Chapter Content Warning: canon-typical content, reference to sexual content, reference to physical punishment, guns/ gunshots
Biscuits
1919
When Ada came down the steps, Clara was settled at the table, her head down as she focused on some page in the accounting ledger. Polly had slipped them to the girl earlier that day wanting a little peace and quiet for herself, knowing the numbers would keep her busy, and quiet, for a time.
Ada glanced over her younger sister's shoulder as Clara used her pencil as a guide to scan through the rows of numbers, checking her work over one last time. Ada had never been interested in playing around with numbers in the same way Clara and Polly seemed to be. She had done well enough to get by in school, but one would never find her begging to help out with the accounting, or with the betting business in any capacity for that matter.
The way Ada saw things, the boys were home now and she was perfectly content to allow them to manage it.
"Don't let Tom see you working with those books," Ada teased, tugging one of Clara's long, thick braids. "He'll have a fit."
Clara swatted her sister's hand away before straightening her hair on her shoulder and starting once again with the business of double-checking her work. Having looked up from the newspaper she was reading, Polly eyed the girls. The sisters didn't often outright fight, but they often teased. Ada found a sense of enjoyment in the playful provocation of her younger sister in the same way that Clara sometimes enjoyed exasperating Ada for the sport of it. Polly suspected the girls knew they were safe in pestering one another in a way it wasn't safe with their brothers.
"You let your sister be, Ada." Polly dropped the newspaper into her lap and gave the girls her full attention. "At least one of you girls has taken an interest in the family business and that's a right good thing. A woman will be needed to keep those boys in line when I retire. I won't be doing this job forever."
Ada crossed her arms over her chest. "And what else will you do with your time, Pol? Take up knitting sweaters and reading?"
Ada smirked at her aunt, a bit proud of her own wit until Polly swatted her with the rolled-up newspaper. Then Ada fell into a deep fit of giggles.
"What's wrong with reading?" Clara said.
Polly smiled at the girl. "Nothing's wrong with reading, love. Your sister has just got her priorities mixed up… thinks the only thing important in this world is going 'round with all the boys in Small Heath. Spent her years in school passing notes and making dates rather than engaging in proper learning."
"I've not been 'round with all the boys in Small Heath, Pol. The boys have seen to that."
"Well, it's not for your lack of trying, now is it?" Pol answered, an eyebrow raised.
"Like you've got much room to speak on that subject," Ada mumbled, raising her eyebrows as she waited for a response.
Clara focused intently on their exchange, not bothering to hide her interest.
Polly's eyes flicked from one girl to the other. They were both Shelby girls, both strong and sharp, and high strung in their own ways, but Polly was often struck by how vastly different Ada and Clara were, starting with their contrasting features and ending with the alarmingly dissimilar ways their shared Shelby traits manifested.
And Polly had a distinct relationship with each of her nieces. Clara was Polly's in a way that Ada never had been and never would be.
"Your sister has no need to hear this."
"You started—"
"That's enough, Ada."
Ada huffed. "Well, I can see when my presence is no longer appreciated," Ada answered, shrugging into her coat. "I'll be home for supper."
Clara quickly stood from her chair, pushing the accounting ledger towards Polly. "Ada, wait! Where are you going?"
"Out," she answered quickly, rolling her eyes when she caught Polly's glance and pursed lips. "I'm just going for a walk, Pol."
"Can I come?" Clara said. "I'm all finished here and maybe we can stop by and see Uncle Charlie? Is that alright, Aunt Polly?"
"It's alright with me."
Polly looked over the papers while the girls sorted things. Clara was good with numbers, better than John and Arthur were and she was quicker with the books than Polly was. Tommy may not have approved of the kids helping out, but Clara was good at it. And because Polly knew it made the girl happy to think she was helping, she gave her a benign page of the accounting ledger if she seemed in need of something to keep her busy. Tommy had no need to know who checked the numbers.
"Why don't you stay here with Polly and we'll take a stroll after supper?" Ada offered.
"But the boys won't let me walk around after supper. It's too dark."
"She's right, Ada. And you shouldn't be walking around after dark either."
