Elizabeth felt like groaning when a knock sounded on her bedroom door early the next morning. She'd left a note in the kitchen telling Arthur and Tommy to find their own food and reminding them to feed Finn so she could have a lie in for the first time since she'd gotten home. It hadn't been easy living in Germany, constantly getting up at different times to try and find out what was going on, trying to sneak into areas she would have been shot at had she been discovered. Once she'd returned home, she'd slipped back into her old older sister routine, hadn't had a chance to have a day off. She'd just wanted an extra two hours in bed.
"If your last name is Shelby, you can fuck off for another hour!" She called, only to shoot up quickly in shock when someone slammed opened the door.
"Get up!" Polly insisted, her eyes heavy with burden. Elizabeth tilted her head as she looked over the woman with concern but swung her legs out from under the duvet, pushing herself up off the bed.
"Pol, what's happened? Has Tommy done something?" She asked, quickly gathering a few items and walking to the changing screen. She pulled out her own deep blue Victorian style dress and changed as quickly as she could, seeing her aunt beginning to pace as if debating what to say next, clearly having come in a rush and not having thought through her next move.
"It's Ada." Polly admitted, not wanting to give much away without the girl promising not to tell Tommy just yet.
"Ada?" Elizabeth repeated with confusion as she quickly rolled her hair up into a bun and placed a pin in to keep it up, not understanding what her younger sister could have done at this early hour to cause such stress for Polly.
"It's woman's business." Polly offered, earning a more confused stare from the eldest Shelby sister as she sat down on the edge of her bed to pull on some stockings and her boots.
"Pol, what's this," Elizabeth began, her mind reeling as it went through every possibility before she sat up bolt straight, her eyes widening, "Pol please don't tell me it's what I think it is."
"We got her checked last night." Polly confirmed, nodding grimly. Elizabeth leant forward, closing her eyes and placing her face in her hands, taking a moment to have a breath before letting out a small groan of frustration.
"Who knows?" Elizabeth eventually asked, not moving from her position but peeking an eye but the side of her hand.
"Me, you and her, and the woman that checked her last night." Polly relayed, unsure exactly what her eldest niece was thinking but certain she was going through the same emotions she had the day before when she'd noticed the change in Ada. She could see the woman getting more tense and knew any happiness for Ada would be buried deep.
"Who's is it?" Elizabeth asked darkly, removing her head from her hands to look at her aunt, a dangerous promise in her eyes that had her looking too much like Tommy for Polly to feel comfortable telling her, had she known.
"She won't say. Says he's gone though, supposed to come back." Polly admitted.
Elizabeth took a moment to take a calming breath, trying to take in all the new information but struggling to comprehend the fact her sister, her baby sister, was pregnant. She knew deep down she was delighted at the idea of getting a new niece or nephew, but concern and anger trumped it. Elizabeth knew unless this mysterious man returned and married her, Ada and that baby would be forever tarred as a whore and a bastard. Her reputation as a Shelby couldn't protect her or her child. Not to mention their brothers' reactions, they were more likely to kill the man than welcome them into the fold. Tommy would be ok a war path once he found out, and with the business and guns being in such a precarious position, she would have to take care of this.
"Where is she?" Elizabeth asked, pushing herself to her feet and mentally preparing herself for what was sure to be a tough conversation with Ada.
"Downstairs." Polly sighed, shaking her head knowing there would be nothing more that Elizabeth could do that she hadn't already tried, "Whatever you are going to say, I've already said it."
"I've got to try Pol, ideally before Tommy finds out." Elizabeth replied, walking past the older woman towards the staircase. Polly frowned.
"It's woman's business." She repeated, following after her niece and closing the door to the bedroom behind her. Elizabeth twisted around and cast her a confused look, frowning at her aunt.
"Pol, Tommy will find out. I can't hide Ada away until it happens. People talk, be glad it's not got back to him already." She explained, before pausing at the top of the stairs frowning as she looked down, "I just hope we can get Ada to see sense."
With that Elizabeth slowly descended the stairs, Polly following behind just as slowly. Neither woman wanted to have the conversation with Ada. She was just as stubborn as the rest of the siblings and if she had set her mind to it, then there would be no stopping her. It was part of what Elizabeth dubbed the Shelby curse. Elizabeth paused just outside the door, trying to push back all her negative emotions, knowing her sister wouldn't react well to her pessimistic views. She took one last deep breath before she opened the door. Her eyes immediately fell on Ada, her younger sister perched on a chair at the family table, a cup of tea firmly grasped between her hands. Ada looked up when the door opened, twisting her head to glance over her shoulder, only to duck her eyes away and twist back around, focusing very heavily on her teacup in front of her.
"Ada." Elizabeth breathed, seeing the tears beginning to appear in the girls' eyes, and knowing she had done a poor job of hiding her emotions. She quickly went over, removing the teacup from Ada's hands and offered the girl a hug. After a moment she pulled back, kneeling down beside her, "Ada, what were you thinking?"
"He's coming back." Ada bit out stubbornly, the pity in her older sister's eyes angering her. Elizabeth tried to keep her emotions in check and didn't outwardly react to the tone. Polly continuing to watch the exchange from the kitchen door.
