Tommy had booked some rooms for Alfie at The Midland Hotel, keen to show him that Birmingham wasn't just terraced houses and car factories. With some reluctance, he agreed that Alfie could take Rose to lunch in the tea room at the hotel. He had one of his men drive them there and told the driver to make sure Rose stayed at the hotel until he came to pick her up. Tommy figured that he'd give them an hour then join them, that way Rose could have her time with Alfie but not for too long.

In the car journey to the hotel, Rose pointed out the local landmarks which consisted mainly of pubs and factories that Tommy owned along with the canal and places where she used to play when she was younger. Alfie remained distinctly unexcited about Birmingham, but nodded and smiled as Rose chatted to him, looked with interest at what she was pointing out and asked a few questions. He was glad to see glimpses of the girl he had become so fond of and enjoyed her company on the short drive.

When they reached The Midland, Alfie looked at the grand building and, despite himself, was impressed. No wonder Tommy wanted him to stay there. It was as striking as any hotel in London and he chuckled to himself. Tommy Shelby would never be content to stay in his place; his was an upward trajectory. The doorman moved quickly to open the door for them, recognising Rose and the Peaky man in the car. Entering the luxurious lobby, Alfie studied the surroundings – gilded columns, plush carpets, enormous vases of flowers, thick velvet drapes – and shook his head. Tommy could spend as much as he wanted on the trappings of wealth but he could never disguise nor wipe away his common, poverty-stricken upbringing. And yet, Alfie knew, he would continue to try.

Rose saw Alfie looking round and rolled her eyes.

"Ugly, isn't it?"

Alfie looked at her and laughed. "Not to your taste, Petal?"

She shook her head. "No, it's too fussy."

"Some people like fussy – your brother, for instance."

"Yeah, well, not me. I don't see the point of showing off your wealth, surely it just makes you more of a target."

"You're not wrong, but what's the point of being rich if people don't know about it? No point working hard for all that money and hiding it in a mattress."

"Is that what you do? Hide your money in a mattress?"

He laughed. "I don't have enough money to fill a mattress, my dear."

It was Rose's turn to laugh. She knew that wasn't in the least bit true but she didn't push. She understood that the code amongst thieves meant that personal wealth wasn't discussed.

"Come on, let's go and get something to eat."

She led him to the tea room which was towards the back of the lobby. At the door was a head waiter whose job it was to seat customers. He clearly took his job very seriously. Standing with a straight back, his hair slicked back, a small neat moustache gracing his upper lip, he smoothly welcomed two older, well-dressed ladies to the tea room, smiling widely at them as they walked past him. He turned back to greet his next customers and the smile fell off his face with surprising speed as he found himself face to face with Alfie and Rose. He looked them up and down and wrinkled his nose slightly. The sruffy, bearded Jew and the plainly-dressed, skinny red-headed girl were not to his approval. Alfie grinned at him.

"Table for two, please, if you would be so kind."

The head waiter sniffed. "I'm afraid we have no tables available at this time, sir."

Alfie kept grinning but his eyes turned cold. He leaned slightly to one side and looked over the man's shoulder at the room, then back at him.

"I think you'll find you do. I can see at least five tables free. If you'd just turn around, you could see them too."

The waiter pinched his lips together and looked down his nose at Alfie. "I'm aware of the status of my tables, sir. What I said was we have no tables available to you. This is an expensive hotel and I don't think the food here would be within your price range. Sir."

Alfie's grin had faded by now and he fixed the man with a hard stare. He gripped the handle of his cane. He was just about to retort when Rose spoke.

"My brother will pay the bill."

The waiter looked even further down his nose at Rose and scoffed. "I'm sure any brother of yours will have spent all his money down the pub on cheap whiskey and even cheaper women. Now, I have to ask you to leave the premises…"

He was interrupted by a small, balding man who had run over from the other side of the lobby looking extremely worried. He was out of breath when he spoke to the waiter.

"Is there a problem here, Gerald?"

"No problem, Mr Peterson sir, I was just asking these people to leave."

Mr Peterson, the manager of the hotel, looked horrified. He turned to Rose.

"Miss Shelby, I can only apologise. There seems to have been a huge misunderstanding."

Gerald blanched. Miss Shelby? Surely not. Mr Peterson turned back to him.

