Wandering into her husband's study with her hands holding onto pieces of paper, Elizabeth tossed them down onto his desk as he looked up. Pulling the cigarette out from between his lips, he stubbed it out in the ashtray, brow quirking as he regarded his wife with intrigue. Her hair was piled on top of her head, messily placed in a bun. She had on her simple red dress while her hands went to her hips.
"You have the money," she declared to Tommy. "If you really want to expand the business then you have the money, but I want a guarantee."
"And what would that be?" Tommy enquired from her.
"Money put to the side in case it fails," Elizabeth declared. "If you intend to go ahead and open up these factories then there needs to be a provision in place. We have Charlotte to think about."
"Fair enough," Tommy nodded to her as she sunk down into the chair on the other side of his desk, her hands holding onto the arms of it. "Is there anything else?"
She looked over to him and noted how he let his brows furrow together. It was like he could read her mind. He knew exactly what she was feeling and he knew how to get it out of her. Just one look into those blue eyes and she sometimes found herself spilling all of her worries to him. She had done her best to be more civil with him, often allowing him to discuss things with her that would have scared her before. The expansion wasn't without issues and she knew that.
"The Italians," she answered him honestly. "I heard some of the girls in the bookmakers whispering about them."
Tommy looked intrigued then. "Pol dealt with the Italians."
Elizabeth scoffed and shook her head. "Not according to Lizzie Starke," she informed him. "John and Arthur managed to anger them…Vincente Changretta's son, Angel, was dating Lizzie and John attacked him for it."
Tommy rolled his eyes. "So what do they want?"
"No idea," Elizabeth shrugged. "I just know that they seem to be happy with the way things have turned out with your brothers being in jail…but…Tommy…I'm serious. According to the girls the Italians have something planned."
"Destroyin' the business, no doubt," Tommy muttered. "Why didn't Pol tell me this, eh? Why didn't anyone tell me anythin'?"
Elizabeth shrugged once more. "Because we had other things…well…more important things to worry about. Charlotte was taken from us, our marriage was barely holding together and you had the Russians. Do not blame Pol for this."
Tommy continued to grumble. "She should 'ave told me."
"Like you should have told me some things?" Elizabeth sniped back and Tommy finally met her stare, seeing how she refused to back down. She gave him a final nod before moving to her feet and looking down to him. "What is done is done, Tommy. Just keep an eye on things."
"Always do," Tommy responded.
…
Visiting Pol in prison was proving to be difficult for Elizabeth. Every time she went, she wanted to come away and leave the woman with good news, but that was proving difficult to do. Pol was not the woman she was before all of this. Her spirit seemed to be breaking and her mind was constantly elsewhere. Elizabeth had done her best to give the woman some hope, but that was proving very difficult to do. She wanted Pol to be free. She wanted to bring her home.
She felt some kind of special bond with the woman, particularly in the recent months. Pol was sometimes the only thing that kept her mind sane when Tommy was scheming and plotting. Plus, Pol was only in that cell because of what she had done to protect Elizabeth.
"Has there been any news from government?" Elizabeth enquired as she returned home and found Tommy sat with Charlotte, reading a story to her in the sitting room. She wore her nightgown and her hair was pulled back in strands, ribbons around each strand. Charlotte was slowly reading, doing her best to make sense of the words as Tommy kept his hands on her waist, balancing her in his lap as she held the book.
"No," Tommy said as Charlotte looked up, her wide eyes moving over to her mother.
"Mummy," she crooned and Elizabeth smiled, wondering if she would ever get tired of seeing her daughter's eyes light up whenever she entered a room.
Moving to sit on the other side of them, Elizabeth decided to converse with her husband about the governmental matters later on. She moved a hand to her daughter's head and bent down to kiss her on the forehead. She let the motion linger for a moment, closing her eyes before pulling back.
"What are you and daddy reading?" Elizabeth wondered from her daughter.
"The Princess and the Pea," Charlotte answered proudly.
"She picked it," Tommy responded.
"I kind of guessed that," Elizabeth said with a small smirk. "I think your type of reading is more the racing pages."
Tommy let his lips quirk. "Come on Charlotte," he said, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "Let's get you to bed."
Charlotte pouted and turned to look up to her father. "But we've not finished," she said.
"We can finish tomorrow, eh?" Tommy said to her, moving to stand on his feet, tossing her into his arms and holding her to him. Cradling her against his chest as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Tommy looked to Elizabeth who had moved to her feet.
"I can take her," she said, but Tommy shook his head.
"I've got 'er," he informed his wife.
"Well, in that case I shall say goodnight," Elizabeth spoke and Charlotte looked to her mother before pecking her on the cheek. "Goodnight, Charlotte. Sleep tight."
"Night mummy," Charlotte responded as Tommy carried her through the house and towards her bedroom. Elizabeth watched them leave, pulling her gloves from her fingertips as she sunk back down into her seat on the settee, her eyes fixed on her husband as he carried their daughter up the stairs and to bed.
She couldn't help but wonder what her husband might have done if she had left with Charlotte in tow. He would have been distraught. As she watched him with Charlotte, she knew that she had done the right thing. Despite Tommy's flaws, he truly did adore his daughter.
Leaning her head back against the seat, Elizabeth only looked up once Tommy had taken a seat next to her, his hand moving to rest on her thigh, clutching onto it tightly. She took a moment before letting her hand rest on top of his.
"How long is it going to be?" she enquired from her husband.
"I'm workin' on it," Tommy promised his wife and she let out a shaky breath.
"This isn't fair, Tommy," she whispered. "Your aunt was protecting me. Pol stopped Campbell-"
"-I know," Tommy interrupted from his wife. "I know what Pol did."
