Tommy held onto Charlotte's hand as he walked with her around the gardens, allowing Liz time to work on the books she had promised to look over for Tommy. It wasn't that Tommy struggled to do the books. He could do it with ease, but he liked his wife to check over them and he knew that she liked it too. She liked looking at how much money he was making. She liked to see the power that her husband had. Tommy knew she did, no matter how much she denied it.
He only wondered if he could finally persuade her to join him. He wanted her to join him. He adored her and knew that she would make a formidable business partner. Liz was still the same woman he had married, but there was a difference to her. She was no longer the timid dormouse. She was a woman who had proved herself. Tommy wondered if it was possible to love her more.
"Why does mummy not talk about her family?"
Tommy had found that his daughter was growing into an inquisitive creature. Charlotte often had questions for him and she would often not give up until she had an answer. Tommy often found himself smiling at her little questions, but this one he was unsure of how to handle.
Finding the bench underneath the window of the parlour room, Tommy sat down and Charlotte sat down besides him, his arm going over the back of the chair as he watched her fold her hands into her lap. There was no doubt that she was growing into the prim and proper little lady that Elizabeth was raising her to be.
"Mummy's family 'ave died," Tommy simply replied. "She doesn't like to talk about 'em because it makes 'er sad."
Tommy suspected that was true. No doubt Liz had nothing but bad memories of her family, except her mother. Tommy could still remember that woman. She was the woman who had thrust Elizabeth into his path. He suspected he had a lot to thank her for.
"Because they died?" Charlotte checked.
"Yeah," Tommy lied to her. "But I can tell yer somethin'."
"What?" Charlotte enquired, looking up to Tommy as though he had some special secret to tell her. Leaning down to her, he made it look like it was going to be their little secret.
"Yer mummy's mummy," Tommy said, "yer grandmother…if it wasn't for 'er then I would never 'ave met yer mummy or fallen in love with 'er. Yer grandmother was a kind woman. She asked me to look after yer mummy when she was a young woman."
"Why did mummy need looking after?" Charlotte asked and Tommy thought of what to say before he decided.
"Because she was sad," he finally decided. "Mummy was very sad and yer grandmother knew it. She took yer mummy away and tried to make 'er 'appy and that was when I met 'er."
"And you made her happy?" Charlotte asked and Tommy smirked.
"I think I did," Tommy said.
"And did you love her?"
"When I met 'er?" Tommy responded.
"Yes."
Tommy nodded his head. "Yeah, I think I did."
…
Elizabeth sat down in Tommy's chair as he looked to the bookshelf in the study. She was dressed in a smart navy dress, her legs folded under her body as she sat up straight in the chair. She moved her hands to the desk and looked down at the papers that sat there. Tommy was busy placing his books away and failed to notice his wife looking down at his work.
"Tommy," Elizabeth's questioning voice snapped him from his daze as she picked up a piece of paper, her eyes scanning it. Tommy noticed her and let his lips quirk. "Is this some kind of joke, or are you being serious?"
Moving towards where his wife was sat, curled in his chair, Tommy leant back against the desk, the backs of his thighs hitting the wood as he nodded his head to her.
"Serious," Tommy responded. "Do yer know me to joke often?"
"Not often," Elizabeth replied. "You rarely joke…or even smile…makes me wonder why I even married you."
Tommy watched his wife smile as she jested with him and he couldn't help but let his lips quirk upwards. Tommy was slowly noticing a change in his wife. While she once would have wittered and worried, she was much more relaxed and casual. Despite everything that had happened, Liz wasn't nagging him. The business with the Russians had changed her. She was stronger than he had ever seen her.
"Yer married me because yer knew yer couldn't do any better."
"I doubt that," she continued to taunt him. "Then again, none of the suitors I ever had lined up for me were potential recipients of the OBE."
"Exactly," Tommy replied. "So, yer husband is goin' to 'ave an OBE to 'is name."
"How are you managing to do this?" Elizabeth enquired from him, placing the letter down on the desk and unfolding herself from the chair, standing up and then sitting on the edge of his desk. Her legs dangled off the ground as Tommy took hold of her waist, standing in front of her.
"Because I 'ave what Churchill wants," Tommy said to her. "I 'ave letters…documents…everythin' that will incriminate 'im for 'aving business with the Blinders."
"So we are back to blackmail?" Elizabeth asked, sounding slightly aggrieved, but she didn't complain any further as she took hold of her husband's shoulders. "And you want your family freed, along with an OBE, in return for those documents?"
Tommy smirked. "Not blackmail then, just an exchange," he responded to her. "They'll be freed by the end of the week."
"Good," Elizabeth said, letting out a deep sigh. "Your Aunt Pol…every time I visit her, she is not herself, Tommy. I…and…we know that none of them will talk to us after this. They all detest us."
