Elizabeth had no idea what to do once Tommy had been dragged away. Pol had told John and Arthur to go to try and find him whilst the two women remained stood on the empty racecourse at Epsom. May Carleton had come over to them and asked them where Tommy was. The look she received was enough to tell her that something was happening that she didn't want to know about.
But they told her that Tommy had been abducted. He had been taken and they didn't know who had taken him or why. Elizabeth was leant against the white post of the fence that cornered off the racecourse. She was bent at the waist, a sick feeling in her stomach as Pol came to stand next to her, her hands wrapping around the post.
"John and Arthur will find 'im," she promised Elizabeth. "He's their brother. They won't let anythin' 'appen to 'im."
"And if they don't get to him in time?" she wondered back from Pol. "This is something to do with Campbell. He did this, but I need to know why."
"Well that will be difficult to know," Pol said, pulling a cigarette from her purse and lighting it as Elizabeth frowned across to Pol, her brow arching as she did so. "Campbell 'ad it comin'."
"I don't doubt it," Elizabeth said. "But you shot him out of cold blood. I just want to know what he did to you…what he planned…"
Pol took a long drag on the cigarette and gave a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. She was quiet and doing her best not to think back to what Campbell had done. The way he had touched her had been enough to make her feel sick. Her stomach was constantly churning but there was nothing that she could to do to stop that. What was done was done.
"What he wanted to do to you," Pol spoke. "But he actually did that to me."
"He raped you?" Grace whispered and she shook her head as Pol chuckled.
"He had my son in 'is jail cell," Pol said. "I was willin' to do anythin' to get 'im out…just like you'd been willin' to save Tommy. When it comes to women, we have something most men want and they can take it if they want to…regardless of whether or not we agree."
"That is horrible," Elizabeth declared.
"Well, it wasn't pleasant," Pol declared sarcastically and Elizabeth pursed her lips before Pol sighed and shook her head. "I 'aven't told the boys," she spoke. "I don't want Tommy to know anythin'. Campbell is gone and that is all there is to it."
Pol half expected Elizabeth to disagree, but she said nothing. She kept silent, choosing not to argue with Pol. She knew that arguing with the matriarch of the family was not a wise idea, especially when her husband was not by her side to back her up.
"I should have gone with John and Arthur," Elizabeth whispered and she shook her head. "I should never have let them take Tommy away. He would not have done that to me. He would never have left my side."
"They would 'ave shot yer," Pol replied. "And yer no use to 'im dead, are yer?"
"But I should have done something," Elizabeth retorted. "You know Tommy as well as I do and you know that he would never have left me."
"Do I know Tommy?" Pol wondered. "I thought I knew 'im…but I'm not so sure. The Thomas I knew would never 'ave married a girl like you. A girl from high society who knows nothing about our lifestyle. But he did marry yer and yer do seem to make him 'appy. Yer know he never smiled after the war. Nothin' made 'im 'appy."
Keeping silent, Elizabeth said nothing in response to Pol as she did her best to keep her emotions in check and under control. She allowed her head to dangle downwards as she did her best not to look too worried over everything. How did Pol manage to remain so strong? How did she not crumble under the pressure of everything? Elizabeth didn't know, but she suspected that she had to learn to become just as strong as Polly.
"Come on," Pol spoke to Elizabeth. "We should get out of 'ere."
"And go where?" Elizabeth questioned as the elder woman shrugged her shoulders.
"Back to Birmingham," Pol said. "John and Arthur will go back there when they find Tommy."
….
Pushing the door open to their home, Pol looked around the small area before she sat the sight before her. A sigh of relief passed through her lips at the side of Tommy at the kitchen table, a cigarette dangling between his teeth as he held a cloth to the side of his head where a gash sat, the blood covering the rag. Arthur and John were quiet as they stood behind him after listening to the tale he had been telling them of what had happened.
Tommy's eyes picked up as soon as he saw his wife enter the house. Gasping loudly, Elizabeth moved around Pol and towards her husband, crouching by his side as her hands moved to take hold of his cheeks, holding them tightly as she observed the damage done.
