing it could be.
"Johnny, how would you like to spend the night with your dad at nanny Pol's?"
"The whole night?" he said as he jumped up and down excitedly.
"The whole night, I'm sure nanny Pol will keep you entertained." She looked at Michael, finding some comfort as he nodded his head at her. At least she knew that Johnny would be well looked after.
"Come on, Johnny. It's too cold to be messing around on the street." He fixed his son's coat and took his hand. They stepped over to Alice and he watched sympathetically as she embraced Johnny. When it was his turn, he put his arm around her and whispered in her ear. "Once my mum has him settled, I'll be round to check on you."
"Okay." She replied and scuttled into the house, shutting the door fast.
"What's wrong with mumma?" Johnny could pick up on her emotions better than anyone could; he was able to read her better than the books she read to him.
"She's just not feeling like herself today, son." He didn't know what else to say to him, if he said too much about what was happening, Alice might get angry at him. It was best if he left her to tell him; she always knew the right things to say.
She stared down at her mother's corpse with a frown and crouched down beside her, placing her hand on her mother's head, stroking at her wispy grey hair; a single tear rolling down her cheek. It was hard enough losing her father but back then she had her mother to comfort her, she was going to have to mourn this death alone. Alice sniffled and wiped away her tear as she got onto her feet, taking the note from her pocket hesitantly. She wasn't sure if she should read her mother's last words… She might not like what she had to write.
Dearest Alice,
I know that you might find this selfish of me, but you've moved on with your life and you're finally happy. I'm aware that I've been a burden since my cancer got worse and that I haven't been the most caring mother as of late, but I leave you this letter, hoping that you find comfort in knowing that I am proud of you and Johnny. You've done everything you can for him and you're making a life with Michael that will ultimately benefit that boy. And he has turned into such a caring lad; he will make a fine man one day… My only regret in life is not being well enough to see that day.
I don't want you to be sad, I died on my own terms. I had to leave this pain and torment behind. I don't ever want you to suffer as I have, but if you ever do, you'll realise why I took this way out. I've simply moved into the next room; your father's been waiting for me and I can't keep him waiting any longer. Remember what I told you, I want you to find Nora, the last thing I heard about her was when she was adopted by a wealthy family in Doncaster. Find her and have a real relationship with her… and please be wary of Danny. He may be blood, but he can't be trusted. He will find a way to ruin everything you've worked hard for out of spite. He was always such an unruly boy.
Please be careful and I love you, even if I didn't always show it.
I'm sorry.
It took longer than expected to get Johnny settled, perhaps letting him sleep on the way home wasn't the smartest decision, but neither knew that they were going to be coming home to this. He knew it was Alice's biggest fear, she made it clear from day one that she couldn't stay with him in case something like this happened and now that it was here, he didn't know how she would react. Michael had mourned before, but he didn't know how to comfort someone in mourning; the only thing he could do was to be there for her as much as he could, do whatever she needed him to do.
He walked into the quiet house and peered into the living room, watching Alice as she cleaned out the fireplace. She had a blanket placed over her mother's body and a couple of candles lit. He knocked on the door lightly and stepped fully into the room. Keeping his hat in his hands, he kept his eyes to the floor and tried to find the right words to say.
"I'm so sorry, Alice." His voice was so quiet that she just about heard him.
"This day had to come eventually." She replied tonelessly.
"What are you doing?"
"I need to get this house ready for a wake. I don't know who I need to call to get mother ready." She pressed the back of her wrist to her nose as she tried to stay composed. It was hard, all she wanted to do was cry, but if she started, she'd never stop. "She did everything when my father died."
"Do you want me to contact the undertaker for you?" he tiptoed towards her and placed his hand on her shoulder. She felt so tense under his touch.
"If you don't mind. You didn't tell Johnny what happened, did you?" she finally looked up at him, her eyes dull and full of sorrow.
"No, but he knows that something's not right. I thought it would be best if you told him, you always know what to say."
She nodded and pushed herself up, wiping the soot from her hands onto her dress. "I'll speak with him. She left me a letter; you know." Alice ran her fingers through her hair and looked towards the ceiling. "I think she was pushing for our relationship to work so that she knew Johnny and I would be fine after her death." Now that she was standing and had stopped preparing for the wake, her emotions hit the wall she had put up and it was starting to crack. She gripped onto Michael, almost collapsing into him as her knees gave out and she gave in to the misery.
