Chapter 30

"Ah so that Tommy's gone and ruined your appetite with an afternoon of cake, is that what you're telling me?" Rosie asked her sister with a smile as she sat the child on her hip, having listened to Lily babble excitedly about their afternoon at the tearooms.

"That's what men are supposed to contribute to a child's upbringing though isn't it? The ruination of appetites with too much sugar and the presence behind the threat of 'You wait till your father gets home'," Tommy said with a grin over Lily's head.

Rosie rolled her eyes, "Neither of those factors are ones I care to have at play in the upbringing of this particular child."

He noticed she didn't comment on the fact that he wasn't Lily's father.

"Ah well, I imagine she'll find an appetite for some chips from the shop, won't you sweetheart?" he said to the child, who nodded.

"Fish and chips for tea?" Rosie asked him, "Special occasion is it Tommy?"

He stuffed his hands in his pocket. When he held Lily, he could do it with one arm around her just fine – Rosie could only manage on one arm for so long and when she carried the child any distance further than from the front room up to her bed she needed the strength of both arms. He wished Lily was on his hip, so that he'd have been able to slip his hand into Rosie's in her pocket.

He knew what she was referring to – the last time they'd gone for fish and chips it had been the time they'd had the house to themselves. He felt his smile disappear from his face.

"Special occasion, but not of the joyful kind," he replied with a frown, "Arthur's called a family meeting so they'll all be descending for eight."

"A family meeting at eight o'clock on a Saturday night?" she said, her voice hardening.

"I know," he replied, rolling his eyes.

"Does that Arthur realise I've got a child who needs bathed on a Saturday evening because your bloody aunt insists on dragging us all to church of a Sunday?" she snapped, "And Finn needs the kitchen for his bath too. Bloody taking over at eight o'clock on Saturday evenings, honest to god! You get him told Thomas or I'll be having words with him myself!"

"Never you mind having words with him, leave him for me."

"Are you going to deal with it?" she asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Darling, I have no intentions of letting him muscle in on our Saturday nights, but I did the thing with the horse this morning – on your advice might I remind you - so I'm letting him get his pride back by letting him shit on tonight – but it'll only be tonight."

"Hmm," she replied, her eyes narrowed at him.

He noticed she also didn't comment on his use of 'our' in reference to their shared Saturday evening routine.

He knew she wasn't really annoyed at him as such, though he did half think about calling in on Arthur and telling him where he could shove the meeting when he had to endure her taking her frustrations out on every surface or door she could bang or slam as she transferred their loot from the chip shop onto plates once they were back at the house.

Ada joined her in the kitchen and after they had exchanged some pointed looks, his sister decided the slamming and banging would suit her just fine as a way of making her feelings on the matter known too and between them they were quite the untuned orchestra – with a chorus of "Bloody Arthur," going back and forth between them.

The noise finally ceased when Ada opened the cutlery drawer loudly with a "Bloody Arthur!" which Rosie affirmed with a "Bloody Arthur!" as she banged the kettle down on the range and Lily joined in, banging the table with her fist and shouting "Bloody Arthur!"

"Lily!" Rosie whirled round to look sternly at her sister, "You don't say bloody."

"But everyone else is," Lily protested, looking between him and her sister and squirming a little.

"No, everyone else is not Lily," he said, keeping his voice gentle, "I'm not and Finn's not – it's just those two who are."

The child huffed but didn't argue and Rosie put plates of food down in front of her sister and Finn more quietly than she had been handling anything a minute before. He caught her eye and raised his eyebrow at her, to which she rolled her eyes and shook her head, confirming that she'd stop her chant. She rested her hand on his shoulder for a second as she came back around the table, and he reached up to pat it, exchanging a look with her before she squeezed his shoulder and removed her hand to go back to the sideboard and bring over plates to him and Ada, who had thrown herself into a seat at the table with a grumble.

In was a small comfort to know Rosie was as annoyed as he was by the interruption to their Saturday evenings on the sofa.

He turned his gaze on his sister and hardened it slightly in more of a rebuke, but Ada simply met his eyes dead on and glared at him. He figured she blamed him more than Arthur, since he'd proclaimed she needed to be there tonight – but though she'd figured out she'd get away with joining in with Rosie's method of expressing her annoyance (and frankly, ever since her birthday Ada had seemed to figure out that, with her and Rosie being the same age, she could get away with doing what the redhead did most of the time) she didn't quite have the guts to slam about the kitchen blaspheming Tommy's own name – yet.

There had been a time Ada had longed to be included in their family meetings, the same as Finn now wanted to be. They had shared the same first meeting – the one Arthur had called following Rosie and Lily's arrival, but Finn knew that he wasn't coming to tonight's, and he knew his brother was disappointed.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

After dinner, Tommy and his brother and sister were confined to the front room as Rosie bathed her sister in the kitchen - Ada still in a sulk that she was being made to attend and Finn lying in front of the fire trying to pretend he wasn't in a sulk for the opposite reason. In fact, Tommy noted that Finn had been awfully obedient throughout the evening and not argumentative or irritatingly beggy about his exclusion and he had noticed him shifting in his chair whilst they were in the kitchen. He suspected when his brother stripped off for his own bath that his backside would show the signs of being recently soundly smacked, which suggested Polly had reappeared that afternoon once he had left with Lily. Tommy presumed if it was anything serious she'd fill him in on Finn's transgressions when she came to the meeting.

