A great many thank you's to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. It's always good to hear your thoughts. Let me know what you think of this one. It's not as easy integrating Rose into this season! Thanks for reading!

Rose groaned as the curtains were flung open and the morning light flooded the room. It felt like her eyes were being pierced with needles and she pulled the sheets over her head which was pounding. Her mouth was dry and she coughed as her lungs announced their displeasure of the tobacco she'd introduced them to last night. It occurred to her that the curtains hadn't opened themselves and she became vaguely aware of someone moving around her room. She brought the covers down off her face and blinked painfully in the brightness. As her eyes got used to the daylight, she could make out the figure of a young maid bustling around the room, picking up Rose's clothes from the previous night and laying out a fresh set for the day. Rose propped herself up on one elbow.

"I don't need a maid. I can look after myself."

The maid turned at the sound of Rose's voice.

"Good morning , Miss Rose."

Rose dropped back onto the pillows in annoyance at being called 'Miss'. She crossed her arms over her face. Her head was still pounding and her lip was indeed throbbing, as Arthur had promised.

"I've put a glass of water by your bed, Miss. It will help with the sore head."

Rose lifted an arm and peered at the maid. A slight girl with light brown hair tucked neatly under her white cap. Rose pulled herself upright and crossed her legs.

"I don't need a maid. Did you not hear me? I don't want someone fussing over me and calling me Miss. You can leave now."

The girl didn't seem fazed by Rose's rudeness. She carried on cheerfully laying out her clothes then walked over to the window seat and picked up two cigarette ends.

"Are you deaf? I asked you to leave. I'm going back to sleep."

Rose flung herself back on her pillows and pulled the covers over her head, immediately regretting the sudden movement as her head screamed in protest.

"Mrs Shelby would like you to join her for breakfast in the dining room."

Under the sheets, Rose frowned. Just Grace? Not Tommy? Was he out? In which case, maybe she'd avoid him 'dealing' with her as he'd threatened to last night. She sat up again, pulling the sheets off her face.

"Just Mrs Shelby?"

"And Master Charles. Mr Shelby has gone out. He and his brothers and aunt left early this morning."

Rose's lips curled up at the edges. The whole family had gone. That meant no lectures from anyone. She pulled the covers off her legs and swung them over the edge of the bed. She was feeling better already.

"Don't forget to drink your water, Miss."

Looking at the glass of water on her bedside table, Rose realised how thirsty she was. She picked it up and drank it in one. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she looked at the maid who was watching her with a smile on her face.

"What's your name?"

"Alice, Miss."

"Alice, thank you for the water but I don't need a maid. Go away."

Alice smiled broadly and gave a little bob. "Yes, Miss."

As she left the room, Rose wasn't so sure she'd got the message. She touched her lip gingerly and grimaced at the pain. Noticing her pillow smeared with blood, she sighed and pushed her hair out of her face. She realised she'd slept soundly and was pleasantly surprised. Standing up, she looked at the room. It was huge, bigger than the room she'd slept in at Polly's house. Walking around it, she could tell that everything in it, every stick of furniture, every drape, every picture on the wall was very expensive. Opening a door, she discovered a bathroom with hot running water and a lavatory. She was impressed. Maybe Ada was right, maybe she should just enjoy it.

Fifteen minutes later, Rose entered the dining room to find Grace sat at the top of a long table with Charles in a high chair next to her. She looked up and watched Rose walk down the room and sit opposite her. She eyed the swollen wound on her new sister-in-law's lip.

"Good morning, Rose."

"Morning"

A maid brought in a plate of breakfast and put it down in front of Rose – bacon, scrambled eggs, fried tomatoes, mushrooms and buttered toast. It looked delicious and Rose was struck by how hungry she was. She picked up her knife and fork and immediately tucked in. Grace watched her for a few seconds. She pointed at Rose's lip.

"That looks painful."

Rose shrugged. "It's fine."

"Oh well, that's good. I'm sure Eleanor's broken nose is fine too."