"Then you know why I am finding this difficult?" she asked from him. "Tommy, she saved me from Campbell. She did that for me."
"I know," Tommy said again.
"And Michael brought Charlotte back to us," she declared. "He saved our daughter and he brought her home."
"I'm tryin', Liz," Tommy responded to his wife and she let out a deep breath before she moved to lean against her husband, her head going to rest on his shoulder as she closed her eyes and felt him wrap his arm around her. "I'm in contact with Churchill about it, but he says there are people opposin' 'im. He needs to wait for the right time."
Elizabeth scoffed. "Will there ever be a right time?" she mused. "Pol isn't herself. She…she just isn't herself."
"I'll get her out," Tommy said. "I'll get 'em all out."
"And then what?" Elizabeth wondered. "No one is talking to us, Tommy. Linda and Esme hate us and your sister is barely speaking to you. I don't know how much longer this can go on for. You…you always told me how family was important to you. I remember when I first met you that I was jealous. I was jealous that you had a family who loved you and who would do anything for you."
"Times change," Tommy told her.
"But your family doesn't," she responded.
…
Elizabeth walked down the streets of Birmingham, finishing off her shopping as she carried her basket in her arm. Her hat sat on top of her head, covering her face in shade. Her hands held onto the handles of the basket as her heels clicked on the floor. She carried herself with her head held high, knowing full well that people watched her.
She knew that they knew who she was. She was Elizabeth Shelby nee Kimber. She was the wife of the man who led the Peaky Blinders. She was the sister of the once legendary Billy Kimber. People liked to gossip and she could hear that as she passed them by.
Moving down the street, she kept her eyes in front of her before she saw a woman staring straight at her. The woman, Elizabeth guessed, had to be in her late 50s. Her face was stern and she wore a beige coat with a small beige hat on top of her head. Her dark curls poked out from underneath the hat while her eyes were harsh. Looking to Elizabeth, she pouted her painted lips before standing still.
Her eyes fixed on Elizabeth for a moment before she spoke. "What is your husband planning?" the woman asked and Elizabeth furrowed her brow.
"What are you talking about?" she demanded. "And who are you?"
"Audrey Changretta," she answered and Elizabeth knew instantly who the woman was. Her son was Angel; the man that John and Arthur had tormented. "My husband is Vicente and my son is Angel…my son who your brother in laws attacked."
"I know what they did," Elizabeth answered to the woman. "But my husband has no interest-"
"-Your husband is always plotting," the woman sniped. "And if he is not then he should plan something because my husband is fuming."
Elizabeth shook her head. "John and Arthur are in jail-"
"-For how long?" the woman demanded. "I taught John and Arthur and I know what they are like…I know both of them…but Tommy…I never understood that boy. I never understood him in the slightest and my husband does not care for him."
Elizabeth continued to look concerned. "What are you trying to tell me?" she asked.
Audrey nodded her head. "Be careful," she urged from her. "My husband understands how gang warfare works, just as your husband does. Wives should not get in the middle of that."
"On the contrary," Elizabeth said. "If your husband intends to do anything to mine then I will be stood right next to him. Tommy and I are a team…yes, we are husband and wife, but I will not cower behind him. Inform your husband that Tommy never meant any harm, nor does he."
The woman nodded. "I will tell him for what is worth."
Elizabeth said nothing further. She continued walking, her grip on the basket increasing as she wandered down the streets and back towards Small Heath where her husband would be sat in the office and waiting for her.
…
Entering the office as Lizzie Starke opened the door, Elizabeth didn't even care that the woman was watching. She moved with haste, her arms wrapping around Tommy as he stood by his drink's cabinet, finishing off the pouring of a whiskey. Tommy was taken aback as Elizabeth clung to him and he moved his hands to her waist, his tone one of worry as he spoke.
"What happened?" he asked from his wife. "What has happened, Liz?"
Lizzie Starke left the office, closing the door as she wondered just what was going on.
"Liz, talk to me," Tommy urged from his wife, pulling back to look her in the eye as she moved her hands to his cheeks, letting her fingers run up and down his high cheekbones as her eyes searched his.
"Vicente Changretta," she said to him. "His wife met me in town and she said…she said that her husband understood gang warfare. I don't know what she was saying, Tommy, but I think it was a warning."
Tommy nodded. "Aye," he said to her. "It might 'ave been a warnin', but nothin' will come of it. I'll see to it."
"We cannot keep doing this," Elizabeth said in a soft voice, moving forwards to kiss him on the lips. "But I am not going anywhere. We are going to see this through together. Whatever they throw at us, we are going to handle it."
"Aye," Tommy said.
"And that is why I was thinking," Elizabeth said, standing up straight and wiping her eyes as she looked to Tommy. "I think you should teach me how to use a gun."
Tommy almost scoffed as he heard her and she moved her hands to his jacket, pushing it open to reveal the gun he had in the holster. "Tommy, you know that it makes sense."
"Yer want to learn how to use a gun?" Tommy echoed back.
"There isn't just me to think about," Elizabeth said. "We have a daughter at home who needs protecting. I need to do everything I can to protect her. If that means using a gun then so be it."
Tommy did his best not to let his stomach churn as he heard his wife. He couldn't imagine her with a gun. His wife. His sweet and innocent Elizabeth. The woman he would do anything to protect. But she wasn't young girl he had fallen in love with. She wasn't the young girl who had trembled in his arms whenever there was danger. His Elizabeth was a mother and a woman who had seen things he wanted to protect her from. She had changed.
And that was why Tommy nodded to her request. That was why he agreed to help her.
…
A/N: Do let me know what you think!
