The car journey to Camden was a quiet one. Alfie and Niamh were sat in the back of one car with Ollie, as she had discovered the dark haired man's name was just that morning, who was driving and having to put up with Alfie's backseat commentary on what a shit job he was doing. Alfie's other men were in the two cars in front of and behind their own, and Niamh felt almost like she was royalty being escorted to her new home in a procession of expensive vehicles. The truth was that Alfie's men were simply doing their job and keeping him safe, and Niamh supposed that they were his sort of family. It was sad in a way because, as she had found out from Ada –who knew a lot about Alfie Solomons and Sabini from her brief time living in London with Karl– Alfie Solomons was the only child of Alfie Solomons Sr and Ida Solomons nee Feldman. Well, he was the only legitimate child because by all accounts, Alfie's father, who buggered off when he was young, was quite the philanderer and apparently had more children than the Pope had followers. Alfie's mother had passed from consumption only a few months before his return from France, and while Niamh had a suspicion that Alfie wasn't one for emotions and sentimentality, she knew that behind his hard exterior must be a man who oftentimes felt alone. Niamh couldn't imagine having lost her mother and not having her siblings and Pol to lean on afterwards, and as she got closer to London all she could think about was how much further away from them she was with each turn of the wheels.
Looking out at the window as the countryside turned into grey, run down streets that weren't too dissimilar to the outskirts of Birmingham, Niamh tried to stop the single tear that rolled down her cheek as she thought about the goodbyes between them all before she had left for her new future.
" If he lays so much as one finger on you, you call me and I'll be there to smash his fucking lights out," Arthur said fiercely, hugging Niamh so tight that she almost couldn't breathe.
" Niamh would smash his lights out before you could even get in the car," Ada snorted, pulling her sister into her own arms after snatching her from Arthur's. "You know home isn't going to be the same without you, eh? Promise you'll come and visit us soon?"
" I promise," Niamh nodded, sniffing back tears.
"My little sister leaving for the big wide world," Tommy smiled down at her, cupping her face while his eyes regarded her fondly.
For a moment, Niamh wasn't sure what to say to him; how to react. She was still angry at him. Although perhaps her anger had faded more into hurt. Then again, even the hurt wasn't as painful as even the night before. Eventually, she placed her hands over his and patted them.
"Don't get into too much trouble without me around," she murmured. "And don't let those shovels and France keep getting in your head because I won't be there to make them leave again."
Tommy said nothing and simply kissed her forehead, wrapping his arms around.
I'm sorry, he tried to convey silently. I love you and I'm sorry.
"I'll be fine, Tommy," her voice was croaky as she pulled back to look up at him. "It's you I worry about."
"Always fucking worrying, you," John tutted, shoving Tommy out of the way. "When we were kids you were always worrying about stray animals you could see outside and now you're worrying about that bloody idiot there."
"You calling Tommy a stray animal, John?" Niamh giggled.
"If the shoe fits," he smirked with a shrug. "You behave in London, yeah? They're fucking wild down there. And if that Solomons starts anything then you can smack him in the face with this."
Niamh burst out laughing at the knuckle duster John held out to her and placed the metal gratefully into her pocket to placate him, knowing that she would never want to use them and strangely knowing that she would never need to.
"And if hitting him doesn't work then this will do the trick," Esme handed Niamh a small pouch, pressing it into her hand and eyeing her with her usual intensity. "It's belladonna. Slip a bit in his drink or his food and send him straight to hell."
"Esme," Niamh looked horrified. "I'm not taking this. I don't want to kill him! And I certainly don't want to go to jail for fucking killing him. Take this back so I don't accidentally hurt myself or someone else with it."
Reluctantly Esme took it back and didn't even look affronted that her suggestion had been rejected.
"Good luck to you then, and know that my offer from yesterday still stands should it be needed," she murmured.
"Right, I hate to interrupt whatever this is but I think your husband's waiting for you," Tommy announced. "So get in that car and bugger off, eh?"