Rose froze mid-mouthful and lifted her eyes to Grace. She swallowed painfully and looked away at Charles who was stuffing handfuls of scrambled egg into his mouth. As much was coming out as was going in and Rose wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Well, don't you have anything to say for yourself?"

Rose looked back at Grace, then sat up straight pushing her shoulders back and lifting her chin. Not for the first time, Grace saw Tommy in her so clearly.

"She deserved it."

Grace blinked. She'd not necessarily been expecting remorse but she was surprised at Rose's defiance.

"Rose, you punched my cousin in the face and broke her nose. She was a guest at my wedding. What you did was unacceptable."

"Yeah, maybe, but what she did was unacceptable first."

"So, tell me what she did."

Rose picked up her fork and began playing with her food. "It doesn't matter, you just think it was my fault like the rest of them."

Grace sighed. "How will I know unless you explain it to me? I want to understand. I know Eleanor can be difficult, but out of all the people who I was expecting to cause problems last night, you weren't one of them."

Rose looked at Grace surprised. Did she really want to understand? She frowned. She wasn't sure she could trust her. She looked back at her plate.

"Where's Tommy?"

Sitting back in frustration at the lack of communication from the sullen girl in front of her, Grace turned her attention to Charles and began to clean him up.

"He's out."

"I know that. Where's he gone?"

Grace took hold of Charles and stood up. "He'll be back soon. He wants to talk to you."

Rose's heart sank as Grace left the room. She lost her appetite and let her fork clatter onto the plate. Wondering if she was too old for a thrashing, she put her elbows on the table and leaned her head in her hands. The front door slammed and she groaned. Grace wasn't wrong when she'd said Tommy would be home soon. Pushing her plate away, she put her arms down on the table and laid her head on them. As always, the anticipation was the worst. Life in the new house hadn't got off to a good start and she knew Tommy would be annoyed at having to deal with her the day after his wedding. Maybe he'd be too preoccupied with the new business he was involved in and wouldn't have time to see her today.

That hope was dashed as footsteps approached and she looked up to see Mary, the housekeeper, standing next to her.

"Mr Shelby would like to see you in his study."

Rose dragged herself out of her chair and headed towards the door. She knew from experience it was best just to get it over with. Mary watched her go and shook her head. She had never come across a family like this one in all her years of service.

Tommy was stood looking out of the window when Rose knocked on the door. This was the last thing he wanted to be dealing with at the moment but Grace had insisted that he talk to his sister. She wanted him to lay down the boundaries for Rose from the beginning and make sure she knew what was expected of her in her new home. Tommy wondered if Grace was even aware of the fact that Rose was a Shelby through and through. The Shelbys didn't do well when given boundaries. He sighed and braced himself for the conversation that was about to happen. He turned and sat down in his chair at the desk.

"Come."

He watched, expressionless, as Rose came in and closed the door behind her. She walked over to his desk and stood in front of it, returning his gaze. He could tell from her look that she was far from meek and remorseful, and he groaned inwardly. He didn't have much energy for a battle. He waited a few minutes, as was his strategy when dealing with Rose, allowing her time to feel nervous. Instead, she clasped her hands in front of her, lifted her eyes from his to the window above his shoulder and stared out, waiting for him to make the first move. He realised with surprise that she was learning to handle him as much as he knew how to handle her. He reached for his cigarette case, took out a cigarette and lit it, exhaling the smoke before speaking. As he did her gaze moved back to him, her face trying to be expressionless but not quite managing it. He could tell she was frustrated. He pointed to her injury.

"How's the lip?"

"Fine."

"You want to explain to me what happened last night?"

"Not really. I already did."

He took a breath in, trying to stay calm.

"Then do it again."

Rose sighed. "She bad-mouthed our mum, so I punched her."

"You let your temper get the better of you and broke Grace's cousin's nose."

"So? I've seen you and the boys do worse for less reason. Why is it wrong when I do it?"

