Cut From The Same Cloth

by Wenlock

"Polly 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." What began as a brief imagining of a younger Shelby sister, Rose, and an encounter with Alfie Solomons, has grown into a story of life growing up in the most notorious family in Birmingham.

17. Alone

I hope you enjoy this next chapter. I'm sorry they're all so long - I can't seem to lower the word count! As always, I appreciate all your comments and reviews, thank you.

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Rose had explored all of Tommy's land by now and found herself wondering what was beyond the boundaries. She also wondered how anyone would find out if she went beyond them. She didn't see how they would; she hardly ever met anyone when she was out riding. Deciding to test out her theory, Rose gradually increased the distance she rode from the house. Finding that no one challenged her, she enjoyed the freedom and often ended up miles from home. She was getting to know the area quite well. Relishing her time outdoors with Nua, Rose was becoming an accomplished rider and she enjoyed the solitude which helped to clear her head. There was a lot that needed to be cleared.

She couldn't bear to be in the house any more than she had to. Tommy's grief was oppressive. She barely saw him, but when she did she noticed that he wouldn't look anyone in the eye, wouldn't talk to anyone except Charles and sometimes Ada. Rose longed to help him, to comfort him in some way, but he would walk right past her and not even acknowledge her. Ada had moved into Arrow House with Karl to help with the baby and with the running of the house. She'd told Rose not to pay heed to Tommy's silence, that he was grieving, that he didn't know how to deal with all the sadness. She'd said it would take time but he'd be back and then he'd need them to be there for him. But Rose was unsettled by the way Tommy was. He'd never ignored her like this before. She was terrified that he'd never go back to the way he was, that he didn't want her anymore. She knew the loss of Grace had broken his heart, but her young mind couldn't see much beyond her own fears.

Sitting on her window seat in the evening, Rose could see the light from Tommy's fire. He spent all night outside and she understood why he didn't want to be in the house. There were reminders of Grace everywhere. Rose took comfort from seeing the tiny light from Tommy's fire. It helped to know where he was. And when she woke before the sun, another nightmare pulling her from sleep, she sat at the window smoking a cigarette, watching his fire. It was like she and Tommy were the only ones awake in the world and she felt close to him for a small moment. But when he was back at the house, there may have well been a gulf between them. She met him once in the stables. She was leading Nua out as he arrived to feed the horses. She stopped when she saw him, not sure what to do.

"Tommy?"

He hesitated when he looked at her, held her gaze for a moment, then carried on past her without speaking. She watched him go, feeling an emptiness inside her. She pushed her face into Nua's neck and allowed herself to cry silently. Nua nuzzled her and blew softly in her hair. Rose pulled back and stroked her nose.

"I'm sorry, Nua. Sheblys don't cry, do they? Come on, let's see how far we can get today."

She pulled herself expertly onto Nua and moved her out of the stables onto the land, whereupon she kicked the horse into a gallop. All she wanted was to get as far away from Tommy as possible. It was too painful to see him and she was struggling to come to terms with his behaviour.

So, she spent as much time away from him and the house as possible. He couldn't ignore her if she wasn't there. Besides, she didn't think he'd notice she was gone. Ada did though and she tried her best to keep track of her sister, making sure she at least went to school every day. The girl was out on Nua as soon as she was home, however, and often only came back when night fell. Ada felt like pulling her hair out at her brother and sister – they locked their feelings inside themselves and refused to let anyone help them. She couldn't even get them to eat, she bemoaned to Polly.

The family had been summoned to Arrow House by Tommy via Ada, and she was telling Polly how Tommy and Rose were getting on – or rather how they weren't. Polly told her that Tommy often spent nights outside when he was a child. She felt sure that once the grief had passed, he'd be back. She was more concerned about her niece.

"Where does she go?"

Ada shrugged, "I have no idea. I ask her but she doesn't tell me. Tommy told her not to leave his land but I think she does."

Polly pursed her lips. "It's not safe, that. A young girl out on her own till all hours. I'll talk to Tommy about her."

"Tommy doesn't talk to her. He asks me how she is, but he ignores her."

Surprised, Polly took in this new information. It wasn't like Tommy to push Rose aside. No wonder the girl wanted to get away. As Ada was showing her the list of people Tommy wanted to see, he entered through the front door. Polly watched as Tommy strode through the house towards his study without even a glance in their direction and sighed. Somehow she didn't think this would be a long meeting.