"I can handle myself, Polly."
"I'm sure," Polly answered. "Your sister has been cooped up here all day. Take her with you."
"Why don't you take her out?" Ada suggested.
"Because she wants to go with her sister."
If Ada didn't have a substantial soft spot for her only sister, she may have been annoyed with Clara being pushed on her, especially now of all times, but when she looked down at Clara's sulky features, the faintest bit of pity crept in. And beyond the pity, Ada knew Clara was loyal to her and she knew Clara kept her sister's secrets from the boys. She could trust her to not say a thing about where she was going.
Ada had often pretended it never affected her, but she remembered being the little Shelby girl left at home by the boys. While Ada often simply hadn't listened when told to stay put, Clara was most often a good girl. Though given the girl's developing attitude, Ada thought maybe her little sister just had more self-preserving qualities than Ada had ever possessed. When Clara disobeyed, it was usually a well-calculated maneuver.
"Fine. Go grab a coat," she conceded.
Clara took to the stairs, skipping over one when her short legs could manage it. Her coat hung in the small wardrobe in her bedroom. Only a few months old, the wool coat was easily the nicest thing Clara Shelby had ever owned. Clara had begged and begged for one like the red coat in the front window of the shop, but Tommy had a nagging feeling about sending his sister about town with her long blonde hair and a little red coat. She was recognizable enough as the little Shelby girl. There was no need to garner extra attention with a red coat. They had settled on a dark blue instead.
Though Clara had pouted on the way home that day, she had come to like the coat now, with its stitched velvet collar and matching pocket flaps. She had even come to like the more sensible navy blue. It wasn't nearly as nice as Ada's coats with the fur lining and flowery patterns, but at least it wasn't black or brown, or a hand-me-down passed from an older sibling or the previous generation. It wasn't a coat like most of the Small Heath girls wore.
Clara buttoned the jacket as she left her room, casually hopping her way down the stairs.
"And where are you off to?"
Clara met Tommy midway down the staircase. He stopped a few steps below her and Clara found she quite liked the idea of being about the same height as her brother, not having to look up to meet his eye.
"Out," she quipped, attempting to skip past him.
Tommy caught Clara by the arms, holding her in front of him as he waited for a more descriptive response. He had received the same clipped response from Ada moments before in the kitchen. He had barely accepted the ambiguity from the twenty-three-year-old and he certainly wasn't planning to accept it from an eleven-year-old.
"Just for a walk with Ada," she said.
Tommy nodded. There was a novelty, he thought, in Ada taking an interest in something other than disappearing off by herself. Before seeing her in the kitchen, he hadn't seen the girl for days, possibly longer. It could've been a week. He knew it had something to do with a man. There wasn't much else for girls Ada's age to be sneaking around for.
"Aunt Polly already said I could go," Clara said, taking Tommy's silence for hesitation.
"Stick by Ada," he said, "And stop by Hinkley's and get yourself a biscuit."
Tommy slipped a coin into Clara's coat pocket, but Tommy doubted she would use it. The bakery was on the protection roll. To Tommy, that meant an unspoken condition of their deal included free sweets for the younger Shelbys.
Clara fingered the small coin before placing it back in her pocket, a smile coming over her face. She reached out, placing her arms around Tommy's neck, only the tips of her toes remaining on the step. He held her there for a moment before settling her back flat on her feet.
"Alright, go on. Be good. Ada's waiting."
Clara and Ada walked in comfortable silence for several blocks, Ada leading the way, with her heels stomping through the mud. She seemed to be moving with determination, her stride a bit wider than Clara was easily able to keep up with.
"Quickly, Clara. We're late," she offered.
"What for?"
Ada glanced back at her sister, raising both eyebrows and Clara instantly understood.
"We're off to meet Freddie, then?" Clara asked.
"Well, I'm going to meet Freddie. You're going to…" Ada began as she looked around, searching for a friendly face, a safe place to store her sister while she met up with her boyfriend.
"But I want to see Freddie too," Clara protested. "Why can't I come, Ada?"
