Rose slept in Tommy's bed whilst he was away. It didn't stop the nightmares but it made them more bearable and sometimes Rose was able to fall back to sleep again afterwards. Jeremiah and Isaiah were good houseguests. Isaiah bunked in with Finn and Jeremiah insisted on sleeping on the floor of the living room; it was "proper" he'd said. Jeremiah was kind and gentle and Rose had known him all her life. Though Isaiah was a couple of years older, he and Finn were close friends and had grown up together. They'd often let Rose play with them, but only if she did what they told her to which she had until she was old enough to realise she didn't always want to be the baddie - if they were the cops, she was the robber; if they were the cowboys, she was the Indian, if they were the Tommies, she was the Hun. She grew tired of their games eventually, though not without having learnt how to stand up for herself and give as good as she got. Sometimes Ada joined in and then the boys stood no chance.

Now though, Finn and Isaiah stayed out until all hours and weren't interested in including her. Rose was jealous of the way they got to spend time with the men and go wherever they wanted.

"Don't fret, little one," Jeremiah had said when he saw her scowling at them as they got ready to go out. "You shouldn't be in such a hurry to grow up. Childhood is a gift, don't throw it away."

"How is it a gift? Seems like all it means is that everyone gets to boss me around and I never get to decide anything."

"Childhood is a gift because you bring so much joy to those who love you. A family with a child in their midst is blessed indeed."

The door slammed as Finn and Isaiah left.

"Well, someone needs to tell my family that they're blessed then, so's they remember I exist."

Jeremiah put a plate of biscuits on the table and sat down next to her with a smile. "They haven't forgotten, trust me."

Rose took a biscuit and examined it.

"Jeremiah?"

"Yes, child?"

"If someone does something wrong for the right reason, can they be forgiven?"

Jeremiah watched the girl as she looked closely at her biscuit, avoiding eye contact.

"Have you done something wrong?"

Rose's head snapped towards him. "No! It's not me, it's… never mind."

Jeremiah realised what she was getting at. "Rose, everyone's choices are their own and everyone will stand to account for what they have done. You can't control what anyone else does, you can only choose what you do."

"But what if you have no choice? What if everyone you love will get hurt if you don't do a bad thing?"

Jeremiah wished he could tell her that she would never have to worry about that kind of thing, but she was a Shelby and the Lord only knew what she'd already experienced at her tender age. He loved Tommy and would die for him, but his ambition was a curse and would end up hurting all those he loved.

"The Lord will never allow you to fall into temptation without also providing a way out."

Rose furrowed her brow. She didn't understand what he meant, but she let the matter lie. Tommy would be cross that she'd even asked the question. She was scared for her brother – for his life, for his soul – and she felt so powerless. Jeremiah gently tugged a strand of her hair.

"Are you going to eat that biscuit, little one, or are you just going to rub it to crumbs?"

Rose put the biscuit back on the plate, she didn't want it anymore. Jeremiah wondered how one so young seemed to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. He stood up.

"Come along then, young lady, you can help me wash the dishes. It will do you no good to mope. You may as well be kept busy; the devil makes work for idle hands."

Rose look at him in confusion again. "What?"

But Jeremiah was already at the basin. "Bring those dirty dishes over."

She collected the dishes and brought them to him. He handed her a tea towel.

"Jeremiah, will you tell me about what it was like in the war? The boys won't talk about it."

"And with good reason."

"Please, Jeremiah."

So, for the next thirty minutes, the preacher and his young charge washed and dried the dishes together whilst he told her stories of his time with her brothers in the war – stories of victory and bravery, of camaraderie and brotherhood. He left out the other types of stories, the ones of fear and loss, blood and chaos. Most of those stories would stay in France.

Tommy came home later that evening as Rose and Jeremiah were getting dinner ready. She'd had dinner at Esme's the previous evening but, as much as she loved John's family, meal time at their house was chaos and it made Rose's head hurt. She'd asked Jeremiah if she could eat with him that evening and he was happy to have her company.

