And so begins Season 3. Hope you enjoy it. Please let me know if you do!

"Stop fidgeting!" the woman next to her hissed. Rose glared at her, tried to sit still but failed. Her stockings itched, her shoes were too tight, the lace edging on the collar of her dress was irritating her and her coat was too hot. And on top of that, the pew she sat on was uncomfortable. She was squashed between John and her new sister-in-law Linda, and had been for about thirty minutes now. She squirmed again, pulling at her collar in a vain attempt to ease the discomfort. She hated the dress she was being made to wear. Linda had insisted on taking her shopping and Arthur had nodded approvingly at the idea of Rose spending some time with Linda. He felt she was a good influence. Rose highly doubted that, but had gone with Linda anyway; none of her old dresses fitted her. She refused every dress Linda picked out for her and told her in no uncertain terms what she thought.

"You know I'm almost thirteen now, don't you? I'm not wearing a dress which looks like it was made for a five year old!"

"I know how old you are and I'm aware of what young ladies of your age wear. Almost thirteen-year-olds should dress demurely and appropriately."

Rose didn't even know what 'demure' meant but she was sure she didn't want to be it. All her grumbling and muttering fell on deaf ears, however, and Rose ended up with a pale pink velveteen drop-waist dress with a contrasting floral panel running up the front decorated with a row of small white bows, a large white lace collar and white lace cuffs on the short sleeves also with a bow on each. Linda said she didn't need new shoes, her black buckle ones were just fine.

"They're too small for me. They pinch my toes."

"They're fine. We don't want to waste your brother's money now, do we?"

Rose thought that all her brothers were doing a fine job at wasting their own money considering the new cars and new pocket watches and new suits she kept seeing – let alone Tommy's new house. She fought the urge to argue; she just wanted the shopping trip to end.

When they arrived home, Arthur was sat in the living room reading the paper. He jumped up as they came in.

"Go on and put it on then, Rosie girl. Give your old brother a twirl."

"I'm going out to meet Eliza."

Linda hung her coat and hat on the hook. "No, you're not. You haven't finished your chores."

"I'll finish them later."

Linda smiled at her sweetly. "No, dear - work first, play later."

Rose looked at Arthur for help. So did Linda. Arthur shoved his hands in his pockets and looked nervously from one to the other.

"Erm, Rosie, why don't you finish your chores and then you can go out. It won't take long."

Linda looked back at Rose, subtly triumphant. Rose exploded.

"You always take her side, Arthur, always! You never stand up for me. You're such a coward! You do whatever she tells you like she's your mother! She treats me like her own personal slave and you just stand there and let her. What about me?"

Linda was appalled. "How dare you speak to your brother like that? You are an ungrateful and spoiled child. Your brother took you in when you had nowhere to go and this is how you repay him?"

"I did have somewhere to go."

Linda scoffed. "Oh yes, I'd forgotten your plan to live at number six all by yourself."

"I wouldn't have been all by myself. Finn is there."

"Yes, your fifteen year old brother is a perfect choice of guardian. He shouldn't be living there without an adult either. You'd be as feral as he is. Mind you, you're not far off now!" She laughed dryly.

Rose was close to tears of frustration. "Arthur, tell her. She doesn't know us."

Arthur just shook his head. "Rosie, she's right, you can't live on your own. You didn't want to go and live with Polly when Tommy went to New York, there's no room at John's, so here was the only option."

"It was fine until she came." Rose glared daggers at Linda.

Linda turned sharply to Arthur. "Are you going to let her talk to me like that now?"

Arthur sighed and rubbed his neck. He was finding himself more and more in the middle of his wife and sister these days. Rose seemed to spend most of her days angry. But then, he did think that Linda was unduly harsh with the girl. She had very clear views on what was good for children, all of which Rose vehemently disagreed with.

"Rose, why don't you go up to your room and cool off, eh? Linda's only trying to help."

