Chapter 124
"Well, you seem to have survived your first day back," Tommy remarked to Lily as she came to a stop before where he sat on the wall opposite the school, "Alright was it?"
She shrugged, "'S'pose so."
"You glad to be back?"
A frown and a violent shake of the head.
"That'll be your bibaxt sorted then, won't it?"
"What's bibaxt?"
"Bad karma. World's always got to be in balance or things go wrong, Lily," he told her, stubbing out his cigarette and holding out his hands which she slipped hers into, "So what you put out you get back, to keep it all equal. You didn't behave for Aunt Polly yesterday, didn't do your worksheets so you got made to come back to school today where you didn't get not to do them, eh? Whereas if you'd behaved yesterday you might have got baxt - good karma. Might have got yourself another day at home if Rosie had thought you could have it without it stopping your learning."
"How do I put out enough baxt to not need to do any learning?"
He fought a laugh, that sounded like something John might have asked back in his day.
"Doesn't work like that, my little love," he told her, squeezing her hands in his, "If you did no learning you'd be putting more stupid out in the world - and there's no use in that at all, so that'd get you a string of bibaxt for all your days."
"That's not fair!"
"It's not about fair," he grinned, "It's about balance. Now - did you behave yourself even if you didn't feel glad to be there?"
She nodded, looking a little nervous.
"Good girl - so, even though it's November, how would you feel about ice cream, eh?"
She looked a little doubtful, something of Rosie clouding her face for a second before she asked, "Can we go to the tea rooms?"
He laughed, "Warmer, you reckon?"
She nodded and he cast an eye over her - Rosie had replaced last year's boots with new ones a few weeks ago, but her coat was still the one he'd bought her when they'd first come to Watery Lane.
She hadn't outgrown it at all, if anything she'd grown into it. Last year the sleeves had needed to be folded back to let her hands come out of them, Rosie had stitched them up and that same stitching had been unplucked now.
Her fingers, exposed as they were even in the new longer arms, didn't feel too cold in his, but it didn't stop him asking, "You warm enough in that coat?"
She nodded.
"You sure?"
"Uhuh."
It wasn't as if it was worn away and threadbare either… No, he knew Rosie, from a practical point of view, was quite right that there was no real need for a new coat. But still, something in him wanted her to have one, whether she needed it or not. But Rosie would have him if he returned with one, he reckoned.
"We'd better get you some gloves anyway - not having you holding these sparklers tomorrow night with your bare hands."
He'd gone that morning to the town to secure the things after he'd taken Lily to school, and when he'd brought them home, Rosie had seemed to somewhat regret suggesting them.
"That's an awfully short handle for the top bit being on fire!" she'd said, holding it up and looking aghast.
A lot of the time he thought she worried overmuch, but he'd been a little concerned looking at the things himself. They'd always had a fire, when he'd been a kid - but the fireworks they'd had had been whatever could be bought with what had been scraped together by the street or what could be successfully stolen, and neither the budget nor the purloining of goods had ever resulted in sparklers for all of them. They'd not realised they were missing out of course, they hadn't known any different.
A smile flickered over his face remembering the time Arthur had purloined a bundle of firecrackers from the small hoard when no one'd been looking and the two of them and Freddie had gone about lighting them and throwing them at girls, enjoying their shrieks and the way they jumped. He'd kill anyone he saw throwing them at Lily now. In contrast to his killing instincts, the fact Mrs Thorne had simply grabbed them and twisted their ears when she caught them at it seemed quite soft.
"C'mon then," he said, releasing Lily's hands to slap his own thighs and stand up, pushing the memory away, "Let's go on an expedition - gloves, then we'll see if we can catch the tea rooms before they shut."
"Can Katie come?" Lily asked, looking back over her shoulder at the school building and the kids coming out of it.
"If you can find her," he acquiesced, smiling as she set off back across the road, her head swivelling as kids swarmed around her, his little lone salmon swimming upstream.
God, he couldn't have loved that kid more if she was his flesh and blood.
Find Katie she did - though she seemed less than pleased to have been found.
"How long will it take?" she grumbled when Lily had returned to Tommy with his niece in tow.
