9 May 1919

The door to the Garrison was heavy as Elizabeth pushed it open, the paint splintering slightly against her shoulder. Inside the lights flowed dimly and a warmth spread through her, a soothing respite from the bitter weather outside. Her footsteps echoed as she crossed the floor of the empty room. Harry Fenton looked up from his cleaning in annoyance, only to notice Elizabeth before him, his face splitting into a grin.

"As I live and breath!' He dropped the mop in his hands to embrace her, "Elizabeth Scott! I never thought I'd see you here again, what are you doing back in this shit hole?" He pressed a kiss to either side of her cheek.

"Do you mean in your pub or in Birmingham?" She asked, grinning at him. Harry laughed earnestly, shaking his head,

"Both, I suppose." Elizabeth put her bag down on the bar so she could help him with the cleaning as she thought, pouring the contents of several heavy tankards into an empty bucket.

"I suppose I don't have an answer for why I'm back in Birmingham, Harry. It's home, I'll always find myself back here" She set the bucket down onto a table and turned, gesturing to the air around her. "For the Garrison, however, I'm back here because I'd like the job that you're advertising for."

At her words, Harry's smile faltered slightly and he leant against his mob, sighing.

"Eliza..." He wiped his brow and cleared his throat. "This pub isn't what it used to be. The men, well, they're different now, and it's never been the safest job, but these days it's worse here than it's ever been. It would be wrong of me to hire you."

"And you'd let any other girl take the job?" She shook her head and laughed in response to her own question. "I started working here when I was fourteen, Harry, so if anyone can deal with this pub now, it's me. I've seen it all, I'm used to it." He watched her in silence, frowning. "And those men you call difficult? I've spent the last four years with them, I think I can cope."

For a minute it seemed like he'd say no again but, reluctantly, he threw up his hands in defeat and nodded.

"Fine, fine, if you say so. I have missed having you around I suppose. So, you'll want your old hours back, will you?"

"My job at the school isn't available anymore, so can I go full time now, like the advert in the paper says."

She'd written to the headteacher of the local school just before she'd returned to Small Heath, the sweet but old Mrs McCarthy, who wore thick, woollen coats even in summer. Elizabeth had inquired after her old job that she'd had before the war, but it had been filled by someone else almost three years ago. The letter back from Mrs McCarthy had hurt. She had adored working with the children through the week, teaching them spelling and painting, watching their smiles as they learnt something new, but a full time job at the Garrison payed more than two lots of part time work she had to tell herself, so it wasn't too much of a loss. As well, her old hours had factored in time to spend with those she loved, and recently it felt like those hours would just end up being spent wasted and alone. Harry wiped his hand on his apron and stuck it out for her to shake.

"Alright then, full time." She clasped his hand in return, smiling.

"Thank you Harry."

"Don't you thank me yet Eliza, just wait till you finish your first shift tomorrow and we'll see what you say then." He seemed annoyed at himself for giving her the job, but didn't say anymore on the subject.

"I'll see you tomorrow then."

She hugged him one final time and picked her bag back up, heading back out to face the harsh weather. Elizabeth had pushed the door open when she faltered for a beat, turning back to look inside. The Garrison had changed, she'd noticed.

"Harry, where has the bandstand gone?" He looked up at here from the behind the bar, a sad smile on his face.

"There's not been any music since they got back Eliza, it was a waste of space to have it up, I'm sorry"

"I loved it when they played music."

"I know." Harry said softly, a pitiful look in his eyes.

Elizabeth felt a sudden urge to cry, and had to bite her cheek to stop it. She turned back around and left, letting the door bang shut behind her.

10 May 1919

Inspector Campbell found the metal bench in the park easy enough, concealed off the main path in a terraced circle, surrounded by thick Evergreens and twisting Ivy bushes. It was dark here and the air was damp, alive with the smell of pine and mud. He waited, silently, on the bench for a few minutes before a second person emerged from the gap in the trees, sitting down beside him. Campbell was the first to break the quiet.