Rose's shoulders dropped. Once again, Arthur had sided with Linda. She knew he loved Linda and even she had to admit that she'd been good for him. He was calmer than he'd ever been since he got back from France. And he was no longer drinking or taking snow. On the rare occasion Linda went out, Rose loved spending time with him. He was relaxed and funny and interested in what she had to say. But Linda always came first and he let her act like she was in charge. Rose hated it. Her face turned hard as she stared at her brother. Then, locking eyes with Linda, she pushed past her with a hard shove of her shoulder, walked through the kitchen and out of the back door, slamming it loudly behind her in case they were still unaware of how she felt.

That had earned her extra chores and no supper for three days. She didn't care. She refused to apologise and enjoyed Linda's barely concealed annoyance. She consoled herself with the thought that it wouldn't be for long now. It was Tommy's wedding soon and Rose was planning to ask Tommy to let her move back into number six. She was hopeful he would. He was the one who'd said she was safest in Small Heath and there was no way he'd let stay where she was once he heard how Linda had been treating her. He didn't like her either, she could tell. And Rose knew that Tommy would see that she was now more than capable of looking after herself. He'd probably tell her to look after Finn too. He'd be in such a good mood on his wedding day, he wouldn't refuse.

And so, she found herself sat in a small church, impatient for the ceremony to be over so that she could arrange her escape from Linda's clutches. She fidgeted. It was cramped, John and Esme's new baby wouldn't stop crying and John kept muttering insults under his breath directed at the family sat across from them. She regarded the family of the bride. They were looking across the aisle, lips pursed, whispering comments to each other, shaking their heads. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath trying to stay calm when the organ struck up and the choir began to sing. The congregation stood as Jeremiah walked down the aisle to open disgust from the bride's family. Rose wanted to slap those looks off their faces. Then, as The Wedding March began, the bride appeared.

Whilst every eye was on Grace in her exquisite dress, Rose stole a glance at Tommy. He was nervous, she could tell, but he was happy. She knew he loved Grace – why else would he be marrying the person who betrayed him? She thought back to the shockwaves which had run through the family when he'd told them. Polly had stormed out of the house. But Tommy had made up his mind and that was that.

After the events at the Epsom Derby, life settled had down again for Rose in Small Heath and if you'd have asked her, she would have said she was happy. Tommy allowed her to stay at number six with him and kept an eye on her. Polly had told him what Rose had seen in the bar tent that day, but none of them spoke of it again. Tommy was half expecting more nightmares or anxiety from his sister, but Rose carried on as if nothing had happened. She went to school, played out with her friends, sat with him in the evening, bickered with Finn. He allowed himself to hope that she was fine; except he knew that she didn't sleep much. He could hear her bedsprings as she tossed and turned and she was often up before him in the morning. She never again came to him for comfort in the night and he wondered why. He debated talking to her about it but didn't. It was a Shelby trait to keep things in and he couldn't bring himself to open that door. He arranged for her to come to the office after school most days to do some work for him. She sat in the outer office with Lizzie and the other secretaries and did some filing or some account work in the ledgers. He asked Lizzie to teach her typing and shorthand and Lizzie found her an able pupil. Rose enjoyed working for Tommy, she liked to feel like she was contributing to the family business and it helped to be distracted. She had to keep her mind busy so that she didn't think too much about the noise of the gunshot, about the blood, about the hands hanging loosely under the door, about the fear she'd felt that day.

As Rose watched Tommy and Grace exchange vows, she wasn't sure how to feel. Tommy had asked the family to forget the past and be happy for him, and truth be told, Rose didn't know what to make of Grace. She was somewhat aloof and they didn't have much in common but so far she hadn't tried to interfere in Rose's life. Rose knew that Tommy's new family would keep him busy and away from her, but she also knew that she couldn't expect things to stay the same forever. She was working for the company now and that was enough to keep her close to her brothers. They included her in every family meeting and in another year and a bit she could leave school and work for the company full time; then she would see them all the time and have a real place in the family business. Having to stay at Arthur and Linda's was just a blip. Rose's future was bright and she intended to make the most of it.

After the wedding photos, the guests made their way to Arrow House, Tommy's new home. Rose didn't really like it. She didn't know why anyone would want to live in such a huge place in the middle of nowhere, and having staff to do all the work made her uncomfortable. But Tommy was moving up in the world and needed the lifestyle to show it. She pushed in between Finn and Isaiah and linked arms with them.

