Rose woke up to the sound of a car horn blaring outside of her window. She pushed a hand through her hair and frowned at the noise. The horn was still blaring. Suddenly, she realised why. She jumped out of bed and grabbed her dressing gown, putting it on as she ran down the stairs at full pelt, almost knocking Polly over on the way to the front door.
"Rose! And how many times do I have to tell you not to rush around this house like the grim reaper himself is after you! And put some shoes on!"
Rose wasn't listening. She yanked the door open and ran across the garden to the large truck which was parked in front of the house waiting to pick up Michael for the horse auction. John swung open the driver's door and held a hand down for Rose. She grabbed hold of it and he hauled her up. She scrambled to find her footing, eventually perching on the edge of the cab, leaning against the dashboard and holding onto the steering wheel. John put his hand on her waist, keeping her steady. He grinned at her.
"Well, here's trouble. Aunt Pol will be after you for running across the grass in your night clothes and bare feet!"
Rose shrugged, "She's always after me for something. Can't do anything right these days."
Tommy, sitting in the passenger seat, gestured at her with his cigarette. "Then you should heed her more. If you do as she asks, she won't be after you, will she?"
Rose wrinkled her nose. "But she always wants me to do daft things, like carry a handkerchief or say 'pardon me' when I burp. She's gone all posh since our Michael arrived."
Tommy raised an eyebrow at John who suppressed a smirk. "Yeah, well, wearing shoes outside is not posh, is it? It's common sense, especially since you've just recovered from a serious illness."
"I'm fine now, Tommy. I don't ever cough. Did you talk to Aunt Pol about me coming home?"
Tommy sighed and pulled on his cigarette. "No, not yet, Rose. I'm busy."
"You're always busy. I want to come…"
Tommy cut her off. He wasn't in the mood for her whining this morning. His thoughts were on the auction and the horse he was determined to buy. It was central to his plans.
"Enough, Rose. I'll do it when I can. And you whining about it every five minutes isn't going to make things happen any faster."
Rose scowled, "Well, if you would just talk to her, I wouldn't have to keep whining about it, would i?"
John sighed at this familiar start to yet another argument between Tommy and Rose. He wondered if she'd ever learn that she'd never win. Something caught his eye though the open door of the truck. He nudged Tommy and indicated towards the house with his chin.
"Look at that, eh Tom."
Both Tommy and Rose moved to look at what John was indicating. They saw Polly at the front door with Michael. She handed him a shoulder bag, smoothed down his coat lapels and took his face in her hands. She spoke to him seriously and then kissed him on the cheek.
John giggled. "Mummy's boy is going on an outing."
Rose rolled her eyes. "She's been fussing over him since last night. She keeps telling him to stay out of trouble. She thinks you'll bring him home covered in blood with a gun in one hand and a knife in the other."
John laughed even more and Tommy smiled at the sight of Michael trying to extricate himself from Polly's grip.
"Can I come too, Tommy? To the horse auction?"
Tommy shifted his gaze back to Rose and shook his head. "No, they don't allow children at horse auctions."
"Why not?"
John pinched her nose. "Cos they run around and scare the horses."
"I wouldn't run around. I know how to handle horses, don't I? Been doing it all my life."
Tommy finished his cigarette and flicked it out of the window. "No children allowed."
Rose had known this would be the answer before she asked so she didn't push the issue.
"Tommy, when you buy the horse, how will you get her home? Will you put her in the truck?"
John laughed again. "No, idiot, how're we going to fit a horse in the back of the truck with the men? Make it sit on the bench next to Curly?" He hooted with laughter at his own joke. Rose didn't think it was funny.
"I was only asking."
"The auctioneers will deliver her to Uncle Charlie's yard for a not-so-small fee. She'll be delivered tomorrow," Tommy explained.
"Oh, I see. And can I go and see her?"
"Course you can. You'll own part of her?"
"I will?"
"Yes, she'll be bought with company money and you are part of the company."
Rose beamed. "Can I name her?"
"No. I'm not having a horse run at the Derby with a name like Fairy Cake."
Rose was indignant. "I would never name a horse anything like that."