"My men from Ireland arrived today, so the force is now largely made up of those loyal to the Crown, not traitors and cowards. Tomorrow we plan on introducing ourselves to the Peaky Blinders, do you know where we would find Arthur Shelby Jr."

He turned to look at the person sat beside him, who was nervously wringing their hands.

"I heard him talking to some ladies he was drinking with today, he wants to take them to the pictures." Harry Fenton said, studying his feet. "He likes to be alone in the theatre and he likes to go on Saturdays, so they'll be there tomorrow."

"Thank you." Campbell clapped the bartender on the shoulder, "I'm sure I don't need to remind you of the importance of you keeping silent about what I tell you, yes?"

Harry nodded.

"Very good. I have one more question for you today Mr Fenton, before you go. I've heard that a woman arrived in Birmingham two days ago, late in the evening, and that you gave her a job in your pub, is that correct?"

"It is Sir," he swallowed thickly,

"And do you know this woman, Mr Fenton?" Harry hesitated before he answered, looking up at Inspector Campbell.

"I do, she's a nice girl, Inspector. I've known her since she was little, she's never done no harm."

"Why would you say that?" Chester narrowed his eyes suspiciously, pushing his hat further up his head so he could see more easily.

"It's only because, Sir, well, she's quite involved with the Shelby family, Sir." Fenton coughed, his hand shaking. "And I don't want you to get the wrong impression about her, she's never done no harm, like I said, she's not like them."

"Any man, woman or child involved with these Blinders, is like them, Mr Fenton. There's no difference. I was led to believe I could rely on you, that you wanted these thugs, these criminals, gone from your streets just as much as I do. Was I wrong in believing that?"

"No Sir."

"Then remember that this girl is no different from them. Now, tell me what you know about her, and we'll see how we can make use of her proximity to you."

"Her name is Elizabeth Scott, Inspector. Her mother and Polly Grey, the Shelby's aunt, were close friends, grew up in the same area I think, and when Eliza's mother died seventeen, no, sorry, eighteen years ago-"

"You're confident it was eighteen years ago? In 1901, yes? And how old was Miss Scott then?" Chester Campbell had a notebook out and was scribbling in it as the story went along.

"Yes, 1901, I'm sure. And she would have been, uh, six I think."

"So she was born in 1895, Mr Fenton?" Harry nodded, "continue please,"

"Well, after that, Polly became much like a mother to them."

"Them?"

"Oh right, sorry. Elizabeth and George, her older brother, they were looked after by Polly; their father was a good man but he had to work a lot to support the family, so it was Polly who cared for them. She introduced them to her brother's kids, the Shelby's that is, some people around their age for company, a distraction, I remember her saying to me. Elizabeth and John Shelby were in the same class at school so that made it easier, though the two never got along."

Harry laughed then, smiling.

"I remember they used to mess up my pub all the time, shouting and fighting, good kids."

He noticed the Inspector's narrowed eyes and blushed, coughing and returning to the topic.

"It was around then, must have been anyway, that Eliza met Tommy-Thomas Shelby. The two became close friends and after that the Scotts and the Shelbys were always together, you'd see them all around town, or at the Garrison, the kids playing down Watery Lane, so they were like one big family.

"After the death of the Shelby's mother in 'o-nine, and then Eliza's father in twelve, George, her brother, and the Shelby brothers, that's when they started their fighting and their bookkeeping. It wasn't new, exactly, but it was properly serious now and I know her brother was involved right in the thick of it, since he was basically one of the boys already. The lot of them were orphans, more or less, no parents left to support them, so they had to do things themselves. Sometime round then as well, was when Eliza and Tommy started, well, they..."

Harry trailer off, scratching the back of his neck and tilting his head in confusion.

"They what, Mr Fenton? What are you trying to say?"

"It's a bit complicated, is all, Sir. I was gonna say that's when the two became a couple, you know, but see they weren't really, actually, a couple. See everyone thought they were, but I'd hear Eliza complaining to the girls at the bar about it and well..."

He sighed, rubbed his eyes and continued again,

"To put it simple, Inspector, they were as close to a couple as you can get without any of the, pardon my bluntness, but without anything of an intimate nature, you understand?"