"Ada, whose is it?" Elizabeth asked, keeping on track and trying to get to the bottom of it, not knowing where any of their brothers were and knowing time was of the essence in this kind of situation.
"I can't tell you." Ada shook her head, tears forming, "You'll just tell Tommy and Arthur and John, and they'll cut him up." She cried. Elizabeth shook her head, lifting her hands up to wipe away tears as she tried to calm her sister.
"I won't let them. We can go talk to him Ada, get him home and then he marries you, and you get your baby, and they won't. I won't let them touch him." Elizabeth promised, trying to get the information out gently. Ada shook her head, pushing her sister's hands away and lifting her own hands to wipe her tears away.
"Not even you could stop Tommy." Ada countered, shaking her head.
"You're right, but I could slow him down." Elizabeth tried, "I'd get him to think, calm down." Ada continued to shake her head, her anger spiking when she saw Elizabeth cast a worried look past her and twisted to see Polly frowning from the doorway.
"No, no you'd just tell him. You're always on his side." Ada argued bitterly, earning an eye roll from Elizabeth, "You'd quicker help cut him up than help me."
"I am trying to help you, Ada." Elizabeth muttered, pushing herself from the ground to sit on the chair closest to the young woman. Her own attitude souring at the defensiveness from her younger sister. "You need to open your eyes; Polly and I can only protect you for so long before Tommy finds out." Ada's eyes filled with anger.
"You're only asking so you can tell him!" She accused. Elizabeth raised a hand to rub her face, trying to push past her frustration but unable to stop herself from letting out an angry sigh.
"No, I'm asking so we could sort this before rumours begin to fly and…" Elizabeth answered, leaving the sentence unfinished, catching herself before she went too far. It didn't help as Ada had filled in the gap, the room quickly filling with anger as both women began to lose their temper.
"And what? I ruin the image of the family?!" Ada shouted, getting to her feet.
"No Ada, the family reputation is about as low as you can get. You'd do no damage there." Elizabeth muttered with a roll of her eyes, casting her sister an unamused glance, "it's your respect that would do a number, the name Shelby can only protect you from so much."
Ada froze for a moment, seeming to think over her sister's words before her eyes hardened and she let out a huff. She turned her nose up in the air and marched past Polly who followed out after her. Elizabeth groaned and folded her arms on the table before setting her head on them, her eyes scrunched closed as she tried to work out what to do. Ada would never speak to her now, she'd never tell her the truth, she now had no choice but to go to Tommy. Tommy would be the only sibling that would get a name from their younger sister. She kept her eyes closed as she listened, able to hear some of Ada's angry shouts and Polly's calm retorts before they quickly turned into angered hushed voiced, eventually the front door slammed.
"She's off to the cinema." Polly reported as she came back in, Elizabeth not lifting her head but waving her hand slightly to indicate she'd heard. "Very well handled."
"Very funny Pol." Elizabeth replied, her voice muffled through her arms before she took a deep breath and lifted her head. Giving her aunt a small smile of thanks for the tea she'd sat down in front of her.
They sat in silence sipping their cups, neither voicing their concerns. Elizabeth knew Tommy would blow up once he heard the news, and she couldn't blame him, she'd had a hard time herself not blowing up, but she also knew it would be up to her to have to do something to calm him down. Ada had made a mistake, but she wasn't going to let her go down the road alone, Poll was right, it was Woman's business after all, and she wasn't going to let Tommy bulldoze over Ada's life. Her and Tommys choices shouldn't affect their younger siblings, it was why she always tried to protect Finn as much as she could.
Elizabeth looked up from the table as the front door slammed, her eyes flying to the kitchen door only to fall as John walked in a few moments later, pulling of his hat as he came into the kitchen. She let out a sigh of both relief and slight frustration, unsure if she had wanted it to be Tommy or not, not looking forward to the upcoming conversation in the slightest.
"Morning Lil, Pol!" John greeted, pulling his jacket off, blissfully unaware of the ongoing situation between the women.
"Morning John." Elizabeth muttered, barely looking at him as she got up to make herself some breakfast.
"What's crawled up your arse and died?" He asked noticing the sour undertone, Elizabeth had always been a morning person.
"Fuck off John." Elizabeth immediately retorted, rolling her eyes as she cut herself a slice of bread. John glanced over at their Aunt Polly who waved her hand as a sign to leave it. He gave a half nod and moved to go through to the betting shop when Elizabeth reached out and grabbed his arm to stop him, "When you see Tommy, let him know we need to speak to him."
John looked between the two women as they shared looks. Polly uncertain while Elizabeth just looked resigned, he nodded his head slowly allowing Elizabeth to let him go. He shook his head at the two women, confused about the entire interaction, before pushing the door open to the shop, making sure to close the door behind him. Elizabeth said nothing further as she grabbed the pot of jam and retuned to the table, slowly picking at her breakfast.