"Just in time," Tommy said as he walked into the kitchen, sniffing the air with appreciation.

Rose let out a squeal and ran over to jump into his arms. Tommy grunted and took a step backwards at the force of his sister's momentum.

"Woah, Rose! You're getting too big to do that."

Rose squeezed him tight around his neck as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She didn't care that he'd only been away for two days, it had felt like two weeks, especially after she'd been at Polly's for so long. She leaned back, keeping her hands linked around his neck and sitting on his arms underneath her.

"How was London?"

"Crowded."

"Did you have a nice time with your old friend?"

"Yes, I did. A very nice time."

"I missed you."

He smiled and moved his head forward until his nose touched hers for a few seconds. Then he lowered her to the floor.

"Did this one behave herself, Jeremiah?"

"Yes, she did, Tommy. She was an angel."

"An angel? Are we talking about the same girl, Jeremiah?"

"Hey!" Rose hit him on the arm which only made him laugh more.

An hour later, Jeremiah had taken his leave and Rose was snuggled next to Tommy on the sofa in the living room, a fire roaring in the grate. Tommy had a glass of whiskey on the table in front of him, a cigarette between his fingers and his favourite person at his side. He allowed himself to feel content. The next two days would bring either great success or terrible failure which would reverberate throughout the family. Tommy was suddenly acutely aware that this could well be his last night at home with Rose. He pulled on his cigarette and blew the smoke out slowly. He felt the guilt sweep through him at the thought of leaving her. He didn't really believe the rest of the family truly needed him. Yes, they benefitted from his success but they also suffered from his ruthless drive. Deep down he genuinely thought they'd be better off without him. But not Rose. Leaning comfortably into his side like she had so many times before, this small girl needed him; she always had. He tried not to imagine her reaction to the news of his death. What would it do to her? He took another pull of the cigarette and tried to expel that thought with the smoke he released from his lungs. It wouldn't be long before he ruined her life too though, he imagined, before she too looked at him the way Ada did. Maybe it was best to die whilst he was still a hero in her eyes; before she too realised how broken he was.

"Mouse?"

"Hmm?" Rose was drowsily watching the fire, feeling safe and happy next to Tommy.

"I'm going back to London tomorrow."

He felt her body tense under his arm. She didn't say anything.

"I've already spoken to Jeremiah. He'll be round to take you to school tomorrow."

She remained silent.

"It's the Derby in two days, Mouse, and I've got you a ticket. That'll be nice, eh? You can watch our girl run."

She sat up and turned to look at him.

"I'm going with you?"

"No, Jeremiah will be taking you and Lizzie. I'll be there but I'll have work to do so you won't be able to stay with me."

She regarded him for a few seconds.

"Are you doing the job for Campbell at the Derby? Is that the work you're doing?"

Tommy slid his eyes from hers and leaned forward to pick up his glass.

"Rose…"

"You can't tell me, can you?"

"No."

She sighed and looked back at the fire. "Will it be dangerous, Tommy? Will you be safe?"

He scoffed. "Of course I will!"

Rose looked back at him, the tears in her eyes catching the light from the flames.

"Tommy, I don't want you to do this job if it means you'll get hurt."

"Mouse, I told you, it's not dangerous, I'll be fine."

She stared at him, not believing him. He looked away, knowing that she didn't. He stood up and poured himself another glass of whiskey, turning back to find her eyes still on him. He took a sip.

"And guess what? I'm pretty sure Arthur will be out of prison soon too."

Her eyes widened. "Really? He's coming home?"

"Yes, very soon, if all goes to plan."

She smiled at him, her shoulders sagging with relief, and his heart broke a little. She deserved better than this; better than fearing for her family's lives. He pushed his shoulders back. If his plan succeeded, then all their lives would improve, he was sure of it. He would have the means to keep them all safe. It was worth the risk, and besides, he was at the point of no return now.