"Good! John, get Michael moving. We'll be late. And you, young lady, jump down and go get some shoes on."
John yelled across the lawn. "Polly, put him down! We have to go." Polly frowned at the noise and Michael gratefully escaped towards the truck.
"You keep an eye on him now." Polly shouted to Tommy, oblivious to the noise her own voice was making. "And Rose, get back here before you end up going with them."
Rose gave John a quick hug and a peck on his cheek. "Be careful." She smiled at Tommy. "Go and buy us the best horse that ever raced."
Tommy smiled back at her and gently tugged a strand of her hair. "Count on it, Mouse."
Rose turned and jumped down from the cab. John slammed the door shut, roared the engine into life and the truck drove away down the road with one last honk of its horn. Rose watched it leave, jealous that she couldn't go. The only thing that made it more palatable was that Finn hadn't been allowed to go either.
"Rose Shelby! Get yourself inside right now. What will the neighbours think seeing you out here with nothing on your feet? And in your night clothes. Do you want to get ill again?"
Rose wandered back across the lawn towards Polly, taking her time just to annoy her. Just because Polly was cross that Michael had gone to the horse auction didn't mean that she could take it out on her. Polly was losing her patience. She had enough on her mind without a rebellious young niece to deal with.
"Get your backside inside that house now or you find it too sore to sit on for a week!"
Rose stopped on her tracks. "You'll thrash me cos you're mad at Tommy for taking Michael to the auction? How is that my fault?"
"I'll thrash you because you're being belligerent. And then I'll thrash you again for being impertinent. I don't need your smart answers. Get over here and do as you're told."
Rose opened her mouth to retort but Polly spoke first. "Think very carefully about the next thing that comes out of your mouth, young lady. Do not test me."
Rose closed her mouth. She knew when Polly had reached her limit and had no doubt that she would receive a double thrashing if she continued to argue. And she needed to be in Polly's good books if she was going to agree to Rose moving back home.
"Sorry, Aunt Poll."
Polly nodded once. "Go and get dressed. I have to be at the shop today with your brothers off on this ridiculous venture of theirs, and you have to clean the pub before school."
Rose's shoulders slumped but she went and did as she was told. She really didn't want to clean the pub. The hired cleaning lady, Mavis, whom Arthur had put in charge of Rose's work at the Garrison, was mean and made her do the worst jobs, like emptying the spill buckets and scrubbing the floor. She stomped up the stairs to get dressed, cursing under her breath at the unfairness of it all.
An hour and a half later, Rose stepped out of the pub with a scowl on her face. Mavis had finally signed off on Rose's work, but only after making her polish the foot rail around the bottom of the bar again. Rose was furious and had asked Mavis what difference it made if the men were just going to put their boots on it again. Mavis had told her to shut her mouth and do what she was told. She'd never have spoken to Rose like that if Arthur had been there. Rose was going to make sure he heard of it and then Mavis would have to look for another pub to clean. And now she was late for school which meant she'd have to run there and wouldn't have time to walk with Eliza.
She set off at pace. Rose had run to school many a time as a result of playing too long in the alley or taking her time over breakfast, so it didn't take long before she was just around the corner from the street her school was on. She dashed round it only to be brought to a sudden halt by the midriff of a man walking the other way. Rose bounced off him and landed on her backside on the pavement, very winded.
"Well, well, have you never been taught to look before you run round a corner? Or better yet, not to run through the streets in such an unladylike fashion?"
The man, who spoke in an Irish accent, extended a hand down to her. She looked up at him warily. He sported a well-maintained moustache, a bowler hat and a smart overcoat. She noticed that he held a black cane in his other hand. He looked officious. She'd learned an instinct for "the law" from infanthood and this man reeked of authority. She took an instant dislike to him.
He wiggled his hand at her. "Come on then, let me help you up. That's what gentlemen do. Not that I imagine you've come across many of those in your lifetime."
Although she didn't want to, she saw no option but to take his hand and let him help her up. Once she was upright she pulled her hand away. The man took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his hand on it.
"Thanks, mister." She made to go round him and on her way, but he stepped sideways, blocking her way.