She was right. After asking them to update him on the state of the books, Tommy gave them a list of things to do next and indicated the meeting was over. As Michael headed towards the door, Polly approached Tommy who was searching through the desk drawers for something. She noted the uncharacteristic mess of papers strewn on his desk.

"Tommy?"

"That's all, Pol."

"Tommy, it's about Rose."

"What about her?"

"Well, I don't think it's a good idea for her to stay here. Ada says she's out riding alone every day and that she's not eating, so I thought…"

Tommy cut her off. "Rose is fine."

"How would you know? Ada says you haven't spent any time with her."

Exasperated, Tommy slammed a drawer shut. "She's fine, Pol."

"Why doesn't she come and stay with me for a while, eh? Until you're…"

"She stays here. This is her home."

"Tommy, she needs…"

"Don't tell me what she needs, Polly! She stays here. End of discussion."

Polly was about to argue but thought better of it. She couldn't read him and had no idea what he was thinking or why he was insisting Rose should stay. She sighed and headed for the door. At least Ada was here.

Having been told by Ada that the family were coming that morning, Rose was eager to see them. Alice had brought her breakfast to her room and hovered whilst Rose ate it. The maid was under orders from Ada to make sure Rose ate something in the morning. It was too easy for Rose to sneak past the dining room and out to the stables in her bid to avoid Tommy before school, so Alice brought a tray to her room and Rose usually finished what was on it when it was placed in front of her. As she ate, Alice got Rose's clothes out ready for her to put on.

"Your aunt and cousin are here, Miss Rose."

"Are they?" They'd arrived earlier than she thought and she hurried to finish her scrambled egg.

"Yes. Will Mr. Shelby be wanting to see them, then?"

Her mouth full of food, Rose nodded. "He's called a family meeting."

"Isn't he still grieving? Why is he doing business again so soon?"

"The business doesn't stop, so Tommy will want to know how the books are."

"Do your other brothers go to London too?"

Moving the tray aside, Rose stood up and began to get dressed. "Sometimes, but they usually run the business in Birmingham."

"Well, I imagine Mr. Shelby will want to get back to work to take his mind of his loss. I still can't believe Mrs. Shelby was murdered, the poor woman. And in poor Mr. Shelby's arms too. It must have been awful."

Rose gripped the back of the chair as the panic rose. The gunshot, the screams, the blood, all of it came rushing back – the paralysing fear took hold of her again and her breathing accelerated. Alice noticed and rushed to her side.

"Oh, there now, Miss Rose. I didn't mean to upset you. Sit down, come on, try and slow your breathing. That's it. Look at me, breathe with me."

Alice crouched down in front of her and helped Rose to calm down. As her breathing regulated, Rose began to feel better and with that came embarrassment that Alice had seen her lose control. She stood up quickly and moved away.

"That's all, Alice. Thank you."

"Yes, Miss Rose."

Still concerned, Alice picked up the tray and left the room. Rose took a cigarette out of her case, opened the window and lit it. Inhaling deeply, she let the tobacco take affect and then exhaled slowly, taking control of herself. She watched as Tommy rode into the driveway, then entered the house and hoped that he was back properly now that he'd called a family meeting. Surely he couldn't spend every night outside for the rest of his life. As she finished her cigarette, she saw Arthur and John arrive and smiled. She hadn't seen them since the funeral and was glad they were here. Maybe they would talk some sense into Tommy and bring him back. She finished dressing and rushed down the stairs.

Arthur and John were sat close to the fire. The big rooms in Arrow House took an age to warm up and Rose once again missed the cosy front room of number six. Ada was pouring tea as Rose approached her brothers who looked up with big smiles when they saw their little sister.

"Alright, Rose?" John took her hand. "Come 'ere."

He pulled her down towards him and kissed her on the cheek, then she turned to Arthur who pulled her onto his lap and kissed her on her head.

"You're all skin and bone, Rosie."

"That's because she stays out all hours and misses meals." Ada looked pointedly at Rose who ignored her. John nudged her leg with the back of his hand.

"That true, Rose? Are you on your own out there? What's Tommy say about it?"

Rose scoffed. "Tommy doesn't say anything about anything."

John frowned and looked at Ada to find out more but before he could say anything, Polly and Michael arrived at the fireplace. Arthur, impatient to start the family meeting, lifted Rose onto the floor and stood up.

"Right, let's go."

Polly indicated herself and Michael. "Uh, we've already seen him."

Arthur, John and Rose looked at them in surprise. Arthur looked back at Ada.

"He wanted to see people in a particular order. Polly and Michael first, then you and John."