"Right, young lady…"

Rose pushed herself back onto the sofa, covered her ears with her hands and squeezed her eyes shut. This had been her life-long response to being told it was bedtime. He laughed and put his glass down.

"It's no use, Rose, it's time for bed and you can't get out of it"

She didn't move. She wouldn't until she was forced to. If Polly were dealing with it, this meant a firm slap on her legs, but her brothers found their own way which usually involved tickling, pinching and being carried in many different positions up the stairs, often upside down.

But tonight, Tommy chose a different way. He sat down close to her on the sofa, took hold of her hands and pulled them away from her ears. She tried to resist but he was far too strong and she gave up. He leaned forward and kissed her on her head. Expecting to be tickled or poked in the side, she opened her eyes surprised. His eyes were fixed on her face and she caught the sadness pass through them.

"Tommy. What?"

He reached out a hand, stroked her hair away from her face and kept his hand on the back of her head.

"You know I love you, don't you, Mouse, eh? I know I've not always been there for you, but no one in the world means more to me than you. You know that, don't you?"

Rose was taken aback. Tommy never spoke like that. In fact, she couldn't remember a time when he'd told her he loved her. The Shelbys didn't say things like that to each other. She stared at him confused.

"Tell me you know that, Rose."

He was looking at her intently, almost desperately. His eyes searched her face as if trying to find the answer.

"Yes, Tommy, I know you love me, I know you do. You're my brother."

She looked at him worriedly, not knowing why he was asking this. He visibly relaxed at her answer. He took his hand off her head and cupped her cheek momentarily before sitting back.

"I love you too, Tommy."

The words felt strange on her tongue. She'd never said them before.

Tommy's eyes filled with tears and he swallowed.

"I know you do, Mouse, though heaven knows I don't deserve it." He cleared his throat. "No matter what happens, Rose, don't forget what I said to you, will you? Eh?"

Rose reached out and threw her arms around his neck. She was unsettled by this conversation. It sounded like he was saying goodbye. Tommy put his arms around her and held her tight, closing his eyes as a tear threatened to escape them. He cleared his throat again and stood up with her in his arms.

"Right, young lady! There's no escaping bedtime now."

Two days later, Rose was sat in the back of a car being driven to Epsom by Jeremiah. She was wearing her best Sunday clothes – a dark green and white large-checked dress with a wide brown collar, wide brown cuffs on her long sleeves and brown-edged pockets on the skirt. She wore a short green wool jacket over the top, grey wool tights and black buckle shoes. In her lap she held a pair of crocheted green gloves and a straw hat with a green ribbon round it. Lizzie was in the front passenger seat, talking non-stop – she had a new dress, did they like it? Would Tommy like it? She wondered what the toffs would be wearing and if she'd see the king. She couldn't believe someone like her was going to Epsom Derby. Her mother would have been so proud. All her friends were jealous.

Rose tuned out and left Jeremiah to try and get a word in. She looked out of the window at the rolling countryside, a mixture of emotions swirling inside of her. She was excited to be going to such a large event for the first time in her life, though she didn't really like horse-racing. She couldn't wait to see Arthur, she'd missed him terribly. She was nervous about what Tommy would be doing. She'd been asleep when he'd left home the previous day and she hadn't had the chance to say goodbye to him. This had upset her quite a lot and Jeremiah had spent a good couple of hours trying to calm her down. And now, she was on tenterhooks; she really wanted to see him again, to see with her own eyes that he was safe.

Eventually, they arrived at the race ground and Rose was breath-taken at the spectacle in front of her. She'd never seen so many people in one place. Crowds of men and women, all dressed up to the nines – the ladies in beautiful dresses made of silk and chiffon, lace and crepe de chine in all colours under the sun, in long coats trimmed with fur or feathers, in every style of hat available; the gentlemen in top hats and tails, smart three piece suits and straw boaters. Jeremiah grabbed her hand and pulled her through the crowds. All around her, she experienced things she'd never come across before. She saw jugglers and entertainers, heard the bookies shouting their odds and was fascinated by their hand signals, she smelled the delicious foods being sold by various vendors. More than once, Jeremiah had to tug at her arm to pull her away from something which had drawn her attention. He was in a hurry. Tommy had been very specific about timings. He needed to get Lizzie to him before three o'clock.