"It's 'Thanks Inspector'."
Rose looked up at him. A growing feeling of anxiety wormed its way around her insides. She sensed danger and looked around for help. The street was pretty much deserted, the last children having gone into school. There was no one close by.
"I said, it's 'Thanks Inspector'. Did you not hear me?" His voice had a hint of menace about it and he had moved an inch closer to her. She backed two inches away from him.
"Thanks, Inspector. I … er … I should get to school now. I'm late."
She stepped towards the kerb, intending to run as fast as she could across the road and away from this man who was taking such a close interest in her. He shot out a hand, grabbed her by her upper arm and pulled her close to him. She gasped in fear, trying to pull away. His grip only tightened however and he leant down to put his face close to hers.
"Not so fast."
Scared, Rose struggled even harder against his grasp. "You'd better let me go. My brothers are just behind me and when they see you holding me like this, they'll kill you. You have no idea who they are."
The man laughed. "Oh, I know an awful lot about your family. Just as I happen to know that your brothers are away in Doncaster today. Except for Finn, of course, but he isn't here either, is he?"
Rose stopped struggling and looked at him in shock.
He laughed again at her face. "Oh yes, Rose Shelby. I know who you are. And I know what your family do. The famous Peaky Blinders! But, where are my manners?" He let her go, ready to stop her if she tried to run away again. "My name is Inspector Campbell. I'm a police officer, which I'm sure you've guessed by now. I know your brother, Thomas, very well. In fact, we're working together right now. Well, in truth, Tommy is working for me. Did you know that?"
Rose didn't move and didn't speak. Tommy had told her that if she was ever stopped and questioned by the police to say nothing, to give nothing away. She didn't understand what Inspector Campbell was telling her. Why was Tommy working for the police? Tommy always said the police worked for him.
"Aye, it's true. Tommy has a very important job to do for me, he just doesn't know it yet."
Campbell chuckled at his own slyness. The truth was, he'd walked past the school this morning to catch a glimpse of the youngest Shelby sibling. He knew that she could be a very important pawn in the game he was playing with Thomas Shelby and he'd wanted to get an impression of her. He hadn't spotted her amongst the mob of children entering the school gates that morning and was on his way to the station when, very fortuitously, she'd run right into him. He recognised her immediately. She was the image of Tommy and, of course, that red hair of hers was distinctive.
He wasn't quite sure why he'd stopped her or why he was telling her all this, but a feeling of power and disgust had come over him when he'd looked at her on the floor. Here was another Shelby, another criminal in the making, another product of poverty and petty crime who would seek to rise above her station and challenge good, honest folk for their portion of society. She would no doubt grow up to produce baby criminals of her own. It made him sick to see the likes of the Shelbys, and especially Thomas, inserting themselves into polite society. They should stay in the gutter where they belonged. He didn't see a little girl when he looked at Rose. He saw a plague on society, a drain on resources, a bug to be stepped on and crushed. He knew she was an easy target but he relished the idea of creating discord and division in the family. It infuriated him that Tommy wasn't afraid of him but here, in Rose, was a Shelby who would fear him.
"The thing is, Rose, there are some things that your brother doesn't tell the rest of the family. He keeps it to himself. And he keeps the rewards of it to himself too. Now, I'm sure you look up to Thomas, but I really do think you should find someone else to emulate. Thomas isn't a good man."
Rose swallowed to keep herself from giving into the desire to cry which was rising inside her. She didn't believe him. Tommy wouldn't ever betray the family.
"You're lying. Everything you're saying is a lie. And when Tommy finds out what you're saying about him, he'll kill you."
"I have no doubt he will try. But you see, if you tell him about our little conversation, Rose, the only person who will die is Tommy."
"No! You can't hurt Tommy. No one can. He's better than you!" Rose couldn't stop the tears from spilling over down her cheeks.
Campbell smiled when he saw those tears. Thomas Shelby had taken away the one person he loved and it gave the inspector great pleasure now to cause pain to someone Tommy loved.