"Gerald, this is Miss Rose Shelby, Mr Shelby's sister."

Gerald heart sank down to his shiny black shoes. He spluttered and stammered as he attempted to put right such his terrible mistake.

"Oh, er … Miss Shelby … I do apolgise. I really had no idea who you were. You are, of course, very welcome…."

Rose was staring at him and Alfie was surprised at the coldness of her expression. She spoke clearly and firmly.

"You were rude to my friend. I don't care that you don't know who I am, but you treated him with disprespect and that's not acceptable."

Alfie raised his eyebrows at her words and enjoyed Gerald's face turn red as a young girl rebuked him. Rose turned to Mr Peterson who was wringing his hands.

"Mr Peterson, as you know, my brother does not tolerate this kind of insult. Mr Solomons here is a guest of his in this hotel and Tommy will be very unhappy to hear what has happened."

Alfie knew that Rose was enjoying the power she was yielding over these two men and wasn't sure what to make of this new side to her. Mr Peterson was practically bowing to her. He had heard of Alfie Solomons and was appalled at the thought of him having been insulted in his hotel.

"Miss Shelby, I offer my sincerest apologies to you and to you, or course, Mr Solomons. I will do the same to Mr Shelby. This behaviour will be dealt with, I assure you."

"And what will you do to deal with it, Mr Peterson?"

"Oh, er … I will speak to Gerald immediately and insist that this does not happen again."

Rose looked at Gerald who by now was sweating and on edge. He knew the Shelbys weren't to be messed with but he was silently furious at being held to account by a teenage girl. And the looks of amusement he was getting from the Jew next to her was adding to his indignation. Rose, who could see Gerald was more annoyed than sorry, kept her eyes on him as she addressed Mr Peterson.

"Actually, Mr Peterson, I don't think that is going to be enough."

Mr Peterson looked at Gerald and back at Rose and knew what she wanted. So did Alfie.

"Come now, Petal, I think you've made your point."

She ignored him. "Mr Peterson?"

The hotel manager pulled at his collar and knew he was backed into a corner. He cleared his throat.

"Yes, well, of course, we can't let this happen again. I will be asking Gerald to hand in his notice."

Gerald gasped. Rose glared at him.

"No, Mr Peterson, you will fire him."

The waiter couldn't keep quiet any longer. "Mr Peterson! This is outrageous! She's a child! If you fire me, I won't get another job without a reference."

Alfie stepped forward slightly. "Rose…"

Rose stepped away from Alfie slightly and fixed her eyes on Mr Peterson.

"Do it now, Mr Peterson."

The manager looked back at her and marvelled at how like her brother she was. He sighed and turned to the man next to him.

"Gerald, you're fired. You need to leave the premises immediately and return the uniform as soon as possible."

Gerald opened and closed his mouth like a fish. He couldn't quite believe what had just happened. He glared at Rose.

"You Shelbys are all the same. Think you're better than the rest of us. How long will that last, eh? How many enemies will you make before you make too many?"

He took a step towards Rose and Alfie immediately inserted himself between them, his face full of warning. Gerald began to return Alfie's stare but realised very quickly he was out of his depth. He stepped quickly away and with one last glare at Rose, stormed across the lobby and out of the hotel.

Rose turned to Mr Peterson. "A table for two, please."

"Oh yes, yes, of course. Please, follow me."

He led them to a table in the far corner of the tea room, heads turning as they passed. He called a waitress over.

"Ellen, make sure that Miss Shelby and Mr Solomons here have everything they need. They are valued customers."

The waitress gave a small courtesy. "Yes, Mr Peterson."

"And Miss Shelby, I assure you of my deepest remorse and hope you enjoy your meal here."

Rose nodded at him, then looked away. He pulled at his collar again and turned to Alfie.

"I wish you a most pleasant stay in The Midland, Mr Solomons. Please be assured that I will personally make sure that you will be taken the utmost care of."

Alfie beamed. "Well, thank you very much, that's exceedingly kind of you."

Mr Peterson was relieved that Alfie seemed happy and bowing slightly, backed away.

Ellen nervously moved to the table. "Can I take your order, please?"