Eventually they reached the steps of the pavilion and Rose spotted Tommy. She pulled away from Jeremiah and ran up the steps to her brother, happy to see him.

"Tommy!"

Tommy turned around, he was obviously distracted. He looked from her to Jeremiah, looking relieved when he spotted Lizzie.

"I found a lost sheep," Jeremiah told him.

"Lizzie, come on."

Rose frowned. He hadn't even acknowledged her.

"Tommy!"

Tommy turned to Rose and crouched down in front of her.

"Mouse, you have to stay with Jeremiah now, remember? He's going to take you to see Mrs. Carleton in the stables. You can wish our girl luck, eh?"

He ruffled her hair and stood up, beckoning to Lizzie as he turned and hurried up the stairs. Lizzie followed him wanting to know what he thought of her dress. Rose watched them go and then turned back to Jeremiah, utterly confused. She had no idea what was going on.

"Come on, child. Let your brother do what he needs to. Let's go and find that racehorse of yours."

Tommy had left instructions for Jeremiah and Rose to be allowed into the stable tent to see May, but when they got there Jeremiah pointed Rose the way and stayed outside.

"There's no place for someone like me in there, too many rich people with opinions."

Rose wondered why there was no place for a preacher in the stables. There was an awful lot about today which made no sense to her. She made her way through the stables towards May and Grace's Secret. She didn't like the name Tommy had given the filly. Grace was someone whom she was glad they would never see again. Not only had she betrayed Tommy, but she'd broken his heart too. The Shelbys had long memories.

May smiled when she saw Rose walking towards her.

"Rose, you made it. Thomas he would send you down. Well, what do you think of her? She's looking good, isn't she?"

Rose was pleased to see May again; she liked her very much. She smiled at her then turned and ran her hand over the horse's nose and felt her softly nuzzle her hair.

"I wish she didn't have to race."

May was surprised. "Why? I thought the point of buying a racehorse was to race her."

"Tommy wanted to race her so he can get in the owner's enclosure here. He has plans."

"Does he now? That doesn't surprise me at all."

"Did you know that horses don't really like to race? They only run fast because the jockeys whip them and it scares them. Curly says it's not natural for them to race."

"Well, I dare say he's right, but racing is big business. There's a lot of money in it and I think the horses' feelings are the last thing on anyone's mind here today."

Rose knew she was right and she also knew that her family made their money from the horses. She stoked the filly's neck, feeling the firm muscles underneath.

"Have you seen your brother?"

"Yes, just now. He's busy." Rose rolled her eyes.

May laughed. "Yes, he doesn't ever seem to stop, does he?"

"No, but I wish he would. He's never at home."

May felt for the little girl whose home life, she was sure, was far from conventional.

"I'm sure once the race is over, you'll be able to see a lot more of him."

"Maybe."

There was a flurry of activity in the stable tent as the grooms began getting the horses ready for the race. May moved over to stand next to Rose.

"We need to get her ready for the race now, Rose."

Rose nodded and stepped away from Grace's Secret with one last stroke on her nose as the groom stepped in with all the tackle. She looked up at May.

"I'm glad I got to see her again."

May placed a hand on Rose's shoulder. "I am too. I'm sure you've brought her good luck. Will I see you after the race? Will you be with your brother?"

"I don't know, Mrs. Carleton. No one tells me anything."

May laughed. "Call me May, please, we're friends now."

Rose gave her a big smile. "We are?"

"Of course! I hope to see you later, Rose."

"Me too, May."