Ada sighed. Freddie Thorne had been both girl's first crushes. She had loved Freddie since she was younger than Clara was now and Clara had taken to her brother's best friend when she was just a baby, a cooing bundle of blankets passed between arms. Freddie had always been sweet to Clara before the war, back when the boys were all friends and he frequented the Shelby home as if he lived there.
Freddie still asked about 'our little Clara' and Ada knew he wouldn't mind seeing her. Yet something in her didn't want Clara tagging along. Ada had a single goal in meeting up with Freddie today and it wasn't something suitable for an eleven-year-old. Ada rounded on her sister, bending to her height, deciding on something close to honesty.
"Freddie and I have adult plans that are just for the two of us. You can see him another day. We'll set a time for the three of us, I promise."
"So I can't come because you're going to play couch quail with Freddie?" Clara said, cavalier as though the term was frequent in her conversations.
"I going to what?" Ada said, nervous laughter spilling from her lips.
"Going to play couch quail," Clara repeated, her tone serious and unwavering.
"Where the hell did you hear that?"
"John said it," Clara answered quietly.
"You don't even know what that is!"
"I do so! It's when a boy and a—"
Ada clapped a hand over Clara's mouth, effectively shutting her sister up, glancing around as people walked past them, grateful no one was paying them any mind.
"Fucking hell, Clara. People can hear you. Didn't anyone ever tell you not to repeat the stupid shit our brother says?"
Clara shrugged and Ada's chest heaved as she took a deep breath, rubbing her forehead and left temple as she thought. "Don't ever let Polly hear you saying something like that. Or Tommy," she said. "Or Arthur, either. They'd skin you and John."
"Listen, I have to see Freddie alone today and I need you to keep that to yourself and," Ada paused. "Oh! What if you go visit with Uncle Charlie and the horses like you wanted while I go meet Freddie? I'll get you settled there and I'll come back around after I'm finished. Shouldn't be very long and we can stop for those biscuits on the way home."
Clara thought about it for a moment. She had wanted to visit Uncle Charlie and Curly and the horses. And Clara rightly knew that Ada would only complain about wanting to leave if she came along to the yard. Going alone would give Clara the freedom to do as she pleased in the yard and spend proper time with the horses.
"Alright," she said, nodding once, "but I don't need you to get me settled. I know how to get there."
Ada studied her sister. A year ago, she wouldn't have questioned sending her younger sister off to Uncle Charlie's on her own, but Small Heath was a different place now that the men were home. Still, Clara knew the route well enough and Ada knew it would give them both more time in their respective locations.
"Are you sure?"
"Two lefts, a right, and run all the way to the yard," Clara answered confidently.
"Straight there, Clara. I mean it. Don't talk to anyone on the way. Don't stop in a shop to look at books. No petting stray dogs."
"I know, Ada. I'm not a baby."
"I know you're not technically, but you are the baby."
Ada idly fingered her sister's braid but Clara pushed her hand away.
"You'll be late for Freddie if you don't let me go."
Ada nodded once before leaving Clara alone on a street corner as she headed to meet her man. Clara waited until her sister was out of sight before turning away to start on her own journey.
Now that the boys were back in Birmingham, Clara wasn't permitted to do much wandering on her own. It was another of Tommy's swiftly imposed rules. Wandering close to home was generally allowed, but he didn't like for Clara to go much beyond Watery Lane without an escort even if he permitted it for Finn.
While the boys were away, the twins had traversed Birmingham without much of a thought to boundaries or limits. Clara and Finn had regularly walked themselves to Uncle Charlie's yard to see the horses or deliver messages. She knew the quickest way was the exact route she had described to Ada but Clara wouldn't be taking it. She preferred the long way that took her along the Cut. She liked to balance along the stone edging as she watched the boats slowly pass by, lost in her thoughts.
When Clara finally decided to take stock in her surroundings beyond the passing boats and the water, she realized that she was several streets past the turn to Charlie's yard, further from Watery Lane than she had wandered alone since the boys came home.