"Because it was on my wedding day in my house in front of my wife's family."

Rose shrugged. She didn't care and she knew for a fact that she'd do it again. She looked away. Tommy should just get on with whatever punishment he was going to give her and they could all get on with their day. Tommy frowned. The way Rose was reacting to this wasn't the way she usually did when he made it clear he wasn't happy with her. She'd always hated disappointing him and he relied on that to get her to toe the line. He would have to push harder.

"You have brought disrepute on this family."

Rose looked back at Tommy sharply, anger flashing through her eyes.

"I have brought disrepute? Me? I didn't kill a man last night and burn his body in a field. "

Tommy raised his eyebrows. How did she know? As if reading his mind, she answered his question.

"I saw Johnny Dogs with the carriage and then I saw the fire. In fact, I saw a lot of things last night."

A silence hung between them as Rose waited for a reaction to her words and Tommy processed them. He drew on his cigarette. He decided against denying it.

"That happened quietly, Rose. It was carefully thought out and executed so that the guests were none the wiser. It wasn't an impetuous, alcohol-fuelled loss of control. It was business."

Rose scoffed. "Russian business?"

"Yes, Russian business. Business that will make us richer than we could have ever imagined. Rich enough to give you a future our mum could only have dreamed of. And once it's done, there'll be no more bad business. We're moving up in the world, Rose, and that means you can't go round having fights at wedding receptions."

Rose wasn't sure she wanted to move up in the world, but, she supposed, like everything else in her life, she didn't get a choice.

"Fine, no more fighting at weddings. Is that it? Can I go now?"

"No, that's not it. You were drinking last night."

"So was everyone else."

Tommy pinched the bridge of his nose. His heart wasn't in this argument.

"You're too young to drink."

"How old were you when you had your first drink?"

"That's beside the point."

"No, it's not. Why are all the rules different for me?"

"Because you're the youngest and you're a girl. And I want you to be different."

Rose frowned. "What does that mean?"

"I want you to have a different life to the one I had, Rose. I want you to have opportunities that I never did at your age. I want you to walk into the finest rooms in this country and belong there. That's what all this is for – to give you and Charles and Ada and John's kids a better future."

Rose wasn't convinced. As good as it sounded, she couldn't help but think that it should be up to her to decide what future she wanted. And besides, as much as he insisted this was for the next generation, Tommy seemed to be benefitting greatly from 'all this' in the present. Tommy could see she wasn't convinced and stood up. It made him uncomfortable when she saw right through him. He walked around the desk.

"Look, Rose, I don't care that you broke that girl's nose. I really don't. Sounds like she had it coming. But Grace cares. And it's important to me that she's happy. It should be important to you too. She's being very kind allowing you to live here."

Rose caught his meaning. Tommy would choose Grace's happiness over hers and if Rose didn't comply with her wishes, she wouldn't be welcome in Tommy's new family. She looked at the floor, feeling suddenly empty. She remembered when Tommy had told her that no one in the world was more important to him then she was. And now everything was different. Tommy cleared his throat.

"Cheer up, eh? Everything will be fine. No more drinking, no more fighting, everyone gets on and we'll all be happy. Yeah? Rose?"

Rose nodded, still looking down. "Yeah"

"Good. That's that, then. Come with me."

Tommy started towards to door. Rose watched him, confused. Tommy beckoned her to come with him.

"Come on, I've something to show you."

Rose went with him reluctantly. She wanted to be on her own and Tommy's cigarette had made her want one too. He left the house and headed towards the stables where she followed him inside. He led her past two of his geldings towards an end stall, then stopped and let her look inside. She gasped. In the stall was a beautiful dappled grey filly. She was a small but sturdy young horse who stood patiently and watched them calmly. Rose reached out a hand to her and the horse walked over to the door. Running a hand down the filly's soft nose, Rose was enchanted. There was something about the little horse which drew the girl to her, like she'd always known her. She looked up at Tommy, her eyes shining.

