It was a few days before Lily's first birthday when Freddie died. Consumption was taking a lot of people but we never thought it would take one of ours. It didn't help that he refused to go to the hospital when he was taken ill.
The cemetery was cold and although we were all bundled up in coats, hats and scarves, Lily still squirmed in my arms as Tommy stepped up to the grave. I rocked her gently as he began to speak. "I promised my friend, Freddie Thorne, that'd I'd say a few words over his grave if he should pass before me. I made this promise before he became me brother-in-law, when we were in France, fighting for the King." Tommy began. "Amen." Arthur muttered beside me. "And in the end, it wasn't war that took Freddie." Tommy continued as Lily began to cry in my arms. John reached down beside me, lifting her from my arms. "Come here. Sh-sh-sh." he whispered, placing her on his side and wiping away her tears. "Pestilence took him. But Freddie passed on his soul and his spirit to a new generation before he was cruelly taken." Lily continued to cry in Johns arms, despite his reassuring hand on the side of her head and his thumb stroking her curls.
After the funeral, Ada passed me Karl to hold before she wandered off with Tommy. The boy was calm and quickly began playing with a loose curl hanging in front of him. I knew what Tommy wanted to talk to her about and when I saw Polly joining them I knew Ada wasn't interested. I smiled back at the babies as they babbled at each other, having their own private conversation as John and Arthur spoke beside us.
I watched as Ada walked back over to us, giving me a small smile as she took Karl from my arms. John and Arthur had taken Lily to the cars to give us some privacy. "Are you sure you don't want to stay?" I asked her. "Lily really misses you and Karl." I added. "I need to go home, Evie. This isn't my home anymore." she replied. I nodded at her. "I know. I miss you. Come visit more often." I told her, pulling her in for a hug.
As we embraced I could see over her shoulder a man pulling up on a bike next to the cars. I slowly pulled away from Ada as Arthur went and spoke to him before calling Tommy to him. "Get home safe, Ada." I told her bringing my attention back to my sister and rubbing her arm. She nodded. "I'll see you soon." she promised before walking back through the graveyard, away from me and her family.
Tommy had called a family meeting for that evening. I had just got Lily to sleep in her pram in the living room when I went to join them, making sure I was close to the door to hear her if she woke up. Finn went to leave. "Sit down, Finn." Arthur told him lowly. I looked at Arthur for a moment and when I looked back at Finn he was watching me. I nodded once, indicating he should sit. Uncle Charlie and Curly were stood by the table and John and Polly were stood in the doorway, watching and I could tell John was getting impatient as he checked his pocket watch.
John crossed his arms. "Where the bloody hell is Tommy?" he asked Polly. Things were tense between the two and I knew it was because of how little Tommy had told anyone about the potential expansion to London. "He's on his way." she told him, monotone and not looking at him. "While we're waiting patiently.." Arthur said, standing. He picked up a crate of bottles from the floor and put it on the table. "Whiskey. Left over from the explosion." he explained. John came and sat beside me, squeezing my thigh as he sat. Charlie and John helped themselves to a glass while Arthur passed one to me.
After downing his drink, John stood. "Right, before Tommy gets here, there's a few things we need to get straight between us." he said, watching me as I looked up at him. "You think?" Polly questioned, finally turning to look into the room. "Yeah." he responded after a long moment. "Yeah, I do. I want to know when did we all take a vote on this expansion south?" he questioned, looking around as Polly walked into the room. "You have anything to say, you wait for Thomas." she told him, lowly. "Polly is fucking right." Arthur added.
John and I had been discussing this for the last few weeks and had planned to bring it up with Tommy here as well. "John and I see all the books. Legal and off-track. We see the stuff you don't see. In the past year, the Shelby Company Limited has been making 150 pounds a day." I told them, looking around the room at their reactions. "150 pounds a fucking day." John emphasised beside me.
Arthur and Polly looked at each other. "Sometimes more. So what I want to know is why are we changing things? Polly, look what's happened already. We haven't even set foot in London yet, they've already blown up our pub." John told them. "Who said anything about the Cockneys?" Arthur asked. "Who else?" I asked. "You know who did it, do you?" Polly asked me, giving me a hard look. "No, I don't know who did it." I told her, confused at her hostility towards me. We all heard the door open and close. There was a pause where he must've been looking in Lily's pram before he came in, walking round the table until he was opposite John and I.
