Elizabeth often wondered where the time had gone. She didn't know if she could believe that her daughter was almost five. She remembered when she had turned one and she had her Christening. She remembered how she wanted to do nothing but protect her during all the business with the Russians. She remembered how time had dragged during that stage. She thought that the Russians would never leave them alone. But looking back, time had gone quickly. It would be 1926 in another week and Elizabeth still felt the young girl who had met Tommy.
Charlotte didn't understand what was happening and she didn't understand where she found herself. Tommy had told them that they had no other option but to go back to their roots. He wanted them to go back to the place where it had all begun. Elizabeth had wanted to complain, but she didn't. She had placed her trust in Tommy.
Thomas Shelby was an OBE, but he had been forced to go into hiding for the time being. He had been forced to go back to his roots – a place he thought he would never go to again. He had summoned Ada to him, needing her to get through to John and Arthur considering that they were still not speaking to Tommy. Ada was the only one who was even acknowledging his existence, alongside Michael.
"What is happening, mummy?"
Elizabeth moved away from the window in the small bedroom, moving towards the bed and sitting down besides her daughter. Charlotte was dressed in a white nightgown, her hair pulled back from her head and braided. Her hands were scrunched up in her lap while her eyes were wide and full of worry. Elizabeth shook her head and forced herself to smile, knowing that she had to be there for Charlotte.
"Nothing, darling," Elizabeth spoke. "Daddy just has some business to sort out."
"But why is daddy scared?" Charlotte enquired and Elizabeth wondered how she could be so observant. It took a moment before she bit down on her bottom lip and looked down to her lap as Charlotte continued pushing. "Something is wrong, isn't it?"
"No," Elizabeth said with haste. "It is just…daddy has a lot of business. He isn't scared. He is fine, darling. I promise you."
"But why are we here?" Charlotte continued to push. "Where are we?"
"This is your daddy's old bedroom," Elizabeth said, looking around the room and remembering the night Tommy had told her he was heading to war. She had laid on this exact bed with him, begging him to be safe. There were so many memories in that room. "Daddy used to live here when he was little. We just need to stay here for a day or two while daddy does work so we can all be together, okay?"
Charlotte nodded her head, but she didn't seem too appeased. Placing a hand behind her daughter's head, she pressed her lips onto the top of her forehead before standing up, her palms sweating as she wiped them on her skirts. Stepping out the bedroom, she shut the door and moved down the steps, wiping her eyes as she pictured her daughter's concerned expression.
Sniffing once, she moved into the kitchen in time to see Tommy light up a cigarette and look to Ada as she sat across from him. Finn was stood to the side and Elizabeth moved to him, her hand running down his arm as he looked to her.
"Would you go and sit with Charlotte?" she asked him for a second and he saw her wide eyes were wet. He nodded with haste as Elizabeth managed a smile for him, wondering just exactly how Finn could truly be related to the family. He seemed too innocent and sweet.
"You do know that John and Arthur are still angry with me to some extent? They don't like the fact that I still talk to you," Ada said. "Esme especially doesn't trust me."
"I don't care," Tommy said. "I need yer to find out if they received a letter too. They 'ave kids now. Arthur and Linda…John and Esme…they each 'ave kids and they each need to get to safety before Luca comes."
"And why is Luca coming?" Ada demanded. "I never received a letter from him."
"Yer know damn well why he is comin'," Tommy snapped and Elizabeth moved to let her hand hold onto his shoulder, squeezing it lightly in the hope that she could calm him down. "John and Arthur messed with 'is family. They couldn't leave Angel Changretta alone and now they want revenge."
"But why does he want it on you?" Ada continued to press. "What did you do?"
"Nothin'," Tommy drawled, blowing out a puff of smoke. "But we both know who he thinks is in charge."
Ada remained silent for a second as Tommy picked up his whiskey and drained it. She moved to her feet and reached for her red hat, placing it on top of her head and adjusting her fur-collared coat. She grabbed hold of her bag and dropped it into the crook of her arm. Elizabeth kept silent as she looked down to Tommy, noticing how he had his glasses on the table. He only wore his glasses when he was working or when he felt he had a headache.
"I will go and ask them. What do you want them to do?"
"Get 'em to talk to me."
"Tommy, they will not agree to that."
"They will if they value their life," Tommy responded. "Just do it, eh, Ada?"
Ada nodded and swept off, leaving the kitchen and heading onto the street. Elizabeth felt Tommy reach for her hand on his shoulder then, his fingers entwining with hers as he moved so that he could kiss the back of her hand. She moved around his chair and let her thighs rest against the back of the table.