"Alright, Squirt?" Finn towered over Rose now. Rose had grown a couple of inches but Finn had shot up. Polly said he got his height from her father's side.

"Alright, Beanpole."

"You looking forward to the party?"

"Yeah, I might even dance."

Isaiah laughed. "You, dance? You can't even walk down the stairs without tripping up."

Finn guffawed. Rose was indignant.

"Shut up, Isaiah! What would you know?"

"I've been to more dances than you have."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, I forgot, you're so grown up now, aren't you? You dance with real ladies now, don't you?"

Finn chuckled. "I wouldn't call them ladies."

Isaiah sniffed. "Like you'd know what a real lady is."

Rose nudged Finn with her elbow.

"I'll be able to come out with you soon. I'm moving back into number six."

Finn stopped and looked at her in shock. "You're not!" He had got used to having the house as his own little place. It was rarely empty but he didn't want Rose moving back in. Rose pulled him on. She was cold.

"I am. I'm asking Tommy today. I can't live another day under the same roof as Sister Mary-Linda."

Finn looked confused. "She's not called Mary-Linda, it's just Linda."

Rose laughed. "I know that, you idiot. It's like she's a nun, you know? The nuns call themselves Sister Mary-Whatever."

"But Linda's not a nun."

"I know! But she's religious and …. oh, never mind!"

"Tommy'll never let you move back in the house."

"Course he will."

"He won't. He'll want you with an adult."

"He doesn't make you live with an adult."

"That's cos I'm older. And I'm a boy."

Rose scoffed. "So?"

"So, I can look after myself and you can't."

Rose laughed out loud. "Finn, you can't even cook an egg!"

"What difference does that make?"

By this time, they'd reached the house and were caught up in the crowd. Rose was still laughing as she entered the house.

The party was in full swing when she went to look for Tommy. She couldn't find him anywhere. Esme was dancing with the children in the front reception room and Rose asked if she'd seen him. Esme grinned at her.

"Linda make you wear that dress?"

Rose grimaced. "I wouldn't be wearing it by choice, would I? Have you seen him?"

"He's in the study." Esme nodded towards the door. Rose turned to go and knock on the door when it opened and Tommy emerged swiftly.

"Tommy!" Rose went up to him.

"Not now, Rose."

"But I have to talk to you. It won't take long."

"I'm busy." Tommy carried on walking and Rose hurried to keep up with him.

"It's your wedding day. How can you be busy?"

"Don't ask."

"Tommy, I just wanted to ask you if I can move back into number six."

Tommy shot a glance at her. "What's wrong with Arthur's?"

"Linda's there."

"Ah."

"Please, Tommy. I'm old enough now. I can live with Finn and there's always men in the shop and John and Arthur are there, and you and Polly sometimes too. You said yourself that Small Heath is safest for me. I know how to take care of myself. It'll be fine."

"No."

"What?"

"No."

Rose grabbed his sleeve and forced him to stop walking. "Why?"

"Because of course you're not old enough to live by yourself."

"Finn does and he's not that much older than me."

"Finn's a boy." Tommy had started walking again. Rose continued with him.

"So?"

"So, you're a girl. You need looking after."

"Says who?"

"Says me."

"I'm not staying at Arthur's another day!"

"I know. She's already got her claws into Arthur. I'm not letting her get them into you too."

Rose was confused. "So, where will I live then?"

Tommy turned his head and smiled at her broadly. "Here."

Rose's mouth dropped open. "Here?"

"Yes, here. With me and Grace and Charles."

"But …. I don't want to live here."

"Turns out, Rose, that it's not up to you. I want you here where I can keep an eye on you."

"You don't need to keep an eye on me."

Tommy didn't say anything and carried on walking through the house.

"Well, I don't want to live here. I won't!"

Tommy stopped suddenly, took Rose by the arms and turned her towards him. He looked down at her dress as if he'd only just seen it. He frowned at it and then looked her in the eye.

"Rose, I won't say this again. You are moving in here. End of discussion."

She opened her mouth to speak but Tommy spoke first, his voice carrying a clear warning.

"Don't."

She pressed her lips together and glared at him.