Niamh's final image of her family had been watching them gathered in the drive away of the estate, growing ever smaller before they eventually disappeared into the distance.
"Ollie, mate, you are allowed to move your hands from the ten and two position, you know," Alfie's titter distracted Niamh from her thoughts and with a delicate sniff, she looked towards Ollie who was still sat up rigid, jaw clenched as he concentrated on the quiet road ahead.
" I feel more in control of the vehicle this way, Alfie," Ollie muttered. "And besides, Karina always tells me off if I've not got my hands on the wheel properly."
"Well Karina aint fuckin' here now lad, is she?" Alfie rolled his eyes, turning to Niamh briefly. "Karina's his wife. Rules the roost that woman does."
"And I'm happy with that," Ollie answered with a small smile.
"How long have you been married, Ollie?" Niamh asked.
"Ten years," he smiled widely now. "You'll have to meet my wife; she'd like you. Well, if it's alright with Alfie."
"I aint ehr keeper," Alfie scowled. "Reckon Karina'd be a good 'un for you to make friends with actually. She's well respected in the community and she'll see you right when I'm workin' and what not."
"I'd like that," Niamh murmured. "Be nice to have at least one friend."
And that was when Alfie understood it; the look that had been lingering upon her face since they had left the estate. He had no idea how he hadn't been able to recognise it before now.
"Stop the car Ollie and get out," he ordered suddenly.
"Right here?" Ollie frowned.
"Yes, Ollie," Alfie sighed, thanking Ollie patronisingly when the engine was switched off. "Now get out."
"And do what?"
"I don't fuckin' care," Alfie pinched the bridge of his nose. "Take a piss; go and buy a pie from the bakery over the road there or just go and pretend to look at somethin'. Whatever you do just get out this car so I can have a word with my wife alone."
Ollie hurriedly did as he was told while Alfie tried to mull over the fact that using the word 'wife' didn't bring him out in hives or make him spontaneously combust. The man who had never wanted a wife now had one and strangely he was actually alright with it. After all, she was undeniably beautiful and her personality was both refreshing and intriguing.
"Right, I think we need to have a little talk before we get home," he turned his body fully to face Niamh once Ollie had wandered off like a little lost dog across the road. "But I need you to actually look at me 'cause I don't wanna have this conversation with the back of your head. Right, so I'm hopin', yeah, that the reason you've been tryin' not to cry this whole journey is 'cause you're upset about leavin' your family and not 'cause you're distraught about bein' married to me," he said. "And if you are upset about leavin' your family then I just want you to know that I'll do everythin' I can to make this easier for you. You can phone 'em a hundred times a day if it makes you happy and you can visit as often as you want. I'll make sure that one of my men will drive you there whenever you want. Well, not like every fuckin' day but you know what I mean."
Niamh nodded and a smile of amusement at Alfie's wonderfully flamboyant vernacular couldn't help but split her face in two.
"There," Alfie pointed at her. "That right there. That smile is what I wanted to see."
"I'm sorry," Niamh apologised, wiping at a few stray tears that had fallen without her realising.
"Aint nothin' to be sorry for," Alfie answered. "I mean, I reckon it's only natural, aint it? But if you and I are gonna at least try and be friends of some sort, then I don't think it's wrong of me to say that I expect you to tell me when somethin' upsets you? Granted, I might not always be able to fix it for you, but I'll certainly try."
"Thank you, Alfie. That means a lot, truly."
"Don't need to thank me," he shrugged. "Just common decency aint it. I mean, I don't want me wife walkin' 'round with a face like a smacked arse otherwise people might think I'm slappin' you around or somethin', and then heaven fuckin' forbid your brothers or that crazy fuckin' aunt of yours catch wind of it."
"Oh, so that's what this is really about? It's not so much my happiness that you're worried about but rather your own safety?"
"That ain't what I said," Alfie argued, wondering how she had managed to turn it around like that.