"She's beautiful. Will you train her?"

Tommy chuckled. "Does she look like a race horse to you? No, Rose, she's yours."

Rose's mouth fell open. She looked at the horse and then back at Tommy. "Mine?"

He smiled at her puzzled face. "Yes, she's yours. I bought her for you to help you settle in here. She's a Gypsy horse; I bought her at a fair. She's from good stock and she'll be good for you. She's calm and reliable and just your size. I thought you could take her out when you need to get out of the house. She's called Nua. It means 'new' in Gaelic. For a new start, eh, Rose?"

For a moment, Rose couldn't speak. She couldn't quite believe this beautiful horse was hers. She'd never owned anything like this before. She let Nua nuzzle her shoulder as she tried to take it in. Tommy knew her well; he knew she would feel trapped in that house eventually with nowhere to go, no place to escape to. So, he'd given her the means to get away when she needed to. All her frustration at him from the previous conversation melted away. She turned to him.

"She's perfect. Thank you, Tommy."

"Come here then." Tommy pulled her to him and hugged her tight. She put her arms around him and allowed herself to feel safe. These moments with Tommy were few and far between and Rose missed them. After a couple of minutes, he let her go and held her face in his hands.

"We'll be alright, Mouse. We will. I just need to get this business out of the way and then we can get on with things, eh?"

Rose nodded. Tommy had promised not to lie to her and so she decided to believe him. She'd toe the line, keep Grace happy and wait until Tommy had finished the Russian business.

"Can I take her out, Tommy?"

"'Course you can. I'll tell Jim to get her ready whilst you go and change."

She flashed him a wide smile and ran off to change. Tommy watched her go then turned to stroke Nua's neck.

"We'll take care of her, won't we, girl? Eh? She'll be fine." He almost believed himself.

At quarter past five the next morning, Rose found herself sat beside Tommy in his car on the way to Small Heath. She yawned and wrapped her coat more tightly around her. Tommy had told her to be ready for an early start. He had an early meeting and then she would go with him to the office to do some work before school. Grace had told him that Rose needed to be kept busy so that she wouldn't find trouble and he'd decided to take her with him early. That way, she'd be kept busy all day and also be out of Grace's hair. Rose wasn't best pleased at this but also realised that the alternative was more time at the house with Grace so she didn't argue. She rested her head against the car door and dozed as Tommy drove. When he tuned the engine off, she opened her eyes and looked around in surprise.

"You have a meeting at Uncle Charlie's yard?"

"Yes," Tommy opened the door and got out. "Wait in the car." He pushed the door closed and disappeared into the labyrinth that was the scrap yard. Rose sighed and put her head back down on the door intending to get some more sleep. As time went on, however, the early morning cold seeped through the car, wound its way through her coat and gripped her bones. She shivered and shifted in her seat, wrapping her arms closer around herself in a vain attempt to block it out. Remembering Charlie always had a fire lit in his yard, she decided to get out and warm up by it. She'd keep an eye out for Tommy and she was sure she'd be able to get back to the car before he saw her. She jumped down from the car and set off in search of the fire which she could smell as soon as she was close to the buildings. Hurrying to get to the warmth, she didn't hear the voices until it was too late. Rounding a corner, she found the fire and also found herself face to face with Tommy who was talking to a tall man dressed in a long black cassock. Tommy jumped to his feet as the priest turned round to see Rose who froze to the spot in panic.

Father Hughes smiled slowly as he looked at the child in front of him. Tommy moved quickly past him and grabbed Rose by the arm. He was furious at her appearance.

"I told you to wait in the car."

Rose spoke to Tommy but her eyes remained on Hughes. "I was cold."

Hughes came to stand beside Tommy who pulled Rose away and slightly behind him.

"What a welcome sight this lovely creature is in this filthy place. This must be your youngest sister, Rose, Mr Shelby?"

At the sound of his Irish accent, Rose felt a wave of nausea and reached up to grab a handful of Tommy's coat. She moved instinctively behind him some more. She wished she'd stayed in the car.

