Lizzie pushed the door open and wrinkled her nose at the smell which assaulted her nostrils as she walked into Rose's room – a mixture of stale cigarette smoke, alcohol and general stagnation. She sighed and wondered when it had become her job to play mother to Rose and Charles. At least Charles was easy; he had a nanny who did most of the work. Rose was a whole different kettle of fish. The past year had seen the young girl run the whole gamut of emotions. What had happened to her the previous year had hit her hard but her family was so wrapped up in their feud and their own struggles that no had noticed until it was too late. And now, Rose spent her days sleeping and her evenings out at Johnny Dogs' camp or drinking in her room or goodness knows where. She avoided the family as much as she could, though it was only really John who tried to see her regularly. Tommy was worried about her which is why he'd given Lizzie the task of keeping tabs on his sister whilst he himself kept his distance. Lizzie had lost count of the arguments she'd had with him about Rose. She knew exactly why Tommy had estranged himself from the family – he felt the guilt of what had happened and believed they were better off without him. The rest of the family were adults - they could work it out themselves – but Rose was still a child, as was Charles, and they needed family around them. But try as she might, Tommy wouldn't see reason and Lizzie was ready to give up on them all. John and Esme had invited the whole family to theirs for New Year and persuading Tommy to go would be her final attempt to reconcile them. If he didn't, then she was done with him and the whole miserable family. As she braced herself for the hostile attitude she knew Rose would soon be throwing at her, she felt overwhelmingly that she'd be glad to see the back of them.

Lizzie made her way across the room, trying not to trip over a pair of boots which had been thrown on the floor, pulled open the curtains and opened the window. Rose didn't stir. Lizzie did the same to the other window and turned to look at the girl sprawled on the bed, still sleeping deeply. She was dressed in the clothes she'd been wearing last night, but had at least managed to take her boots off. She wore a long skirt and a blouse with full sleeves tied round the waist with a sash. She couldn't have looked more like a Gypsy if she'd tried. Her hair, however, was still short. Lizzie had expected her to grow it out again after what had happened but Rose had kept it short, although Lizzie didn't know how. She suspected the women at the camp helped or she did it herself. It certainly wasn't a professional cut. Rose lay on her stomach, diagonally across the bed, one foot hanging off the edge. Her mouth was open and her hair fell over her face. Through the strands, Lizzie could see the dark circles under her eyes, even after a night's sleep. Or maybe it wasn't a whole night. Lizzie had no idea what time Rose had got in. Fred was lying next to her, his head on the pillow next to hers, his tail thumping against the bed as he watched Lizzie. As she moved towards the bed, her foot knocked against an empty bottle of gin which rolled across the room. She didn't know Rose was drinking gin now, she thought brandy was her liquor of choice. Lizzie looked at the small bottle of pills on the bedside table and shook her head. She'd got a new one from the chemist a few weeks ago and it was already almost empty. This was another argument she'd been having with Tommy, and yet he kept paying for the prescriptions and the doctor who signed them. Tommy was usually the last person to advocate taking medication, but he seemed blind to a lot of things when it came to Rose. He couldn't bring himself to refuse her when she asked for another prescription, or anything else for that matter.

Leaning over, Lizzie reached out and gave Rose a firm shake. She knew from experience that it took a lot to wake her up these days. Those tablets really did work well. Rose stirred but didn't wake up. Lizzie shook her again and spoke loudly.

"Rose, wake up. Come on, Rose, it's time to get up."

Frowning, Rose turned her head and pushed her face into the pillow. Lizzie just shook her harder.

"Rose! Wake up, it's time for work."

Groaning, Rose swatted Lizzie's hands away but Lizzie continued. Finally, Rose turned round, glared at Lizzie and swore at her angrily. Lizzie had heard it all before and folded her arms as she watched the girl struggle to sit up.

"Good morning, Rose. I'm here to take you to work."

Rose continued to glare at Lizzie. "What?"

"You heard. You need to go into work."