The sound of the shop opening, and bets being taken was soon filling the space, the doors not blocking the sound from the two ladies who remained in the kitchen. Elizabeth pushed her finished plate away just as Polly lit another cigarette, smoking away as she watched her niece. The eldest Shelby sister turned her attention to her now empty teacup, pulling it close and staring down at the bottom, her hands surprisingly steady as she kept trying to find any signs in the leaves like Polly could. Polly watched with interest, beginning to worry for her eldest niece when Elizabeth barely looked up as Finn walked past and had just ignored Arthur completely when he'd walked in to ask about lunch, Polly having had to get up and push Arthur out with the promise food would be made and Elizabeths lack of reply was just down to woman's business. She'd not bothered to close the door before she sat down, hoping Elizabeth would be brought out of her reading by the sounds of the shop, but not wanting to interrupt the girl if she had seen something in the cup for fear she would break her concentration. She thought it had worked when Elizabeth shot up, the younger woman standing almost to attention, her head turning quickly to stare into the shop. Polly quickly twisted her head the same way just in time to see Tommy walk into the shop. The older woman got up, standing beside the younger woman, reaching over to offer a squeeze of support only to frown at the strength of the shaking from the younger woman's hands.
"What's going on?" Tommy asked as he came over, his eyes narrowing in suspicion having been told by John Elizabeth wanted to speak to him and now seeing his twin's hands shaking as bad as Danny-Whizz-Bangs.
"It's Ada…" Polly started, seeing Elizabeth open and close her mouth a couple of times as if debating what to say.
"Ada?" Tommy asked, turning to Polly as Elizabeth seemed to refuse to speak, sitting down as her hands continued to shake violently.
"Ada…" Polly repeated, her gaze falling to the side, concern filling her for her niece. Tommy huffed, his impatience growing as he glanced between the two women, waiting for one of them to speak up about what the was all about. Elizabeth glanced up sensing her twin's annoyance, a look of uncertainty in her eyes.
"She's pregnant. We don't know whose it is." She eventually revealed, seeing Tommy getting more wound up. Tommy paused for a moment, his brain almost freezing for a moment before trying to process and catch up with what Elizabeth had just said. His face filled with anger.
"Where..."
"Tommy, maybe…" Elizabeth started, wincing slightly as her brother turned his glare on her.
"She's at the cinema." Polly answered, having a flash of fear for her eldest niece at the anger in Tommys face. Elizabeth opened her mouth but got no chance to say anything more as her brother disappeared off out the pantry door.
Tommy grabbed his coat and charged off, John and Arthur both looking up at the ferocity of their brothers exit from the shop. Elizabeth debated her options for a moment before sighing and running to grab her coat, running out the front door and chasing after her twin, ignoring Polly's shouts of her name as she tried to catch up.
"Tommy!" Elizabeth called, running as fast as she could to catch the man, "Tommy we need to think this through."
"Fuck off Lil." He bit out.
"Polly and I can handle it." She tried, seeing her brother getting more wound up. He stopped and turned to glare at her before continuing on.
"There shouldn't be anything to be handled." He bit out. Elizabeth sighed, nodded her head.
"I'm sorry Tom." She offered, knowing it wouldn't touch the side of his anger right now, but it had to be said, "I didn't think…"
"You didn't think?!" Tommy cut back, shaking his head at his twin, "Your heads up your arse half the time Lil, dreaming of Germany! Of course, you didn't think!" Elizabeth froze, her twin's words cutting deeply, "Go home and stay there. Make us dinner, clean our clothes, look after Finn and keep your mouth shut." Tommy seethed, turning to point at her. Elizabeth straightened her hands vibrating at her sides as she tried to keep in her anger and upset, not used to this kind of verbal lashing from her twin brother, embarrassment and anger flooding through her. Eventually she looked away, lifting her hands to tie her coat.
"Fuck you, Tom." She replied quietly, trying not to cause more of a scene, noticing a few stares from passers-by.
Elizabeth took a moment, running her hands over the front of her coat before she glanced at him one last time, seeing him deflate slightly as if realising what he had said. She looked away again, sticking her hands in her pockets, twisting on her heel to begin walking home. She pretended not to hear Tommys huff of frustration, and ignored the eyes that followed her. It was a short walk back to her home, Polly standing up as she walked in the door. Elizabeth barely glanced at her aunt, slowly taking off her coat and hanging it up.
"What happened?" Polly asked, seeing her niece looking slightly shaken.
"Tommys handling it." Elizabeth replied, shrugging her shoulders. She walked over to the stove, lighting the kindling she'd prepared earlier to begin cooking. Polly watched, her eyes not leaving the girl as she pulled out ingredients for dinner, not offering any kind of reaction to the events that had just occurred.
"Elizabeth." Polly tried again, hoping the use of her full name would make the girl talk. Elizabeth just glanced over, her face blank.
"What Polly?" Elizabeth asked, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at Polly's look, "Tommy is handling it."
Polly stared at the girl a while longer before letting out a huff eerily similar to Tommys before she walked off, slamming the kitchen door behind her. Elizabeth sighed, her shoulders sagging, keen to get dinner on the go so she could disappear back to her room, with the hopes no one would bother her for the rest of the day.