"Got plans do you?"
"Maybe."
"Tough, they've just been replaced with this."
She stamped her foot and glared at him as she whined out, "Uncle Tommy! That's not fair!"
"Oh I'm doing you a service here, just you be grateful," he told her, clicking his tongue.
She didn't know the half of it and with the way she tried to rush Lily through picking between the navy or red gloves that Rackham's had in her size, Tommy found himself itching to give her the smacking he was saving her from. Even hissing in her ear that she wouldn't be going to the bonfire if she didn't smarten her attitude up didn't seem to help - though he reckoned she probably thought the same as Finn, that there'd be no bonfire for her either way after the escapade that she was so desperate to be out of town and back in Watery Lane to pursue had happened.
After they were armed with gloves for every kid with the surname Shelby (and Lily herself, of course), plus a nice smart leather pair for Rosie, they made their way to the tea room and Katie's attitude marginally improved when presented with an array of cream cakes. Given that Lily seemed less perturbed once Katie had settled and stopped moaning, he bit his tongue from making any sarcastic remarks about it. He bit it even harder as they made their way back to Small Heath and Katie's pace was far quicker than usual. She tugged on the hand he'd forced her to hold (much to her chagrin), trying to drag him forwards up Green Lane towards home.
He didn't want the kids to realise too quickly that he was onto them - letting them think their plan was going ahead and spoiling it for them at the last minute seemed the best way forward, give them no time to come up with an alternative - but it was working his last nerve just how eager his niece was to go throw herself head first into sneaking after Finn; the way her determination to keep herself abreast of all that was happening in the older kids' world blatantly overruled any concern she might have for her ability to sit comfortably following it. He gripped her hand and yanked her pointedly back to his side, casting her a stern look. He was glad when at least some semblance of worry clouded across her face and she walked in pace with Lily for the rest of the way home - glad he could still cause that with just a look. Though his look wasn't enough to make her give up her plans completely - that was quite obvious from the way she scampered off in the direction of her own house as soon as they were back on Watery Lane, without even really bothering to find an excuse.
"See you tomorrow," Lily called, lifting an arm laden with a carrier bag to wave at her.
Katie shot her a murderous look, glanced to him then shot through her front door, closing it behind her, obviously hoping to kill any questions by getting out of sight.
"Tomorrow?" Tommy asked, raising an eyebrow.
Lily coloured, obviously realising what she'd said - and no doubt remembering what she'd let slip the night before - and shrugged.
"You not going out tonight?"
She shook her head.
"Staying in with me and Rosie, eh?" he said, squeezing her hand, offering her a smile.
She nodded, returning the smile, btu asked "Are you not going to the pub?"
What an odd question.
"Not til after you're abed," he replied, "Why?"
"Finn and Katie say all the men go to the pub on Fridays."
They really did plan everything, the terrors. Though he reckoned, even if neither he nor his brothers were going to the boxing match that night, that the fathers of some of the other kids would be in place of their Friday pub outing. No, even if he stopped his lot going, there'd be kids out the back that night and eating their dinner standing the next.
"Well, I'll be going same as all the other men, but not til after you're asleep so if you're staying in you'll be getting my company," he told her, "As long as that doesn't make you change your mind about staying in?"
She shook her head, her mouth becoming quite a determined looking thin line.
"Glad to hear it," he told her, squeezing her hand and smiling, "And you'd already decided that and told Katie so?"
She nodded, suddenly looking a little unsure, her grim determination faltering, wariness clouding in her eyes.
"Is that why you had such a tantrum about not getting to go out yesterday when Katie came for you, cause you knew you were staying in tonight?" he pushed.
She bit her lip, her cloudy eyes widening. Not a yes, not a no. Maybe it had been, maybe it hadn't. Maybe it had contributed, but wasn't wholly to blame. Well, he wasn't excusing it, regardless. But still, that she'd made the decision she had…
He held her hand as he closed the door of number six behind him, keeping her in place for a second so he could crouch down, meet her eye to eye to tell her, "I'm very proud of you, sweetheart - for having decided you weren't going along with Katie's nonsense - and for telling her so. It takes a big person to stand up to their friend."