"I'm teasing you, Alfie," Niamh smirked, her eyes twinkling playfully.
"Cheeky bugger," Alfie narrowed his eyes but even he couldn't hide his own grin. "But I meant what I said, yeah? I really hope you'll tell me whenever somethin' is botherin' you 'cause I'll always try and make it better; and not just 'cause I don't want shit off your family."
"Noted," Niamh nodded. "And just so you know, the same goes for you."
"Don't have to worry about me," Alfie muttered.
But Niamh decided at that moment that she was going to worry about Alfie Solomons whether he wanted her to or not.
Alfie's house was beautiful and nothing at all like her own home back in Small Heath. For a start, the road it was set upon was undoubtedly in a well to do area because Niamh had never seen houses so big belonging to ordinary people before in all her life. It even had a gate which opened out into a small front garden and steps that led up to the shiny black front door. Ollie unloaded the bags before rushing off hurriedly back to his own house on the other side of Camden, leaving Alfie and Niamh alone.
Well… not exactly alone.
"This daft mutt here is Cyril," Alfie grinned, scratching the huge dog that had been waiting for him excitedly behind the ears. "He looks like a beast but he's really about as scary as a teddy bear, aint ya mate? Had one of the lads from the bakery feedin' him and walkin' him and what not but he hates it when I aint home."
Niamh knelt down to let the dog sniff at her and when he suddenly lurched forward and started licking at her face, she giggled happily. She had always wanted a dog, but Polly had always flat out refused, proclaiming they were dirty things that pissed and shit everywhere, and they had enough of that with the amount of men in their family. And of course, Polly's word was always final when it came to anything regarding the house.
"Cyril, come here," Alfie ordered, and immediately the dog obeyed his master. "'He'll lick you to death if you let him. Anyway, if you've had enough of bein' slobbered all over, I can show you around now?"
"Sure," Niamh nodded, standing and brushing the dog fur from the skirt of her dress.
"Right, well we'll start downstairs first, yeah?"
Niamh followed Alfie around the entire downstairs of the house and she immediately noticed one thing. Alfie was untidy. Not dirty, just untidy. There were all sorts of ornaments, books and bits and bobs dotted around the living room, the study and the dining room; none of which were matching or seemed to really belong where they were. It was as though he had just dumped them in an empty spot. It wasn't horrible though, it was just very... Alfie.
The upstairs was rather different. Niamh got the impression that Alfie didn't spend much time up there because every room she had seen so far lacked any of the personal artefacts she had noticed downstairs. Then again, according to Alfie there were four bedrooms in total and she supposed even Alfie might struggle to put his own personal touch in each one.
"So just across there is my room," Alfie pointed. "And I thought you might like this room? It's got a nice view of the back garden."
Niamh smiled. The room was beautiful and bigger than both her and Ada's rooms put together. Wandering to the bed, she ran her fingers across the soft, flower patterned coverlet and couldn't believe this was where she lived now.
"I had Anna get it all done up for you; you know, some knick knacks an' girly things in there and what not," Alfie explained, his chest feeling strange as he watched Niamh's awe at everything she came across in the room. "There's some lotions and perfume and other crap what you women like but if it aint to your taste then I'll sort out havin' it all changed for you."
"No," Niamh said immediately, striding across the room and stopping just in front of him. She was so close that he could smell her perfume again and he could trace the perfect shape of her lips with his eyes. "It's really lovely, Alfie. Thank you."
"Right," Alfie nodded, clearing his throat and taking a step back so he didn't something idiotic. "Well, I'm gonna go and let the dog out but you just make yourself at home, yeah? I don't reckon there's much in the pantry for dinner but I'll wander round to the chippy later if that's alright with you? Get the dog out for a walk an' all."
"Ok," Niamh nodded, finding her strangely disappointed when Alfie turned and disappeared down the hall, glancing at her once over his shoulder as he descended the stairs.
So this was it.
This was home.