Elizabeth winced as she crept down the stairs, trying to keep silent and out of the way. Her afternoon had consisted of her lying in bed, her mind drifting between reading and sleeping as easily as it had in Germany. It concerned her how easy it was to switch to her old routine and how comforting the night was but quickly forced the thought out her head, reminding herself while she'd had a stressful morning and deserved a small break from her family, but she couldn't allow herself to slip back. The only problem Elizabeth had was now she was starving.
She had cooked dinner, leaving it sitting on the side with instructions to John it would be ready around 6pm. She hadn't had anyone knock on her door so knew the family had managed to cut the roast up for themselves, she just hoped they'd maybe left her something behind. However, if they hadn't it wouldn't phase her too much, it wouldn't be her first time she'd had to search for some leftovers in a dark kitchen in the middle of the night.
Elizabeth gently squeezed the knob of the kitchen door, twisting it as quietly as possible before peeking in, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw no signs of Tommy or Polly. She had hoped she was late enough to miss them, in no mood for another awkward exchange. She tilted her head, hearing shuffling from behind the doors to the shop and debated her options. She sighed, her hunger higher on her priority list than not being caught, and quietly stepped into the room, smiling lightly at the sight of a small plate of food sitting on the table. A small piece of paper on the side caught her attention, she quickly picked it up, her eyes flickering to the door when she heard muffled voices from the Shop. Opening the note, she saw it was from Arthur, telling her Tommy was an idiot, and went in to reveal Monaghan Boy had lost. She glanced at the doors to the shop, taking a few quiet steps closer to lean close.
"Buy your popularity back." She heard Polly suggest.
"Already done." Tommy replied.
"Taught you well." Polly complimented, Elizabeth moving slightly to try and peer through the gap, seeing the two around a table covered in the takings for the day. "And you fixed this race without the permission of Billy Kimber?" Polly questioned, snatching a glass of what looked like whiskey from Tommy before throwing it at the wall behind him, "Obviously didn't teach you well enough! Rule one. You don't punch above your weight." Elizabeth shrank back slightly, knowing this was also partially her fault.
"Billy Kimber is there for the taking." Tommy argued.
"Says who? Says Tom and his parliament of one." Polly shouted back, "I ran this business for five years."
"Yeah. While I was away fighting, remember? Where I learned some things, such as you strike when the enemy is weak." Tommy countered, getting to his feet. Elizabeth knelt down to keep stable, getting the feeling she could be a while, "And I thought you came here to talk family business."
"I'll deal with it. You're too busy taking over the world." Polly bit out as she walked over to pick up her things.
"Polly." Tommy called, sounding more calm and resigned than Elizabeth thought he would, "It's about Ada. I need to know." She watched as Polly sighed before digging in her things.
"Ada wants you to give Freddie this letter. She wants Freddie to know she's having his baby. He deserves an opportunity to do the right thing." Polly explained, setting the letter on the table in front of Tommy, Elizabeth lifted a hand to cover her gasp, shocked with the news Ada had been with Tommys best friend all this time, "I say we give them a chance." Tommy leant forward to pick up the letter examining it.
"For a woman who's had a hard life of men, you're still full of romance, eh?" He observed, "What do you think Freddie sees in our Ada?"
"That's Freddie's business." Polly bit out.
"No." Tommy shook his head, waving the letter, "No, I'll tell you what he sees. He sees machine guns and rifles and ammunition and some glorious revolution."
"What is it you really don't like about Freddie?" Polly asked, beginning to see there was more to Tommys resistance than simply the fact the man had gotten his sister pregnant.
"She'll have no life with a man on the run. If you can't see that, you can't see much." Tommy replied cooly before tossing the letter in the fire. Elizabeths eyes widened, watching as Polly madly reached for the poker to try and save it before throwing it aside, the letter burnt to dust.
"Damn them for what they did to you in France!" Polly shouted. Tommy let out a sigh.
"Tell Ada Freddie went to America. Or Russia. Polly, it'd do no good for Ada to bring a baby into the world alone." Tommy shouted, Elizabeth's eyes widened as Polly started heading towards her and she jumped to her feet, moving to the side as Polly flung the doors open, the two ladies' eyes meeting as Tommy continued "Pol, listen. The truth is you would've hit me with that thing if it weren't for the fact that you know I'm right!" Tommy finished.
"If you don't do something, you're as cold hearted as your brother." Polly hissed at the girl, immediately knowing she'd been listening. Elizabeth opened her mouth to comment when she caught sight of Tommy, and she quickly slammed her mouth closed. Polly glared heavily seeing the girl not even willing to speak for her younger sister. The older woman charged past, slamming the door. Elizabeth winced, her mind reeling with all the new information but not knowing how to act. She glanced back at Tommy who stared back, also unsure what to do now, his anger towards his twin having dropped significantly since that morning. Shaking her head, she threw Arthur's note in the fire before walking back out the kitchen door, her food left untouched. Tommy let out a huff of frustration, kicking the chair next to him and cursing.