"No, I don't."

"Rose, you're a working girl now, remember? You left school five months ago and Tommy gave you a job. Do you know what a job is? Something you have to actually do to get paid."

Rose scoffed as she reached over and picked up the cigarette case and lighter John had given her.

"It might be something you have to do to get paid, Lizzie, but do you really think Tommy will fire me if I don't turn up?"

"He should"

Lighting a cigarette, she blew out the smoke and grinned at Lizzie. "Yeah, maybe, but he won't. He's too consumed with guilt to do that. And even if he did, what would change? I'd still live in this mansion, still ride my very own horse, still get whatever I ask for. Guilty Tommy is my favourite Tommy."

Lizzie rolled her eyes. Rose was spot on but she wasn't impressed with the girl's attitude. Lizzie took great pride in the work she did for Tommy and she hated the way Rose disrespected it. Lizzie still remembered where she'd come from and it annoyed her that Rose was so dismissive of her own privilege. Rose laughed wryly and took another drag of her cigarette.

"Oh, don't look so offended, Lizzie. I'm sure Michael will cope for another day without his executive assistant." She laughed again. "I'm sure Tommy must have been joking when he made up that job for me. His way of keeping me away from the bad business. Like that's going to make any difference at all."

"He wants you to have every opportunity to be successful, Rose, without getting involved with the illegitimate side. He's doing you a favour."

Rose leaned forward, her face hard now.

"A favour? The best favour Tommy could do for me is to stop sending you to annoy me. Tell him, I don't need a babysitter. I can manage perfectly well on my own – as usual."

Losing her patience, Lizzie turned for the door, speaking over her shoulder as she left the room. "Get up, get dressed, I'll wait in the car for you."

Rose called after her. "You'll be waiting a long time then. I have some sleep to catch up on. Oh, and tell him I need more medicine."

Lizzie stomped down the stairs, angry with the teenager. She knew Rose wouldn't be getting up. And now she'd have to explain once again to Tommy why she hadn't been in work.

Rose heard Lizzie's footsteps fade as she stomped down the stairs and fell back against her pillows with a sigh. Fred moved up and put his head on her stomach as she pulled on her cigarette. She stroked him, feeling grateful that at least he cared about her. She felt he was the only one who did. Her head was banging and she frowned as she rubbed a hand over her forehead. She couldn't remember much of last night. She knew Lizzie didn't deserve the way she treated her but she represented Tommy and took the brunt of Rose's anger towards him. She felt a fresh breeze and looked over at the open windows, the curtains blowing in the cold air. It was December and the sky was a vast expanse of white as the clouds covered it. The sun shone behind them and a ring of misty light glowed in the sky. She stood up and walked over to the window. Looking out across the landscape, she remembered riding out with Tommy on those mornings a long time ago. She looked at the ancient oaks he'd often pointed out to her and was overwhelmed with a deep sorrow. He had abandoned her, probably blamed her for what had happened to her and now she was too damaged for him to accept anymore. She gasped at the inner pain these realisations caused her and did what had become her way of coping. She slammed the windows shut, followed by the curtains. Walking over to the door she kicked it shut and felt the doors in her head slam shut on her feelings also. She went back to the bed, took two pills from the little bottle which was so familiar in her hand and dry-swallowed them. Pulling back the covers, she crawled under them and hid herself away from the world, waiting for the pills to pull her consciousness into a blissful oblivion. Fred whined as she did so, moving closer to her and curling up next to her. She was asleep in minutes, but he stayed awake for a while, not moving from her side.

It was four o'clock in the afternoon when Rose woke up again. She groaned as she stretched out her stiff limbs. Fred sat up next to her, tail wagging, tongue hanging out, relieved his mistress was awake and moving. She scratched his ears.

"Hello, Fred. You must be hungry. Shall we go and find you some food?"