"What did they do to you?" Elizabeth asked from her husband as Tommy moved to pull the cigarette from his lips, stubbing it out in the ashtray as his other hand moved to take hold of her hand, moving so that he could kiss her knuckles.
"Campbell had ordered 'em to kill me," Tommy informed his wife. "But they didn't get a chance. Churchill sent another man to kill 'em. He 'as a job he wants me to do."
"What job?" Elizabeth's brows furrowed together as she asked him the question and he shook his head with a shrug.
"I don't know that," Tommy told her. "But I suspect it ain't anythin' nice."
"Too right," Arthur mumbled his agreement as Elizabeth kept her gaze firmly on Thomas, refusing to look away from him as he noted her eyes grow wide and wet.
Managing a small smile, Tommy brushed her cheek, his thumb soothingly wiping away the tears that threatened to spill there. Elizabeth closed her eyes for a brief moment, inhaling a sharp breath as she nodded, relieved that Tommy was simply here and alive. She didn't know what she would have done if he had not come back.
"And where is that bastard Campbell?" John suddenly asked, still smoking as Arthur poured Pol a drink.
The woman took hold of it, her face emotionless as she downed the alcohol and placed the glass on the wooden table with a sharp bang. Looking between the Shelby men, she spoke, her voice calm and collected.
"I killed 'im."
Silence echoed in the room as Elizabeth turned to look to Pol, her face scrunched up as Tommy noted the motion. What was Liz doing looking at Pol? The two women detested each other. Of course, Liz could just be shocked that Pol had killed him. The man who had caused them so many problems had finally been taken care of. He couldn't come back to torture them anymore. He was finished.
"What?" Pol asked. "You should all be grateful. You know what that man did to our family. Why are you looking like me like I did somethin' wrong, eh?"
There was silence throughout the room and Elizabeth slowly stood from her crouching position, her hand still holding onto Tommy's hand. She said nothing for those few minutes, unable to think of anything to say. She knew that she should tell Tommy what Campbell had intended to do to her, but she also knew that her husband had been enough trauma without her adding anything on top for him. She kept silent as Arthur coughed and took hold of the whiskey bottle and poured himself another glass.
"Did anyone see yer?" Tommy was the one to ask Pol.
Her narrowed gaze turned onto her nephew and his wife. Elizabeth met her gaze and nodded. Tommy would discover the truth anyway.
"Just yer wife," Pol said, nodding her head towards Elizabeth.
Moving his gaze up to his wife, Tommy studied Liz with intent. He continued to watch her as her fingers squirmed inside of his and her gaze remained on Pol. She shrugged her shoulder, managing to look down to Tommy after a moment.
"She stopped him from attacking me," Elizabeth informed her husband. "I don't want to think about what would have happened if Pol had not have turned up when she did."
Gulping once, Tommy remained calm and collected. He took a deep breath and downed his whiskey again before sliding the glass over to Arthur to refill it for him. Tommy slowly stood up and took hold of Elizabeth by the shoulders, his gaze meeting hers and he wondered what he saw in her eye. She looked worried. She looked concerned. Then again, a lot had happened in the past few hours to make her worry.
"He didn't touch yer, did he?" Tommy asked from her and she shook her head.
"Pol stopped him," Elizabeth promised him.
Moving to tuck her hair behind her ear, Tommy pressed his lips against her forehead before looking to Pol.
"Thank you," Tommy said.
Pol was about to make some quip about how Tommy never thanked anyone, but she decided to keep silent then. There was no point in her dragging up that point. And so she just nodded. She knew how much her action meant to Tommy. If only he knew what she had done to secure Michael's freedom. Maybe then he wouldn't look at her so favourably. But she didn't care. She did what she had to.
"This all stops," Tommy declared, looking around his family as he kept his arm around his wife. "This family…we become legitimate…we do what we 'ave to do to keep the business afloat, but we do it legally."
"Tommy," Elizabeth spoke his name, wondering where this had come from. There had been a time when he had wanted nothing to do with the family business. He had promised her that they could leave.
