Thank you for reading this! I'm amazed I still have readers with how long it takes me to write chapters these days, and am so grateful for you all. I'm glad to have a few new story followers - I hope you stick around.
I've done three things I want to tell you about since I last posted a chapter.
I re-read this entire fiction (Rose cries an awful lot, doesn't she?! I hadn't realised how regularly her eyes fill with tears, or she sobs in someone's arms. I think I'll have her grow out of that!).
I re-watched Season 6 for the first time since it aired (I enjoyed it and, although it's far from my favourite season, there are some grea scenes in there. I have no idea how Rose will fit!).
And I went to visit Arley Hall, the location for Arrow House. It was a special Peaky Blinders exhibition where they had the rooms dressed as they were on the show, as well as a few props and scripts on display. It was pretty amazing to actually walk around the room of Arrow House as they appeared on the show. I stood at Tommy's desk in his study and thought about the many conversations he and Rose had had there in the story.
With all this inspiration, you'd think I'd be churning out the chapters with a new-found enthusiasm. Alas, this hasn't been the case, but it did spur me on a bit to finish this one. I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think. Wenlock x
A gunshot rang out and Rose instinctively ducked, her arms over her head. Her ears rang as she tried hurriedly to work out what was going on. The sound rolled away and Rose, slowly lowering her arms, looked towards the source of it. On the balcony of the white house with the Greek colonnades was a very familiar figure - holding a revolver and looking up at the sky through a pair of binoculars. As Rose watched, Alfie tracked a gull across the sky before aiming his revolver and shooting at it. This time Rose didn't duck at the sound. She shook her head. So this is how Alfie was passing his time - shooting at gulls from his balcony. She almost laughed.
When Rose stepped off the train at the station in Margate, she had immediately caught the scent of the sea. A rush of memories flooded back to her and she put a hand on a pillar to steady herself.
"Are you ok, Miss?"
The station master was looking at her concerned. Rose gathered herself and smiled at him.
"Yes, I'm fine, thank you. Could you tell me which bus would take me to the other end of town, please?"
"That would be the number 22, Miss. You can catch it just outside the station here."
"Thank you very much."
Rose made her way out of the station and found the bus stop. She didn't have to wait long before her bus came. She boarded and settled down for the short journey across Margate. Looking out of the window, she saw the sea come into view and marveled once again at its beauty. It was an early December day and the sky was a vast expanse of white. The sun was a pale glow low on the horizon and the sea was still and dark, its waves lapping the beach gently. Rose was struck once again by the peace she felt as she looked out across the water. The first time she had seen this beach, she'd been in deep distress, believing her family had all been killed by the Italians. She remembered that, for just a few moments as she'd taken in the sight of Margate beach, she was lifted from her pain and engulfed by the beauty and calm of the ocean.
Rose sighed as the bus drove along the front. It had been just a moment of peace before the reality had hit her again and she frowned as the memory came back to her in such a visceral way that she felt as if it had only been yesterday. And yet, it hadn't been reality, it had all been a lie. A lie from the one person she'd trusted more than anyone. She hoped Alfie would have some answers for her.
Once Alfie had finished shooting at gulls and gone back inside, Rose walked up to the front door and rang the bell. She wondered if Mrs Lieberman would answer the door and if she would recognise her now. But it wasn't Mrs Lieberman who opened the door, it was a young maid who smiled at her.
"Yes Miss, can I help?"
Rose hesitated for a second. Was he still Mr Baker? She wasn't sure but thought she'd give it a try. She doubted he was using his real name.
"Is Mr Baker home, please?"
"Yes Miss. Please come in."
She stepped back and Rose walked into the large hallway. It was still as grand as she remembered it, with the beautiful stairway in the middle. The maid broke into her thoughts.
"Whom shall I tell Mr Baker is calling?"
Rose smiled. "Please tell him his daughter Miriam is here."
She enjoyed the maid's look of shock at this information. Let Alfie deal with that one, she thought. The maid pulled herself together,
"Yes, of course, Miss. Let me take your coat and hat and, if you wouldn't mind waiting here, I'll let Mr Baker know. Erm, is he expecting you?"
Rose put her bag on the floor, took off her coat and hat and handed them to the maid.
"No, he isn't. I was rather hoping to surprise him."