Fred stood up eagerly, his tail wagging faster. He was indeed hungry. He watched as Rose slowly peeled herself out of bed and went to the bathroom to use the toilet. There was no mirror in the bathroom anymore. Rose had smashed it a while ago and had smashed every replacement which appeared. In the end, there were no more replacements and Rose was glad. She didn't want to see the girl she no longer recognised in the reflection: the girl with a scar under her eye and another one along her eyebrow, with short messy hair, with a haunted look and an unmistakable resemblance to Tommy - a constant reminder of the family she couldn't escape.

Emerging from the bathroom, Rose changed her clothes – another skirt, another blouse, she didn't really care. Sitting at her writing table, she opened a drawer in her stationery box and took out a piece of paper. It was a letter to Alfie which she had never sent. She glanced over it and wondered, as she often did, what would have happened if she'd sent it. She looked at the date and realised she'd written it just over a year ago. She read some of her words again: I don't suppose I could come and stay with you, Alfie, could I?... I feel I shall go mad in this house if I stay any longer. Placing it back in the drawer, she put the question out of her mind. Alfie would never have let her stay with him anyway. She was glad she hadn't sent it. There were a few times when she'd got close, but always lost her nerve. She couldn't bring herself to do it to Tommy and she was scared of Alfie's rejection. Besides, she was doing just fine on her own. She didn't need anyone. She certainly didn't want to appear needy and desperate to Alfie Solomons. She looked at a larger drawer in her table but didn't open it. Inside were all of Alfie's letters. He'd written to her every week until it became apparent she wasn't writing back anymore and the letters tailed off. She suspected he was still keeping an eye on her via his "people in Birmingham" but she felt he was better off without having to worry about her sorry life. He still sent the apples every week though with the same driver and a few extra for Nua. He always included a note in the basket: With much affection, your Alfie. She kept every one of them and when she opened the drawer to add the next one, they threatened to spill out.

She stood up abruptly. It didn't do to dwell on things which couldn't be changed. It was best to find ways to forget them which is what she did as she lit another cigarette and headed out of her room, Fred on her heels.

Heading towards the kitchen, she met Frances. Frances was the new housekeeper. Mary had left after Christmas last year having finally reached the end of her ability to manage Tommy Shelby's household whilst keeping her sanity. Rose didn't even know she'd left until she literally bumped into Frances in a corridor. Rose had been startled to see a stranger in the house and had panicked. Fred had rushed in front of Rose and growled at Frances. Frances had let out a squeal and dropped the bed linen she was carrying. All three stared at each other for a few seconds before Frances found her voice and introduced herself.

Rose was furious with Tommy for not telling her. She may not have been close to her but Mary had been one of the few constants in Rose's life and now that she was gone, she felt cut loose – especially after what had happened with Alice. She had sat up waiting for Tommy to come home that evening to let him know how angry she was with him. But he didn't come home that night or the following three nights by which time Rose had stopped feeling angry and was just feeling sad. She didn't want to see Tommy anymore and spent the next few nights at the camp, drinking brandy or gin with them and enjoying being part of another family, another setting. She found that she was able to almost forget who she was when she was in the camp. She helped with the chores, learned to hunt and learned to relax around the campfire in the evenings. Mal kept a close eye on her, which annoyed her, but he didn't interfere much. The only time he said anything was when he felt she was drinking too much, asking if she really needed another refill. She either assured him that she did or just ignored him, but she always took the refill. At times, some of the Lee family would join them and then things would get very raucous. Mal didn't like the Lees and would stay on the fringes when they came. Rose looked forward to them joining the group, especially if the twins, Hester and Queenie, were there too. It wasn't long before Rose was going with the Lees when they left the next day and then life got a whole lot more exciting. Rose became quite proficient in shoplifting, raiding local farms for eggs and the occasional chicken, poaching and shooting. Mal never did get round to teaching Rose how to shoot a gun but there were plenty of Lee boys who were more than happy to oblige. They all knew who she was and none of them dared be on anything but their best behaviour around her. They didn't want an angry and vengeful Tommy after them.