Elizabeth continued to say nothing the next morning even as she sat the breakfast she'd cooked down in front of Arthur, Finn, John and his kids. She had noticed Arthur and John exchanging looks at her lack of conversation but didn't offer any explanation. Tommy wanted her to keep her mouth shut and so she would, admittedly to spiteful levels. She silently sat at the head of the table, picking up the days paper and opening to read the headlines as her family chatted quietly around her, all casting her glances as they talked. Tommy pushed open the kitchen door, patting Arthur and John on the back as they greeted him on his way in. He glanced over to his twin, her legs crossed as she leaned back in her chair, her eyes not leaving the paper she was holding, appearing engrossed in the morning's news. He rolled his eyes at her when she glanced over, seeing her lift her eyebrows at him but refuse to open her mouth.
"Morning Lil." He offered, sitting down beside her, not bothering to fight for his usual seat. She hummed, seeing a small sign of apology in his actions but not ready to accept just yet. She folded up the paper slightly to reach forward for a slice of toast before leaning back in her chair. Arthur narrowed his eyes at Tommy.
"She's been silent all morning." Arthur revealed, "Won't say a bloody word. I'd normally say it was a blessing but it's becoming fucking irritating."
"She didn't say Good morning." Finn chimed in, "Or tell John to Fuck off when he tried to steal my pancake."
"What did you say to her?" Arthur asked as Tommy pulled out a cigarette, knowing it would agitate his twin. Elizabeth's eyes narrowed at him, reaching out to grab it from Tommys hands and throwing it in the fire, a pointed look on her face. Tommy smirked as he pulled out another.
"Gonna speak up Lil?" Tommy asked, clearly teasing her. The eldest sister but her lip before seeing her twin's smirk and letting out a huff of frustration. It was the last straw after the verbal lashing from the day before, Elizabeth glared, slamming her hands on the table as she pushed herself up suddenly.
"Fuck you, Thomas." She cursed, earning a look of surprise from the family, "I've had it up to here with all of you." She ranted, raising her hand to beside her head before dropping it, "It's my fault when Tommy fixes a race, it's my fault when Ada gets in trouble, it's my fault when John steals pancakes, it's my fault dinner isn't ready, it's my fault when Tommy does something stupid."
"Lil." John cut in, trying to make the woman stop, but she was on a roll.
"Shut up John. I've had it. I make you food, I clean the house, I even clean the fucking shop when you all fuck about and decide to have a drink. I help with the business, I go to the baker and butcher then deal with Police when they try to search me, every bloody day!" She hissed, her eyes narrowing her eyes as she glared at the table, "Then I get the blame when I've not kept a close enough eye on one of you. So, we have two options, either you guys are all housebound until the end of time so I can fucking watch you all like children, or you can go fuck yourselves." She tossed all the adults in the room a glare as she sat herself back down taking a breath, "Now finish your food, keep your mouths closed and let's just have one family meal without a fucking fight."
The group sat in silence for a moment all in slight shock at the ferocity of Elizabeths rant before Arthur let out a chuckle, John following suit as Tommy smirked, rolling the cigarette he'd picked out over his lips. Elizabeth glared at the three of them before sighing and looking down, a smile coming over her face.
"Didn't know you had that in you." Arthur chuckled. Elizabeth shaking her head and leaning back in her chair.
"Neither did I." She admitted before reaching forward to snatch the unlit cigarette from her brother who tossed her an unamused look, she played around with it in her hands as she eyed her three adult brothers, not seeing any anger from Thomas she decided to push her luck, "Right ok, we need to set some new ground rules in the Shelby Household," Elizabeth cast a quick look around seeing no one opening their mouth to argue, "One, no smoking at mealtimes." She eyed Tommy intently, "Two, if a Shelby does some stupid shit, Elizabeth Shelby is not to be blamed, unless it was her but she's incredibly intelligent so it would be very unlikely!" John snorted as Arthur and Tommy rolled their eyes, Elizabeth just smirked, kicking her feet up on the table "Three, Elizabeth Shelby is acknowledged as the smartest sibling and shall be treated with the upmost respect at all times." Tommy spared her an amused glance as her other brothers laughed.
"I think the powers gone to her head, Tom," John offered, "Better knock her back down a peg or two quick."
"Alright, Alright, that's enough." Tommy cut in, seeing Elizabeth about to open her mouth and argue with John. "We'll dispute rule three but I think we can agree on one and two."
"Hold on Tommy, where's the negotiation!" Arthur argued, "I thought you were a businessman!"
"Accept it Arthur, I'm just the superior businesswoman!" Elizabeth called, winking at Tommy. He shook his head, pushing himself to stand.
"Alright, Alright." Tommy tried again, seeing Arthur and John about to argue with their smirking sister and knew it wouldn't stop anytime soon if he didn't get back in control. "You two, finish up then get the shop open." He ordered, seeing his two brothers nod before turning to his sister, pushing her feet off the table, "We have a business meeting today at 11."
Elizabeth smiled and nodded, reaching out to hand back over Tommys cigarette before smirking when he hell out his hand, turning and quickly throwing it in the fire. Tommy sighed and rolled his eyes, shaking his head when he heard his brothers chuckling at the exchange.