"How long will we be here for?" Elizabeth enquired from him.
"I don't know," Tommy said to her. "I'm goin' to get us 'ome for Christmas, alright? I'm goin' to get us 'ome and Charlotte is goin' to 'ave her Christmas."
"I know why we came here," Elizabeth said. "Someone sent a letter to your house and you wanted to get away from there. I know that. But perhaps it is better not to go home so long as Changretta is out there?"
Tommy shrugged and let his thumb roam over his wife's knuckles. "I don't know, Liz," he admitted to her, his head bowing for a moment. "I just don't know."
Elizabeth moved slowly, bending down and moving her hand to his chin, lifting his gaze until he was looking her in the eye again. She managed to move her lips against his and Tommy was taken back for a moment. She pulled away after a moment, her hand moving to stroke his cheek.
"Thomas Shelby never gives up," Elizabeth declared. "Especially not Thomas Shelby OBE."
He managed a dark chuckle then as Elizabeth moved to kiss him again.
"What did I do to deserve yer, eh?"
"I ask myself that question everyday," Elizabeth said to him. "But we're going to get through this, Tommy. We always get through everything. Luca Changretta can try to destroy us, but it will not work. We will not let it."
…
Tommy had ramped up security around the Manor, but Elizabeth still felt vulnerable. She still felt as though anything could happen. As the fire roared in the living room, she stood by the curtains, looking outside. Tommy had told her that there were his men keeping watch, but she didn't know if she felt safe. A part of her would have been happy to stay in his house, but he had been adamant that Charlotte deserved a normal Christmas.
Elizabeth noted Frances, the maid they had hired, wandering into the room. Elizabeth had taken instantly to Frances the day she had met her. She had trusted her to look after Charlotte when Elizabeth was not able to.
"Mrs Shelby…I was just thinking…with it being Christmas Eve, perhaps Charlotte might…well…you know how children are…"
Elizabeth looked to the plate that Frances was holding, laden with two mince pies and a small glass of whiskey. Elizabeth managed a smile and nodded her head, stepping forwards and taking the plate from Frances.
"Thank you," she said as Tommy remained mute in his chair, his glasses on the bridge of his nose as he read through the letters that had arrived that morning. "Frances, can you tell the chef that there will only be five of us for dinner. Finn will be joining us and I want you to sit with us too."
"Mr Shelby, I couldn't possibly-"
"-Yes, you can," Elizabeth interrupted her. "You have been good to Charlotte and I know she will be happy to have you there…as will we…"
Frances merely managed a smile and left them alone. Elizabeth placed the plate down on the standalone table before looking to Tommy as he tossed the post onto the coffee table. He moved to his feet, hands on his hips.
"I am going to get Charlotte and try to make this normal for her," Elizabeth said to him.
Tommy nodded. He waited in the living room until Elizabeth came back down with Charlotte. His daughter was dressed in her nightgown, her hair in soft curls down her back. Finn walked in behind her, his hands behind his back and he was still dressed in his three piece suit.
"So you need to leave these by the Christmas tree for Father Christmas," Elizabeth said to her daughter, handing her the plate and running a hand down her hair. "And maybe he will give you something in return."
"I have been good, I promise," Charlotte answered, a toothy smile on her face as Elizabeth felt her heart warm slightly and she kissed her daughter on the top of her head.
"I know, darling," she said as Tommy crouched down next to Charlotte, helping her put the plate on the floor. He moved a hand to the small of her back before she turned to look at him.
"But don't get up too early, eh?" Tommy said.
"What time?" Charlotte asked.
"Oh," Tommy tilted his head back, "shall we say nine?"
"Daddy!" Charlotte complained and Tommy couldn't stop his lips from arching as he moved to wrap her into his arms, feeling her small arms move around his neck. Tommy picked her up, hauling her into his arms as she clung onto him. He inhaled the familiar scent of her shampoo before he bent down to kiss the top of her head.
"Fine, seven," Tommy bargained with her. "But yer 'ave to sleep all night, eh? Don't want Father Christmas to find yer awake."
"I will. I promise," Charlotte said.
"Good girl," Tommy said, kissing her on the cheek as she kissed him back.
He lowered her to the ground and Elizabeth took her hand, leading her to bed. Finn followed them out of the room, leaving Tommy alone in the room. He watched the door close behind them before looking to the letter that Changretta had sent him. He picked it up and walked towards the telephone, wondering if Ada had managed to persuade his brothers to accept his phone call.
…
Elizabeth finished putting Charlotte to bed and Finn had told her that he would sit with her and read her a story. Elizabeth had felt an overwhelming sense to hug the boy, but she had settled on pecking him on the cheek before heading back down the staircase towards the study. She found Tommy hanging up the phone as she arched a brow and closed the door behind her.
