Rose avoided number six for the rest of the day, she didn't want to bump into Tommy. She debated going back to the yard to spend time with the horses there but decided that Uncle Charlie might ask too many questions. Her friends from school all worked now, most of them in Tommy's factories, and she rarely saw them. She wondered how Eliza was and decided to go and see her. Her mum answered the door and told her Eliza was at the meeting hall "listening to some political nonsense." Rose thanked her and headed over there, dropping Fred home on the way.

When she arrived she was surprised to find it packed full of workers. She pushed her way in the back, scanning the room for Eliza. She was barely paying attention to the speaker until the crowd cheered and some punched their fists into the air. She looked over at the stage to see what had caused the reaction and recognised the figure shouting there. It was Jessie Eden. She stopped looking for Eliza and stood listening to the speech, remembering the day two years ago when she'd heard her speak in the Bullring after the ladies of The Shelby Company Limited joined the strike. Miss Eden's message hadn't changed –equality for women, justice for all workers, power to the people. She was still as impressive as she was then and Rose was paying close attention when someone grabbed her from behind. She started and swung round to see smiling face of Eliza.

"Rose! You are the last person I would have expected to see here."

Rose was delighted to see her friend. She had been worried Eliza would have moved on with her life in the past year and wouldn't have wanted to be friends with Rose anymore, but her smiling face said otherwise and Rose was relieved.

"Your mum said I could find you here, listening to 'political nonsense."

Eliza rolled her eyes. "Yeah, she doesn't understand why I'm not at home darning socks like her."

"Me neither. I remember a time when all you wanted to do was get married and have lots of children."

Laughing, Eliza wagged a finger at Rose. "Well, times have changed, haven't they? What about you? You'd planned to be in charge of Shelby Company Limited by now. What happened there?"

This time, Rose rolled her eyes. "Don't ask."

"Maybe if you were, we wouldn't need people like Jessie Eden to put pressure on the factory owners to make things equal for their workers."

"Is that what she's doing?"

"Yep, she'll be speaking to your Tommy soon, I wouldn't doubt. "

"Well, good luck to her."

"No, seriously, Rose. You could talk to him too, couldn't you? Tell him to listen to her. It's not right that us female workers get paid less than the men for doing the exact same job."

"Yeah, well, Tommy and I aren't exactly talking these days."

"What's new, Rose? You and he are always falling out."

"It's different this time."

Eliza slipped her arm through Rose's. "Come and sit down. You can tell me all about it."

Rose allowed Eliza to lead her to a table and sat down with her. But she didn't tell her all about it. Instead, she skirted round what had happened to her and told her about the arrests and Tommy's estrangement from the family as well as about the vendetta and John's death. Eliza knew most of it; it was common knowledge around those parts. Eliza hadn't missed the scars on her friend's face.

"Tell me what happened to you?"

"What? Nothing."

"I heard you were kidnapped."

Rose's stomach lurched. "I don't want to talk about it, Liza."

"Ok, you don't have to. But if you do, you know where I am."

Rose looked at her and nodded, grateful she hadn't pushed for details. "So, tell me about you, Liza."

The two friends spent the next couple of hours happily talking and catching up. Rose hadn't felt this relaxed since she'd arrived in Small Heath. Eventually, Eliza stood up.

"I'd better get going. My mum stands at the door with a rolling pin if I'm late."

Rose had somewhere to be too. She followed Eliza out of the hall and walked halfway home with her.

"I won't go all the way, Liza. I've got to be somewhere else."

"This late?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Ok, then. It was lovely to see you, Rosie." She flung her arms around her friend." Don't leave it a year before you find me again."

Rose hugged her back. "I won't. See you soon."

"Good night, Rose."