The twins had been in the car for just over fifteen minutes, the murky smell of Birmingham was just barely out of their noses as they came into the countryside. Elizabeth kept her eyes on the horizon, her grey coat wrapped around her as she held her borrowed cap on her knee. Her fingers danced over the razors she'd sown in so many years ago, her mind wandering back to easier times when all her and her brothers had had to worry about was unpaid debts. No coppers, no guns, no wars, just stupid robberies and debts. Elizabeth winced and looked down sharply as she nicked her finger on the edge of the blade, lifting the finger up to stick in her mouth and lick of the blood before returning her hands to her knee. She glanced over, seeing her brother smirking lightly in amusement and felt herself roll her eyes.
Elizabeth leaned back in her seat and just watched him for a moment, seeing him appearing more laid back than he had been in a while. She could see slight guilt in Tommy, and assumed it was due to his words the day before. It wasn't unusual for them to fight and wake up the next day perfectly ok with each other. It took something pretty serious for them to not forgive one another, certainly more than the fight they'd just had. However, Elizabeth could admit, one thing her brother had said in his anger had been festering in her mind. She could also see Tommy knew the conversation wasn't over, he'd been suspiciously silent for the entire drive thus far.
"I, I don't dream of Germany." Elizabeth eventually breathed out, her eyes moving quickly back over to the horizon, feeling Tommy look at her sharply, "I hated it. The fear of being caught, the constant paranoia, the inability to trust even the people you were told were allies. It was nothing compared to your war Tom, but it wasn't, isn't, something I like to remember." She looked down as her hands began to shake slightly and quickly squeezed them together to try and control it. Tommy reached over and placed his hand on top her her shaking ones, calming her shaking once more. The two siblings looked at each other a silent understanding passing through them. Elizabeth nodded as Tommy removed his hand deciding to share more.
"I don't know what France was like." Elizabeth started, staring off into the distance once more, "You don't have to tell me. I, I saw the men that came back from the German ones, and some of our ones." Tommy could see by the way her eyes glazed over that his twin had seen too much of trench warfare, more than both he and her would have ever wanted. Elizabeth closed her eyes and shook her head, putting herself back on topic, "I would get given a tip, just a name, or a location and I'd get there. There would always be a safe house or someone there to meet you and offer shelter, and I'd have to take it, hide in a basement or attic and just pray they wouldn't give me up or hadn't already tipped the police off. Sometimes I'd get lucky, and be given a cover, sometimes I'd only be let out a night." Elizabeth sighed, looking down at her hands, "I was only caught twice in places I wasn't supposed to be, got beaten and let go, they never knew. I guess I was too used to playing dumb after our robberies went wrong." She laughed bitterly, "I watched other spies get killed or beaten in the streets, got shot at twice, you were right in one of your letters, Germans don't have any bloody aim. Only got hit in the shoulder."
"Left, or right?" Tommy interjected. Elizabeth looked over at him, a small level of shock over her face as if she suddenly remembered someone was listening. He said nothing further, just letting her process her thoughts, only to let out the smallest sigh of relief when she let out a genuine laugh.
"Left." Elizabeth answered, small smile on her face, feeling a small bit lighter, "Hurt like a bitch. The doctor spoke English and couldn't understand why 'such a respectable lady' would use such terms." Tommy smirked at that.
"Certainly, couldn't have known you long." He shrugged, Elizabeth reached over and smacked his arm.
"I am respectable!" She insisted with an amused smile, "Certainly the most respectable Shelby! Not that I have much competition these days!" She chuckled as she shook her head.
The two fell into an easy silence after that. Elizabeth just taking a moment to process everything she had revealed to her brother and trying to enjoy the small lightening of her chest she felt. Tommy on the other hand was feeling so much darker, he'd had no idea of the burden she had taken on during the war in the hopes of trying to get him and their two other brother's home. Ever since she'd told him and Pol about her being a spy, he'd hoped it had been as easy a job as he'd imagined it to be, she'd been sitting in a bar somewhere just listening, gossiping with women as they washed. He hadn't wanted her to be involved in the war, it was part of the reason he'd left, to protect the family.
The two said nothing the remainder of the drive. Elizabeth's interest only being peaked as they turned off down a side road, pulling into a magnificent looking manor. She was the first of the two of them to get out the car, moving around to lean against the front of the car as she took in the beautiful building and surrounding land.
"What are we doing Tom? Are we sure this is a wise move." Elizabeth asked as her brother jumped out the car to stand beside her, just staring up at the selected meeting location. Tommy didn't outwardly reply, silently turning to her and pulling the cap from her hands and placing it firmly on her head. Elizabeth nodded, saying nothing more as she mentally prepared herself for the meeting.
The two walked side by side towards the building, Elizabeth hanging back slightly as they entered, allowing Tommy to do the talking as he requested. They removed their coats and hats as prompted by the maids before continuing up a grand staircase. Tommy turned his head to meet Elizabeth's eyes once in a brief reminder to be careful, earning a nod from the woman of promise. The twins came upon the tearoom filled with elegant platings filled with the various parts of an afternoon tea. Elizabeth offered her twin a small smile as Tommy allowed her to enter the room first, only for it to fall immediately.
Her eyes met with the Inspectors.