Tommy's face turned even harder than it already was. "I thought you had morning prayers to get to."

"That I do. I shall take my leave but I do hope I will see this dear child again. And, of course, you are always welcome to bring her to me for confession. A child's soul is a very precious thing indeed and I would be honoured to be of help in preserving your sister's."

Hughes stepped closer and leaned around Tommy to see Rose better. "Goodbye, Rose."

Rose turned her head away and moved to the other side of Tommy who turned to block her from view completely. Hughes looked at Tommy and smiled.

"Don't miss your next meeting, Mr Shelby."

Tommy watched him leave and, once sure he was gone, rounded on Rose angrily.

"What the hell, Rose?"

Rose was unsettled. "I'm really sorry, Tommy. I was…. I didn't know you'd be…. Who was he?"

Turning away from her, he ran a hand down his face and stood with his hands on his hips, trying to regain his composure and work out his next step. The priest had rattled him. It was too late to do anything about the fact that Hughes had met Rose now though. He looked up at the grey sky which was threatening rain again and, making a decision, turned back to Rose.

"How do you fancy a trip to London, Rose?"

Confused, Rose blinked at him. "What?"

"I have to go to London. You can come with me."

"Now?"

"Why not?" Tommy turned and headed back to the car, leaving an even more confused Rose behind him. Still not sure if he was serious, she ran to catch up with him.

"Are you really going to London now?"

"We are going to London now."

"What about school?"

"What about school?"

"Why are we going to London?"

"I have a meeting."

"Am I going to the meeting?"

"No, you'll be with Ada. She's been on at me to take you to see her and there's no time like the present eh?"

Reaching the car, Tommy held open the driver's door for Rose who climbed in and moved to the passenger seat. He climbed in after her and started the engine.

"Tommy, I don't think I want to go to London now. This is all a bit … strange. I don't like it."

Taking the hand break off and pulling away, Tommy kept his eyes on the road.

"Nor do I, Rose. Sometimes we have no choice but to do things we don't like. You may as well learn that too."

And with that, it was settled. Rose and Tommy were headed towards London, with neither of them really sure why.

Tommy wasn't very talkative on the train journey so Rose curled up next to him and fell asleep, catching up on what she'd missed with the early start. Tommy woke her when they arrived and they took a taxicab to the library. Rose had never been to a library before, let alone one as big as the one Ada worked in and she was amazed. So many books on so many levels. Tommy found out where Ada was and strode up the stairs with Rose at his heels. Despite her embarrassment at Tommy loudly announcing himself, Ada was pleased to see both her brother and sister. Rose greeted Ada with a hug.

"This place is huge, Ada. I've never seen so many books."

Ada smiled and looked at Tommy. "What are you doing here?"

"I told you, I want some information on the Russian Revolution."

"You brought Rose all the way to London to find out about the Russian Revolution? They have libraries in Birmingham too, you know, Tommy."

"Rose wanted to see you, didn't you, Rose?"

"Well, yes, but not necessarily today. I'm supposed to be in school but Tommy has a meeting in London and said I should come too."

Ada looked at Tommy curiously. "Who do you have a meeting with in London?"

"Doesn't matter. But I'm leaving Rose with you whilst I go. You can take her to see the sights, maybe buy her a frock for the charity dinner. Here you are."

He took some notes out of his pocket and pushed them into Ada's hand.

"Tommy, I'm working, I can't watch her."

"She doesn't need watching, she's good as gold. She can just sit and read till I come back for her then. I'll want my money back though."

"Tommy…"

"Ada, I don't have much time. Have you got a book I can look at or not?"

Ada sighed and turned to climb a ladder.

"Have you got a new wharf at Maida Vale now?"