He sat in the chair and smoked his cigarettes one after the other, in a sulk of his own about his night being interrupted and was in no mood to intervene when Arthur appeared in the front room, grunted at him – clearly still in a mood – and started making his way over to the door, only to be blocked by Rosie appearing in it.

"I'm goin' through to the shop whilst we're waitin' on the others," Arthur said, trying to slip around her.

She raised an eyebrow and put her hand on the frame, "Lily's in the bath, you'll need to go through the shop door."

Arthur pulled a confused face, "I don't care that she's in the bath, let me by."

"No, go the other way," Rosie replied, not moving, "She's in the bath and she deserves her privacy."

"Her privacy?" Arthur snorted, "She's a kid, let me by."

"Arthur, if you had any kids of your own to look after you might understand how bloody inconvenient this nonsense is on a Saturday – I've a child to bathe and get to bed at a reasonable time and you," she prodded him in the chest, "Think you can go ahead and interrupt everyone's evening. It's bloody rude," she started to prod him in the chest repeatedly and stepped forward, effectively forcing him back across to the front door, "And inconsiderate and disrespectful. I don't get in the way of you conducting your business, don't get in the way of me conducting mine – if you want to continue finding yourself with leftovers for lunch every day you let women's business run as it does. Which means Saturday nights are for baths not men's business, you understand me?"

Arthur glanced to him, but Tommy just raised an eyebrow and dragged on his cigarette.

"Right, ehh, sorry sister," Arthur muttered, fiddling with his hat in his hands.

She scoffed, "It's fine but you're not going through the kitchen while Lily's in the bath, it's not appropriate – so out you get and go the other way."

She pointed to the door and, to the surprise of the Shelby's present, Arthur obediently turned and opened it, stepping out.

"And Arthur?"

"Yeah?"

"You stand outside that shop door and make sure everyone else goes through it when they arrive – I'm not having half of Birmingham thinking they're traipsing through the front room when I cleaned those carpets on Thursday night. If anyone comes near I'll be getting the carpets done professionally and I'll be sending them to you to settle the bill, you understand?"

Tommy frowned, since when did she start doing the carpets? Was this standard? How often did the carpets get done anyway? He hadn't brought her here to clean carpets. Between that and the cooking – and he knew over the school holidays that she'd bundled up the dirty clothing and linens and taken them and herself to the wash house a few times – she was bloody well running the house – not what he had brought her for at all.

Arthur didn't verbally respond but he must have nodded because Rosie said, "Good, Tommy and Ada'll be through once I'm finished with Lily," and shut the door, letting out a "Humph" and nodding to herself once she'd done so.

When she turned she went to head straight back to the kitchen, not noticing Finn's eyes on her and his mouth hanging open – nor noticing Ada's grin.

"Rosie," he said as she reached the door, determined she'd notice him.

She didn't say anything, but she stopped and looked to him and he took his time to stub out his cigarette whilst she waited expectantly for him to address her.

"I thought I told you to leave him to me?"

"I have done," she said, raising an eyebrow.

He raised one back, "Really? Because that sounded awfully like those words you said you'd be having with him that I told you not to."

"That, Thomas, was me telling him he's not wandering through the kitchen when Lily's having her bath," she replied loftily, "I don't give a toss what you Shelby's consider decency but-"

"Come here," he said, cutting her off and crooking his finger at her, smirking when he noticed her sharp intake of breath at the action and her eyes focussing on his hand as she came the few steps towards him.

He put an arm around her waist and pulled her down to sit on his lap.

"Now you tell me the truth," he said, smirking slightly as her left arm seemed automatically to go to his shoulder and her right to rest on the arm he had settled on her leg, "Is that baby not usually well out of the bath by this time?"

"Maybe," she answered with a smirk of her own, unable to hold her straight face.

"So, if I go through there is that child going to be in the bath or is she going to be sitting in her night dress drying off in front of the kitchen fire, out of sight, just so you could come through here and make a point?"

"Oh Tommy, don't you think if I've got a point to make I'll make it properly? Of course she's still in the bath, it wasn't going to work otherwise!"

"So, you admit you did have a point to make and you concocted a plan of how to make it?"

"Well I thought you'd figured that out?"

"Oh, I have, I just wanted to hear it from your own mouth you little wench," he told her affectionately, sliding his hand down from her waist to tap lightly at the side of her hip.

"Well I'll confess then, I made a plan," she said, squirming pleasingly on his lap even at the light touch, "Though I'd call it strategy, personally."

"Strategy, eh?"

"Uhuh. And one you should be thanking me for Mr Shelby."

"You think so do you Miss Jackson?"