There was a sudden pang in Clara's chest as the blood pumped harder through her body because she didn't recognize the buildings or the street names. She was unsure of how long she had been walking but her legs felt sore, the edge of her smallest toe rubbing against her boots, the fact that they were nearly too small only becoming evident on account of all the walking.
Despite the initial panic, it took only a moment for Clara to realize that even though she didn't know where she was, she had only to retrace her steps along the Cut to find her Uncle's yard. She hadn't once strayed from the water's edge in all the time she had been walking.
Clara turned around, setting off at a run in the direction of the yard to make up time, and found it felt good to run, to expend the anxious energy that had forced itself into her muscles. She was just before the turnoff for Charlie's when she saw a group of boys playing by the water. She slowed to a walk as she realized it was her brother with his friends, the boys crowding around Finn. Out of breath from all the running, Clara inched forward, about to step up to her brother's side when out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ada stomping towards her.
"Clara fuckin' Shelby. I thought you were going straight to Uncle Charlie's, not playing with the fucking boys!" she shouted from a few steps away.
"I…I was walking and I—"
The noise which sounded was so deafening that all Clara could hear was a high-pitched ringing in her ears though Ada's mouth hung open like she was screaming. They barely noticed the second shot that went off when Finn dropped the gun to the ground, sending a bullet straight across the water and through the wall of a shed.
"Where the fuck did you get that?"
Finn was quiet as Ada leaned over to pick up the offending gun, quickly emptying the bullets into her palm before stashing everything in her purse.
"Fucking John," she decided, saying it more to herself than anyone else before Finn could answer.
Ada knew she wasn't the best role model for the twins but she figured she was one of the better options they had. At least she wasn't teaching them ridiculous sex slang and leaving guns lying around for them to play with.
"All of you go home. If you speak a word of this, you'll be hearing from the Peaky Blinders by nightfall," Ada threatened the other boys before turning to her younger siblings. "And you bloody idiots come with me."
"Are you going to tell?" It was Finn who asked the question, sounding small and nervous as he and Clara reluctantly followed in Ada's wake. Ada glanced back at the twins, stopping them all in their tracks.
"I was just playing…didn't know it was loaded," Finn offered.
"Finn, you nearly killed someone," Ada said. "Me. Clara. One of your friends. Any of us could be dead because of you."
"But it wasn't on purpose."
"'It wasn't fucking on purpose' he says. And I suppose you didn't wander off on purpose either?" Ada glanced at a speechless Clara. "On purpose or not, you're both going to tell what you've done and I'll let someone else decide what to do with your sorry arses. Now, let's go," Ada ordered.
"But, Ada—"
Clara didn't want to be in trouble with her brothers or aunt, especially not for violations like not listening and wandering around Small Heath by herself. Clara was fairly certain that they wouldn't be exceptionally happy to hear about it.
"You were supposed to go straight to Charlie's," Ada retorted. "That was the agreement."
"I was on my way. And I'm…" Clara looked at Finn and beckoned Ada down to her level, whispering into her big sister's ear. "…And I'm keeping your secret. If they know I was going to Charlie's alone they'll want to know why."
Ada looked down at Clara as her jaw dropped noticeably. Her little sister was far smarter and more manipulative than she had been at that age. Even though the girl was only using it to save herself from whatever punishment she had decided she was in for, Ada was impressed.
"Alright. Well, Finn, you can tell Aunt Polly what you've done and let her decide."
"Then we still have to get biscuits or Tommy'll know," Clara said.
Finn looked to be in a crummy mood, but he perked up at the mention of biscuits and Clara showed her twin the shiny coin Tommy had given her.
Ada rolled her eyes but knew that Clara was right. She turned down the lane towards Hinkley's with the twins in tow. Rather than paying for a single biscuit, the twins were given a brown paper bag with a full assortment and sent on their way.
Despite the seriousness of the gun situation, Ada had calmed while walking back to Watery Lane, nibbling on one of the biscuits as they went, the contentment she always felt after seeing Freddie quickly overshadowing all else. The twins split the rest of the biscuits, thoroughly spoiling their dinner before they reached the front steps of the family home.
"Go wash up and find your brothers," Polly said as she heard the group come in through the door.