Rose left them to it and wandered towards the shelves to look at the books, being sure to listen in to the conversation between her brother and sister. She frowned when she heard the Arthur had his killing pistol under his jacket when the Russian man went missing. She didn't like the thought of Arthur shooting someone. She understood enough to know that this was by no means his first killing, but she also knew from her time living with him and Linda that he really did want to change, that he wanted to be a better person. This Russian business was already turning out to be bad and Rose couldn't help but feel that it was only going to get worse.

Tommy got what he wanted and left as he'd arrived - loudly. Rose moved over to Ada.

"Ignore him, Ada. He's just trying to wind you up. Show me where the novels are and I'll wait there till he comes back. You won't even know I'm here, I promise."

Ada looked at her watch. "I can take my break in half an hour and I'm owed a couple of hours off so how about I take you out then? We'll go and spend Tommy's money and get you that dress, hey? Make up for that awful thing you had to wear to the wedding."

Rose beamed. Time in London with Ada wasn't something she'd imagined when she'd woken up that morning and she was glad Tommy had insisted she come now.

Half an hour later, Rose was sat on the top deck of an open air omnibus, her arm linked with Ada's, clinging on for dear life. Ada laughed.

"You're perfectly safe, silly. You're cutting off all the blood to my arm!"

Rose didn't let go but allowed herself to relax and enjoy it. Ada pointed out all the sights as they drove past them and the young girl from Small Heath was fascinated by the capital. It wasn't her first time in London, but the last time she'd been there she hadn't been sight-seeing. She asked Ada question after question and was delighted to hear that the King was in Buckingham Palace as was announced by the Royal Standard which flew proudly above the monarch's London residence.

"Can we visit him?"

"No, we can't visit him! They don't let people like us just go and knock on the door and invite ourselves in for tea."

"They should. I reckon he'd like to meet people like us. He's probably fed up of all his posh friends."

Laughing, Ada got up and pulled Rose with her. "Come on, this is our stop."

The sisters spent a pleasant hour shopping for dresses for Rose which was an altogether much more enjoyable time then her last shopping trip with Linda. They settled on a simple teal satin dress with fine beading round the collar and on the skirt. It had sheer chiffon sleeves and Rose loved it. They also bought matching shoes with a slight heel and sheer silk stockings. Ada looked approvingly at their purchases.

"There now, you'll look beautiful, a proper young lady." She ran her hands through Rose's long wavy hair. "We should get your hair cut. No girls have long hair these days."

Rose shook her head. "No, I don't want it short."

"Why not? You look like a Gypsy with it all down your back."

"So? What's wrong with that?"

"We're not Gypsies, Rose, not anymore."

Rose shrugged. "Mum had long hair."

Ada brushed Rose's hair off her shoulders. "Ah, I see. That's why - you want it like mum's"

"She was beautiful."

"She was. You look just like her you know."

"That's what Arthur says."

"He's right. Well, I don't know about you but spending Tommy's money has made me hungry. Shall we go and get brunch?"

"Brunch?"

"Too late for breakfast, too early for lunch – brunch!"

Rose grinned. "I would love brunch."

Ada knew just the place – a Lyons Corner House, a popular café in the capital. Rose had eaten fine food before, most of her family employed a cook now, but she'd rarely eaten out. Rose stayed close to Ada as they moved through the crowded café to a free table. Ada handed Rose a menu and told her she could choose what she wanted to eat. It took Rosa a while to decide but eventually she opted for poached egg on toast, followed by a cup of hot chocolate and a slice of cherry cake. Ada enjoyed Rose's delight in experiencing her first meal in London. Watching her sister, she realised that Rose was no longer a little girl. She was growing up and Ada felt sorry that she couldn't spend more time with her and help her navigate the unique family they both shared. She smiled as Rose put her cup down and was left with a chocolate milk moustache.

"Wipe your mouth, Rose."

Rose wiped her napkin across her mouth.

"That hot chocolate is the most delicious thing I have ever tasted. Do they have it in Birmingham?"

"I would have thought so. You should ask Grace to get some for you."

Rose pulled a face. "Grace isn't very happy with me at the moment."