Rose planned to get some food for Fred then head straight out to the camp. Frances stopped her as she walked past.

"Miss Rose, will you be dining here tonight?"

Rose was surprised at the question. She never ate dinner at the house.

"No, Frances."

Frances looked surprised. "But it's Christmas Eve, Miss."

"Is it?"

"Yes, Miss."

Rose realised she was missing a few days. It happened a lot.

"Is Tommy eating here tonight?"

"I don't know, Miss."

Rose scoffed. "I do. He'll be eating a fine meal at one of his hotels. I'll be eating out too, Frances. It won't be as fine as Tommy's meal but it'll be a lot more fun. Have you ever eaten squirrel, Frances?"

Frances shook her head.

"You should try it, it's delicious."

Frances had spent the last year getting to know Gypsy ways quite well with Johnny Dogs a regular visitor at the house and Rose spending her evenings at the camp. She took a breath and moved onto the next question.

"I assume you'll be eating Christmas dinner here tomorrow?"

"Apparently, I don't have a choice."

"Very well, Miss. Be careful when you go out tonight, won't you?"

Frances moved past Rose and carried on her way. Watching her go, it struck Rose that Frances was probably a very nice person. But Rose had no desire to get close to anyone again. She turned and carried onto the kitchen where she found the kitchen staff hard at work preparing tomorrow's dinner. She ignored them all and helped herself to some food for Fred. The staff were used to her taking food for the dog and carried on with their work. She noticed one of the men at the far end of the room watching her. She hadn't seen him before and he didn't seem like the other staff. He was smoking and half-heartedly peeling potatoes. He winked at her and Rose felt a wave of panic pass through her. She did not feel safe. Grabbing the bowl of food, Rose hurriedly left the room and left for the stables through the front door and round the side of the house.

Putting the bowl on the floor for Fred, Rose gave Nua the apple she'd brought for her and thought about the man in the kitchen. She was probably being silly – why would Tommy allow anyone dangerous to work in his house? He'd been so angry when he discovered Alice's betrayal and that it had happened under his roof. She was sure he would never let that happen again. But that kitchen worker had made her skin crawl. Maybe she would ask Frances about him tomorrow. She finished putting Nua's bridle on her and led her out of the stable. Pulling herself up onto the horse's back, Rose set off, Fred running beside her, feeling increasingly better the more distance she put between her and Arrow House.

When she reached the camp, it was starting to get dark and the camp fires were roaring. It was a cold night, the earlier clouds having gone, and the moon was already bright. Rose knew it would be a clear starry sky that night and she thought it was a perfect place to celebrate Christmas Eve. The Lees had already arrived and Hester and Queenie came running to meet her.

"Rose! It's about time. We thought you'd never get here."

"Ed found two whole crates of gin by the side of the road. Would you believe it? It's going to be a party!"

Rose laughed at them. "I'm sure he did. You'd better have already poured me a glass."

"Of course! What kind of friends would we be if not?"

Jumping down, Rose settled Nua with the other horses and followed her nose to where a large stew was cooking above a fire. There were lanterns hanging on trees and caravans and the glow from these and the fires welcomed her. She was happily greeted and room was made for her to sit down. A bowl of steaming rabbit stew was put into one hand and a cup of gin in the other and it wasn't long before she was warmed up by the food, the alcohol and the company. Fred ran off the join the other dogs who were scrounging bits of stew from anyone who was feeling generous. Hester and Queenie pushed their way on either side of her. Queenie had a bottle of gin and topped up Rose's cup.

"Merry Christmas, Rosie."

"It's not Christmas, yet. Aunt Pol says it's bad luck to wish someone Happy Christmas before Christmas Day."

"Well, she must have done it loads of times then cos rumour has it she's gone mad."

Rose looked at Hester sharply. "What? What rumour?"

Hester giggled. "They say she sees spirits and ghosts and talks to dead people. They say the noose snapped her sanity even if it didn't snap her neck. Is it true? Has she lost it?"