Seeing her like this scared him, all he could do was hold her as she sobbed into his chest and pet at her head. He became mute, the words that he wanted to say to her wouldn't come from his lips. It was like he was in shock.
"How am I supposed to go on without her? She's always been there… Now she's gone and now I'm alone."
He placed his hand underneath her chin and tilted her head up, staring down at her understandingly. "You've got Johnny and I to help you through this. You're not alone, you'll never be alone."
Alice zoned out for a moment; she didn't want to cry anymore. She hated feeling like this. A look of panic crossed her face as her mind started to race. She had so many things left to do; the house was untidy and there was nothing for guests to eat. She had to make sandwiches and find someone to transport her mother's body back to the hill outside the village; it's where Agnes wanted to be buried, beside her husband. And then Tommy came into her mind, how was she going to be able to work if she could barely keep her mind focused on one thing.
"I need to tell Tommy that I won't be at work for a few days. He's going to be furious with me."
"He won't be furious, he'll understand." He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbed at her face gently, cleaning her up. "I'll speak with him once I contact the undertaker."
She shook her head and took in a deep breath. "I'll speak with him; will you get the undertaker? The sooner we have this wake, the sooner we can get her beside father." She broke away from Michael and drifted towards the front door, lifting her coat from the bannister and placing it on her frame.
"Do you want me to do anything else?" he moved his hat through his fingertips and dropped his eyes once more.
"Could you light the fire?"
"Wouldn't you rather be with Johnny tonight?"
"I need to stay with mother tonight, her spirit would be angry if I left her alone. I'll be back soon, Michael. Thank you." The corner of her mouth turned up into an unenthusiastic half-smile. It was all she could muster now. The numb feeling was starting to creep back in, it blocked out most of the pain.
The building was dim and quiet, but Alice could see Tommy's desk lamp on through the slits in his blinds. She knocked on the door before stepping into his office, noticing how annoyed he seemed to be as she approached him.
"What are you doing here, Alice?" he asked as he scribbled his signature onto a couple of documents.
"I needed to speak with you… I'm not going to be able to come to work for a while."
"What? We need to find someone to get these guns over to America because Tweedy's… Well let's just say someone got to him."
Tommy seemed to be stressed, she knew it had to do with the guns and ammunition, but she had no idea why it was putting so much pressure on him; he kept that part to himself.
"Did Tweedy drop out of the deal?"
"You haven't heard? Haven't you been reading the newspapers?" when she shook her head, he threw his newspaper towards her. He glanced at her from over the rims of his glasses as she read the headlines.
"Tweedy was murdered? Do they know who done it?"
"Do you really need to ask that?"
"Danny." She said with a sigh. She slid into the chair in front of him, setting the newspaper on his desk and grabbing his open bottle of whiskey. She took a long drink and ignored his glaring. She blamed herself, if she hadn't have lied to him, he'd still be alive.
"Why do you need time off work? What's happened?"
"My mother killed herself." She said bluntly; she wasn't going to sugar coat it for him, Tommy had experienced death many times. Alice knew that for a fact.
He stopped writing and dropped his pen onto the table. "Does Michael know?"
"Yeah, he's calling the undertaker. Pol's got Johnny and once I leave here, I'm going to organise the wake and the funeral."
"Do you want to host the wake at the Garrison?"
She shook her head and pursed her lips. "No, my mother knew only a few people in this city, and she hated pubs. I think it would be best to keep the wake at the house."
"Right, well take a few days off to mourn and bury her." When she nodded at him, he watched her walk towards the door, her head hanging, and her body hunched. "Alice, I'm sorry for your loss." She didn't reply, she just glanced at him over her shoulder and left him to finish his work. Whether she realised or not, Alice was family now and the family would be at the wake.
Sitting down with Johnny to tell him the truth was the hardest thing Alice ever had to do. She put her own emotions to the side and focused on Johnny's. She was prepared for him to be upset, she just had to make sure he wasn't traumatised. Pol handed her a cup of tea and petted Johnny on top of his head before dragging Michael out of the room, much to his dismay. He wanted to be on standby in case Alice went into a tailspin; he didn't know how she coped last night on her own, but he barely saw her cry over her mother's death.