"This is our new start, Rose. We are going to be a happy family in this house if it kills me, and you will be a part of it. Now, go and annoy someone else. I have things to do."

He let go of her and carried on to the kitchen. Rose watched him go, frozen to the spot with what had just happened. This wasn't how she had planned it. She was horrified. Finn dashed past her following Tommy, pausing long enough to grin at her.

"Told you, didn't I? I'll just have to enjoy the house by myself then."

She swore at him, loudly. Some of the guests gasped in shock at the words which came from the young girl. Finn just grinned even more and dashed off to the kitchen. Rose looked back at all the aghast faces. She swore again. Suddenly an arm appeared round her shoulder and guided her away. She looked up to find Ada leading her firmly to the main room. They stopped in a corner close to where the band was playing and people were dancing. Rose wished they could go somewhere quiet. There were too many people and too much noise.

"What's going on, Rose? Why are you standing in the middle of Tommy's house swearing at his guests?"

Rose folded her arms and leaned back against the wall. "They deserved it. They were all staring at me."

"Why were they staring at you?"

Rose glanced at Ada sheepishly. "Cos I swore at Finn."

Ada sighed. "And why did you swear at Finn?"

"Cos he's an idiot."

"Well, we all know that but we manage not to swear at him at wedding receptions."

Rose looked away. Ada smoothed a few strands of her sister's hair.

"What's going on, Rosie love? You can tell me."

Rose missed Ada. They were very different in character and hadn't been particularly close when Ada still lived at home, though they both shared a fierce sense of justice and hated being controlled by their brothers. She wished Ada still lived in Birmingham. No one else understood what it was like to grow up as a girl in the Shelby family. The difference was, whereas Ada left as soon as she could, Rose wanted nothing more than to stay in the heart of the family. Rose shrugged.

"Tommy says I have to move in with him here."

"What's wrong with that? There are worse places to live."

"I don't want to live in this giant house though."

"So, stay with Arthur."

Rose scowled at her. "Do you see this dress?"

"Well, yes, it's not exactly hard to miss."

"This is why I can't stay with Arthur. She made me wear it. It's 'demure' apparently."

Ada laughed. "It's definitely demure, but it clashes something awful with your hair!"

Rose frowned. "I want to move back home with Finn."

"You can't do that."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Because twelve-year-old girls don't live on their own in a tenement street in Small Heath."

"I'm almost thirteen and I won't be alone, I …. Oh, forget it!"

Rose made to walk away but Ada caught her hand and stopped her.

"Rosie, I know it's hard being the youngest but Tommy is just looking out for you. He wants to keep you safe. And as far as he's concerned, safe is where he can see you. It feels like you're trapped but think about it. You get to live here in this lovely house like a normal family with the rest of them not far away. That's something, isn't it?"

"You're far away."

"My life is in London now, you know that. Hey, you should ask Tommy to bring you to visit me. I'll take you out shopping and we'll see the sights. You'll love it."

"I've asked him already. He never does."

"Well, I'll speak to him then. I'll make sure he does."

The dinner bell rang and the guests began to make their way to the dining room. Ada put her arm around Rose and squeezed her shoulders.

"Cheer up, Rosey-Posey, you have a good life."

Rose smiled despite herself. "Don't call me that."

"What - Rosey-Posey?"

"Yeah, stop it!"

"No, Rosey-Posey, I don't think I will."

Rose couldn't help but laugh. Ada was right; things could be worse. Things had been worse. She put her arm around her sister's waist as they headed to the dining room.

Sat at the beautifully arranged table, Michael looked at his watch. Where on earth were the bride and groom? He smirked at the thought that answered his own question. Then he frowned at a persistent thudding on his chair. He leaned over to Rose who was sat next to him.

"Stop kicking my chair."

Rose looked up at him, kept her face straight and kicked his chair even harder. Michael locked eyes with her, stretched out a hand and quickly grabbed Rose's waist, tickling her. Rose shrieked and pulled away from him, batting his hand away, giggling.

"Stop, Michael!"

"Only if you promise to stop kicking my chair."

Rose couldn't stop giggling. No amount of squirming and hitting him made her cousin stop.