May watched as Rose left the tent. She was fond of the youngest Shelby. She allowed herself to imagine what it would be like to have Rose come and stay at the house when Tommy came. She'd always felt the house would benefit from having children in it. She shook herself out of such a silly daydream. What was she doing, imagining such thoughts? It was a dangerous thing to do.

Jeremiah was relieved to see Rose come out of the tent. He'd been charged with keeping her safe and it had made him nervous to have her out of his sight. He took her hand and led her back to the crowds.

"Are we going to watch the race now?"

"Soon, child. There's something else to show you first."

"What?"

"A surprise. You'll see."

Jeremiah refused to answer any more of her questions as he wound his way through the crowds, holding tight to Rose's hand. They were heading towards the edge of the grounds and the crowd began to thin out. Rose wondered if they were leaving. She didn't think that was much of a surprise.

Then she spotted him. She looked up at Jeremiah as if asking him if what she'd seen was real. He beamed down at her and nodded.

"Yes, it's him. Go on now and say hello. We can't stay long."

Rose looked back and was indeed convinced that it was Arthur who was standing with John, Finn and some Peaky men at the fence. She shouted his name and sprinted towards him.

Arthur turned at the sound of his name and was delighted to see his baby sister racing towards him. He didn't know she'd be here.

"Rosie!" he bellowed and scooped her up as she reached him. He hugged her tight as she swung her around.

"Are you alright?" she asked as he set her down, "I was worried about you."

"Nah, no need to be worried about me, Rosie girl! I'm always fine. What are you doing here?"

"Tommy said I could come with Jeremiah to watch the race."

Arthur looked at Jeremiah. "Did he now?"

"Yes, Arthur, me and this little one are headed towards the stands now to watch it."

Satisfied that Rose would be out of danger, Arthur nodded. "Right, you'd better get going then. You don't want to miss the start."

"Can't I stay and watch it with you, Arthur?"

"No, Rosie Red, me and the boys have work to do."

Rosie frowned as she looked round at the men. "Are you going to fight?"

John laughed. "Not unless we have to. We're going to give Sabini what's coming to him and secure ourselves a nice future while we're at it."

Jeremiah had heard enough. "Come on, Rose, we have to go."

Arthur lifted Rose up onto his hip and gave her a big kiss on the cheek. "It's good to see you again, Rosie, you're a sight for sore eyes!" He lowered her to the ground. "Go on now, though, or you'll just be in the way."

So, once again, Rose found herself being pulled by Jeremiah through the crowds. He was headed towards the stands and was aiming to get as far away from the betting pitches as he could. He knew what was about to happen there. Rose stayed close to him as the crowds got thicker, she didn't like being jostled. Jeremiah eventually found a spot with a somewhat decent view and they watched as the race began. She heard rather than saw the horses thundering round the track. She couldn't really make out who was who but she did spot Grace's Secret a few times. She was holding her own. The crowd cheered and shouted and Rose felt sorry for the horses being whipped around the track. Then, the race was over almost as soon as it had begun, or at least that's what it felt like to Rose. She wasn't sure who'd won, and neither was Jeremiah. Horse races weren't his area of expertise.

"Well, little one, that was it. Did you enjoy it?"

Rose shrugged. "Not really."

"No, me neither." He looked around. "I reckon it's time for us to go home."

"What, now? Can't we go back and find Arthur? And wait for Tommy?"

"Tommy said I was to take you straight home after the race."

"What? That's not fair!"

"And who promised you life would be fair?"

She scowled. "What about Lizzie?"

"Tommy said he'd see her home."

"Well, why can't he see me home too?"

Jeremiah just held out his hand to her and she reluctantly took it. They moved with the surge of the crowds towards the exits. Suddenly she caught sight of a white hat atop a white checked suit heading towards the bar tent. It was Polly, she was sure of it. She tugged Jeremiah's hand to get him to stop, but he kept going.

"Jeremiah, that was Polly. I want to go and see her."