"If you tell Tommy about our little conversation, then he will indeed come after me in a fit of rage. But, I will be waiting for him and I have a whole police force behind me who are not in his pocket, to say nothing of some Irish friends who would love nothing more than to kill him. You brother has a lot of enemies."
Campbell leaned down and took Rose's chin in his hand. He wiped away a tear with his thumb. Rose tried to pull her face away, repulsed by his touch, but he held her fast. She could smell pipe tobacco and stale tea on his breath.
"I can have him arrested and put in jail for attempted murder. Terrible things happened in jails, you know. I can tie him up and beat him and cut his fingers off one at a time. Or I can have him killed outright with a bullet through his head." Campbell put a finger on Rose's forehead and pushed, letting her know exactly where the bullet would go. He held her gaze for a moment longer then let go and stood up.
"What would happen to you then, Rose? The family would fall apart, they wouldn't want to take care of you; you'd just be a burden. I expect the authorities would find you a place in a nice girls' home run by the nuns. They'd teach you some manners, that's for sure."
It was all Rose could do to form the words. "You're wrong." Her voice was a whisper. She felt sick and her legs threatened to buckle.
"No, Rose, I'm not wrong. And I think that, deep down, you know it. So, if I were you, I'd keep that smart mouth of yours shut. Let Thomas do his job for me and find a better role model. The one you have will surely let you down. Now, you'd better be off to school. It'll be sure to be the cane for you for being so late."
And with that, he smiled at her, patted her on the head and moved past, whistling as he limped down the street.
Rose watched him go, still in shock and trying to process what she'd just heard. Why would the inspector tell her all this? Surely, it wasn't true. But why would he make it up? Rose didn't know what to do. Her brothers were away and she felt vulnerable. The inspector turned the corner at the end of the street. Rose turned and walked the other way, slowly at first but then faster and faster until she broke into a run. She ran past the school and turned down the alleyway towards the canal. She didn't know where she was going; all she knew was that she needed to get away.
She ran along the canal until she could run no more, then slowed to a stop. She'd reached a deserted part, just a footpath with the woods beyond. She wasn't allowed past Uncle Charlie's yard but she'd passed that a while ago. She looked around. It was quiet and she allowed herself to catch her breath and calm down. She sat down by a tree, leaning against the trunk. The water in the canal flowed smoothly, taking leaves and debris with it. She could hear the birds singing and it reminded her of her time at the Young camp. Time seemed to slow down outside of the city and she began to feel better. She needed to think about her encounter with Inspector Campbell. She knew he was a bad man and therefore not to be trusted. He was right that Tommy had many enemies; Tommy himself had told her that. It stood to reason that Campbell was one of them, and if he was Tommy's enemy than why should she believe him. Rose thought back to the conversation she'd had with Tommy when they'd promised to tell each other the truth. She should tell him all about this when he got back from the auction. But Campbell had promised to do all sorts of horrible things to her brother if she told him what he'd said. She shivered. She absolutely believed that Campbell was capable of doing all he promised. She recalled with disgust the feel of his hand on her chin, the cold look in his eye, the smell of pipe tobacco. This was an evil man and Rose knew she would do well to take him seriously.
Once again, Rose felt like Tommy's life was in her hands. The last time she thought this she'd found herself in London making friends with Alfie Solomons. She frowned. He was nothing like Campbell. She'd liked Alfie; not that she'd ever admit that to Tommy. She wondered if, now that they were working together, Alfie and Tommy would become friends. She hoped so; she would have quite liked to visit Alfie again.
She sighed and leant her head back against the tree trunk. Looking up at the clouds passing over her, she enjoyed the peace. No adults, no enemies, no police inspectors. She allowed her mind to empty. It was nice just to sit and not worry. She felt the pull to life outdoors and knew her Gypsy blood was calling to her kin. Rose tried to imagine what kind of life her grandparents had led as children when they had been a part of their respective travelling Gypsy families. They had been the ones to settle in the city and she wondered why.