Standing up, Rose looked down at the twins angrily. "No, it's not true! She's perfectly fine. And you should stop listening to lies."

The twins laughed uproariously. "Ok, Rose, if you say so. You're so funny when you're angry."

Frustrated, Rose turned to walk away. The twins shouted after her.

"No, Rose, come back. Don't be so sensitive."

"Rosie, don't leave. We still have more gin."

Rose ignored them and headed towards the trees. She wanted some space. She didn't want to be reminded of her broken family, and the truth was that she herself had wondered if Polly was indeed losing her mind. Sitting down and leaning back against a tree, she took a large gulp of gin and looked up at the sky. Fred joined her and sat at her feet. The stars were clear and bright and she tracked the constellations. Tommy had taught her to spot them. He would take her out to the fields when she was small, riding in front of him on his horse, his arm tight around her waist. They would lie on their backs, her head on his shoulder, his arm around her keeping her warm, and he would point out the North Star and all the constellations. When she was a little older, he taught her how to navigate using the stars. He said the Gypsies had known how to read the stars way before the astronomers had. She blinked back the tears which pricked her eyes as she relived the memories of life before the war, before the business, before the Russians. Those days were long gone.

She heard him before he saw him and sighed as he sat down next to her.

"Not now, Mal. It's Christmas Eve. I don't need a lecture on how much I'm drinking."

"That's not why I'm here."

"Why are you here then? To tell me I shouldn't be spending so much time with the Lees? You've told me that before."

"I'm here to give you this."

Rose looked at him surprised and then at a small parcel wrapped in brown paper he was holding out to her.

"Happy Christmas Eve, Rose."

Still surprised, she took the parcel and looked back at his face. His chestnut brown hair had grown longer recently and frequently fell over his eyes. He pushed it back and smiled at her, his green eyes crinkling in the way they frequently did with his easy grin.

"What is this, Mal?"

"It's a present. People give them to each other at Christmas."

"It's for me?"

Mal laughed at her confusion. "Yes, Rose, it's for you. From me. Open it."

"But I don't have anything for you."

"So what? Open it!"

Rose looked back at the parcel in her hand, still processing what it was.

"Rose! Staring at it won't open it. You have to use your hands."

She smiled at him and opened the parcel. Inside was a beautifully carved, wooden figure of a horse. Every detail was perfect – the mane, the tail, the anatomy of a horse in full gallop. It had been polished to a high shine. She looked up at Mal in delight.

"It's incredible, Mal. Did you make it?"

"Yeah, for you. It's not Nua obviously. It's a wild horse, running freely through the woods. I've seen them before, they're amazing. I thought you'd like it because … well, because I think that's really how you'd like to be – you know, free."

Rose understood exactly what he meant and, for the first time in over a year, felt known. She ran a finger over the smooth figure and felt like the horse would move at any moment. It absolutely encapsulated her desire to be free from feeling so trapped by her family and what she'd been through. She longed to break away from it all; to run like this beautiful creature far away in another direction.

Looking back at Mal, her eyes shining with tears, all she could do was whisper. "Thank you, Mal."

He reached out and took her hand. "You're welcome."

She squeezed his hand tight, hanging onto this moment where she felt accepted and safe. The two friends sat, hand in hand, for a while until a fiddle struck up in the distance and the twins rushed to find Rose, shrieking loudly.

"Rose! Come and dance!"

They grabbed an arm each and, pulling her to her feet, hauled her off to the clearing where people had stood up to dance, Fred barking and jumping beside them. Mal watched her go and closed his hand in a fist. He could still feel Rose's hand against his and hadn't wanted to let it go. He cared an awful lot about her. She was so strong and so vulnerable at the same time. He didn't know the details of what had happened to her last year but he knew it was bad. He'd heard a few things from his dad and he had watched Rose change over the past year. He wished he could help her but she kept him at arm's length. It was clear she didn't trust anyone anymore. He blamed Tommy. He always had. Sighing, he stood up and made his way to the party which was now in full swing – dancing, drinking and song were well underway and Rose was in the thick of it. Mal watched her laughing with the twins, her red hair glowing a bright copper colour in the light of the flames, and smiled despite himself. It was good to see her happy, even if it was an alcohol-induced, reality-escaping happiness. He took a cup of beer and decided to join in the celebrations – it was Christmas after all.