The man was in a neat black suit, looking not one bit out of place in a room of such high class but she could see something lurking under the surface of the man's easy appearance. He was clearly uneasy and unsure of what was about to happen. He looked more concerned and tired than he had when he'd had her, and Arthur beaten for some display of power. The confidence and superiority complex seemed to have died down which made a smirk cross her face as she twisted her gaze to the window. Her and Tommys plan had worked after all.
Elizabeth led the two of them over to the table closest to the window where the inspector was standing. Tommy was quick to stand to her right once his sister stopped, noting the smirk cross his sisters face. He was careful to stand closest to the Inspector. He knew that he was the one that held all the power in this meeting but the defensiveness of his family in him did not want to give the man any chance to touch his sister after the bruising she had come back with after their last meeting, not even the quiet confidence that was radiating from his twin was much comfort.
The group stood in an uneasy silence. The Inspector only able to watch on as the twins seemed to communicate silently without even looking at each other. He cleared his throat, drawing both twin's eyes to him.
"I chose this place because it is outside both of our jurisdictions." Inspector Campbell began, before nodding his head to the table beside them, "Do you want tea?"
"Inspector, I responded to your invitation because I want us to understand each other. I'm a businessman. I want to make my business successful." Tommy replied cooly. Elizabeth took a step back from the two, examining the glasses on the table as she listened.
"And I want my city run peacefully." The inspector replied, his gaze moving over to the eldest Shelby sister for a moment before it fell back to Tommy.
"Well, if the city is peaceful, business can thrive." Tommy offered, seeing the look from the Inspector but not allowing it to bother him. Elizabeth glanced back over to see the inspector looking slightly taken aback by Tommys reply.
"So, we're on the same side." Campbell summarised with a tint of amusement.
"I think perhaps we could be." Tommy agreed. The two of them stared at each other for a moment before turning to sit at the table, Tommy pausing to pull a chair out for his sister before sitting down himself. Elizabeth withheld her eye roll, knowing the show was purely because they were out in public, at home Tommy would more likely had thrown her a chair.
"My..." The Inspector started as he sat down, moving the flower arrangement so he could watch the twins interact, "How can we be on the same side when I see things like this?" The two watched as Campbell pulled out a slip of paper and set it down on the table, pushing it towards them, "My men found this in the bedroom of a known communist. It has your sister's name on it. It was obvious she'd been sleeping in his bed. Are you also in bed with the communists, Mr Shelby? Miss Shelby?"
Elizabeth leaned forward, eyeing the prescription that was indeed for Ada. She glanced at Tommy warning in her eyes, seeing the man trying to take away the advantage they'd displayed by burning the king's photos.
"I do not share their fantasy. And as for my youngest sister, I've already dealt with the situation." Tommy revealed to the other man.
"Freddie Thorne is at the very top of my list." The Inspector admitted, leaning back and crossing his arms as he watched the twins interact, clearly able to see the difference in the eldest sister when with Tommy compared to Arthur.
"Well, cross him off. He won't be returning to the city. I'll make him part of our deal." Tommy offered, seeing Elizabeth's eyes narrowing the tiniest amount as she watched the inspector eye them.
"What deal?" The Irishman asked, leaning back further in his chair with a sigh. Tommy took a moment, leaning closer and resting his arm on the table.
"You and your Specials will leave my businesses alone from now on. No more raids into our territory, no more smashing our pubs. No more lifting my runners. You will turn a blind eye to all of my gambling operations. Also, I am planning an expansion onto the racetracks. I intend to do business with Billy Kimber. He runs most of the legal trackside betting outside of London. He has policemen on his payroll. I want you to put in a word with the Chief Inspector of Gloucestershire, that his men should leave me alone when I make my move." Tommy listed, Elizabeth now realising why Tommy had invited her to come along instead of Arthur or John.
"Forgive me, I don't seem to have a pen to write down this rather long list of demands." Campbell bit out with amused frustration, Elizabeth tried to hide her amusement as she quickly leaned over and pulled out a pen from Tommys coat and pushed it across the table similar to what he had done with the prescription note. Campbell cast her an unamused look, "And what do I get in return?"
"I have what you're looking for. I have the guns." Tommy revealed to the Inspector, Elizabeth kept her face blank, trying to cover her surprise at her twin revealing their hand so quick. The Inspector glanced between the two, his eyes watching Elizabeth with interest as her face seemed to reveal nothing, his assumptions of her being the weak link fading as the meeting went on.
"What guns?" The Inspector asked, playing dumb. Elizabeth knew the play and sighed, standing up as Tommy did.
"We're not here to play games." Tommy threw out.
"Wait, wait..." Campbell ordered, throwing out his hand in a sign for them to stop. Elizabeth paused when she heard Tommy stop and turn back around, the twins sharing a look before returning to their seats.
"Twenty-five Lewis machine guns. Fifty carbines. Ten thousand rounds of ammunition." Tommy listed off to the Inspector.
"All in a crate bound for Libya." Elizabeth added, crossing her legs as she placed her hands on her lap. The Detective Inspector looking surprised at her speaking up.