Alfie examined the high-ceilinged room which had small round tables dotted around it. The walls were painted pale green with white edging and the green carpet was embroidered with large, pink and white flowers. The tables had white cloths on them and a centrepieces of small vases of colourful flowers. They were set with silver cutlery, white china plates with delicate flowers painted around the edge and matching tea cups and saucers. He couldn't think a place he wanted to be in less and cursed Tommy for sending him here. The customers were exclusively female and of a certain age and were examining the strange pair in their midst. They exchanged glances with each other and pursed their lips and shook their heads. He looked back at Rose who was waiting expectantly for him to order. He plastered a smile on his face.

"I'll have whatever you're having, my petal."

Rose asked what the soup of the day was. She was hungry but didn't think she could stomach a lot of food. The waitress told her that it was pea and mint and Rose looked at Alfie questioningly. Alfie had never heard of pea and mint soup and thought it sounded very unappealing.

"That sounds delicious. Two bowls of your finest pea and mint soup, Ellen my dear."

"Very good, Sir." Ellen wrote the order in her little notebook. Rose had another request.

"And a pot of tea for two, please."

"Yes, Miss."

Ellen swept off to take the order to the kitchen. Alfie sat back in his chair and looked at Rose. She frowned.

"Don't look at me like that?"

He opened his hands to the ceiling. "Like what?"

"Like you think I was wrong. I wasn't. He deserved to be fired -he insulted you."

"I don't care, sweetheart, I've had a lot worse said about me."

"That's not the point. He shouldn't treat anyone like that, not in a Shelby business." She shrugged. "Tommy would have done it anyway."

Alfie regarded her as he stroked his beard and scratched at the psoriasis which had flared up recently. He could see that she had become more closed off, more hardened, had built more walls around herself. He supposed it had been inevitable after everything she'd been through. But still, it didn't suit her, he thought. Rose changed the subject.

"Alfie, I'm really sorry I stopped writing to you. I just … well, I wasn't well, and … I didn't know if you … well, it was cos…"

"Don't worry about it, Petal. I enjoyed reading the ones you wrote but I wasn't expecting a letter a week. I'm not in jail!"

She smiled slightly, then remembered something and looked at him worriedly.

"The apples! Have you still been sending them to the house? I should have told you that we'd moved."

"I knew you'd moved."

She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Your people in Birmingham?"

His eyes twinkled. "My people in Birmingham. But I still sent the apples. For your horse – what was its name? Something foreign…"

"Nua? You sent apples just for Nua?"

"Yeah, I know how much you love that horse and I knew you must be missing her, so I thought I'd keep sending them."

Rose's eyes filled with tears at the thought of someone doing something so nice for her and for Nua.

"But I didn't know."

Alfie shrugged. "The horse did."

She stared at him in amazement. He took in the tears in her eyes and noted the scars that had formed on her small face – one under her eye, the other across her eyebrow. He remembered the last time he had seen her, lying on the bed in her room at Arrow House, the wounds still fresh, the blood dried, the bruises beginning to form. He remembered finding her in Jarvis' office, his arm around her shoulders, a gun at her head. She'd looked so tiny, standing there in her nightgown, trembling and afraid. He remembered how tightly she'd held onto him as he was carrying her to safety. He remembered her screams when she got home and realised Tommy wasn't there. Not for the first time, he wished she was his child. He would take better care of her and never abandon her. In fact, he was sure, he'd leave the life if it meant keeping her safe.

Rose noticed how serious his face had become and frowned.

"What's wrong, Alfie?"

He leant forward to say something when Ellen returned with their tea. She put the teapot and a jar of milk on the table and left to return to the kitchen through a swinging door in the corner of the room. Rose poured milk into the two cups and then poured the tea. Alfie looked at the small cups with tiny handles sat on matching saucers and wondered how he was supposed to drink it. Rose had picked hers up and was taking small sips of the hot liquid. Alfie sighed and reached out to pick up his cup. He couldn't fit his finger through the handle so had to squeeze it between one finger and thumb and picked it up holding the rest of his fingers in the air. He brought it to his mouth to take a sip. Rose watched him and giggled at the sight of this broad, rough man from Camden sipping tea from a china cup. He looked at her over the cup and was pleased to see her happy. He winked at her and took a very long, very loud sip of tea. Every head in the room turned to him and there were gasps of distaste and looks of disapproval which made Rose giggle all the more and Alfie slurp all the louder.