Rose waited for Ada to mention her name, then frowned when she didn't.

Polly moved over to them. "I can normally read him, but he's difficult to read, so be careful."

"And me? Does he want to see me? Is my name on the list?"

Ada looked at her apologetically. "No, Rose, not today. I'm sorry."

John said that he thought they'd all go and see Tommy together, but Rose was trying to make sense of what was happening. Tommy wanted to see the others but not her. He'd deliberately excluded her. Granted, Finn wasn't on the list either, but Rose lived in Tommy's house. He'd told her she was a part of his family there.

Putting her hand on John's shoulder, Polly attempted to calm the waters. "John, he's grieving. To see everyone together would be too much."

John shrugged off her hand and, as Arthur made his way to Tommy's study, he glared at Michael, jealous that Tommy had asked to see him first. At least you get to see him, Rose thought as she watched him. Whilst Polly was telling Arthur that they needed Tommy back, Rose turned and headed towards the door, she needed to get away. Polly saw her and called after her.

"Not so fast, young lady. We're not just here to see Tommy, you know. We want to see you too."

Rose turned round. "I'll be back, Aunt Pol. I'm just taking Nua out for some exercise."

"From what I've heard, that horse of yours has done nothing but exercise lately. You're staying here and having a cup of tea with me."

Polly took a seat by the fire but Rose stayed where she was, debating whether to make a run for it. The look on Polly's face made her think again and she went and sat next to her, taking a cup of tea from Ada. Michael left to make some phone calls and Ada went to check on Karl. Polly sipped her tea in silence, knowing that Rose wouldn't respond to questions but was likely to talk unprompted, a strategy she often used with Tommy. After a few minutes, Polly was proven right.

"Why is he ignoring me, Aunt Pol? I don't know what I did wrong."

"You didn't do anything wrong, love. He's in pain and he's trying to find a way to control that like he controls everything else in his life. The problem is, he can't. He's only just keeping it together and he's afraid that spending time with you would make him fall apart."

Rose was confused. "Why would I make him fall apart?"

"Because you see right through him. And you are the only one he ever lets his guard down with. He's just not ready to feel anything again. He'll be back, you'll see, and until then, we just have to be patient."

Sighing, Rose looked into the fire. She didn't fully understand what Polly had said.

"The house is so big and empty, Aunt Pol. It's like a museum."

"Well, not today it's not, cos we're all here. We'll spend the day together eh? It'll be like old times."

And it was. Twenty minutes later, Rose was sat in the kitchen listening to Ada talk about politics and to Polly telling Arthur not to swear in front of the children. She listened to the men argue and watched as Arthur and Michael almost came to blows. She joined in the laughter as Karl swore and, for the first time since she'd moved into Arrow House, she felt happy. She loved her family more than anything else and being with them in this one room was a rare treat. She raised her glass along with the rest of them as Polly declared that a family united will never be defeated.

When Finn burst into the room to tell them that Tommy was leaving in a cart with Johnny Dogs, Rose was almost relieved. She ran to the front door with the rest of them, but as she watched the cart move off down the driveway, she was glad that he was gone for a while. No more trying to avoid him, no more wondering if he'd want to speak to her that day, no more feeling like she was an intruder in his house. Polly suggested that they light the fire in the big room and Rose led the way. Finally the house would have some life in it.

Curled up on the sofa next to Arthur, Rose was only half listening to the men boast about their escapades with the Peaky Blinders. She'd heard these stories many times. She particularly enjoyed their stories of when they were children themselves. She loved to imagine life in the family home with their mum still alive and the boys not yet scarred by the war. She wished she'd have been born then.

John and Arthur were still smarting about being Tommy's toy soldiers and the more they drank, the more restless they got. Rose moved away from them and went to sit with Ada and Polly. She didn't like it when her brothers got drunk as, more often than not, it ended in aggression of some sort. Polly asked about their trip to London and the two sisters enjoyed telling her about their time together there. Polly smiled at their enthusiasm.

"You should come home, you know, Ada. We need you now more than ever."

"Pol, you know that if I come back, I'll be pulled right back into everything I left to get away from. All the illegal stuff, all the violence, all the men fighting like dogs. I don't want Karl growing up in that."

Rose shook her head. "I'll be working for the company when I leave school next year; we can work together Ada. It'll be different."

Polly smiled. "Yeah, Ada, between the three of us, we'll keep the men in line. We can turn the business in the right direction."

Ada sighed. "I don't know. It sounds good and I would like to be back with you all again, but Tommy's said things will change before and now look where we are. He had a man killed on his own wedding day."