"You have concerns, Eves?" Tommy asked me, lighting a cigarette and leaning against the door frame. "We both do." John answered for me. Tommy watched me for a moment, ignoring John. "Stand up and tell us your concerns, Evelyn." he instructed. I stood, keeping my eyes on him as I spoke. "We are a family first, we always have been. And London is dangerous. More dangerous than Birmingham. John and I can't just be thinking of ourselves anymore. We have a daughter, Tommy. That precious little girl in there with Shelby eyes that could get her killed if you enter us into a war. I love you, Thomas. We all do, but I want her to grow up happy. I want her to grow up with her father and her uncles around her. I can't shake the feeling that London is just smoke and trouble." I explained, watching his reaction closely.
John crossed his arms beside me. "That was a lot of words." Arthur said and my eyes flickered to him. "A lot of words. Wash them down with a nice drink." he added, filling my glass up and handing a full glass to Tommy. "Thank you, Evie." Tommy said before emptying his glass. "Firstly, the bang in the pub had nothing to do with London." Tommy started, placing his glass on the table. "The bang is something I'm dealing with on my own. Secondly, we have nothing to fear from the business expansion so long as we stick together. After the first few weeks, nine-tenths of what we do in London will be legal. The other tenth is in good hands. Isn't that right Arthur?" Tommy explained. "That's right." Arthur nodded. "Some of you in this room have expressed your reservations. Fair enough. Any of you who want no part in the future of this company, walk out the door." he said. I know that bit was aimed at John and I and looking to my side we both knew what our decisions were. "Those of you with ambition, the expansion process begins tomorrow." he told us, stubbing out his cigarette.
I rolled my eyes at the obvious ending to the meeting and turned to go through to the living room. I stopped at Lily's pram resting a hand on the handle and watching her sleep peacefully, dark curls a mess around her and fist slowly clenching and unclenching. Someone came in behind me. "I know you are worried about London." Tommy told me as he came to stand next to me. "And I understand why. But you've got to understand that we will not let anything happen to you or Lil." he assured me. "You can't promise that, Tommy. You can't promise our safety or Johns or Finns or Adas. While this is going on we will be in constant danger." I said, looking up at him as he watched Lily.
"This family will follow you to the ends of the Earth, Tom. You know that." I told him. He chuckled and I frowned at him as he looked at me, confused. "That's what Polly used to say about you. She used to say that you had us all wrapped around your little finger." he told me, a smirk on his face. I scoffed. "If only that was still true." I muttered turning back to Lily. "It's more true than you think." he whispered beside me.
I looked back at him and went to ask him what he was talking about when John walked in. "Everything alright?" he asked, looking between us. "Fine, John. I was just inviting Eves to London with us tomorrow. She could do with a night off." Tommy said, taking a step towards John and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, you can get Tommy to get us a fancy hotel room." John grinned. I rolled my eyes at the pair. "I guess I'm coming to London tomorrow then." I smiled.
"All right. Tommy's here!" Arthur shouted from outside. It was the next morning and John had already dropped Lily off with Polly. "Hang on!" I rested my forehead on Johns shoulder as he shouted back. "I told you we didn't have enough bloody time." I laughed as he pulled out of me. "We would've if you hadn't insisted on taking all my fucking clothes off." John laughed, picking up his shirt from the kitchen floor. "John! Evie!" we could hear Tommy shout as I fastened my stockings to their clips and hopped off the table. "We're coming!" John shouted slipping into his waistcoat. He captured my lips to his as I looked up at him, a passionate kiss with the promise of later.
We went to the door, John picking up our coats and overnight bag as we went. "Trousers!" I whispered as he opened the door. He chuckled before doing them up while stepping out onto the street. "Polly told you you wouldn't have enough time." Tommy said, opening the car door for me as John put my coat around my shoulders. "I had plenty of time, she's the one that fucking takes ages." John told them, laughing. I rolled my eyes as I got in. "That's because you don't do it right." I countered. "Get in the fucking car." Arthur told him, interrupting whatever retort he was going to come back with. "Shut up." John countered before climbing in next to me. Arthur got in last as Tommy started the engine. Arthur stood as Tommy started down the road. "Right! The Peaky Blinders are going on fucking holiday!" he shouted. "Sit down, you mad bastard." John shouted at him, pulling the edge of his coat so he would sit. I laughed, settling in for the long journey as John took my hand in his, entwining our fingers.