Ellen arrived with their soup and her eyes widened at the noise Alfie was making. She set a bowl in front of each of them.

"I'll just go and get your rolls."

Alfie looked at the bright green soup and then looked at Rose aghast. "You eat this stuff in Birmingham?"

"Not really. It's posh food, isn't it?"

Alfie shook his head and, after Ellen had brought the bread rolls, picked up the spoon and tried it. It was different but, he had to admit, was actually quite tasty. But, being soup, it didn't make a dent in his hunger and he sat back when he'd finished feeling like he hadn't eaten anything at all. He noticed that Rose had only eaten half of hers and a few bites of bread. He tilted his head to the side slightly.

"Not hungry?"

"Not much."

"What's up?"

She looked at him frowning and knew what he was asking.

"You know what's up. Tommy told you."

"Tommy told me the facts. I'd like to hear your side."

Rose looked down at her hands in her lap. She didn't want to talk about it but Alfie was her friend and seemed genuinely concerned. She looked around the room and caught the eye of an older woman across the room who was glaring at her sternly. A sudden image of Sister Mary Celeste appeared in her mind's eye and she drew her breath in sharply. She felt the fear and panic inside and her breathing accelerated. Alfie had watched her expression change and leant forward, worried.

"Rose? What's happened?"

Her eyes shifted back to him and she took a deep breath.

"Tell me."

She opened her mouth to say something when Ellen appeared at the table asking if there was anything else she could get them. Rose clamped her mouth shut and looked away, feeling a sudden intense craving for a pill to make the feelings go away. Alfie shook his head and the waitress left them.

"Petal? Talk to me."

Rose shook her head. "Not here."

Alfie looked round the room. "Then let's go somewhere else."

"We can't. Tommy's man is watching at the front and Tommy will be here soon, I'm sure."

"The front door can't be the only way out."

Rose realised what Alfie was saying and saw him looking at the swing door in the corner of the room. She turned round to look over her shoulder at it then back at him. He grinned at her.

"You can tell Tommy it was my idea."

She smiled slowly at him and was drawn to the adventure he was proposing. He took her smile as an agreement, pushed his chair back and stood up. He moved round to Rose, grinned at her and held out his hand. After a second of hesitation, she grabbed it and stood up. He nodded at her and headed towards the door in the corner, Rose following him, still holding his hand. He pushed open the door and there was a squeal as it swung into Ellen who had been holding a tray of cream cakes. Those cream cakes ended up on the front of Ellen's black and white uniform as the tray clattered on the floor. The ladies in the tea room all gasped loudly in unison. Alfie skirted past her, pulling Rose behind him who threw an apologetic look at the young woman.

"Sorry, Ellen."

Ellen was so shocked that she couldn't say a word as Alfie and Rose dashed into the kitchen. She looked down at the cream which was slowly making its way down her apron and splatting onto the floor and burst into tears as she realised that this would more than likely cost her her job.

Alfie moved deftly through the kitchen, weaving his way around the chefs and kitchen workers, heading for the back door at the far end. A big burly man in chef's whites with a red face yelled at them.

"Hey! What are you doing? You can't be in here!"

Alfie called back. "Sorry mate, my daughter's about to throw up. Gotta get her outside quickly."

On cue, Rose pretended to retch and put a hand over her mouth. The big chef looked appalled and recoiled.

"Just get her out quickly, alright?"

Alfie put up a hand. "Thanks, mate. Come on, sweetheart. Try and hold it in, yeah? Don't vomit all over the kitchen."

Rose retched even more and doubled over slightly. The chef panicked. He ran over to the door and pushed it open for them. Alfie, his arm around Rose now, made his way through it into the alley outside, thanking the man profusely. The chef looked at them with disgust and slammed the door shut behind them. As soon as it was closed, Alfie and Rose burst into laughter. He looked at her admiringly.

"Quite an actress you've turned out to be."

"Did you see his face? I thought it was going to explode."

"Right, my petal, where a man can get a decent meal round here?"

Rose knew exactly where to go. She led him out of the alley to the back of the hotel and headed towards an area just outside the centre of Birmingham. It was a commercial area without any grand buildings but it was clean and well-used. They walked past greengrocers, butchers and hardware shops before reaching a busy café. Its large windows were steamed up and there was a delicious smell of hot food emanating from it. The sign above read Jenny's Hot Food. Rose stopped outside and indicated it.