Rose made her way slowly to Upton Street using the back streets as before. The pubs weren't closed yet so she'd have to wait for Ray. She knew that she hadn't been seen by her family since the yard that morning and hoped Tommy hadn't sent out a search party. Someone must have seen her at the meeting hall and reported back to him. He had eyes everywhere. As she walked, she thought about Tommy sitting on her bed the previous night. He had been different – softer, open, almost apologetic. He'd said he was wrong to have stayed away from her. She sighed. It was so confusing being back in Small Heath. Everything reminded her of another time – before. She measured everything in 'before' and 'after' now. Two different lives. And now, the two different Roses were warring inside her. 'Before Rose' was beginning to surface again – lured out by the familiarity of home, by the love of her family, by Polly's strong arms around her. More and more she caught herself pulled to those she loved, longing to be comforted, wanting to belong. But 'After Rose' was stern – telling herself that trusting others would only lead to her getting hurt again, opening up to the love her family had for her would leave her abandoned again. She was so afraid of the pain, so afraid of the loneliness, so afraid of the rejection that she couldn't let herself slip even just for a moment. And she was damaged now, broken. If she let people get close to her, they'd see it too. But the struggle was so hard. That's why the tablets helped. The kept the struggle and the pain at bay, and that's why she was relieved to see Ray Garnett swagger up the street towards her.

He was ready for her this time and slowed down with a grin when he saw her.

"Well, well. I half expected you to not be here."

"Do you have them?"

"Do you have the money?"

She put her hand in her pocket and held up the notes. He stepped forward to take them but she put them back in her pocket.

"The medicine."

Smirking at her, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the bottle of Veronal. Her heart skipped a beat. Finally.

"Now, what I want to know is, why a spoilt little girl like you from the most powerful family in Birmingham needs pills to help her forget. What's so terrible about your life that you have to escape it, eh?"

She held out the money. "Just give them to me."

He chuckled, took the money and handed her the bottle. She immediately put it in her pocket and walked away. Ray called out after her.

"See you in a couple of months when they run out then. We're going to become great friends."

Rose scowled as she hurried off, angry with Tommy for putting her in a position where she had to meet a drug dealer late at night to get the medicine she needed. Why wouldn't he listen to her when she told him she needed it?

Tommy was sat at the kitchen table when she got back, reading a book. She was surprised to see Fred lying at his feet in front of the fire. Tommy looked up at her through his glasses.

"Evening, Rose."

"Evening, Thomas."

"I let Fred out of the bedroom. You really don't need to shut him in there if you go out without him."

"I didn't want him to get in the way."

"He won't be. Tea?"

Rose felt the bottle of pills burning a hole in her coat pocket. She could tell he was being careful around her, not wanting to scare her away and realised there was no way he could know what she had just done. She decided to meet him halfway. She took her coat off, hung it over the back of the chair and sat down.

"Yes, please."

Tommy was pleasantly surprised she'd said yes, but kept his face impassive as he poured her a cup of tea from the pot. Rose felt she'd better take control of the conversation before he did.

"I saw May at the yard today."

"Ah yes, she came to pick up my horse."

"She's a beauty."

"Who, May or the horse?"

She allowed her mouth to curl a little at the edges. "The horse. She's strong too, she'll be fast."

"I hope so. She cost me enough. I'm hoping to get a hefty profit from her"

"May was telling me all about her stables. She said I could go and visit her and she'd show me round."

He nodded, finishing off the last of his cigarette and stubbing it out in the ashtray. "You'd like it there."

"So, I can go then? When it's safe?"

"I'll drive you there myself."

"Do you think I could run a stables like that one day?"

He looked at her. "I think you can do anything you set your mind to."

She looked down at her cup of tea, feeling uncomfortable with the compliment. Tommy sensed it too and changed the subject.

"I heard you were at Jessie Eden's meeting at the hall tonight."

"Yeah, I …"

"I want you to stay away from that woman."

Rose prickled at the order. "I didn't go there to listen to her, I went to see Eliza."

"Nonetheless, you should see Eliza at other times from now on and not at Communist party meetings."

"Didn't you try to stop Ada going to Communist meetings?"

Tommy knew where this was going and didn't bite. Rose carried on regardless.

"How did that work out? I'll tell you in case you've forgotten. She got pregnant by one of them and then married him. Maybe you shouldn't make the same mistake twice."

"Are you planning on marrying a Communist?"

"Maybe. If I want to."

He laughed. "Ok then, Rose. If that's what you want. Just don't get pregnant first."

She stifled a smile by taking a drink of tea.

"Has Jessie Eden already been to see you then? Liza said she's been going to see all the factory owners."

"Yes, she's been to see me."

"What did she say?"