"Alright, alright, I promise!"

Michael grinned at her and stopped tickling her. "That's better."

"You have bony fingers."

Michael wiggled his fingers at her. "All the better to tickle you with, my dear."

She pushed his hands away and sat back in her chair looking away. Keeping her eyes on the other side of the room, she lifted her heel and brought it back down on Michael's chair. She only managed one kick before Michael put an arm around her waist and tickled her with both hands, pulling her into him to stop her from getting away. Rose shrieked even louder, brought her knees up and knocked the table, causing the cutlery to jolt with a loud clang and knocking her glass of cordial over. The people across the table looked at the commotion with disdain. Linda leaned forward, across John and Esme, towards Rose.

"Rose Shelby! Would you sit still and behave like a proper young lady. You should be ashamed!"

Michael pulled his hands away grinning. Rose ignored Linda and stood her glass up again, before soaking up the spilled drink with her napkin. She looked across at the guests who were still staring at her.

"Would you like to paint a picture, then? I'll pose for you if you want?"

Michael snorted and Linda's face went red with anger. She opened her mouth to say something when Tommy and Grace entered the room and everyone stood up to applaud. Michael leaned over to Rose again.

"You got lucky then. I thought for sure she was going to cast a spell on you."

Rose burst out laughing which earned her another glare from Linda.

After dinner and the awkward speeches, Rose stood on the edge of the dance floor and learned a few things. She saw John take Finn out, followed by Curly and Uncle Charlie and knew they were about to organise a horse race. She watched Michael give one of the guests some snow in a little bottle, a young girl who didn't look much older than Finn. She saw Tommy give an order to Polly who went and spoke to the tall man who'd sat with her for a time at the dinner table and knew he was conducting business. She noticed Linda searching for Arthur and Lizzie looking miserable against the far wall. There wasn't much that went on in the Shelby family that Rose didn't know about. She kept her eyes and ears open and very little passed her by.

Two giggling girls appeared in front of her and she grinned at them. They were Queenie and Hester, twin sisters from the Lee family. Rose didn't know them very well, but what she did know was that they were a whole lot of fun. They were a year older than her and had approached her with the express intention of leading her astray.

Hester nudged her. "Have you tried the punch?"

"No, of course not, it's got drink in it."

Queenie smirked. "Exactly. Go and get some for us. They won't stop you, you're family."

Rose scoffed. "Of course they will!"

"No one's looking. Your brothers aren't even here."

Hester was right. Looking round, Rose couldn't see any of her family. She looked back at the twins and her eyes sparkled. She was ready for an adventure.

"Wait here."

With Queenie and Hester watching her expectantly, Rose took the long way round to the punch bowl. She was making sure there wasn't a Shelby hidden anywhere in the vicinity. As she approached the bowl, she felt confident no one was paying her any attention. All the guests were busy with their own merriment. She picked up a cup and, after another quick look around, took the ladle and filled it. Then, growing more confident as no one attempted to stop her, she quickly filled two more and carried them, slightly precariously, back to the twins. The girls were delighted as they took their cups from her. Rose watched them drink theirs and looked down at her cup. Her brothers had allowed her to have some brown ale in the past, but she hadn't liked it. She knew there was no way they'd allow her to drink alcoholic punch, but they weren't there to stop her and it was a party after all. She took a sip. It tasted sweet initially and then the alcohol caught the back of her throat and she coughed. The twins laughed at her and finished their own cups with ease. Not wanting to appear naïve, Rose swallowed down the rest of her punch and managed not to splutter. She looked at Queenie and Hester and wondered what the fuss was about. She didn't feel any different.

"Go and get more." The twins held out their cups to her and she grinned.

Halfway through her fourth cup, Rose was caught unawares as the room began to spin. She grabbed hold of Queenie's arm and looked at her in wonder.

"Is the world spinning for you too?"

The twins burst out laughing at Rose's delayed reaction. Rose looked at them and burst into laughter herself. She laughed till she was weak although she couldn't have explained what was so funny. At that moment, the announcement came that the bride and groom would have their first dance. The guests moved to allow space for Tommy and Grace. Rose and the twins made sure to keep towards the back. As the dance progressed, Hester nudged Rose and pointed. Rose followed her finger to find an open bag hanging on a lady's arm. Inside she could see a slim silver cigarette case.