Rose spent the morning sitting by the canal, but as peaceful as it was, reality was never far from her thoughts and she knew she'd have to return home soon. She got up and made her way back towards Uncle Charlie's yard. She encountered not a single person for a while and it was almost as if she was alone in the world; just her and the water and the trees and the birds. It wasn't long however before she began to hear the sounds of the city. The footpath and the canal began to get busy, the trees replaced by tunnels and walls, factories and boatyards. Rose reached Uncle Charlie's yard and squeezed through a gap in the fence only she knew was slightly wider than the others. She wandered around the stables, finding comfort in the horses she knew so well. Tommy had been bringing her to the stables since she was tiny and this place was as familiar to her as her own home. She liked to watch Curly take care of the horses and talk to them as if they were family. She looked at the stall where the new horse would go and wondered how her brothers were getting on at the auction.
Her tummy rumbled and reminded her that it was way past lunchtime and probably even home time. She needed to make sure she got home at the right time or Polly would want to know why. She knew where Uncle Charlie kept his stash of biscuits and made her way to his cupboard. She knew he wouldn't mind her having some - he always gave her some when she was there anyway. She sat in his chair by the unlit stove munching on biscuits and trying to decide what to do. Tommy had been serious about the deal they'd made to tell the truth, 'sacred' he'd called it. He'd allowed her to join the family meetings and just this morning had told her she was part of the company. She swallowed the last mouthful of her biscuit and stood up. Tommy expected her to take her role in the family business seriously and that meant doing the right thing even if it was scary. Tommy, Arthur and John would know what to do about the inspector's threat, just like they knew how to handle Sabini's threat. She wiped the crumbs off her skirt, feeling better now that she had resolved to tell Tommy. In fact, she felt an excitement bristle beneath her skin at the thought of what her brothers would do to Inspector Campbell. Whatever it was, she hoped it would wipe that smug grin of his face.
She timed her return home perfectly, she thought, turning in Watery Lane at the exact time as the children who were returning from school. She opened the back door confident that her day off school wouldn't be discovered. Sometimes the truancy officer knocked on the door of absent children but only if a child had been absent two days or more. Rose would tell her teacher tomorrow that she'd had a cough and Aunt Pol had kept her home. The school knew she had poorly lungs.
She closed the kitchen door behind her and found Polly sat at the table with a cigarette and a cup of tea reading the paper.
"Hiya, Aunt Pol," Rose kept her voice light.
"There's some bread and butter on the table for you. I'll pour you some tea. How was school?"
"Alright." Rose slipped into the chair next to Polly where there was a plate of bread and butter for her. She was starving, having missed her lunch in school and only eaten Uncle Charlie's biscuits all day, but forced herself to eat slowly so as not to give herself away.
"Did you walk home with Eliza?" Polly took a sip of tea and turned the page of the newspaper, not looking at Rose.
"Yeah, she asked if we could play out later. Can I go? You'll have to stay to close up the shop anyway."
Polly tapped her cigarette on the ashtray and looked at Rose. "Did she now? It's funny, that, cos not ten minutes before you arrived home, a little girl who looked the spit of Eliza knocked on the door asking if you could come out to play. Now, I know Eliza doesn't have a twin, so it must have been her."
Rose paused mid-chew, not daring to look at her aunt. Her mind sped through a hundred different ways to explain this but couldn't settle on any answer which would fool Polly. She knew she'd been caught out.
Polly closed the newspaper carefully and put it on the table. She leaned forward.
"I told her that you were still at school. Imagine my surprise, Rose, when she said that you hadn't been in school today at all."
The piece of bread Rose had been in the process of swallowing stuck in her throat. She took a sip of tea to wash it down, swallowing hard. Then, she forced herself to look at Polly. Polly's face was as hard as flint, one eyebrow raised waiting for an explanation. Rose felt a bit sick. She didn't know what to say. Should she tell Polly about her encounter with the inspector? She wasn't sure; she didn't know if Tommy would want Polly to know. An idea popped into her head.
"It was Mavis' fault."
Polly frowned, trying to place the name. "Mavis?"
"The cow who cleans the Garrison. She made me polish the foot rail again, even though I'd polished it just fine the first time. And the men put their dirty boots on it anyway, so what does it matter? Anyway, by the time I'd finished, I was late for school. I ran the whole way, Aunt Pol, but the gates were closed when I got there and I'd get the cane if I rang the bell so late. So ….. so, I got scared and didn't go in."