The maid hung up Rose's coat and hat, noting how expensive they were. Her mind was racing. Mr Baker had never mentioned he had family, let alone a daughter. She wondered if there had been a scandal. She couldn't wait to tell the other maids.
"Well, isn't that lovely? I'm sure he'll be pleased to see you, Miss Baker." She hadn't seen a ring on Rose's finger. "I will go up now and announce you."
"Thank you. I'll wait here."
Rose watched as the maid hurried up the stairs. She took a deep breath; she was nervous. She wasn't even sure if Alfie would even want to see her.
Alfie was sat on his chaise longue cursing quietly to himself. Those gulls were too fast and too far away. And the sight in his left eye was barely there. He could just about distinguish light and dark so it was no use in shooting birds. The doctors had said it might return but they couldn't guarantee anything. They told him he was lucky to be alive so losing the sight in one eye was a small price to pay. Alfie supposed they were right but it was still frustrating, especially when he couldn't even shoot a gull anymore. He turned as Jenny, one of his maids, entered the room. She bobbed a small curtsey and then said something which he never would have expected.
"Mr Baker, your daughter Miriam is here to see you."
He blinked at her, not able to process her words. She looked back, confused at his reaction. Waiting for a full minute with no reaction from him, she tried again.
"Your daughter, Miriam, is here, Sir. She's downstairs in the hall. Shall I show her up?"
At this repetition of her words, Alfie finally took in her meaning. He stood up and looked beyond her to the door.
"My daughter, Miriam?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Downstairs in the hallway?"
"Yes, Sir."
"With red hair?"
Jenny raised her eyebrows in surprise at this. Didn't he know his own daughter's hair colour?
"Yes, Sir. She has red hair, long, down her back."
He smiled. "Like a Gypsy?"
Jenny didn't know how to answer that, but then Alfie turned away from her so she didn't bother. Of all the things Alfie thought might happen to him in his life, such as it was now, Rose turning up in his home again was not one of them. He had resigned himself to never seeing her again. He knew he deserved that. First Tommy visiting him, now Rose. He frowned even more. Was this a trick of some sort? He hadn't asked Tommy about Rose when he'd come to see him a few days ago, though he'd desperately wanted to. He knew, of course, about her movements - he kept eyes on her – but he didn't really know how she was or how she had dealt with what he'd done to her. Was she here for revenge?
He looked out across the sea through his balcony window and shook his head. If she was, she could take it. She was the one person he wouldn't fight back against. He turned back to Jenny who was watching him curiously.
"Thank you, Jenny. Please show her up and then bring some tea and cake. And some of my apples too, please."
Jenny bobbed again and turned to do as she was asked. Alfie took a deep breath and stood up straight, looking round the room. It was messy and cluttered but his staff kept it clean - it would have to do. He turned back to the door. Despite his questions, he was very much looking forward to seeing Rose again.
Rose heard Jenny coming down the stairs before she saw her. Was she going to tell her that Alfie was indisposed and send her away?
Jenny walked swiftly over to Rose. "Mr Baker will see you now, Miss. Please follow me."
Rose didn't want the maid to be there when she saw Alfie again. Maids were incurably nosy and she didn't want to be any more an object of gossip in the kitchen than she undoubted already would be.
"Oh, I can find my own way up, thank you. I know the way."
Jenny smiled tightly and knew she was being dismissed. She had wanted to see this reunion and maybe even listen at the door.
"Of course, Miss. I'll go and get some tea and bring it up."
"Thank you"
Rose waited until Jenny began to make her way to the kitchen. She wanted to be sure she'd gone. Jenny had no choice but to leave, which she did reluctantly. Watching until the door closed behind her, Rose then looked towards the stairs. She found herself very much wanting to see Alfie again. He had meant so much to her and, despite everything, she had missed him. She moved to the stairs and began to climb them.
Alfie fidgeted as he waited. What was taking so long? Maybe she'd changed her mind and was leaving. He almost started toward the door when he saw her turn the corner at the top of the stairs and head towards him. What a picture she was. A young woman now, carrying herself with poise and sophistication, but still the Rose he remembered. That red hair framing her pale, freckled face, violet blue eyes looking at him unblinkingly, shoulders back, chin out - that striking resemblance to Tommy. As she approached him and stopped a few feet away, he noticed that her fingers were subtly twisting the fabric of her skirt. He smiled – it was exactly like the first time he had met her in the office of his bakery when she had been a small child. She wasn't much taller now really, but she wasn't a child anymore. He grinned and flung his arms out.