"Take it," Hester whispered.

Rose looked at her in surprise. "No!"

"Like you're so moral!"

"What?"

"Your family are the biggest crooks in Birmingham. Don't tell me you can't lift a cigarette case."

Rose tried to get her thoughts straight but her head kept spinning. She thought about Hester's assessment of her family being the biggest crooks in Birmingham and giggled. That was funny. Hester and Queenie smiled at each other. Queenie leant close.

"Go on, Shelby girl, I'm dying for a ciggie."

Rose giggled again. She'd never heard it called a ciggie before. Without even looking around to see if anyone was looking, she reached out a hand and deftly took the cigarette case out of the bag. She looked at the twins not sure what to do next. They span her round, grabbed a wrist each and ran out of the room to the front room where they collapsed on the sofa in a fit of giggles. Rose regarded the silver case in her hand and felt flush with excitement.

"Don't be selfish then, give us one." Queenie held out her hand for a cigarette.

Rose pushed the little button and the case sprang open smoothly to reveal a neat row of ladies' slender cigarettes. Hester and Queenie helped themselves to one each and lit them from one of the candles that stood on the sideboard. They looked back at Rose who was still examining the case. She thought it one of the most beautiful things she'd ever seen.

"You going to have one, then?" Hester asked.

"Course." Rose took a cigarette out of the case and jumped up to join the twins at the candle. She wasn't about to let them know this was her first time smoking a cigarette too. She leant forward to light it - she'd seen it done thousands of times – took a deep drag of it and slowly exhaled the smoke. It took all she had not to cough and she could feel her eyes watering.

"Hey, Shelby girl, where does your brother keep his booze?" Hester was rummaging through one of the cupboards in the sideboard.

"In his study." Rose indicated the door.

The twins grinned at each other. "The party continues."

They headed towards the door when they were interrupted by a well-spoken voice.

"So, this is where the riff-raff spend their time."

The girls turned to see a group of four expensively-dressed girls about the same age as the twins. They were all sequins and pearls and feathers. They regarded Rose and the twins with open disdain.

Queenie and Hester stepped towards them at the same time. "Yeah, and you're not welcome here."

A girl with stylishly bobbed blond hair stepped forward. "I think you'll find I am. I am an invited guest at this wedding. I didn't just wander in from the Gypsy camp down the road."

Rose put her cigarette in the ashtray on the sideboard and walked over to her until she was stood inches away.

"And I think you'll find that I live here."

The blond girl looked at Rose. Her eyes wandered down to her feet and back up again. She smirked.

"You don't belong in a house like this. The only place you belong is in a pikey camp with your dirty friends. And where did you get that hideous dress? Did your mum make it from her wedding dress?"

Rose waited a beat, then punched sharply her in the face. She felt the girl's nose break under her knuckles. The girl dropped to the floor and Rose didn't hesitate to fall on her and keep punching. The girl's friends rushed to pull Rose off, but the twins weren't about to let that happen. They rushed at them and there was a flurry of fists and slaps and screams. The blond girl had managed to roll away from Rose who lunged after her as she brought her elbow up and smashed it into Rose's face. Rose felt her lip burst. She tasted the blood and hurled herself at the girl again. This time, she was met with an arm around her waist and found herself pulled backwards. She struggled against it, wanting revenge for her burst lip. The arm was too strong, however and she found another arm wrapped around her, pinning her arms to her sides. She was lifted up and carried effortlessly into the study.

John dropped Rose unceremoniously into an armchair and swore. "You're like a wildcat, Rose. You've scratched up the whole of the back of my hand."

Rose became aware of four faces looking down at her - three angry older brothers and one annoyed aunt. She wiped the blood away from her mouth with the back of her hand and looked back at them defiantly.

"What the hell was that?" Polly pointed towards the door.

"She deserved it."

"What happened?" Arthur wanted to know.

"I was just with Queenie and Hester…"

Polly rolled her eyes. "What have I told you about spending time with the Lee girls?"