She didn't look like she knew how to respond - and he could understand that. His praise presumably meant something. And it was genuine praise - he was proud of her. But she was a child, and that meant there was some part of her that wanted to go along with Katie - wanted to be part of the excitement. It was more the consequences of disobeying him that had made her make her decision, he imagined. But that was the point, wasn't it? And it had worked - had ensured her decision making process had been what he'd want it to be - the one that kept her out of danger. And until she was old enough, cognisant enough, to assess the outcomes of her decisions fully for herself, with a wider view of the world, if a fear of finding herself turned over his knee held sway then so be it, he was glad for it. But it meant there was a pride in his praise, mixed with the disappointment of missing out - and maybe a little flicker of fear if she lingered on the consequences of staving off that disappointment. Added to that, she probably felt guilty too, that she'd let it slip in the first place.
He laid a hand on her cheek, kissed her forehead and said, "You're a good girl, Lily," before standing up straight.
"You were gone longer than expected," Rosie saved her sister from having to answer by appearing in the kitchen doorway, her eyes meeting his, telling him she'd overheard but wasn't going to pry right then.
"We went for cake," Lily explained.
"I hope you left some room for this dinner I'm slaving over," the older sister returned, her voice taking on a slight edge, an eyebrow raising in his direction.
"We went for gloves, mainly," Tommy said, indicating the bag in Lily's hand, "The cake was just an added bonus. And I'm sure the walking there and back means it's a distant memory as far as her stomach's concerned."
"We got you gloves too! Fancy ones!" Lily told her, holding the bag aloft.
"I've got gloves," Rosie replied, her tone softening as she returned Lily's smile before she looked back to him, "Tommy got me gloves and a hat and scarf last year."
"These are fancy ones though," he quoted the child, cocking his head and winking, enjoying the amusement in Rosie's face.
He took the bag from Lily, plucked out the ones wrapped in tissue paper, and gave them to the bab to hand over, his heart full as he watched her toddle across the room, as pleased and excited to give gifts as to receive them.
"These are very fancy," Rosie said, her voice catching for a moment as she pulled back the wrappings.
"They'll protect your hands with the sparklers," Lily said brightly, looking back at him to say, "Isn't that right?"
"Exactly right my little love," he nodded, crossing to join the gathering in the doorway, "We need to keep our queen safe, eh? Can't be having burnt hands."
He hooked his fingers around Rosie's small wrist and brought the back of her hand to his mouth.
She rolled her eyes but he ignored her, running his thumb across the skin he had just kissed, murmuring, "Besides, they'll give you an extra snap if you ever need to slap that Kenneth Maitland you work with," before he released her.
She smiled, tiptoed and kissed his cheek, whispering a soft thank you to him before turning her attention back to the child, crouching down to her level and asking to see the gloves she'd got.
The year before - and his stomach still twisted when he thought on it - he'd bought her and Lily things to find it made her feel inadequate. Made her feel like she'd been selfish to have kept her sister when she hadn't been able to provide material things like he was able to. He remembered well sending her and Pol out for things for her - them coming back and Pol telling him, "We got a bed – eventually. Rackham's are delivering it Saturday." Him asking about the rest for his aunt to snap, "What rest? She doesn't think she needs a coat, or shoes, or clothes of any kind." She hadn't wanted to be his charity case, had insisted she wasn't giving up that job of hers at that damned shop - and that she was going to contribute by cooking for them. She had been so unused to the concept of even basic necessities not being provided for her by her mother that she'd had no idea how to let herself be taken care of - never mind any concept of how to accept gifts. She'd grown up seeing men pay for her mother, he supposed. She'd probably vowed to herself that she'd never be bought.
But she had softened now, enough that she could accept the gloves with reasonable grace. Had softened enough now to be on the receiving end of the care and generosity and kindness she'd always had in her to give when she'd chosen to give it, as hidden as it had been to anyone who didn't know her.