"Ada!"

"It's alright, Aunt Pol. I already knew. I saw the fire."

Raising her eyes to the heavens, Polly exclaimed in annoyance. "This is all the more reason why we need to change the direction of the company. What kind of family are we, eh? This is not what your mother would have wanted for you, Rose."

"Would she have wanted it for the others then?"

"No, of course not! But now we have the means…"

Polly was interrupted by Arthur and John noisily standing up, finishing their drinks and leaving the room.

Ada rolled her eyes. "Probably gone to shoot at something like men do when they're drunk."

"Tommy said you used to shoot at rats with a revolver, Ada."

Polly laughed at Ada's embarrassment. "That she did, Rose! She hit most of them too."

"Can you teach me how to shoot?"

"No! There's no need for you to be shooting guns."

"Why not? Ada can and I know you carry a gun in your bag, Aunt Pol. You never know when it might come in useful."

Polly, noticing that Michael had also left the room, stood up and looked down at Rose. "Tommy will never let you be in a situation when you'll need to shoot a gun. Leave the shooting to the men, eh? I'm going to look for Michael. You should go to bed, Rose."

As Polly left the room, Ada stood up too, yawning. "That's exactly where I'm going. I'll check on Charles and Karl on the way. Don't stay up much longer, will you?"

Rose smiled at her without committing to anything and Ada, shaking her head, lent down and kissed her sister on her forehead. "Good night, our Rose."

"Night, Ada."

Realising that it was only her and Finn left in the room, Rose moved to sit closer to her youngest brother.

"You not going out shooting with the others?"

"Nah, it's too cold out there."

Rose looked at the drink in his hand, then at the drinks table. She stood up and went over to it. Tommy didn't have many varieties of alcohol in the house, mainly whiskey, brandy and rum. She picked up the whiskey decanter and poured some into a glass.

"Tommy will skin you alive if he sees you drinking his whiskey." Finn was watching her from across the room.

She shot a look at him over her shoulder. "Good thing he's not here then, isn't it?"

"At least have some water with it. It'll burn going down if you're not used to it."

She poured some water into the glass and lifted it to her lips. The smell alone made her cough. Finn laughed and waited to see her taste it - this was going to be interesting. Rose took a sip and grimaced as the strong taste hit her mouth. She forced herself to swallow it but gagged as she experienced the full extent of the strong liquor. She looked over at Finn who was grinning at her.

"How can you drink this? It tastes like petrol."

"How would you know what petrol tastes like?"

"Well, it's what I imagine petrol would taste like. Do you really like it?"

"Yeah, you get used to it."

Wondering if she could get used to it, she took another sip. It was still disgusting but the warmth of the liquid going down was strangely enjoyable.

"Try the brandy, squirt. You may like that better."

Rose poured herself some brandy and took a sip. It had a strong taste also but wasn't as harsh in her mouth as the whiskey. It produced the same warmth inside her and she wanted more. She took the glass over to Finn and sat opposite him. He lit a cigarette and squinted at her through the smoke.

"So, you're drinking now, are you? Tommy's precious mouse – thought you were supposed to be better than the rest of us."

"Shut up, Finn, and give me a cigarette."

"You wanna start smoking now? Decided to be a rebel, have you?"

"Would you shut up? I've been smoking since the wedding. I stole a cigarette case from some lady's bag."

Rose grinned at Finn who was looking at her in surprise.

"Really? A drunk, a smoker and a thief! You don't do things by halves, do you?"

"Will you just give me a cigarette?"

Finn got up, handed her a cigarette and lit it for her. Rose kicked off her shoes and tucked her legs under her. She took another sip of brandy. Finn watched her, not quite recognising the girl in front of him. He'd always been somewhat jealous of the relationship Rose had with their brothers, especially Tommy. They treated her like she was special and him like an afterthought. He was always playing catch up and was often the butt of their jokes.

"Does Tommy know you smoke?"

She scoffed, "Course not! But I don't see why he would have a problem with it – everyone else smokes."

"Yeah, but you're not everyone. You're Rose, the special one."

Frowning, she took a sip of brandy. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Tommy treats you like you're some sort of fragile flower, like you'll break the minute something bad happens to you. He loves you more than of all of us."

"He doesn't! You know that's not true!"

Finishing his drink, Finn stood up to get another one. "It is true. He keeps you close. Why do you think he wants you living here, with him?"