"They're my friends! Anyway, we were just there and that blond one just started mouthing off. She said I was a Gypsy and that my dress was hideous."

John laughed. "Well you are - and it is!"

Rose shot him a glare. Tommy, who had been pacing, suddenly stopped in front of Rose, put his hand on the back of her chair and leaned down very close to her. He was inwardly seething. As if he wasn't dealing with enough this evening.

"You would do this to me? On my wedding day? In my house?"

Arthur muttered. "Maybe you should have had Rose come to the kitchen with the boys, eh? Seems like she needed to hear the speech too." John stifled a laugh.

Tommy ignored them. "You've brought embarrassment on me and, what's worse, on Grace too. That girl out there with the broken nose is her cousin."

Rose looked back at Tommy, a wave of nervousness washing over her. She was in trouble now.

"She asked if my mum had made my dress."

Arthur and John stood a little straighter. No one got to insult their mother.

Tommy stood up, his eyes still locked onto Rose's.

"Have you been drinking?"

Rose's stomach flipped. She ran her tongue along her cut lip. There was no point lying; he'd smelt it on her.

"Just a couple of glasses of punch. It's no big deal."

Polly exclaimed in annoyance. "I knew it. It's those Lee twins. They're a bad influence. I should have kept on eye on you."

Tommy regarded his sister a few seconds longer, then turned and headed for the door.

"I don't have time for this right now. Polly, patch her up and put her to bed. I'll deal with her in the morning."

Tommy left followed by John who shook his head as he walked past Rose. Arthur crouched down in front of her, lifted her chin gently and looked at the wound on her lip.

"Looks nasty. It'll throb in the morning, that." He let go of her chin and looked her in the eye compassionately. "What were you thinking, eh, Rosie? Promise me you won't drink again, not for a long time anyway. That's not a road you want to go down."

Rose reached out and put her hand on Arthur's cheek. Arthur always made her feel loved. Even now, when she really didn't love herself, Arthur made her feel better. She gave him a weak smile. He put his hand over hers, squeezed it and kissed her fingers, then stood up and kissed her on the head.

"Go and sleep it off. You'll feel better in the morning."

"Until Tommy gets his hands on her," Polly said as he left the room. She looked at Rose and pursed her lips.

"Well, I'm not missing a good party to put you to bed. I'll send one of the maids in to sort out that lip and show you where your room is. And if you know what's good for you, you'll stay there till morning."

Polly turned to leave.

"Aunt Pol?"

"What?"

"I didn't mean to hurt her so badly. She just … she just talked about Mum and… it just happened."

"Rose, it 'just' happened because you were drunk. Alcohol changes you, makes you think you're invincible. Haven't you seen that in your brothers?"

Rose looked away. She had seen it. She leaned her head on her hand; it was beginning to throb.

Polly sighed. "You want so much to be independent and to make your own choices, but left you your own devices, you make bad ones. You have Tommy's arrogance and Arthur's temper. You need to learn to control them both or you'll end up in a bad place. Mark my words, Rose, this is not the way to solve your problems."

Rose frowned at her aunt. "What problems?"

"Oh Rosie, where do I start? Best sleep it off, love. I'll send that girl in."

Polly left the study and closed the door behind her. Rose ran a hand though her hair. It had been pulled out of the neat twist Linda had pinned it into earlier in the day. The room still span a little but it wasn't funny anymore, it just made her feel sick. She got up and carefully opened the door. The room was practically empty of people now. There was no sign of the twins or Grace's cousin for which she was glad. She walked over to the sideboard and caught a shine of silver on the floor underneath it. Bending down, she picked up the cigarette case. She ran her thumb over the delicate engraving on it – loops and swirls forming an intricate knotted design. It really was beautiful. Tightening her fingers around it, she brought it to her chest and put her other hand over it. She enjoyed the feeling of having gained something so valuable with very little effort. In fact, remembering the rush she'd felt when she took it, the danger of being caught but getting away with it, she wished she could do it again. As she pushed the little button, the case sprang open and she ran her thumb over the cigarettes. Closing it with a snap, she made her way to the stairs. She had no intention of going to bed. What she wanted was somewhere quiet to finally finish a cigarette in peace.