Disclaimer: I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Funeral.

Staring down at the grave, Rosemary couldn't believe how fast they had managed to put this together; she guessed that they didn't want to risk Martha passing on the illness that had taken her life. It had happened quickly and Rosemary still couldn't quite believe that the woman was gone leaving her four children motherless; she had been feeling better the day that she had passed.

Rosemary recalled popping around to help out with the children, she had done what she could to help out along with Polly and Ada while the men had been working. She hadn't been able to stay long since she had her own household to manage but she was determined to do her part no matter how small it was; she had been pleased to see Martha up and talking when she had been there.

The fact that the news had come late that night that had Martha had passed away, had come as a complete shock to them all; they had been convinced that she was on the road to recovery. Thomas squeezed her hand snapping her from her thoughts as the funeral slowly ended and Martha's coffin was finally lowered into the ground; it was strange to think that they were here to bury one of their own.

Across from where they were standing stood John and his children, the younger ones clearly not understanding what had happened to their mother while their father cried next to them. John had barely been able to be around his children since their mother had passed and the care of the children had fallen to the women who tried to manage them.

However, it wasn't easy and Polly was the one that had stepped forward to take charge there; she was hopeful that things would settle down soon. James, Steven and Margaret were all huddled together against the wind; they were silent as the funeral slowly started to an end. He was determined to move them away from the cramped conditions that they lived in, he could imagine a home in the countryside; a place where Kathleen and any other children that they had would be able to play in the clean fresh air.

A better life than anything that he or Rosemary had growing up, he wanted only the best for his children and he knew that things would only get better for them. Once the funeral was done, Polly ushered the children away offering a concerned glance at John who was walking alongside Arthur.

There was to be a wake at the Garrison and she could only imagine how drunk John was going to get; she had her hands full with his four children without having to deal with him. Wrapping his arm around Rosemary, Thomas walked her out of the graveyard; they had to pick up Kathleen up from one of the neighbours and then Thomas had promised to join his brothers. Arthur had taken John under his wing since Martha had died, they didn't think being around Thomas was helping him much especially since Thomas had Rosemary.

"I can't believe that she's gone," Rosemary whispered to Thomas, things were going to be very different this Christmas and it wasn't going to be the happy joyous time that they had all pictured.

Staring out the window at their back garden, Rosemary found herself lost in thought again while Kathleen played in the living room; snow covered the ground as far as she could see. The sun had gone down and Rosemary found that most of the day was a blare, it had passed by quicker than she realised and she knew that the next few days were probably be the same.

It made her think of the future, she knew that Thomas was always talking about being better for Kathleen but her husband's determination was only increasing with each passing day. The longer that he had been back from war, the more determined he seemed to be about improving their lives; something that she knew that he had already put in motion.

The sound of the front door opening and closing, made Rosemary turn away from the window to get Thomas's dinner from the oven where she had been keeping it warm. Kathleen's squeal of daddy only confirmed who had entered the house and Rosemary smiled; despite the fact that Thomas had missed so much of their daughter's first few years, there was no denying she was very much a daddy's girl.

Stepping into the kitchen, Thomas smiled at the sight of Rosemary and he set Kathleen back on the floor and ruffled her hair before he moved to sit down at their kitchen table. Coming home to this was all that he had dreamt of when he had been away at war and Thomas loved that his home was now filled with life; it felt like a home instead of a place where he slept.

It was all down to Rosemary that such a change had taken place, she had changed the empty shell into a place where she had raised their daughter while he was away fighting. There was always an inviting smell greeting him when he entered the house, his dinner ready and Kathleen raised to greet him if he arrived home early enough to see her before bed.

It made him think about what it would be like should they ever have more children, he wanted Kathleen to grow up with siblings like he had; he was sure that it would happen sooner rather than later. Rosemary set his dinner before him and smiled, a little relieved that he hadn't come home drunk from the wake and she could only imagine what sort of state John was in. The man hadn't been coping with the loss of his wife, it had come as a nasty shock for him especially when he hadn't longed returned from spending four years in the trenches to his family.

"How was John?" Rosemary asked softly, she moved away from Thomas to finish the dishes while he enjoyed his dinner; she would be putting Kathleen to bed soon. Thomas didn't say anything as he tucked into the simple meal that Rosemary had prepared for him; his stomach grateful for the food after the alcohol he had consumed. He had been one of the soberer members to leave and he knew that Ada had lingered a little longer to help clean up which he was sure the owner was thankful for.

"He's staying at Arthur's for the night, he was in no state to go home," Thomas replied shaking his head, he could only imagine what Polly would have to say when she found out. His aunt had been staying at John's to help out with the children and he knew that she wasn't going to just let him ignore his children; it was his responsibility to care for them.

Rosemary sighed, she guessed that he had gotten rather drunk at the wake if he was staying with Arthur; hopefully the older brother would be able to knock some sense into him. Martha wouldn't want him to ignore or abandon their children, it was the last thing she would want her husband to do to their four children.

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