"Finn, I don't want to live here, you know I don't. It's like living in a tomb or something. And he keeps me close cos he doesn't trust me. He wants to make sure I do what he wants. But he never asks me what I want."

Sitting back down again, Finn took a gulp of whiskey and thought about what Rose had said.

"So, what do you want?"

Rose blinked at him. No one had ever asked her that before.

"I want him to take me seriously. I want to help make the decisions. I don't want to be treated like some sort of hope for the future, I want to be involved now. I want Tommy to listen to me and to ask me what I think."

Finn chuckled. "Tommy never asks what anyone thinks. He just does whatever he wants."

"Then that's what I want. I want to be like him. I want people to listen when I say something and I want them to be afraid to go against me. Everyone respects Tommy. I want some respect too."

Too surprised to say anything for a few seconds, Finn eventually burst out laughing.

"Squirt, you're a tiny twelve year old girl with red hair and skinny legs. You look about ten. Who's going to be afraid of you?"

He doubled over in fits of laughter and Rose glared at him, furious. She felt embarrassed that she'd been so honest with him. She launched herself at him, fists flying. She got a good few punches to his ribs before he easily overpowered her, holding onto her wrists and pushing her back onto the seat next to him. He was still laughing.

"No, Rose, please don't hurt me. You're so scary, I'm so afraid of you. Stop, please. I'll respect you, I promise."

Rose looked at his face and, to her horror, felt a giggle rise up inside her. He was being so ridiculous, she couldn't help but laugh. He let go of her wrists and fell back on the sofa laughing uproariously. Rose laughed at him laughing until both of them couldn't stop. Eventually, they caught their breath and lay slumped on the sofa together, occasionally giggling. Rose hit Finn weakly with the back of her hand.

"Just you wait, Finn Shelby, you'll see what I can do."

"Well, I'll drink to that, Rose Shelby. To you and your world domination."

They both drained their drinks and Finn refilled them. As he handed Rose hers and sat down next to her, she looked at him thoughtfully.

"Finn?"

"Yeah?"

"When I'm head of the company…"

Finn giggled again. Rose could feel herself starting again too.

"No, seriously, Finn. Don't make me laugh. When I'm head of the company, will you kill people for me like Arthur does for Tommy?"

"Course. As many as you like. But I'll shoot them, not beat them to death like Arthur. That's way too messy."

Drinking her brandy, Rose thought back to the charity dinner.

"I've never seen Arthur like that before, you know at the dinner. And you and John weren't much better."

Finn shrugged. "Yeah, well, it needed to be done, didn't it?"

"What will Tommy do about the Italians?"

"He'll want revenge, that's for sure. He'll want them to suffer like he has."

Rose frowned. She didn't really want to think about how Tommy would make them suffer. She took another sip and concentrated on the brandy going down. She was beginning to feel light-headed now. It was nice. Finn nudged her.

"Can't believe you stole a cigarette case off one of Tommy's wedding guests."

"Well, Hester and Queenie talked me into it. And I'd had about four glasses of punch." She grinned at the thought.

"Was that before or after you broke that girl's nose."

"Before. And I don't care who she was, she deserved it." Rose finished her drink and stood up to get another.

"What did she do then?"

So Rose, after a sip of her newly refilled glass of brandy, re-enacted the whole scene again for Finn, taking on all the different roles, posh accents and all. Finn lost it after she said "riff-raff" and enjoying his amusement, Rose hammed it up even more.

When Michael found them half an hour later, he couldn't tell who was more drunk. By this time, they were slurring their words and Rose could barely stand up straight. Frowning, he took her drink out of her hand and put his arm around her waist to help her stay upright.

"What were you thinking, Finn, letting her drink? She's a child."

"So am I!"

"Don't be stupid. You should have stopped her. Look at her; she can barely stand up straight."

"Have you met my sister, Michael? She does whatever she wants. People respect her, you know?"

Rose snorted with laughter and look up at Michael. "S'right, Michael. I'll be in charge soon. But you can still have your job cos I like you. Give me my drink back"

Annoyed, Michael hoisted Rose up as she lunged for her glass.

"No, Rose, no more for you. I'm taking you up to bed before Mum sees you. She'll go mad."

"No, no, I don't want to go to bed. Ooo, Finn – let's go outside and shoot guns."

But Michael was already halfway across the room with Rose leaning against him, only just managing to put one foot in front of the other, protesting all the way.

"No, put me down, Michael. I wanna stay with Finn, he's my favourite brother cos he pours my drinks. You're so boring, Michael. You're my least favourite cousin."