"Stolen from the BSA factory proofing bay. I'm guessing they sent you to Birmingham to get those guns back. Well, it's me that has them." Tommy finished, bringing the man's attention back to him, "I have left word with men I trust, that if I or my sister are taken into police custody for whatever reason, those guns will be shipped to Liverpool. From there, they will be sent directly to Belfast. And sold to the Irish Republican Army. All your good work in Ireland will be undone. Each stolen weapon is numbered and marked. If we sell them to the IRA, it won't be long before Mr Churchill finds out." Tommy explained to the man. Elizabeth looked down and smirked at her hands.
"I imagine you got into enough trouble over the burning of the King's photographs." She smiled.
"That was just a taster." Tommy promised, "If those guns reach Belfast, your life in the force is over. When I have achieved what I have set out to achieve, I will let you know where to find the guns. You'll be a hero. You'll probably get a medal. I'm a fair man. It's a fair offer. Do we have a deal?" Tommy asked, there was a brief pause as the Inspector took in all the information, looking over at Elizabeth with a tinge of disgust as she continued to sit there, him now understanding how deal routed she was in the operation. "I need an answer. Right now." Tommy insisted.
"Very well. But I'd prefer if we don't shake hands on it." Campbell bit out. Tommy leaned back in his chair, an air of amusement about him as Elizabeth rolled her eyes. Tommy was the first to stand, walking around the back of Elizabeth's chair to stand beside the Inspector.
"Now, why would I shake the hand of a man who didn't even fight for his country?" Tommy but back, picking up his pen and walking down it the door. Elizabeth cleared her throat, leaning forward to pick up Ada's prescription form, only for Inspector Campbell to quickly slam his hand on top of hers. She quickly pulled her hand back, allowing him to keep the prescription.
"Miss Shelby, you're looking a touch healthier." Campbell offered, seeing a chance to try and get some more information out of the woman. He watched as she hummed, an air of amusement surrounding her.
"Yes, well, traveling with someone who doesn't try to break your ribs does wonders for the health." She replied, leaning back and tilting her head slightly, eyeing the man up and down before sighing and pushing herself up, "It was a pleasure to see you again Inspector Campbell, but my brother isn't a patient man." The man reached out and grabbed her lower arm.
"I'm told you met Mr Churchill a few times during the war Miss Shelby." Elizabeth winced as his grip tightened slightly but didn't let out any noise.
"Twice Inspector, and both times to get information on my brothers." She offered, not wanting to deny something he already knew was true, "Us Shelby's are good at getting what we want."
"I was also told you were missing for a while, disappeared." The Inspector pressed, tightening his grip. Elizabeth narrowed her eyes.
"You know enough of our business to know it doesn't always get done during usual business hours." She shrugged off, unsure what the man was implying but not liking it.
"A woman of the night Miss Shelby? Hardly seems like a role for someone of your standing." Elizabeth glared and pulled her arm away roughly at the insinuation.
"I am no one's whore Mr Campbell." She bit out, before straightening her back and smirking "The only one on their back here is you." She gently pushed her chair back in, nodding her thanks to one of the maids and turned back to meet the eyes of the man who was on the hunt for her family. "Goodbye Inspector."
"Miss Shelby." He nodded, sitting back in his chair as he watched the young woman exit.
Elizabeth let out a breath as she quickly descended the stairs, rubbing her arm to try and get rid of the slight sting she still felt. She quickly offered the man at the front door a smile, not stopping even as she grabbed her coat and hat. She marched out the door and over to the car, not looking at her brother who was leaning against the front. Quickly, Elizabeth hopped in and laid her jacket over her knees, pulling on her cap. Tommy twisted and watched her closely, seeing some anger and unease in her face. He said nothing, throwing his finished cigarette to the side and hoping in the car beside his sister who was rubbing her lower arm. He started the engine and pulled out the drive.
"You alright?" He asked, as she kept rubbing and massaging her arm. Elizabeth looked down, sighing.
"He caught my arm." She explained, not looking at Tommy, "I think he's suspicious about my role during the war. Winston Churchill must have recognised my face or name or something and mentioned it to him." Tommy remained silent as he listened, "I told him I just wanted information on you, Arthur and John, and I wasn't seen around due to getting work done at night."
"Can he find out?" Tommy asked, Elizabeth tilted her head, before shaking it.
"He shouldn't be able to. There would be no reason for him to need to know." Tommy nodded his head at Elizabeth's comment.
"Anything else?" He asked, knowing she was better at reading people. She hummed for a moment.
"He's got something up his sleeve. His confidence wasn't all there like last time, but I think that's probably due to the stunt we pulled. He was not fully surprised at us having the guns, he was deeply suspicious of us, but he was surprised I knew and Arthur didn't. He still believes that he's got something else to play." Elizabeth sighed, shaking her head, "I think we need to be careful Tom; we've got a lot of battles on the horizon." She glanced over as her twin nodded, happy with her summation of the conversation. Elizabeth nodded back, turning to look off into the distance, her mind wandering back over the conversation as she desperately hoped she wasn't wrong and they had indeed gotten one over on the Inspector, lord knows they needed all the advantages they could get.