He remembered too from that trip of her and Polly's how they'd brought back bacon for Arthur who'd been asking for it. Remembered Pol saying, "Fucking bacon. That was the only bloody thing she showed any enthusiasm for buying." Rosie'd barely known Arthur then. But she'd been happy to make him happy, had accepted him as one of her new circle, and even as she had shielded parts of herself from that circle, she had extended her generosity, without yet being able to accept the return. The same way she'd taken that boy Peter's caning - but would have had herself bleed and break before allowing anyone to take a blow for her.
That version of Rosie - whose walls had still been built tall enough that they needed breaking down brick by brick - the gloves would have been a fight with her. He swallowed, his throat thick as he thought on how far they'd come.
Back when she was walled in, he'd had rules for Finn and Ada. But the truth of it was, if Finn had been wanting to sneak away to a boxing match - the only way Tommy'd know about it would have been if Pol had told him when she caught him. Cause it wouldn't have been him doing the catching. He hadn't spent his nights at home then.
"Red eh, that's nice and bright," Rosie was saying to Lily of the gloves she had picked.
"Me and Katie got the same ones," Lily told her.
That was nice of you to get Katie some."
"And George and Finn and Jack and Alfie."
"Very generous," Rosie smiled, glancing up to him.
"Safety measure," he said, "Not having burnt skin on my conscience."
She smirked at him, told Lily to go put the bag with the gloves in their room to keep it safe, then stood to watch the child disappear through the green doors before fixing him with a knowing look and saying, "You really are going soft, Thomas."
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Soft was not the word Tommy imagined was describing him in his brother's mind as Finn gaped at him, open mouthed, a forkful of sticky toffee pudding hovering in mid air, apparently forgotten.
"Tommy! Tommy, I can't!"
"You can and you will," Tommy replied calmly, sitting back from his empty plate and lighting a cigarette, inhaling and exhaling before side eyeing his brother, "In case you'd forgotten about that railway line nonsense, you still owe me a lot of time for my money. So I'm calling a few hours of it in - some tonight, some on Sunday."
"Tommy!"
Tommy moved his eyes across the table to Rosie, keeping his voice casual and raising an eyebrow as he asked her, "What exactly is it this lot think wailing my name like that is going to achieve?"
"Tommy - Tommy if you let me go out tonight I'll do it all on Sunday! I'll work all day - promise!" Finn gabbled before Rosie could open her mouth to form an answer.
He could see the desperation and panic in his brother's wide eyes - but he had no sympathy and only snorted, "You'll work all day Sunday anyway - but you'll be working tonight too."
"Tommy! That's not fair!"
"How's it not fair?"
"Cause I've got plans tonight and - and you never warned me that you'd need me an' - an' I'll be letting the lads down and you said I need to be the leader, not the one who lets them down!" Finn said, waving his fork about wildly.
Tommy clicked his tongue and raised an eyebrow as Rosie stifled a laugh, covering it badly with a cough and bringing her hand to her mouth. It wasn't a half bad argument, he'd give it to the kid - that was what he'd said to Finn when the railway line nonsense had happened - but that was besides the point.
"Well you'll need to remember how it feels to let them down and resolve not to create a situation where it happens again," he settled for growling, jamming his cigarette in his mouth to keep from smiling himself at Rosie's amused eyes.
"Rosie!" Finn moaned, clattering the fork to the plate, swivelling in his seat to level those horror filled eyes at her, attempting to appeal to the redhead, "Rosie talk to him for me!"
"Finn, love, this arrangement about your time and his money is between Thomas and you, I don't think my opinion holds much sway," she told him, taking her hand away from her mouth, seemingly having gained enough control of herself to keep a straight face, "Besides, you might be needing to lead your boys out there, but a man needs to keep his word - and you gave yours when you made your bargain."
"I didn't get any choice in the bloody bargain though!" Finn grumbled, wincing and lifting a hand to rub the back of his head where Tommy had reached over to smack it.
"Watch your mouth or there's plenty more where that came from - and a bar of soap by the sink."
"It's not fair! You're a…" Finn trailed off, his face furious - but his self preservation kicking in enough to stop him finishing the sentence.
"I'm a what?" Tommy replied, flashing his eyes, making his voice soft and dangerous, "Go on - what am I?"