Practically lifting her up the stairs, Michael smiled wryly.

"I'm your only cousin, Rose."

Rose gasped over-exaggeratedly. "Are you?"

"I think so, unless you have some in a Gypsy camp somewhere."

"Probably. Most Gypsies are kin. Will you give me a cigarette, Michael?"

"Why am I not surprised that you smoke too? Be quiet now, the children are sleeping along here."

"Ok," Rose whispered loudly then giggled. "I'm a child but I'm not sleeping."

"Shh. You're the worst kind of child – one that thinks they're not."

"What?"

Michael pushed open the door to Rose's room, relieved they were finally there. Rose was tiny but she was difficult to manoeuvre when she had no coordination.

"Never mind. Look, we're here now. That's it."

He sat her on the bed, hoping to swing her legs round so that she'd lie down and fall asleep. Instead she tried to stand up again and he only just caught her before she ended up on the floor.

"Rose! Just sit down on the bed."

"Want a ciggie." She giggled at the word the twins had used.

"No, you can't. You need to go to sleep."

"Nah, I don't sleep. I have nightmares. Then I smoke." She began to rummage through her bedside cabinet, knocking things over. "They're in here somewhere. And I borrowed one of Tommy's lighters." She looked at him conspiratorially and put a finger to her lips. "Don't tell him."

Worried that she would set fire to something if he left her to it, Michael sighed and lit one of his own cigarettes for her.

"Here. Hurry up and smoke it then you can go to bed."

"Ok, but you have to open the window so Tommy can't smell the smoke."

"Tommy's not here." Michael opened the window anyway then sat on the window seat keeping an eye of Rose and the cigarette in her hand which came very close to her bedspread a few times.

Rose frowned, swaying a little. "I know. Do you think he'll come back?"

"His note said three days."

"Yeah, but he's got Charles. He could just stay away and leave me here all on my own. And I'd grow old in this house and sit at the table covered in cobwebs like Mrs. Haversham."

Michael smiled. He too had read Great Expectations.

"He's definitely coming back, Rose, don't worry."

He watched her for a few minutes as she smoked her cigarette, concentrating hard on getting it to her mouth.

"Do you have a lot of bad dreams, Rosie?"

"Mmhmm. Every night."

"What are they about?"

She squinted her eyes at him and whispered loudly. "I can't say. I saw something bad but it was good too. And now I keep seeing it. 'Cept it's not good in my dreams, only bad."

Frowning, Michael leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. "Why can't you say?"

"Cos it's someone else's secret. And now it's my secret too." She finished her cigarette and looked at the end not knowing what to do with it. "I dream about Grace dying too. Only it's not Grace, it's Arthur or Tommy dying. And sometimes it's me. But then I wake up and I'm alive. So that's good."

Taking the cigarette butt from her, Michael tossed it out of the window and then closed it. He turned back to find that Rose had fallen on her side and was drifting off to sleep. He moved her up to the pillows, pulled the covers from under her and tucked her in.

"Michael?"

"Mmh?"

"You're my favourite cousin, you know?"

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he chuckled. "Do you want to know something, Rose?"

"Is it a secret?"

"Yeah, but it's a good secret."

"'K"

He leaned closer to her and whispered. "You're my favourite cousin too."

She flung her arms around him and pulled him down into a hug. He hugged her back, smiling at the drunken affection. Still hugging him, she too whispered.

"Will you look after me if Tommy doesn't come back?"

He took her arms from round her neck and looked at her.

"Tommy will be back, Rose."

She frowned. "But if he doesn't?" Her eye filled with tears. "I don't want to be like Mrs. Haversham."

He laughed and patted her hand. "Ok, if Tommy doesn't come back, I'll take care of you."

Smiling, her eyes closed. "Thanks, Michael. I don't want to be alone."

He pulled the covers over her shoulders a little more and stroked her hair out of her face. "You won't be, I promise."

Watching her for a while to make sure she was properly asleep, he quietly stood up.

"Sweet dreams, Rose."

He walked over to the door and opened it. Taking a quick glance at her, he turned the light off, then left the room and quietly closed the door. He knew he belonged in this family and was drawn more and more to the darker side of the Shelbys' activities, yet thinking about his young cousin and her nightmares and her fears, he wished there was a way to separate the business from the family. But he knew as much as Tommy did that it was the family who made the business so successful, that the company fed off the heartache and sacrifice of the family, that money was made as the family suffered – an endless cycle of pain and fortune which locked each member of the family into it and would only end in the destruction of each one.