"No, Rose, we have to keep going. We'll see Polly at home."

"No, Jeremiah, I want to see her now." There was something about the way Polly had moved that gave Rose a bad feeling. Why was Polly here too?

But Jeremiah ignored her and kept on. Rose gathered her strength and wrenched her hand free. She darted off into the crowd before Jeremiah knew her hand was gone. She knew there'd be hell to pay for giving him the slip, but she had to find Polly. She pushed her way to the bar tent only to have her entrance barred by a man on the door.

"No children allowed. Go and find your parents."

Rose wasn't to be deterred. She waited until a group of young people approached to enter the tent and walked in beside them, careful to keep herself hidden from the view of the man at the door.

Once inside, it didn't take her long to spot Polly. She saw her white hat above the door of a telephone booth. Rose frowned. There was someone else in there with Polly. She stepped closer trying to see around a group of men who were obscuring her view. The group moved out of the way and Rose stopped in her tracks as she saw who was with Polly in the booth. She caught a memory of tobacco smoke and her stomach lurched. She couldn't move, she could barely breathe. Why was Polly in a telephone booth with Campbell? Her mind raced. She could only think that he was about to hurt her aunt and it was that thought which spurred her into action; she had to stop him. She took two steps towards them when suddenly Campbell pushed the door open as if to leave. Rose froze in horror at the thought of him spotting her. Then, as she watched, Polly quickly rammed a gun up into Campbell's throat, pushing him back into the phone booth and closed the door. The gun quickly disappeared out of view but Rose knew it was now pointed at Campbell's heart. Suddenly everything made sense to her. Polly had come to kill Campbell. Time stood still. Rose lost all sense of what was going on around her. She remembered the touch of Campbell's finger pushing on her forehead when he told her he was going to put a bullet in Tommy. She remembered Polly's screams as they took Michael away. She remembered the injuries on Michael's face after he'd been released from prison. She remembered the haunted look in Polly's eyes as she looked at her son. She remembered the heavy silence in the shop that day and Tommy's face as he heard about everything Campbell had done to them. She remembered the visions she'd had of Arthur swinging from a noose. She remembered the tears in Tommy's eyes as he told her to remember that he loved her, no matter what happened.

All of this ran though her head as she watched Polly and Campbell in the phone booth and she felt a rage rise within her. She hated that man with all of her being. She clenched her fist and hooked her forefinger around an imaginary trigger. Do it, she thought. She squeezed her finger back, willing Polly to do the same. When the gunshot came, she felt as if she had been the one to discharge the bullet. Every nerve jumped, every part of her felt the jolt. There was a moment of terrible silence. Then she watched as Campbell crumpled forward and Polly, almost tenderly, guided his head onto her shoulder and then allowed him to fall onto the bench. Rose looked at his hands dangling down by his feet underneath the door and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She felt her cheeks wet with tears she hadn't known had fallen. She had never seen a man killed before, yet she wasn't afraid or horrified. She was relieved. That man at Polly's feet deserved to die. He had threatened and hurt her family and now he was dead. And Rose was glad. She looked up as Polly slowly emerged from the phone booth, trembling slightly, Campbell's blood staining her jacket as if she'd been the one shot.

She stopped short when she saw Rose. Her mouth dropped open slightly as she realised what Rose had seen. Rose looked back at her aunt and loved her. She was the strongest woman she had ever met. She remembered Polly telling her that she would do whatever it took to protect their family – and she had. And Rose knew that she would have done exactly the same thing. She smiled slightly at Polly through her tears and nodded, and then she walked over, took her hand and led her out of the tent. Polly allowed her young niece to lead her away and drew strength from the small hand which held hers tightly. This was their life, like it or not, and all they had to do was survive. But, as Polly thought about the look in her niece's eyes when she'd left that phone booth, she knew that Rose would do more than survive; she would thrive. She was indeed cut from the same cloth as Tommy – and that would be both her blessing and her curse.