"You're - you're not being fair, Tommy," Finn said, his voice a good bit smaller than it had been, to Tommy's satisfaction.
"So if I was to be fair with you - I'd let you go have your night as planned, would I?" he clarified, sitting back in his chair, tapping his cigarette ash into the tray, eyeing his brother.
"Ye - yeah?" Finn replied, his voice trembling, the answer more of a question, something in him sensing he was about to be trapped.
"And when you and the rest of them sneak off to the Bullring for the match - the Bullring being clearly out of bounds and your boxing days having been curtailed after getting caught at your street fighting - I suppose dragging you out the back for a good hiding would be quite fair too, wouldn't it?"
Finn's mouth had dropped open again.
"I wasn't born yesterday my boy," Tommy hissed, leaning forward again, pushing his face towards Finn's, "And I'd say, since we're talking about being fair - that it would be entirely fair of me to give you a hiding here and now for even thinking about pissing off to that boxing match without my permission. If you ask me, I'm doing you a favour by calling in your time to stop you from getting yourself into more trouble, and being incredibly lenient in not just turning you up as it is. So I figure you'd really best be thanking me, finishing that cake, getting the dishes washed and then hopping to it before I change my bloody mind."
Finn glanced around the room before settling his glare on Lily, clearly having decided she was the easiest target. Her lip wobbled under him.
"I'll help," she offered, her voice very small.
"I don't need help," Finn snapped, earning himself another clip around the ear.
"If she's kind enough to help, you'll say thank you and you'll let her help you."
"Maybe if the two of you have at it, you'll get done early enough you could get out for an hour or so later, eh?" Rosie said, trying to pacify him.
"Aye - an' everyone'll be away without me!" Finn snapped, "Fat lot of use that is!"
"Finn," Tommy growled in warning.
His glare was wasted on the kid though, who kept his eyes on Rosie and hissed accusingly, his voice full of bitter venom, "You used to be cool. Then you got put in his wallet and you're as bad as him now, making me spend my Fridays doing women's work!"
Tommy slammed his hand on the table and shot up so fast his chair went clattering to the floor behind him. He had every intention of grabbing Finn by the scruff of the neck and taking him outside for a reminder of what attitudes wouldn't be being tolerated under his roof - but he stilled, watching as Rosie cocked her head and sized Finn up like a predator.
"Women's work, is it?" she asked, her eyes narrowing, danger dripping from her syllables, "Well, if it's women's work, as the resident woman, I'll be the one inspecting the standard its done to, won't it? So you'd better make a decent stab at it because if I'm not happy with it, I'll keep you in every night from here until eternity until the job is done right."
"You - you can't do that!" Finn spluttered.
"Oh I'm afraid I can," Rosie returned in a satisfied voice before sitting back and dragging her eyes slowly up and down Finn's body, saying derisively, "And I hope you've been working hard Finn, getting your body in shape with all your manly pursuits, because believe you me - scrubbing that floor is going to require a whole lot of hard graft and I'm not convinced from looking at those chicken arms of yours that they're up to it. I've a suspicion women's work might be a bit beyond your physical capabilities, kid, but like I say - you've every night from here on out to work up to getting it done to standard, don't you?"
Finn's mouth moved wordlessly, and his head swivelled from Rosie to Tommy and back.
"He does," Tommy nodded, holding out a hand to Rosie, "So come on, let's leave him to get this cleaned up and then he can get started through there. You can inspect it in a few hours, eh?"
Rosie stood up, glaring at Finn, but took Tommy's proffered hand. He was slightly surprised to realise hers was shaking as she placed it in his, not that her voice had betrayed anything other than completely controlled anger and derision.
He squeezed it and led her to the kitchen door, only pausing to glance over his shoulder at Lily, who was still sitting at the table, chewing her lip, "What about you bab? You coming through or helping him?"
Lily looked like she might be about to cry but she swallowed and managed to say, "Will help."
"You're a good girl, Lily," Tommy said, hoping to reassure her, turning his flinty gaze on his brother to add, "He doesn't deserve you, but maybe he could take some lessons from you," before walking Rosie through to the front room.