"You've got to give them space." Pol said as she poured out another cup of tea. "Hanging over her head isn't going to do either of them any good."
"I'm worried about her," he looked up at his mum and lit a cigarette, taking a long draw before continuing, "I don't know if she's going to cope."
"Alice has you and she's got Johnny, no one ever gets over the death of a loved one… Not properly but they learn to live without them. You've just got to be the support for her to lean on. Besides, she's got contact with the spirits like all good gypsies do." When that didn't comfort him, Pol reached over and grasped his hand. "You love her, and she loves you. It'll be okay."
He nodded and sipped at his tea, glancing towards the kitchen door. Pol was right, he had to give the two of them the chance to speak.
She kneeled in front of her son, taking his little hands into hers. The way he was looking at her broke her heart a little more, he knew that she was sad, and it hurt him.
"You know that your nanny Agnes was sick for a very long time and that she was in a lot of pain for most of the time." She watched him nod his head slowly, a pout appearing on his face. "God decided that it was time for nanny Agnes to be reunited with Pops, that she didn't have to suffer anymore."
"Is nanny in heaven now?" Johnny whispered as he played with the ends of his mother's fingers.
"Yes, baby." She kissed the back of his hand and touched his cheek. "Speak to me, Johnny. How do you feel?"
"Sad." He threw himself into his mother's arms and squeezed her tightly. He didn't really understand what death was until now, he didn't remember his grandfather dying and now all he felt was confusion. "Will she ever come back?"
She let out a sigh and rested her head on top of his. "No, she's going to stay with Pops."
"I'm going to miss nanny, mumma."
"Me too, Johnny. But she's suffering anymore so when you feel sad, just remember that she's carefree, up in the clouds." She held him at arm's length and nodded at him. "Whenever you miss her, just look up to the sky and she'll be there."
"Will you be okay?"
His little eyes seemed to see right through her and when she looked into them, she knew that there was no point in lying to him. He wouldn't have believed her. "Eventually, I'm just really upset."
"Just look up at the sky, mumma." He stepped to the front door slowly and glanced over his shoulder at her, daring her to follow him out onto the street.
She followed him outside and picked him up, his arms and legs clinging onto her as he tipped his head back. Alice watched him for a moment before she turned her eyes to the murky, Birmingham sky. It didn't make her feel any better though, but if it stopped Johnny from working himself up, then she would accompany him any time he wanted to gaze at the clouds. Michael lingered by the front door, letting them have a minute or two to reflect before clearing his throat. Johnny placed his head on Alice's shoulder and gave him somewhat of a smile before Alice turned to face him.
"I think it's time that you ate something, Alice."
"I have preparations to make and…" she trailed off when Michael raised his hand.
"Leave them to me, just get some breakfast." He fixed his coat and kissed Johnny on his cheek before placing a peck on her lips. "Don't have me tell you again, Alice."
She walked into the house and stood at the door, watching him cross the street. "Will you do me a favour?"
He swung around and looked at her. "Anything."
"I left a dress on my bed at my mother's house; it was hers and I'd like to wear it this afternoon."
"Yeah, just get a bite to eat and have a nap in my bed. You could do with it."
The house was jam packed with people ready to pay their respects to Agnes; Alice had no idea that her mother knew so many people but with every person that came into her home, it became harder and harder to act like she was okay. Every sympathy that was passed on to her felt like a knife in her gut; she was ready to run out of the house to clear her head when Michael appeared at the door with their son in his arms and the rest of the family behind him.
"Alice, we're very sorry to hear about your mother." Arthur said solemnly as he stepped into the house. He followed the trail of people into the living room.
Alice watched him as he set a small bunch of flowers by the casket and took her son from Michael's arms so that he could pay his respects. The last to enter the house was Tommy and it seemed as if his mood hadn't changed much since the last time, she spoke to him. Before he could follow his siblings into the living room, Alice gripped him by the arm, making him look down at her.
"I need to speak with you."
"Right, what is it?" he placed his hands into the pockets of his coat and raised a brow at her.
"Michael mentioned to me a while ago that you were the one that found him." She placed her hand on her chest and the other on her hip. "I need you to find someone for me."
"Who?"