Shaking his head, Tommy knew that he would have to speak with his wife privately about what it was he wanted to do. Looking to Pol, Arthur and John, Tommy gave them a stern nod before leading Liz away to his bedroom. He winced in pain as he took the stairs, but he made it to his bedroom before he collapsed on his bed.
"We can't leave," Tommy spoke once Liz had shut the door. "One of Churchill's instructions is that we stay 'ere."
"Excuse me?" Elizabeth managed to snap out loud. "And who is he to dictate what we do? Tommy, you said that we could leave. You promised me that we could get out of Birmingham. What has changed?"
"Everything," Tommy told her. "Today, everythin' changed, Liz. Campbell died. Sabini is no longer a problem. Your brother is dead. There is nothin' threatenin' us 'ere, Liz."
"Except for Mr Churchill," Elizabeth contradicted, folding her arms over her chest and turning to look defiantly away. "I thought that we were going to be able to make a fresh start, Tommy."
"And we can," Tommy promised her. "But we 'ave to stay 'ere. Why is that so bad, Liz? I thought that nothin' mattered so long as we were together."
"I know," Elizabeth promised him. "But your family…they may not hate me, Tommy, but I doubt they will ever begin to accept me."
"What does that matter?" Tommy asked his wife, moving to his feet to take hold of her by the waist as she looked away from him, refusing to meet his gaze as he dared to grab her chin, none too pleasantly, and make her look him in the eye.
"Forget 'em," Tommy demanded from Elizabeth. "They'll accept yer because yer my wife…and if they don't? Well, we does it matter, eh? What does any of it matter? We'll be legal…inside the law…we'll be safe. We'll always be safe from now. There will be no more runnin'."
Elizabeth kept silent, knowing full well that Tommy's mind would not be changed on the matter. But what he said did not disappoint her entirely. He was right. They didn't have to run anymore. They didn't have to look behind their shoulders if it was all over. Yet there was still Mr Churchill's demand looming over them.
"No more hiding from the law," Elizabeth said, demanding that from her husband as she moved her hands to his chest, gripping onto his shirt forcefully as Tommy nodded his agreement with her. "And no more killing."
"So long as we're safe," Tommy agreed with her, nodding his head ruefully.
"Then we can stay." Elizabeth said and Tommy moved with haste to press his lips against hers.
…
The weeks slowly passed by and Elizabeth scarcely saw her husband as he tried to make his business legitimate. John, Arthur, Michael and Tommy were constantly at meetings and Elizabeth struggled to get any time alone with her husband. Any night they were alone was plagued with a lack of privacy. The one time Elizabeth had attempted to lay with Tommy had been interrupted by Arthur and his lack of manners. Since then Tommy had promised that he would try to find them their own home as Elizabeth refused to do anything more than kiss her husband briefly.
"You're quiet."
Pol spoke in a hushed tone as she stood next to the sink where Elizabeth was peeling potatoes.
"Am I?" Elizabeth wondered.
Elizabeth and Pol had managed to strike up a mutual form of acquaintanceship. Pol did not entirely like the girl, but she accepted her for Tommy's sake. Elizabeth still had reservations about the matriarch of the family, but she spoke politely with her.
"I suspect it mist have something to do with your condition," Pol declared, leaning against the worktop as Elizabeth placed the knife and potato down, reaching for the towel to dry her hands.
"My condition?" Elizabeth echoed and Pol chuckled, shaking her head before rolling her eyes.
"You don't know, do you?" Pol said. "Jesus, girl, I can see from 'ere. How 'as Tommy not noticed either?"
"I have no idea-"
"-Your stomach is growing, your breasts are larger, and I suspect you have not bled all month." Pol interrupted and Elizabeth remained silent, letting what she had been told sink in before a hand went to her stomach and she looked down.
Shaking her head, Elizabeth couldn't understand how she had missed the signs. It wasn't possible, was it?
Pol smirked at the girl's shocked expression before moving out from the kitchen, not without placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Yer pregnant, Liz."
…..
A/N: Sorry for the long delay in this chapter, but do let me know what you think so far!
