"Liz-"
"-I should go back to the Manor and tell Mary what has happened to Billy," Elizabeth interrupted Tommy. "There will be the estate to sort out. No doubt Billy has left it to Mary in case she gave him any sons. She can have it. I do not want it."
Tommy had tried to talk to Elizabeth for the past half an hour, but every time he opened his mouth she interrupted him to say something else. She was sat on the edge of his bed, her hands in her lap and her gaze set on the wall across from her. She had Tommy's jacket over her shoulders as he stood by the window, a cigarette in his grip as he took slow and purposeful drags.
He had been silent to begin with, giving Liz time to gather her thoughts. He had drained the whisky Pol had given him when he had walked in; the empty tumbler now sat on the windowsill. Pol had glowered as Tommy dragged Elizabeth inside, his arm wrapped around her waist as he led her upstairs.
"Liz-"
"-But if he hasn't left a will then who does it go to?" Elizabeth wondered and Tommy slammed a fist on the sill, his anger finally taking hold of him.
"Look at me, Elizabeth," he demanded from her, stubbing out his cigarette and moving towards her on the bed, bending down to her height and taking her chin into his hands. "Stop tryin' to change the topic."
"What am I supposed to do?" she demanded back. "Do you honestly believe I want to sit here and listen to you try to justify what you have done?"
"Yes," Tommy snapped. "I want yer to sit and listen to me. I want yer to believe what I am about to tell yer."
"And I will," she promised him. "That is what is scaring me."
"Don't," Tommy urged her in a small voice. "I never want yer to be scared, Liz…not of me…you know I would never lay a finger on yer. I would never hurt yer like he did. Look at you, Liz."
Liz kept silent as Tommy moved his hand to her cheek, his fingertips delicately roaming over the bruises which sat on her skin courtesy of Billy. He closed his eyes and thought back to the first day he had seen her when he was at the Manor. He remembered her on the floor. He could still remember how she remained still, not fighting back as her brother beat her.
Billy had taunted and ruined her. Thomas would never do anything like that to her.
"I know what he did," Elizabeth said. "And I know that things have changed, but I do not care about what Billy did to me. I will heal in time. Cuts and bruises disappear, but I don't…I'm scared for you, Tommy. I'm scared for what could happen to you."
Tommy shook his head and his hands ran down her arms as he moved to sit beside her on the bed. Hesitantly, Tommy took hold of her waist, wondering if she would try to move away from him and sit somewhere else. She made no such movement and Tommy went to wrap his other arm over her lap, his fingers curling against her hip as he prepared to tell her everything.
"I came back from the War and I was ready to run," Tommy admitted in a small voice, his gaze on Liz's skirt as she studied him with intent. "I was ready to go to London and stay with you…but then you weren't 'ere, and I didn't know what to do. I…I resented everyone…I thought…if you 'ad gone off to do better than me, then I would prove somethin'. I would prove that you couldn't do better. It sounds ridiculous…but I was tryin' to prove somethin'…so I became the brains of the business."
Tommy inhaled a sharp breath, knowing that the next part was the part where he could lose her.
"I began to fix races," he admitted. "Horse races…I did what I 'ad to do to make us the most money. The races were easy to fix, but then your brother found out what we were doin'. I got involved with 'im and I wanted…I wanted to make him crumble, Liz. I wanted to brin' the bastard down and show 'im that what he did to yer was not right. I wanted to make 'im suffer even though you 'ad gone."
Elizabeth bowed her head and felt some form of guilt inside of her. Had she caused Tommy to do this? Had Pol's lies made Tommy this man?
"And the guns?" Liz dared to ask, knowing that it would take her some time to understand why Tommy had done what he had. "What about those?"
"Ah," Tommy said. "Well…I…my men had been involved in a robbery."
"Jesus Christ," Elizabeth snapped, pushing Tommy away from her and standing up, her hands pushing through her limps curls as she held her hand in despair.
"The boys took the guns instead of motorbikes," Tommy said. "It was a mistake, but there's a bobby from Ireland…Inspector Campbell. He's tryin' to get them back, but it's complicated. The IRA want 'em…and Campbell…well…I think he has his own agenda."
"Really?" Liz yelled at Tommy, unable to hold her tongue any longer. She had managed to stay quiet during the horse fixing scandal, but she was struggling now. "Are you certain that he does not simply wish to do his job? Why did you not give them the guns? What will happen when they find them?"