"Me," Tommy corrected her, his thumbs roaming up and down the sides of her waist, his other fingers cupping hold of it softly. "Liz, they 'ate me, not you."
"And I can understand why," Elizabeth said with a scoff. "Tommy, it might take a long time for them to forgive you. Linda and Esme want nothing to do with us and I imagine John and Arthur feel the same. You will need to reach out and apologise."
"I did what I 'ad to do," Tommy replied.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Tommy, just swallow your pride and do it."
"Is that an order?"
"It is a very strong recommendation," Elizabeth said, moving to peck him quickly on the lips. "I would never dream of telling Thomas Shelby what to do."
Tommy chuckled. "Yer do it more than yer think."
"Then apparently I am the only one who can get away with it."
Jumping down from the desk, Elizabeth ran her hands down his upper arm before heading off to find Charlotte and leaving Tommy to stare after her.
…
Tommy had been true to his word. Pol, Michael, John and Arthur were all freed from jail on the morning that they were due to be executed. Elizabeth had wondered if Tommy would go to them, but he said he was busy working in the factor. Elizabeth had reached out to Pol, but she had pulled away. She had been polite, but she had refused to speak with Tommy after all that he had done.
Arthur and Linda had taken their money and moved to the countryside while Esme and John had done the same. They wanted peace to raise their children and Elizabeth understood that. She understood perfectly why they would want that after everything that had happened. But, of course, Elizabeth knew her husband. Peace was not something he was associated with and that seemed to be true even more now.
September was slowly rolling around and Elizabeth knew what that meant. Charlotte was now old enough to start school after all the time that had passed. She was almost due to turn five and Elizabeth regretted all the time that they had wasted. Her daughter had been born a year before the business with the Russians and she had grown up through so much pain. But none of it seemed to bother her. She was bubbly, bright, and full of light.
"What's in them bags?"
Tommy had walked back into the mansion and gone upstairs to find his wife and daughter in their bedroom, bags skewed all around them. It was only when Tommy saw his daughter stood on their bed with Elizabeth around her did he realise what she was wearing. His four year old daughter – soon to turn five – was wearing a navy pinafore dress, her hair neatly brushed down the back of her head. She had dark tights on her legs and Elizabeth was stood in front of her, pinning some of the dress up.
"We went to pick up Charlotte's school uniform," Elizabeth commented.
"I can see."
"Mummy," Charlotte complained. "How long do I have to stand here?"
"As long as it takes," Elizabeth responded. "You are too short, Charlotte, so I need to pin the dress so that I can take it up."
Tommy remained in the doorway, pulling his cap from his head and holding it in his fingertips, looking to his daughter as she peered down at Elizabeth and watched her. Was Tommy supposed to feel a tug in his chest at the sight of his daughter dressed in her school uniform? Was he supposed to feel his throat clench? He didn't know. He only knew that his little girl didn't look so little at the moment.
"Right," Elizabeth said, nodding her head. "You are done. I need you to go and take the dress off and bring it back. Be careful not to move any of the pins."
"Yes, mummy," Charlotte said and Elizabeth took her hand and helped her jump from the bed.
Charlotte scurried towards the door and looked up to Tommy, beaming widely as Tommy moved his hand out to stroke her curls on the top of her head as she swept by him.
"When did she get so old?" Tommy asked from Elizabeth as he tossed his cap onto the top of the drawers and then kissed his wife softly.
"She isn't old, Tommy," Elizabeth said, perching on the edge of the bed. "But she is going to school. She…I have no doubt that she will do well…she is a good girl and she is clever. I just…the house will be empty during the day and I think it is time for me to go back to work now."
"Or yer can join me-"
"-I am not working with you for the business," she interrupted him with a soft smile. "I am going back to teaching. I am also going to see your Aunt Pol tomorrow though. Do you want me to send her a message?"
"No," Tommy said.
Elizabeth sighed as Tommy pulled out a cigarette and lit it up. "Tommy, how much longer is this going to go on for? You know as well as I do that you miss all of them."
"And they'll come back soon enough," Tommy said. "Michael already wants his way back into the business."
"And do you think that wise?"
"I think it let me keep an eye on Pol," Tommy responded. "We both know she isn't 'erself."
Elizabeth bit down on her lip before she saw Charlotte rushing back into the room, holding the dress in front of her. She laid it down on the bed and then jumped up to sit next to Elizabeth. Wrapping her arm around her daughter, Elizabeth looked to Tommy for a brief moment as she smiled softly. Tommy smiled back as he blew a puff of smoke from his cigarette. He knew that he needed his family back eventually, but for now, he was content with just Elizabeth and Charlotte. So long as he had them, he had everything.
…
A/N: Do let me know what you think, moving into season 4 now!