"Finn's got something to tell you, Pol," Ada said, holding Finn by the scruff of his neck so he didn't go anywhere.
"No, I haven't," he complained, struggling to get away from Ada.
"Finn Shelby, you can tell me yourself or one of your sisters will tell me, isn't that right, girls?"
"Shelbys don't tattle," Clara answered confidently.
"It's not tattling, you twit, especially not when your brother nearly kills you," Ada said, hitting Clara in the back of her head with her free hand.
Polly slammed the pot containing dinner down on the table, hands landing on her hips. "What are you on about?"
"He shot a fucking gun, Pol!" Ada said, pushing the boy forward.
"Ada!" Finn complained, trying to move back behind his sister.
Polly stepped towards Finn and Clara took a step back away from the action, a weak attempt at self-defense.
"Where did you get a gun?" Polly asked, coming dangerously close to Finn and sticking a finger in his face.
"I found it," he answered with a shrug.
"Where'd you find it?"
"In the shop."
"And the bullets?"
"They were already there, but I didn't know it."
"I will kill that senseless brother of yours," Polly said, mostly to Ada, as she rubbed her temples. "One of these kids is going to get hurt and maybe then those boys will take this seriously."
"Are you going to tell?" Finn asked, suddenly nervous. "It wasn't on purpose. I swear it, Aunt Polly."
Polly seemed flustered for a moment before she looked down at her nephew.
"I don't know, but you can go right up to your room for the rest of the night. You're not supposed to be in that shop and you're not supposed to take things that aren't yours and you don't ever shoot a gun without being taught how."
"What about supper?" Finn asked.
"You won't be having any. It looks like the two of you already spoiled your supper anyhow." Polly snatched the nearly empty paper bag from Clara's hand and Clara stepped closer to her brother.
"But it was just an accident, Aunt Polly," Clara said, immediately regretting the scrutinizing attention it brought her.
"You stay out of it unless you'd like to join him," Polly warned. "Don't go getting yourself into trouble because of your brother's stupidity."
Clara quickly shut her mouth and Polly shooed her nephew up the stairs, returning her attention to the pot on the table.
"Alright then, Clara, go let your brothers know it's time for supper. Ada, get out the plates."
Clara dutifully headed towards the threshold of the shop, leaning her head in the open doorway. Business was done for the day and her brothers were sitting around one of the tables, Tommy talking quietly as the other two listened.
"If you're going to listen in, you might as well come to join us," Tommy said in an unamused tone, his back to the little girl by the door.
"I wasn't listening in," she protested.
Clara made her way into the room, stopping beside Arthur's chair. He placed an arm around her, pulling her close enough to kiss her cheek. Clara looked over at Tommy who was still watching her.
"Our Clara just wanted to visit with her brothers, isn't that right, sweetheart?" Arthur said as he pulled her up into his lap.
Tommy could see something unsettled in his sister and he took a long puff from his cigarette as he considered her. "How was your walk with Ada?"
"Good," Clara answered. "Hinkley gave me a whole bag of sweets."
Tommy nodded, taking another long drag of his cigarette.
"Well, where's our share then?" John asked.
"Finn and I ate most of them on the way," Clara said, a small smirk on her lips.
"Well, damn, Clara, you didn't even think of us, did you?"
"Not when it comes to biscuits, I don't," Clara answered, bringing her brothers to a fit of laughter.
"Hand her over here, Arthur. This one needs a lesson on what happens to little girls who don't share biscuits with her brothers."
"But Aunt Pol says it's time for supper!" Clara said, attempting to get herself up and a safe distance from the boys, pulling at Arthur's hands. He had already started to pass her off to John, Clara fighting him until John had started in on the tickling, rendering her defenseless as she thrashed about. Her shrieks and giggles had John and Arthur in fits of laughter. The smallest hint of a smile had even made its way onto Tommy's face.
The moment wasn't long-lived as Polly stepped into the doorway, shouting at the group to come to wash up and eat. John dangled Clara over his shoulder as he carried her to the table, depositing her in an empty chair before heading home to have dinner with his own children.