"They won't find 'em," Tommy said. "And he won't do anythin'. We 'ave an agreement. He doesn't interfere in my business and he will get the guns, but he has no idea where they are right now."
Elizabeth could feel her stomach churn as she turned to look back to Tommy, his face unreadable and emotionless as he remained still on the bed, his hands neatly folded in his lap. It was as if none of this bothered him. Then again, did anything bother him? This wasn't the man she had left before the war.
"Give him the guns," Liz finally spoke.
Tommy remained mute, tilting his head to the side and wondering if he had heard her correctly.
"Give him the guns and end this," she told him. "End this before you end up killed."
"It isn't that simple," Tommy said. "A lot 'as 'appened between me and Campbell."
"Then make it simple!" she snapped at him, her voice demanding as she stomped a foot on the ground, her hands clenched by her sides as Tommy moved to stand up, his hands moving into the pockets of his trousers. "Make it simple, Tommy."
"Or?" Tommy wondered from her, sensing that there was an ultimatum to this.
"Don't do that," she whispered back, her eyes widening and she knew that he was challenging her. "Don't make me do this, Tommy. Just stop and give him the guns back. You know that it makes sense. Where are they?"
Shaking his head, Tommy chuckled. "The less you know the better, Liz."
"Do you think so?" Liz demanded, stepping towards Tommy and moving her hands to push at his chest as she felt anger well through her. "And would you have kept this all a secret from me if Billy did not come earlier? How long would you have kept me in the dark? How long, Tommy? Did you think that lying to me would keep everything fine? That I would not question what you did?"
Tommy could feel her continue to push against his chest, but she barely moved him. His own hands grabbed her wrists after a couple of attempts and he moved with haste, keeping her skin tightly inside of his fingers as he pushed her back to hit his wardrobe, his hands holding hers by her shoulders as his body pressed against hers tightly.
"Stop it," Tommy hissed. "If you think I am so bad then why are you still 'ere, Liz? I am doin' what I 'ave to for my family. If I give 'im the guns then I know what will 'appen…I…he'll throw me into jail."
"And do you think he will not do that eventually?" Liz hissed back as Tommy searched her stare. "He is a policeman, Tommy. He will grow tired of waiting for your false promises. You…how…how are you doing this?"
Tommy's brow furrowed as he struggled to understand her question.
"I thought that you were good," Elizabeth declared. "I thought that you were not some thug like my brother…but…how are you any different?"
Tommy looked genuinely hurt by her question as his grip on her slackened and he released her from his hold. Turning around, his own hands moved to his head and he felt his hair as he kept them on the top of his scalp.
"Don't," Tommy declared. "You know how I am different, Liz. I look after those I care for."
"But you also hurt those you do not," Liz spoke. "Do you have any idea how many men I have seen shake in fear at the sight of Billy and my father? You have killed, Tommy…you have broken the law…you are in trouble with the police…and you keep thinking that you can evade everything? You honestly believe that nothing will happen because of your consequences? Billy thought the same and look what happened to him."
"I put a bullet through him," Tommy recalled, feeling no remorse over what he had done.
"And what about when someone puts a bullet through you?" Elizabeth demanded. "Have you thought about that?"
"No one will do that, Liz," Tommy asked, wondering how he could convince her to believe her.
"You cannot make that promise," Liz said. "There will always be someone to challenge you…whether it is Campbell…someone who wants to knock you from your perch…there will always be someone to challenge you."
Tommy remained quiet and Liz wondered if she was getting through to him.
"Billy thought that no one could take him down, but you did," Liz reminded him. "I…I do not want to stay here and see someone do the same to you."
"What are you sayin'?" Tommy asked of her and she shrugged.
"I do not know," she admitted. "I just know that for some reason you do not want to give this up, but I cannot stay and watch you kill yourself. I love you, Tommy. I have always loved you."
"Liz," Tommy whispered, refusing to believe where this conversation was heading.
"What will you do, Tommy?" Liz asked him. "Will you give this up? Will you come clean and tell the truth? Will you do the right thing?"
"And who decides what the right thin' is, Liz?" Tommy asked from her. "You?"
"You know the right thing," Elizabeth hissed. "You are not this man. You should give the guns back and stop fixing races."
Tommy laughed then, nodding his head and arching a brow. "You tellin' me what to do now, Liz?" he asked of her.