Tommy told her all about the conversation he'd had with Miss Eden, including his proposal to increase the wages of the female workers in one of his factories by the same amount he'd decrease the wages of the male workers in another. Rose's mouth dropped open.

"Thomas! That's terrible. You can't do that."

"You sound like Polly when you call me that. Besides, they're my factories; I can do what I want."

"But it's not fair."

"Who said things have to be fair?"

"Why wouldn't you want things to be fair? Don't you think that if you treat your workers well, they'll be even more loyal to you than if they're just scared of you? It's not like you can't afford it."

Once again, Tommy caught a glimpse of himself in his sister. This time, it was a glimpse of a long forgotten younger self who had wanted to change the world. He knew better now.

"The world doesn't work like that, Mouse."

"It could. It needs powerful men like you to change it."

He didn't answer, just watched as her eyes shone with a light he hadn't seen in a long time. Then, all of a sudden, he saw them change. It was as if she had caught herself doing something she shouldn't. Her eyes clouded over, the walls went up and she retreated into herself once more. Another reflection of himself – a self he knew all too well. He opened his mouth to say something but she was already on her feet, picking up her coat and pushing her chair in. Fred leapt up and joined her.

"I'll say good night then, Thomas. It's late now"

"I'll see you at work tomorrow then? Eight O'Clock sharp."

She hesitated but decided not to push back. "Yes, see you then."

"Good night, Mouse."

In her bedroom, Rose swallowed two tablets before adding the last one of the old bottle to the new bottle. She tucked it away in its hiding place and changed for bed. She'd have to find a way to dispose of the old bottle in the morning. She should have felt glad that she had replenished her supply, but she didn't. For the first time, she felt uneasy, almost guilty. Tommy was making an effort to repair their relationship and all the while she was deceiving him. She wound her alarm clock and set it for seven o'clock the next morning, then got into bed. She was glad the pills knocked her out, she didn't like feeling responsible.

The alarm clock pierced through Rose's sleep and pulled her swiftly awake. She sat up, heart racing at the persistent bell, trying to place the familiar sound. Fred also jumped up, startled and stood barking at the alarm clock. He'd never heard one before – Rose had always been woken by someone at Arrow House. In the next room, Finn banged on the wall. She could hear his muffled shouts.

"Turn that bloody thing off, Rose!"

Between the bell, the barking and the banging, Rose quickly remembered where she was. She reached out and turned off the alarm clock, then shushed Fred. Finn ceased his banging and finally, thankfully, all was quiet again. Fred was delighted to see Rose awake so early and licked her face a few times. Rose smiled and pushed him away. She swung her legs across and sat on the edge of the bed. Work. She was going to work. Groaning, she dropped onto the floor, reached for her pill bottle, shook one into her hand and swallowed it. She was about to put the bottle back when she hesitated. It had taken an awful lot to get this bottle and she couldn't risk anyone finding it. She was fairly confident in her hiding place, but she decided to not put all her eggs in one basket – or rather, all her pills in one bottle. She stood up and opened the wardrobe. Inside was a coat that she hadn't worn for a while. It still fit her but had never been taken to Arrow House. She reached into the pocket of the coat, took hold of the lining and pulled it inside out. Fred watched curiously, wondering if there was a treat for him in there. Rose proceeded to rip a small hold in the pocket, then turn it back inside the coat. She took the bottle and carefully tipped two thirds of the pills into the pocket where they fell through the hole and settled inside the hem of the coat between the lining and the woolen outer fabric. Putting the bottle back in its hiding place, she got dressed in what she thought were clothes suitable for work and, after letting Fred out and making a cup of tea for herself and bowl of food for Fred, set off for her first full day's work in a long time. She took Fred with her for moral support.

Climbing the steps to Tommy's offices, she stopped in front of the doors and took a deep breath. She was glad of the pill which took the edge off her anxiety. She had no idea what to do in this job but definitely didn't want to lose face. She hoped she would pick it up easily enough. She also knew that Lizzie wouldn't have much patience with her and knew she'd deserve it. Maybe she'd somehow be able to make up for being so rude to her. Pushing her shoulders back and her chin out, she opened the door and went in. Lizzie looked up at her and smiled wryly.

