John and I arrived last to the meeting. Arthur, Ada, Aunt Polly, Scud-boat, Lovelock, the Miller twins and Tommy were already there, waiting in the kitchen for us. Tommy was stood next to the fire and Polly, Ada and Arthur were sat around the table. Everyone had a drink in front of them or in their hands. I eyed Arthur, who looked particularly intoxicated, as I walked around the table, and took a seat in between Ada and Aunt Pol. John came and stood behind me, leaning on the back of my chair.
"Now everyone has decided to join us, why don't you tell us why we are all here." Polly gave John and I a pointed look. "I called this meeting because I got some news. From Ireland." Arthur began. I could feel Tommys presence shift beside me, I knew his concentration was not on me but Arthur.
Unsurprisingly, I could smell the alcohol on Arthurs breath from where I was sat. "Nipper and Henry got back from Belfast last night. They were buying a stallion to cover their mares." The twins nodded as Arthur gestured to them. "They were in a pub in Shankhill Road yesterday and there was a copper handing out these." He passed round the A5 flyer, handing it to Ada first. John unceremoniously snatched it out of her hands. "If you're over five feet and can fight, come to Birmingham." John reads out loud before passing it to me. "They're recruiting Protestant Irishmen to come over here as Specials." Arthur explained as I handed the flyer beside me to Tommy. "To do what?" Ada asked, sounding nervous. "To clean up the city." Tommy responded. Arthur looked surprised by Tommy's knowledge. That is not a good sign.
Tommy moved towards the table, now addressing the group. "He's a Chief Inspector. The last four years he's been clearing the IRA out of Belfast…." Tommy began to explain. You could feel the tension rise in the room. "How do you know so bloody much?" Arthur demanded, defensively. "Because I asked the coppers on our payroll." Tommy replied, matter of fact. "Why didn't you tell me?" Arthur questioned. "I'm telling you." Tommy responded.
I could tell that Polly was not happy beside me. She was staring at Tommy. "So why are they sending him to Birmingham?" she asked, in a level but lethal voice. Arthur went to speak but took a swig of his drink instead. Tommy moved to the head of the table. "There have been a lot of strikes at the Austen works and the BSA factory lately. Papers are talking about sedition. Revolution. I reckon it's Communists he's after." Tommy explained. Polly continued to stare at him and Tommy stared back. I fought the urge to move my chair away from them and shared a look with Ada. "So this copper will leave us alone, right?" Polly asked. "There are Irishmen in Green Lanes who left Belfast to get away from him. They say Catholic men who crossed him used to disappear in the night." Tommy told us all. John quickly stood straight. "Yeah but we ain't IRA. We bloody fought for the King." John said. "Anyway, we're Peaky Blinders. We're not scared of coppers. If they come for us, we'll cut them a smile each." He concluded. Some of the people in the room snigger, Tommy, Arthur and Polly are quiet while I rolled my eyes. Tommy screws up the flyer, "We're just all going to have to be more careful. That's all." He stepped over to the fire and threw the flyer in.
He turned to Arthur, "So Arthur, is that it?" he asked. Arthur nodded at him, the whiskey he had been drinking the entire meeting clearly having an effect on him. Polly stood beside me. "This family does everything open. You have nothing more to say to this meeting, Tommy?" she questioned. I looked at Tommy, he was staring back at Polly defiantly but I knew him, he was hiding something. "Nothing that's women's business." He told her. I scoffed and stood up next to Polly. "This whole bloody enterprise was "women's business" while you boys were away at war. What's changed?" I challenged him, my temper flaring. I looked behind me at John who was conveniently avoiding my gaze. Tommy didn't even spare me a glance as he gestured around him. "We came back." He responded simply before quickly heading for the door, Arthur following. This meeting was clearly over.
The next day, Finn, Polly, Ada and I were sat in the kitchen having lunch when John burst in carrying a very bloody Arthur. I stood up quickly and turned to Finn. "Go find Tommy, tell him we need alcohol." I told him and shooed him out the door. John had lowered him into a chair by time I turned back to the scene. Ada started to boil some water and John and Polly were trying to clean him up. "John, wipe the blood out of his eye." Ada commanded. "Since when did you give orders?" John questions, defiantly. "I'm a trained nurse." She replied while squeezing the cloth out that she had in her hands. That earned a round of chuckles from the room.