A couple of hours later, a lone rider on a black stallion approached the clearing. He stopped and watched the party and was particularly interested in the petite, red-headed girl dancing with the lithe brown-haired boy in the middle of the throng. She was smiling as she span round with him. He was looking at her fondly and it was clear he cared about her. The rider pursed his lips.

People began to notice the newcomer and stopped dancing as they stared at him. The musicians also realised who he was and stopped playing one by one. A few people shouted at them to continue until they too realised they had a guest in their midst. Rose felt Mal tense and looked up at his face as he regarded the man, his expression one of annoyance. She became aware of the silence around her and suddenly knew what she'd see when she turned around. She swore under her breath, pushed her shoulders back and lifted up her chin, then turned around to face him.

Tommy kept his gaze on her as he cleared his throat.

"I apologise for interrupting the festivities. Rose, it's time to go."

The crowd moved away from Rose like the parting sea. Rose looked at Tommy, then, very deliberately, took a bottle of brandy from a man stood near her and took a long drink from it, keeping eye contact with Tommy the whole time. She swallowed and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand.

"The party's not over yet. I'll leave when it is."

Tommy waited a beat, then swung his leg over the back of his horse and deftly jumped to the ground. He strode over to Rose, stopping a few feet in front of her. The crowd looked from brother to sister in bated breath. The Shelbys never failed to provide entertainment. Rose braced herself inwardly but kept her eyes locked on Tommy's, her face full of defiance. She had absolutely no intention of leaving. Tommy knew that look in her eye and sighed. He really didn't have time for this fight.

"Rose, you need to come home now. Let's go."

And Rose knew something had happened. She recognised the expression on his face, one of urgency and slight panic. And there was blood on his collar and under his ear, on his cuffs too. But she didn't care. It was something Tommy could deal with, she didn't want to be involved.

"I don't want to go home. I want to stay here."

Tommy clenched his jaw and took a step forward. Before she knew what was happening, Mal had positioned himself in front of her and was confronting Tommy.

"Did you not hear her, Mr. Shelby? She wants to stay here."

Rose's stomach lurched and she moved quickly to stand in front of him as Tommy took another step forward, his eyes cold, his face hard. Rose put a hand on Mal's chest and pushed him back. She spoke urgently.

"Mal, stop. You don't want to do this."

"Rose…"

"No, Mal, it's not worth it." She swung round to face Tommy. "Fine, I'll go with you, Tommy. Ok?"

Tommy looked at her, then back at Mal. If he wasn't in a hurry, he and that young boy would be having words. As it was, he needed to get Rose away from here. He held Mal's gaze for a few more seconds, then put a hand on Rose's shoulder and led her away. Mal wasn't sure what had just happened, but he knew something was wrong. Tommy propelled Rose towards his horse. She pulled away from him.

"I'll get Nua."

"No, there's no time. Ride with me."

"I'm not leaving Nua here."

He took her upper arm and pulled her towards Midnight, his stallion. "Rose, we have no time! The horse will be fine; I'm sure your friend there will take care of her."

Without ceremony, Tommy hoisted Rose up onto the horse and pulled himself up behind her. He kicked Midnight's flanks urgently whilst pulling him round and the animal set off at a gallop. Rose gasped at the speed and grabbed at the horse's mane. She felt Tommy put an arm round her waist and hold her tight. She turned her head and shouted.

"Fred, Fred, come on, boy. Come on home."

Fred raced after them, barking. Mal watched the horse disappear swiftly into the night, swore loudly and kicked a stool over. He should have protected her more. Who else would now?