As Rose reached the top of the stairs and turned to walk towards the room where Alfie was, she felt her nerves beginning to overwhelm her. What was she thinking coming here? This was surely a bad idea. Then she saw him and knew it wasn't. He really hadn't changed. The rolled up sleeves, the waistcoat and watch chain and wristbands and rings, the beard and the twinkling eyes - or rather eye. She noticed the terrible scar across his cheek as she moved closer and the discoloured left eye. She watched him grin at her and fling his arms out. She instinctively wanted to run into them and feel the comfort she always felt from him, but she stopped herself. That wasn't the right thing to do, there was too much water under the bridge. Instead, she stood still, fiddling with her skirt, working to control the emotion she felt.
"Well now, Petal, you haven't changed a bit, have you?"
And despite herself, she laughed. He had always said that to her every time he'd seen her again after a long time. All the nervousness left her and she felt like she was with an old friend.
"Neither have you, Alfie."
He scoffed and touched the scar on his cheek. "Apart from this monstrosity, you mean?"
She raised a hand and ran a finger lightly along the scar on her own cheek, faded now but still visible.
"We all have scars, Alfie."
He moved his hand down and pulled it over his beard. He remembered when she got that scar, remembered carrying her from that girls' home in London, remembered leaving her in her bed at Arrow House, broken and damaged. Rose was also remembering but preferred not to.
"I saw you shooting at the birds just now."
"Ah yes, a harmless pastime. It brings me some pleasure."
"I'm sure the neighbours don't find it pleasurable."
"The neighbours know I'm the one with the gun, so they accept it. They're should be glad I'm aiming at the birds and not them."
She smiled. "I'm sure they are."
"Well now, where are my manners? It's not often I get a visits from sophisticated young ladies. Please sit down."
He indicated the chair by the balcony door and Rose moved across the room to sit down in it. Alfie took his usual spot on his chaise longue.
"Your brother was sat in that chair just a few days ago."
She nodded. "I know. He's going to assassinate a fascist tonight."
Alfie raised an eyebrow. "He told you?"
"Yes, I'm not a child anymore."
"No, but I still wish you weren't involved in all the bad business."
She shrugged. "It's the life I was born into, it's inevitable."
Alfie was about to say something when Jenny entered to room with a tray of tea, cake and a bowl of apples. She put it down on the table, turned to Alfie and bobbed a small curtsey.
"Would you like me to pour it, Sir?"
"No, thank you, Jenny. We'll manage."
Disappointed, Jenny bobbed again and headed towards the door. Alfie called after her.
"Close the door behind you, sweetheart."
"Yes, Mr Baker"
As Jenny closed the door, Alfie jumped up to pour the tea.
"I seem to remember you like your tea strong."
"As it comes is fine, thank you."
Smiling at her grown-up turn of phrase, Alfie poured the tea and walked over to Rose to give her the cup and saucer.
"Would you like some cake, Petal? Or, better yet, one of those apples I know you love?"
She smiled up at him. "Maybe later."
He nodded and went to pick up his own cup, moving back to his chaise longue. Sitting down, he took a sip of his tea and looked over at Rose. She had wrapped her hands around the cup and was looking down into it. He remembered when they'd sat in her Uncle Charlie's yard that time he'd been up in Birmingham. She had sat with her feet tucked under her, hands around a mug of tea, her nose red from the cold. Just before she'd told him she'd killed a man. He suddenly realised something was missing.
"Where's Fred?"
She looked up at him and took a breath.
"Fred died."
Alfie frowned. "I'm sorry, Petal. What happened?"
Rose shrugged. "Oh, just a little accident involving landmines, a machine gun and a horse."
"What?"
She sighed. "Someone buried landmines in one of Tommy's fields and, instead of dealing with it like a normal person, he blew them up with his machine gun. I was out riding – not Nua, a different horse – and he reared at all the noise and came down on Fred."
Alfie grimaced.
"That doesn't sound good."
"It wasn't. He was really hurt, Alfie. He was…"
She paused, flinching at the memory.
"He died in my arms. He's buried under the apple tree you planted in Tommy's orchard."