"I'm amazed you were able to find your way, Rose, it's been so long since you're been here."

Rose smiled briefly and took the shot. Then Lizzie spotted Fred and sighed dramatically.

"Why is that dog here? You can't bring a dog to work."

"He'll be no trouble, Lizzie. I can't leave him on his own all day."

Lizzie shook her head but resisted arguing. She nodded her head towards Tommy's office.

"He wants to see you."

Rose's stomach lurched. She'd half expected it, but was wary of the things he'd want to talk about.

"Why?"

"How would I know, Rose? Just go on in. And don't take the dog."

Rose settled Fred in a corner and headed towards Tommy's office. She took another deep breath and knocked on the door. There was a short pause before she heard, "Come." She pushed open the door and stepped nervously into the office, closing the door behind her.

Tommy was sat at his desk working. He looked up briefly as she entered, gestured vaguely at the chair opposite his desk and focused back on his work. Rose walked over to his desk, stepped up onto the platform and sat on the chair in front of him. Tommy continued writing and Rose knew he was keeping her waiting for a reason. She closed her eyes briefly and felt her mind swimming slightly as the pill continued to work. Opening her eyes, she looked above Tommy's head at the picture of him on Grace's Secret. Suddenly she was back at the Epsom Derby in the tent with May. She could smell the hay and the horses, feel the anticipation of the race. Then she was in the beer tent, surrounded by the smell of alcohol and the sound of people laughing. She could see Polly and Campbell in the telephone booth, so close to one another. She heard the gunshot and flinched. Closing her eyes, she could see the bloodstain on the front of Polly's dress, but looking behind her, it wasn't Campbell on the floor, it was John.

"Rose!"

Her eyes shot open and she looked straight into Tommy's blue eyes which were looking at her worriedly. She blinked a few times, working hard to ground herself.

"What's the matter?"

She sat up straight. "Nothing."

His voice softened. "Where were you?"

She frowned, annoyed at his concern. "Nowhere. I'm waiting for you to decide when you're ready to speak to me."

He sat back and looked at her, deciding not to pursue the issue. He'd called her name three times; she'd definitely been somewhere else in her mind. But now wasn't the time.

"It's good to see you in work."

She didn't answer, not sure if it was a genuine comment or an attempt to make a point. Tommy continued.

"Michael will need all the help he can get now that he's in hospital recovering and you will play an important role in providing that help. I want you to spend a lot of your time with him there, helping him in any way necessary to do his job."

Rose nodded. That made sense. And being at the hospital meant that she was away from the scrutinising eyes of both Tommy and Lizzie.

"The rest of the time you'll do whatever Lizzie asks you to do, but all of your responsibilities will concern our legitimate business."

She nodded again.

"And let me remind you again – now that you are working in an official capacity for The Shelby Company Limited, you will not attend or in any way affiliate with Jessie Eden or the Communist Party. Is that understood?"

"I told you, I was only there to see …"

"Is that understood?"

"Yes, Thomas."

He leant forward and picked up his cigarette case. "Good."

She watched him light a cigarette and wondered if the meeting was over.

"Can I go now?"

He blew out the smoke and squinted at her through it. "No"

Her stomach dropped to her shoes but she kept her expression unreadable and waited for him to carry on.

"One of Lizzie's girls was doing the books for the Garrison this morning and brought something to her attention which Lizzie then brought to mine."

All of Rose's concentration went on reacting as naturally as she possibly could. She hoped her expression was one of vague interest. She didn't say anything.

"The books are down fifteen pounds."

She allowed a slight eyebrow raise. "Really?"

"Mmm. The Garrison's never been down that much before. None of my pubs have."

"Yeah, well, it's a lot of money."

Tommy nodded lazily. "It is. I'm wondering how it could have happened." He leant back in his chair, propped his elbow up on the arm and played with the cigarette with his thumb. "Do you have any idea, Rose?"

A wave of nausea came over Rose. She knew he knew. She should just confess and get it over with. But the Shelby genes were too strong and Rose couldn't help but play the game. She shrugged as nonchalantly as she could.

"Maybe Lizzie's girl counted wrong."

He shook his head. "Lizzie's girls don't miscount."

"Well then, George must have misplaced it or something. Did anyone check the floor? Maybe he dropped it."