"Arthur says this is the best place to eat in the whole city. He used to bring me here a lot when I was younger."

Alfie looked at it and nodded. "Well, if Arthur Shelby recommends it, then it must be good. Let's go in and find out what's on the menu."

"There's no menu, everyone knows what they're getting. Let's go and find a table."

Rose and Alfie walked in through the door and were immediately assailed by a wall of heat and steam. Sidling their way into the busy café, they found a table against the far wall. They settled themselves in and took their coats off. It was warm. Alfie immediately recognised it as a place where the working class went for company and good food. He felt much more at home there than at the hotel.

A short, greying woman with stands of curls escaping from her tied-back hair, wearing an neat, clean apron approached their table with a large smile on her face.

"Rosie bab! I haven't seen you for ages. How's that brother of yours, eh? Tell him old Aunty Jenny has missed him."

Rose smiled at her, clearly familiar with the older woman. "I will, Jenny. He's been living in the country, you know. Got a baby boy now."

"Yeah, I heard. All you Shelbys have moved away. Too good for us now, eh?"

She was grinning as she said this but Alfie sensed a truth beneath her friendly tone. Rose avoided the question.

"Well, we're back now, eh. And I've brought a friend to try your famous food."

Jenny turned her attention to Alfie and if the sight of a Jewish man from London in her café surprised her, she didn't let on. She smiled warmly at him.

"Well, any friend of Rosie's is a friend of mine. And who might you be?"

Alfie returned the smile just as warmly and held out a hand. "Alfie Solomons, madam, and very pleased I am to visit your establishment."

The name of Alfie Solomons did cause Jenny to raise an eyebrow, but she'd seen a lot in her time and nothing much fazed her – especially when it came to the Shelbys. She took his hand and shook it firmly.

"You're very welcome, Mr Solomons. Now, what can I get you both?"

Alfie once again looked at Rose for guidance. "What's good here then, Petal?"

Rose looked at Jenny and they both laughed. Jenny leant closer to him. "Everything's good here, love."

He guffawed. He liked Jenny. She reminded him of the women in his family – down to earth, no-nonsense, lived to feed the people around them. Rose laughed with him and realised how much she'd missed him. He made her laugh in a way that rarely happened in her life. And yet, there was something which unsettled her about his presence and it confused her.

"He'll have some groaty pudding, Jenny. And a pot of strong tea for two."

Alfie had never heard of it before. He raised an eyebrow at Rose. "Groaty pudding?"

Jenny's eyes twinkled. "It's a Black Country delicacy – beef and vegetable stewed overnight in beef stock and mixed with groats."

"And – what are groats?"

"Crushed grains and oats. You won't find a more tasty or filling meal in the whole of the Midlands. And you certainly won't find it in old Sally Brockett's eatery down the road. She fills hers with gristle. My beef is the most tender you'll eat anywhere within fifteen miles."

Rose nodded. "It's delicious."

Alfie rubbed his hands together. "Well then, I can't wait to try it, Jenny."

Nodding with satisfaction at his enthusiasm, Jenny looked at Rose. "What are you eating, Rosie?"

"Aw, I'm not hungry, Jenny. Nothing for me."

She pursed her lips. "Seems to me like you could do with a good meal, sweetheart."

"No thanks, not today."

Shaking her head, Jenny disappeared to get their food, leaving Alfie and Rose to themselves. Alfie looked across the table at his young friend and could see that, now they were alone, she was on edge. She was clasping and unclasping her hands and her leg was jiggling quickly up and down under the table.

"Penny for your thoughts, my dear."

She looked at him and frowned. How could she tell him that seeing him again had brought back memories and feelings that she didn't want. He was inextricably linked with the most traumatic event in her life and it saddened her. She was struggling with the emotions which were swirling around inside her and didn't know how to deal with any one of them. She'd spent so long not dealing with them and taking the pills to suppress them, that she was working herself into a state of panic and confusion. All she could think about was wanting to take a pill knowing that if she did, then if would all go away. She shifted in her seat.

"Alfie?"

"Yes, Petal?"

"Can you lend me some money?"