"Well, you did punch her cousin in the face. That lip of yours looks sore too."

"Can we not talk about it?"

"What do you want to talk about, then?"

Rose brightened. "Tommy gave me a horse."

"He did?"

"Yeah, it's the most gorgeous dappled grey filly. She's perfect and I can take her out whenever I want to get out of the house."

"And Tommy said you could do that?"

"So long as I stay in the grounds. But that's still loads of room to ride. She's called Nua. I've only been out on her once but it's like I've always known her."

Ada was impressed with Tommy's thoughtfulness, but then he always seemed to understand Rose more than any of his other siblings. She suspected that was because Rose was the most like him.

"Tommy met with a priest this morning."

Ada's eyes opened wide. There seemed to be no end to Tommy surprising her today.

"A priest? In a church?"

"No, at Uncle Charlie's yard."

"Why was he meeting a priest at the scrap yard?"

Rose shrugged. "Don't know but I think it's got something to do with this meeting he's at. I didn't like him, Ada, the priest. He was … odd. He wanted Tommy to take me to him for confession."

Ada frowned. She couldn't make sense of it but it didn't sound right.

"Tommy shouldn't be involving you in that side of the business. I'll tell him."

"Well, he wasn't really. He told me to stay in the car but I didn't."

Ada shook her head and took a sip of tea.

"Ada?"

"Hmm?"

"I saw the fire too. At the wedding."

Ada looked at Rose and wished she lived in a world where she didn't have to have family discussions about murder, especially with her twelve-year-old sister.

"It's best to leave that side of the business to the boys and not ask questions. There are some things you don't need to know."

"You asked questions this morning. And why shouldn't I know? I'm part of this family too."

"Things are going to be different for you, Rose. The business will be completely legitimate soon, you won't have to worry about how it got there."

"Do you really believe that? That after this business, there'll be no more bad stuff?"

"Yes, I don't see why not. Don't you?"

Rose shrugged. "Maybe. But I don't think people can ever really change. I don't think Tommy can. And besides, there'll always be bad people in the world. Sometimes you have to do bad things to stop them."

Ada's mouth dropped open at Rose's words. She was shocked at the matter of fact way in which Rose spoke about these things. It worried her. Polly always said there was a darkness within Tommy and that's why he was as ruthless as he was. Ada wondered if some of that same darkness was in Rose too.

"I don't agree, Rose. There's always a better way. You have to find something good to fight for and never let yourself give in to the bad. Maybe you're right, maybe Tommy will never change, but that doesn't mean you have to be like him. You can be different."

What if I don't want to be different, thought Rose, but she didn't reply. A memory of blood on Polly's jacket flashed through her mind and she remembered what a relief it had been to know Campbell was dead and that her family was safe. Surely that was the only thing that mattered. Ada watched her sister finish her cake, unable to read her thoughts and made a mental note to speak to Polly about her. She finished her tea and stood up.

"Come on, we'd better go. Tommy will be back at the library soon."

An hour later, Tommy and Rose were on the train home. Ada had asked Tommy if Rose could stay with her for a few days and she'd bring her back home for the charity dinner, but Tommy wasn't keen for Rose to be so far away from him. His business was becoming a lot more complicated than he at first imagined and he wanted his family as safe as possible. Rose was sad to say goodbye to Ada. Not for the first time, she wished Ada lived closer.

In the train, Tommy looked at Rose who was examining the contents of the shopping bags. "Did you have a nice time with Ada?"

Rose beamed at him. "It was the best time. I wish she lived at home. I miss her."

Tommy looked out of the window. He did too, not that he'd admit it. He was already formulating a plan to get Ada back in the family fold.

"Tommy?"

"Hmm?"

"You're not going to take me to confession, are you?"

"No."

Rose nodded. "Good." Then, grinning at him she added, "Because if you did, I reckon I'd be there an awful long time."

Tommy laughed out loud and put his arm around his sister, pulling her to him. She leaned against him comfortably whilst the train took them home to Birmingham.