"Don't make me laugh, it hurts my face." Arthur groaned, Polly had started applying bandages to his hand. "I bloody am!" Ada defended. "You and Evie went to one first aid class in the church hall and got thrown out for giggling." John reminded her. I laughed at the memory. I still wasn't sure why Aunt Polly signed us up for that, I don't know what she was expecting to happen. "Not before learning how to stop somebody from choking." Ada told them, gently wiping away the blood from Arthurs forehead with a cloth. Arthur looked confused. "I'm not choking." He told her. "You will be when I wrap this cloth round your neck." She threatened. I stifled another laugh and took over boiling the water.
The mood darkened instantly when Tommy walked in. He quickly went to work with the bottle of rum he bought and a cloth. Arthur took a swig of the rum, grimacing at the stinging. "He said Mr Churchill sent him to Birmingham." Arthur told Tommy, knowing we could all hear. I took the bowl of boiling water over to the table. "National interest, he said. He said there'd been a robbery." He continued. Polly turned sharply to glare at Tommy. She knows something and, judging by the look she is giving him, so does he. "He said he wants us to help him." Arthur told us. "We don't help coppers." John said, clearly offended. "He knew all about our war records. He said we're patriots like him." I soaked another cloth and handed it to Ada, taking the bloody one off her to rinse. "He said he wants us to be his eyes and ears." Arthur continued, gently pushing Ada aside and fixating on Tommy. "I told him we'd have a family meeting and a vote." He finished. Tommy and Arthur stared at each other, neither wanting to be the first one to move.
Arthur broke first, taking another painful mouthful from the bottle of rum. "Why not? We have no truck with communists. Or Fenians." Arthur continued. Everyone stayed silent. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Polly, what is wrong with him lately?" Arthur shouted, growing angry at the lack of response from his brother. Polly looked at Tommy. "If I knew, I'd buy the cure from Compton's Chemists." She replied. Tommy had had enough. He grabbed his coat. "Arthur, you're broken up pretty bad." He said, pulling on his coat and leaving. Arthur was not happy, Polly was not happy. "Tommy!" Polly shouted after him. John and I shared a look. Something is going on that we don't know about.
The next night, I had just finished counting the days takings when John walked through the front door. "Just getting finished up here then I will be ready." I told him, jotting the final numbers in the big book and shutting it with a thud. "Can you put this in the safe while I grab my coat?" I asked John, he faked a sigh of exasperation but did what I asked. I ducked into Johns office to pick up my coat from the coat hook, pulling my hair down from it's tight bun as I went. "I don't like you working here late alone." He called to me. I rolled my eyes as I put my coat on while walking back to the main room, running a hand through my newly free curls. "It's fine." I assured him, walking over to give him a kiss on the cheek. I smiled up at him as he put an arm around my shoulders, kissed the side of my head and we walked towards the door. He locked the door behind us and we joined Tommy on the street, we walked in silence towards the Garrison and could hear the music and noise from the end of the road.
John and I went in first, the noise instantly quieting but not going completely silent as we looked around. It was a busy night and a makeshift stage had been created beside the piano. I watched the blond barmaid as she sung a song to the now quiet bar. I felt Tommy stop beside me and I knew he was also fixated on the Irish woman. The pianist stopped playing. But the barmaid continued to sing. Her voice faltered slightly but she kept going. John eyed Tommy over the top of my head, waiting for an indication of how he should be reacting. I couldn't fight a small smile as I rested my head on his chest, my hand coming up to rest on his stomach. He tightened his arm around me but I know he is still waiting for Tommy's indication. Eventually, the song ended. Harry was brave, or stupid, enough to speak up. "We haven't had singing in here since the war." he stated, looking at our group. Tommy glared back at him. "Why do you think that is?" Tommy questioned, but before he could answer went into the snug to our right. John and I followed him in and the door slammed behind us.
A/N What did you guys think of Chapter 2? Do you like Evie and Johns relationship so far? Let me know!