He shook his head. More loss in her life.
"Were you hurt? When the horse reared?"
She nodded. "A concussion."
"Are you ok now?"
She shrugged. "Yeah, a headache every now and again."
"You must miss him."
She looked away, out of the balcony doors. "All the time."
Alfie put his cup of tea down and watched her. She looked back at him.
"I missed you too, Alfie. I'm glad you're not dead."
He blinked at her. He wasn't expecting her to say that. He cleared his throat.
"For a long time, I wished I was."
"Why?"
"Because of what I did to you."
"So why, Alfie? Why did you do it?"
"I was being selfish. And I thought I could give you a better life."
"The life I deserved?"
He nodded. "That's what I said."
She looked into her cup. "I don't deserve a better life than the one I have. But I sometimes wonder what life would have been like with you if Tommy hadn't found me."
He frowned. "You do?"
Still looking down, she nodded. "When I got back, everything was worse. The vendetta was over and everyone went back to their own lives, only it seemed they were further away than ever. I … did some stupid things, some bad things. And Tommy sent me away."
"To May Carlton's."
Rose looked at him, surprised he knew. He grinned at her sheepishly.
"I have people."
"Of course you do."
"You didn't enjoy it there? With the horses and the dinner parties?"
"Well, yes, I did. But I was alone, despite all the people I met. I'd lost my family anyway – I may as well have just stayed here with you. At least I wouldn't have been alone."
Alfie regarded her, processing what she'd said.
"But you're back with your family now. You're not alone."
She put her tea cup on the table next to her. She really wanted to pull her feet up and wrap her arms around her knees, but her outfit wouldn't allow it. She felt that familiar feeling of comfort in Alfie's presence – as if she could talk to him about anything and he would understand. Just like when she'd first met him back in his bakery office. She could see the concern in his eyes now as she'd seen it then.
"Things aren't good in the family, Alfie."
"Tell me something new."
"No, I mean it. Things are really bad. I can't tell you much, but I have this terrible feeling that everything is going to change forever."
Alfie tucked his chin into his chest and let her talk. He could hardly believe that she was here again, in front of him, talking to him as if nothing had ever happened between them. Once more, he felt her pain and could see her vulnerability and wished he could take it all away from her. He waited for her to continue.
"Tommy's plan tonight – so much could go wrong."
He scoffed, "Yeah, he's done some mad things in his time, but this surpasses them all."
She nodded, then looked down at her hands. Alfie tilted his head to one side, wondering what she wanted to say.
"Why are you here, Petal?"
Rose cleared her throat and looked back at him.
"Because, if things go wrong tonight and Tommy dies, this is where I want to be. With you, by the sea, away from it all."
Alfie took a deep breath in. This girl never ceased to surprise him. Rose mistook his hesitation for reluctance and suddenly felt embarrassed. She stood up.
"Alfie, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come. This was a mistake, after all this time…"
Alfie also stood up, his hands up, palms towards her as if she were a deer about to bolt.
"No, Petal, don't leave. I'm glad you're here. If you want to stay, you're more than welcome, you know that. My home will always be your home."
She paused. She was terrified that Tommy would die tonight and she just wanted to feel safe. As she looked at her old friend, she realised that in spite of all the fear and the worry swirling around inside her, she was exactly where she needed to be. She relaxed and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Alfie watched her shoulders drop and saw how scared she was. He took a step towards her.
"Come here, Petal."
Rose didn't hesitate and took the last few steps towards him, putting her arms around his waist and burying her head into his chest. He gently enclosed her in his arms and held her, lightly at first and then tighter as she leaned into him. Rose breathed in the familiar smell of Alfie Solomons and felt safe. Alfie put his cheek against the top of her head and closed his eyes. She'd told him when he last saw her that she didn't need another dad, another family member. She just needed a friend. She had told him that she would always have found him when she needed him. He knew now that she was right. He should have trusted her and not tried to take matters into his own hands. He lifted his head.
"I'm sorry for what I did, Rose. I wish things had been different."
She nodded against his chest. "Me too" She pulled away and looked up at him. "I'm glad Tommy missed. I need a friend."
Alfie smiled and took her hand. "You have one. Always."
Smiling back at him, she squeezed his hand and then turned away before the tears came.
"I think I'd like that piece of cake now."