Tommy took a pull of his cigarette as he regarded her. He was almost enjoying Rose's attempts as deflection. He pretended to think about her suggestions.

"I'm afraid that George is at fault. But I don't think he's misplaced it; I think he's placed it very deliberately in his own pocket."

Rose frowned. George would be in big trouble if Tommy thought he'd stolen from the pub. On the other hand, so would she. Maybe a scapegoat would be a good solution.

"Maybe. But could you prove it?"

He shrugged. "Wouldn't need to if it's the only explanation."

She shifted nervously. "So, what will happen to him?"

At that moment, there was a knock on the door and Lizzie stepped in. "He's here, Tommy."

"Send him in."

Rose was confused. Who was here? She didn't have to wait long to find out as Lizzie moved aside for George to enter the office, looking terrified. Lizzie went out and closed the door behind her, leaving him standing there still, not knowing what to do. Tommy stood up and beckoned him forward.

"Come and sit down, George. Thank you for coming in."

George hurried forward and sat down quickly, not wanted to seem reluctant to obey. He twisted his hat in his hands and looked worriedly between Rose and Tommy. He had no idea why he was there. Rose was feeling distinctly uncomfortable. The last thing she wanted was to look her scapegoat in the eye as he was being sacrificed. Tommy sat back down and got straight to the point.

"George, the count was down fifteen pounds last night."

George blanched. His life flashed before his eyes. Every employee of the Peaky Blinders lived in fear of being accused of stealing from them. He shook his head and opened and closed his mouth but couldn't form any words. Rose watched him and wanted the floor to open up and swallow her. Tommy let him squirm for a while as he smoked.

"Any idea how that could have happened, George?"

George continued to shake his head vigorously. "I don't know, Mr Shelby. I have no idea. I didn't do anything different, I swear."

Tommy nodded comfortingly, a benevolent boss. "But the count is down, George. And I have to find out how." His eyes flickered over to Rose then back to George. "You didn't drop it on the floor, did you?"

George looked utterly confused. "No, Mr Shelby. All the cash goes straight into the till, I make sure of it."

Tommy pursed his lips. "So, how do you not know where the fifteen pounds are then?"

George was sweating now. Great beads of moisture covered his forehead and he pulled at his collar. "I really don't know, Mr. Shelby, I swear. I was behind the bar all night and I …" He stopped suddenly, his eyes opening wide as he stared at Tommy. He'd remembered something. Rose knew exactly what he'd remembered. Tommy tilted his head to one side.

"George? Was there something you wanted to say?"

The sweat dripped down George's face and he stole a glance across at Rose. He had no idea how to handle this. Was he supposed to snitch on one Shelby to another? He said nothing, his chest raising and falling heavily as he struggled with the corner he was backed into. Rose felt his struggle acutely. She knew why he wasn't saying anything and the guilt overwhelmed her. Yet still she didn't speak up. Humbling herself and owning up to what she did in front of Tommy and George was a paralyzing thought. She stayed silent. Tommy cast a glance at her and realised what she was doing. He clenched his jaw and looked back at George.

"Alright George, enough's enough. As far as I'm concerned, the money went in your pocket. There is no other explanation and, unless you can give me one … well, you know what's next."

George was practically crying now. He sat forward on the very edge of his chair and put his hands together, pleading with Tommy.

"Please, Mr Shelby, it wasn't me. I swear. It wasn't. I'd never steal from you. Please, I have a new-born baby. He's only three weeks old."

Tommy slammed his hands down on the desk and stood up, leaning forward. "Last chance, George. What happened?"

George stammered and looked at Rose, pleading with her now. Rose found the sight of the grown man with tears of desperation in his eyes next to her unbearable. She looked at Tommy who was looking at George furiously and let out a breath. She spoke quietly.

"Stop it, Thomas."

"Stop what, Rose?"

"This pantomime. Leave the poor man alone."

George looked between them wishing he was anywhere but here.

"Why would I do that, Rose? Eh? He's stolen from me."

She glared at him, knowing what he wanted from her.

"He didn't steal from you."

"And how would you know that?"

She sighed and did what had been inevitable since the moment she'd walked into the room. She confessed.

"Because I stole it."