"Her name is Nora and she was adopted by a rich family in Doncaster; that's all I know about her."
"Is this going to bring trouble to our doorstep?" he looked down at her with a raised brow, it made Alice look to the floor.
"No, she's my sister, well half-sister. On my mother's side so no relation to Danny."
"I'll see what I can do for you, but with everything going on at the minute, I'm not promising anything."
"As long as you promise that you'll try."
"I'll try, Alice."
She nodded and stepped into the living room, immediately going to Michael's side. Under his arm, she felt some of the agony she felt drift away, it would only be temporary, but at least it gave her mind a break. She knew that tomorrow would be hard for both of them, she was going to put her mother into her grave and Michael would have to return to the village he hated so much; they were just going to have to get through it together.
There was no service at the chapel, it was pointless to go when it was just the three of them; she couldn't go through the unpleasantries of listening to strangers' condolences all over again. The wake was enough for her. The same priest that spoke at her father's funeral, spoke at her mother's graveside on the hill. Standing in front of the hole in the ground and looking at her father's tombstone made everything final for her. She wouldn't see her mother's face again and she'd never get to hold her hand. Alice wasn't going to leave until the last bit of dirt was placed on top of the casket and once it was, she left a flower on top of each grave.
"I love you." She got onto her knees and placed her hand on the freshy dug dirt and looked at her father's grave miserably. "Both of you."
"Alice." Michael's voice was low, but it was a clear enough warning.
She looked up to see Danny approaching her, he was a good distance away, but she knew it was him.
"Take Johnny to the car and stay with him." She got onto her feet and kept her eyes fixated on her brother.
"I'm not leaving you alone with him."
"Keep Johnny away from him. I know how to handle my brother." She looked at Michael and then down to their son. "Go on Johnny, go to the car with dad."
"I didn't know mumma had a brother." Johnny said as Michael scooped him up.
"Didn't want the little fella to meet me, did ya?" Danny called out with a smirk. Watching Alice squirm put a cheeky smile onto his face. "I didn't think you'd shack up with a Peaky. Didn't think you'd let him play daddy to Johnny either."
"He's Johnny's father, not that I have to explain myself to you." Her hands slipped into her pockets as she glared at her brother. "What are you doing here?"
"Just paying my respects. How did a Peaky father Johnny? Is that why you went to Birmingham? Why you joined up with Tommy Shelby?"
"Michael used to live in the village, and he wasn't the reason I went to Birmingham. As for Tommy, he was the only one that would take me on. You've really fucked up my chances."
"And I'll keep fucking them up. Why should I stop making money? I've a family to feed too."
"Then stop acting like a brat, sending letters to my place of work making demands like you're the boss of me. I barely know you." She raised her voice and turned away from him, shaking her head.
"I'm the only family you've got. I'm trying to look out for ya, Alice."
"Bullshit. You're pissed off because Tommy won't do business with you. That's why you killed Tweedy."
He laughed and ran his hand through his long, ginger hair. "I killed Tweedy for that pretty dock in Ayr."
"You just have to have it all, don't you?" she turned around and whipped a pistol out of her coat pocket, aiming the barrel at Danny's face. "You need to stay out of my life, stop making threats and fuck off to whatever pit you're calling home now."
"Calm down, little sister." He held his hands up and let out a deep breath. "You're not going to do anything with that."
She shot the gun beside his feet and moved the barrel back up to his head. "Won't I? How dare you show your face at my mother's grave."
"Listen, I'm sure we can smooth this all over. I agree, I shouldn't have come here but I wanted to see you. We should be a family again."
"I've got my family and you've got yours. Don't get greedy."
He moved one hand to scratch at his beard and clenched his jaw. "I can be of use to Tommy."
"How could you be, he doesn't want anything to do with you."
"I know he's desperate and I've got the docks at Ayr now. Lower your gun and I'll make a reasonable proposition."
Alice lowered the revolver and chewed at the skin of her inner cheek as she felt the sting of the tears in her eyes. "Start talking, now."
A:N So Danny's finally arrived and he's going to be nothing but a thorn in Alice's side. Tommy's plans are going to be revealed very soon and we're going to see a darker side to Alice brought on by all her grief and Danny's reintroduction to her life. Thank you so much for all the support and please keep reading this story!