Rose breathed out slowly. It was almost the truth. She looked hopefully at Polly, willing her to believe her.
"So, where were you all day?"
Rose hesitated. She wasn't allowed past Uncle Charlie's yard along the Cut and knew that Polly would be cross if she found out.
"I went to Uncle Charlie's yard and saw the horses."
"How did you get in?"
"There's a gap in the fence."
Polly scrutinised Rose's face. She was very familiar with Rose's ways and could always tell when she was lying. This time however, she wasn't sure. It wasn't an outright lie, but something about Rose's story wasn't right. Rose wasn't one to run away when she was scared.
"What aren't you telling me, Rose? You've never run away from a thrashing before. You've had plenty at school, mainly for getting into fights if I remember correctly. It was John who always got them for being late. And, out of all the Shelby lot, you're the one who's never wigged school. I've had the truancy officer at the door for all of them, but not you. You enjoy school."
Rose went red. Polly was right, she enjoyed school. Using her brain, acquiring information and knowledge, finding out about the world beyond Small Heath – all these things challenged her. She hated cookery and embroidery lessons though, but so did Eliza and they always managed to find some mischief together. Like the time they tripled the amount of pepper in the potato soup they made and had Arthur Meedes taste it. He gone red in the face, drank 4 glasses of water and had been sent home with his eyes streaming and a bright red nose.
"I don't! I hate school. It's boring and the teachers are mean" Rose felt this was the only correct reaction given the circumstances. She had to convince Polly she'd wigged school because she didn't want to go.
Polly half-closed her eyes as she watched Rose. She was sure there was more to this story, but she couldn't work out what. And it was clear Rose wasn't going to enlighten her.
"Very well. I'll send a note in to the school tomorrow explaining that you played truant today. I have no doubt that Mr Brown will give you twice the caning you would have got for being late."
Rose looked at Polly in shock. "That's not fair!"
"Isn't it? But that's what happened, Rose, you just told me so yourself. You wigged school because you didn't want the cane for being late. Or was there another reason?"
Rose didn't answer and looked down at her plate. Hot tears pricked at her eyes. She was angry. Angry at the unfairness of Polly's decision. Angry at Inspector Campbell for what he'd done to her. Angry at Tommy for being away when she needed him.
Polly was exasperated. "Rose, I don't understand why you won't tell me the whole story. I know you want me to let you move back here but given your behaviour, why would I ever agree to that? You're running away from school, you're not giving me a full explanation, you're being difficult and you're hiding things from me. You need to be somewhere where I can keep an eye of you. I'm going to tell Tommy that you're to stay with me and Michael in Sutton for good. And you'll be going to the local school there. The less time you spend in Small Heath, the better."
Rose was appalled. Leave Small Heath for good? Stay in that awful house with the posh neighbours and Moaning Joan? Go to another school? All of these things were inconceivable and she had to make Polly change her mind.
"No, please, Aunt Pol. Please. I don't want to live in Sutton. I want to stay here with Tommy and Finn. I'll tell you what happened. There was this policeman and he stopped me and wouldn't let me past him to get to school…"
Exasperated, Polly stood up. "Enough of this story-telling, Rose! A policeman wouldn't stop you from going to school. All the police round here know who we are, Tommy pays them too. None of them would stop you."
Rose stood up too, desperate. It hadn't crossed her mind that Polly wouldn't believe her when she told the truth.
"It's true, Aunt Pol, he said that Tommy worked for him and that he'd cut his fingers off if I told anyone what happened. That's why I didn't tell you. He said…"
Polly had had enough of this nonsense. "Go up to your room, Rose. Go and pack anything you want to take to Sutton. You won't be staying in this house again."
And with that she went back into the shop, slamming the door behind her. Rose stared at the closed doors in disbelief. What had just happened? She'd tried to do the right thing, to protect Tommy, but everything had gone wrong. Now she'd never be able to come home. At that moment, she hated Polly. She wished Tommy was there. He'd believe her. He was her only hope. She'd explain everything to him and he would fix it all. She knew he would.