Liz sighed, the sound full of exasperation as she rolled her eyes and pushed his jacket from her arms and took hold of her own coat which sat on the end of his bed. She said nothing as Tommy watched her shrug into the material.
"I am trying to help you," she promised him. "I am trying to make you see sense, but you are too stubborn, Thomas Shelby."
"And I am tryin' to tell you that I know what I am doin'…yes…what I do is not legal, but nothin' shall 'appen, Liz."
"No," Liz shook her head sadly. "You can only get away with this for so long, and I do not want to be married to someone who will either end up behind bars or in the ground. I have grown up with men like that. I am not staying to see the same thing happen to you."
"Liz," Tommy whispered as he saw her raise her hand and her fingers delicately removed her engagement ring from her hands. "Liz, what do you want me to do? What do you want from me?"
Liz held the ring at the end of her finger as she felt her eyes water. "I want London."
Those three simple words were enough to make Tommy gulp, remembering the weekend he had spent with her in London. It was those memories which had gotten him though the war. He could see the tears shimmering in her eyes and he shook his head, looking to the ground as he took a deep breath and he felt his own eyes threaten to prickle with tears.
"I can't give yer London yet, Liz," he spoke back and Liz felt the tears fall freely down her cheeks as she shrugged.
"And I cannot live in fear anymore, Tommy," she responded. "I cannot live the life you lead."
And then the ring was fully pulled off of her finger. She delicately moved to place the band on his set of drawers as Tommy shook his head, struggling to comprehend what he was hearing. He watched as Liz's shaking hand moved away from the ring and she buttoned her coat up.
"Liz," Tommy urged her again and she shook her head, refusing to listen to any more of his pleas. "Just think about this, eh? 'Ave some time and think about this."
"And will you do the same?" Elizabeth wondered back. "I have to go, Tommy. I need time away from this. I need time away from you."
Tommy felt his chest clench as she stepped out of the door. She didn't bother to turn back to look at him or bid him goodbye. He didn't remember how he felt her warmth against his body. She had gone. She had walked out and she had said nothing to him, except that she needed time. Tommy didn't bother to chase after her as he sunk back onto his bed and heard the front door shut.
He had let her walk out.
Elizabeth wondered if she had over-reacted as she walked down the street, a fine drizzle wetting her hair as she headed away from Tommy Shelby. Had she been too harsh? Her brother had done far worse things than Tommy. But that was not the point. The point was that Tommy was on a slippery slope and he would not give up his desire to get what he wanted, and he wanted success.
She had spent her years living in fear of Billy and now she would not spend her life in fear of hearing news that Tommy had been injured, or worse.
"Miss Kimber."
The voice had a distinct accent and Liz looked up from the pavement, the tears still tumbling and marring her pale skin as she pulled her hair over her shoulders and looked to the man before her. A thick moustache covered his upper lip and a bowler hat sat proudly on top of his head. He was stocky and a fine suit covered his body.
"Yes?" Elizabeth wondered.
He moved closer towards her and Elizabeth didn't know whether to flinch away from him.
"They were right about you," he said, a distinct Irish accent in his voice and Liz suspected she knew who this man was. "You're very fine, but damaged, aren't you? I can see the bruises…a broken little bird."
Elizabeth's brow furrowed and she jutted her chin out. "What do you want?"
"Oh, I want many things," he said and Liz heard footsteps come up from behind her and she turned her head over her shoulder, two men in uniform standing behind her as she felt fear well in her chest. "But what I really want is Thomas Shelby, and I think I know how I am going to get him."
"I would not bother," Elizabeth spoke. "I want nothing to do with Tommy. I am not involved with him."
"And I do not doubt you," he responded. "But I know men like Thomas Shelby…they have one weak spot and I think I have found it. The little Kimber girl he promised to marry before the war."
Liz contemplated running, but his words stopped her and she looked confused. "How did you know that?"
He chuckled. "I know many things, Miss Kimber."
He nodded to the men behind him and Liz felt them grab onto her arms and she struggled in their grips, refusing to believe that this was happening to her as she screamed for help and demanded to be released. He stepped towards her again and moved his hand with haste, slapping her cheek and Liz gasped in pain.
"I don't enjoy hitting women, Miss Kimber," he declared, "but I make an exception for Shelby whores. Put her in the car and take her to the station. I shall deal with her when I arrive."
….
A/N: And one final chapter before Christmas. Please do let me know what you think and have a happy holiday!