Inspector Campbell raised his eyebrows, and scoffed.

"Thank you Mr Fenton, I understand, continue."

"Well, that's more or less the end Sir. War came around not much later, took all the boys off." Harry looked then at Inspector Campbell with an odd gleam in his eye. "That is to say, Sir, most of the boys."

Campbell glared back at him.

"Anyway, her brother died within the first few months, December 1914, sad time that. She quit her job at the Garrison then and by the new year she was off in France, not sure where though, serving as a nurse."

"She served as a nurse? A VAD nurse, is that right?" The inspector looked almost shocked,

"Yeah, it is. Look, Inspector, I know you said all that about them being criminals, which of course is, uh, it's true, but it was really quite sad, if you don't mind me saying. The end of it all, that is. I remember the last time I saw her, when she told me she was quitting, there weren't tears or anything, she just looked exhausted, miserable. She looked invisible. She'd lost all her family by then Inspector, everyone, none of her blood was left. She had the Shelbys, of course, but that's not quite the same, is it, Inspector, not quite the same as kin"

Campbell didn't respond to that, he only watched Fenton, his jaw clenched.

"Well anyway, that's it really. She stayed over there in France, once the war was done, guess coming home wasn't on her mind. We all thought she'd never come back, that she'd move to London, or abroad, maybe even stay in France, they say the South is even more beautiful after everything, but then there she was, in my pub yesterday, looking for her job back. I was so hap- it was good to see her back in there 'cause, uh, because it will help with the case and all, Sir, so it was good. That's about it then Inspector, unless you have any more questions?"

"What about now, Mr Fenton? What's her stand with the Shelbys now that she's returned, with Thomas Shelby specifically?" Campbell had put his notebook back into his coat, but he still sat watching Harry.

"I couldn't say, Sir. Don't see why she wouldn't still be close with them, the young Shelby and 'specially Polly, she's like her mother and all, but I'm not sure what will happen between Tommy and Eliza. All I can say, Inspector, is that there's been no engagement announcement, no talk of it, and I was making conversation this morning with some ladies who know all that gossip, sometimes even before it's been said, you know those kind of ladies, Inspector Campbell? Anyway, my point is, after more than four years apart, you'd think there might be some talk of that, even a little whispering, would you not? That's all."

"Thank you Fenton, I'll see you again, sometime soon." Harry nodded, scratching his head and hesitating slightly, like there was something he wanted to say, before he got up from the bench and left.

Campbell was alone then, so he took advantage of the quiet, the soft hush of the wind through the trees and the gentle patter of rain, gathering his thoughts. He was annoyed he hadn't heard of Elizabeth before this, confused as to why a sweetheart of one of the Shelby boys wouldn't turn up on records, especially one as close to the family as this. He had unearthed a lot about John's wife, Martha, and he'd known about the Shelby's parents without Fenton mentioning it himself, but nothing about this, about her.

A volunteer nurse as well, he thought. It made him grind his teeth. He already suffered enough in that regard, he'd seen the looks some of the officers gave him, the names they called men like him. Knowing the Shelby men had served in the war, had won medals, it was an annoyance he didn't need, and now he had to deal with a nurse as well- a woman. He could only hope it would work to his advantage, however. Hope that she wasn't as loyal as she sounded, that something had happened since she'd gone that might make her willing to talk, and working alongside Harry Fenton in the Garrison would certainly help un-earth anything she knew about these gangs and the missing weaponry, he prayed. He couldn't help but wonder about her, though. A young woman, a woman who had served, who Fenton seemed to care about. He had said she was nice, that she wasn't like them. What was a woman like that doing with these boys? How could she be involved with criminals if she was so willing to help people?

Stop this foolery, he had to scold himself, it doesn't matter if she's just flown down from heaven, she's a Peaky Blinder and that's enough for Elizabeth Scott to deserve to swing from a rope beside them.

hope you enjoyed this! i know its quite a crude way of going about it, but i really wanted to get her character and her history explained

e x

(07/05/2020)