"Family meetin' on Boxing Day," Tommy informed her. "Arthur and John are comin'. I 'ave Michael and Ada wokin' on Pol."
"And tomorrow?" Elizabeth enquired.
"Tomorrow we 'ave Christmas as if everythin' is alright, just as Charlotte deserves."
Nodding her head, Elizabeth wandered towards her husband as he moved to his feet. He took a moment to think before he forgot everything for a second, his lips meeting his wife's lips. He needed just a minute to escape and Charlotte was always his escape. She was always the one who offered him the comfort he needed.
"Oh…I'm sorry."
Elizabeth pulled away from Tommy and turned to notice Frances stood in the doorway.
"It is fine, Frances," Elizabeth said as Tommy scratched the back of his neck. "What is it?"
"The chef wants to know what time he should prepare dinner for. He wonders if it is before the King's Speech or after?"
Elizabeth looked to Tommy for a moment. "When do you think?"
"Whenever," Tommy shrugged. "Why does it matter?"
"The chef is very particular," Frances said. "If I had known when I hired him then I would have interviewed more people."
Elizabeth shrugged nonchalantly, but something seemed to pique Tommy's interest. He moved to stand in front of his wife as he looked to Frances, speaking in a low voice.
"When did yer 'ire 'im?" Tommy wondered.
"Days after Mrs Shelby hired me and returned to work," Frances said.
"And where is he from?" Tommy enquired.
"He has worked in London at some fancy restaurants and I think-"
"-I meant, where does he come from, Frances?"
"He is Italian," she said and Elizabeth suddenly understood why Tommy had launched an interrogation.
Nodding once, Tommy dismissed Frances before looking to Liz. He took hold of her cheeks in his fingertips as he saw the fear become apparent in her face. Both of them were clearly thinking a similar thing. Moving to kiss her squarely on the lips for a second, Tommy pulled back.
"Go and stay outside of Charlotte's room," Tommy demanded his wife. "Go and stay there, alright? I'm goin' to deal with this."
"No…you need me…" Elizabeth said as she saw Tommy move to his desk and open the top drawer, grabbing his gun and pocketing it into his holster. "Tommy, let us just go. Let us get Charlotte and go."
"It won't end there, Liz," Tommy said to his wife. "If this man is a spy then I need to find out. If…if he is then I need to stop 'im."
"I can deal with this, Liz, eh?" Tommy said. "Just do this for me. Go to Charlotte and keep 'er safe."
It was then when Elizabeth felt him press a gun into her fingertips. She let out a deep breath as Tommy took hold of her cheek intensely in his grip, looking her straight in the eye.
"You protect Charlotte no matter what," he demanded and Elizabeth nodded once.
…
Standing outside of Charlotte's room on the hallway, Elizabeth heard a door open down the corridor. Turning her head to the side, she felt a slight amount of relief as she saw Finn moving down the corridor towards her. He noted the gun in her fingertips before gulping.
"What's 'appenin'?" Finn enquired of her.
"Tommy thinks the chef might be a spy," Elizabeth said. "I need to stay here and make sure Charlotte is safe."
"I should go down and 'elp," Finn said with haste, but Elizabeth grabbed his arm before he could move away from her.
"No," she said with a shake of her head. "Finn, just stay here, okay?"
Before Finn could open his mouth to argue, Elizabeth saw her husband at the bottom of the staircase. Dropping the gun on the floor, she hiked her skirts to her knees and ran down the steps. Tommy was stood there, covered in blood and panting for breath. Elizabeth failed to care about dirtying her clothing as she took hold of him by the shoulders, looking over him.
"Did they hurt you?" she demanded to know.
Tommy shook his head at her. "I'm fine," he told her. "I 'ave Johnny cleanin' up. But…we need to go, Liz…I want us to go back to Small Heath. I was wrong. They can get 'ere. They can get us. The chef…the sous chef…they were in our 'ome spyin' on us."
"Fine," Elizabeth said, knowing that she had to try to calm him. "Fine, Tommy, we will go. We will go back."
"Yeah," Tommy managed to speak back to her. "Get Charlotte…Finn…get the presents…"
Finn rushed down the stairs to do as Tommy had asked.
"You need to get cleaned up," Elizabeth urged her husband. "Go and clean up and then we can go."
Tommy agreed with that, moving up the steps with his wife as he thought back to the bloodbath in the kitchen. He couldn't risk anything like that happening again. He needed to get his family away. He needed to go home.
…
A/N: Do let me know what you think!