"I do," she said, nodding and flicking her eyebrows at him.

"How so?"

"Well I figure this way Arthur doesn't call any more meetings on Saturday nights but he reckons he's doing it to avoid annoying me and ensure his supply of lunches and cakes keeps coming - ergo I've ensured Saturdays stay business free whilst keeping you out of it, therefore avoiding this being another conflict between you and him," she said, unable to keep the smugness out of her voice.

"Ergo and therefore indeed," he snorted, but reached up and stroked her face before he could help himself, "Where would I be without you?"

"In the middle of an exceptionally hostile takeover," she told him matter-of-factly, "The whole of Birmingham would be running for cover."

"Oh - so, never mind me then, it's the whole of Birmingham should be thanking you then for averting the disruption to their lives is it indeed?"

"Well yes I suppose it is," she said thoughtfully, "Perhaps I'll send a letter to our MP about it, suggest they name the town hall after me or something suitable like that."

He snorted, "How about I name the kitchen after you? And, speaking of, why don't you head back through there before Lily shrivels up with how long you've had her in that tub – and before I decide to make a plan to make a point on your arse for constructing strategies when I've specifically told to let it alone?"

"Tommy, darling, we've talked about this – you're always looking for an excuse to make a point on my arse, so I've figured it doesn't make much difference whether I bother to listen to you or not," she replied sardonically with a grin and raised brows.

"Oh, you've figured have you?" he asked with a grin of his own, his heart going faster at response to her calling him darling, even if it was done with a sarcasm to it.

She nodded, "I have Tommy, and I've figured that sometimes women just need to take over and be as strong willed as your Uncle Charlie says."

"I'll be having words with Uncle Charlie too," he said, "Putting ideas in your head about women taking over."

"Do either of you fancy having words with each other about remembering when other people are in the room?" Ada interrupted.

Rosie rolled her eyes at him but stood up off his lap.

"You shut your mouth Ada, or I'll be no help to you in convincing him to let you go out after your meeting's done," she told his sister.

"Where do you think you're going Ada?" he asked, switching his attention to his sister and narrowing his eyes.

"Everyone's staying at-" Rosie started to answer for her, then, "Who's is it you're staying at tonight?"

"I've not decided if she's staying anywhere other than her own bed tonight," he said.

"Tommy!" Ada whined, "Everyone's going!"

"Everyone's going where?"

"To stay at Claire's house."

"Claire who?"

"Claire Woods, she was here for my birthday," Ada told him.

"And is Claire why your face is covered in make-up?"

"My face isn't covered in make-up Tommy, it's just some lipstick!"

He scoffed, "So, your eyelids turned black overnight did they?"

"Tommy!"

"Are you planning to go?" he asked Rosie.

She looked at Ada and bit her lip, clearly knowing how this was about to go, before shaking her head.

"Well Ada, clearly not everyone is going," he said, then turned back to Rosie, "Why aren't you going if everyone is going?"

"She doesn't want to come," Ada answered for her in a saucy tone, "For unfathomable reasons, Tommy, she prefers staying with you and Lily on a Saturday night."

He glared at his sister then turned his eyes back to Rosie, softening his voice to ask her, "Do you want to go? I can watch Lily if you want to start going to these things?"

She snorted and pulled a face, "Please, I've only just about managed to figure out how to deal with being around Ada so much, can you imagine me stuck overnight with all her screaming friends talking about – about whatever that stuff on her eyelids is?" She waved a hand in Ada's direction.

He thought his sister seemed to visibly relax at that and wondered vaguely if he should impose a rule that Ada could only go if Rosie went, but it would be rather counterproductive to his own interests.

Besides, Ada was shooting her a seemingly grateful look. He wished he could be a fly on the wall at their school to try and figure out how their relationship worked – whether they actually spoke to one another or not outside of the house. Maybe this was how their compromise had come about – they stayed out of each other's way outside and they got on inside.

"Alright, fine, but you're scrubbing your face before the meeting and then someone is walking you over."

"Tommy! No!"

"It's dark Ada – and it'll be even darker and later when we're done."

"Tommy, I don't need someone to walk me two streets over!"

"Ada don't argue - or you won't be going at all."

She sank back on the sofa and folded her arms, "Fine."

He felt slightly better about it at that, "Right, you," he said, turning back to the redhead who was lingering in the doorway, "Get your sister out the bath, it's five to eight and since I've avoided conflict with Arthur I'd rather not find it by being late."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

They started late anyway, John and Pol arrived late – Tommy figured they were hoping if him and Arthur were going to argue they'd get it done before they arrived – and Rosie held them all up by going up to the bedroom to brush Lily's hair out then bringing the child back down to sit her in the living room in front of the fire to let the hair dry.

There was also the small matter that she didn't seem to realise her own presence was required, and Tommy had to go and bring her through - "Well you said it was a family meeting Tommy!", "Well you're family, aren't you? Besides, half the fucking shop has turned up for it - and your strategical brain might be useful so get your arse sat at that table!"

He told Finn to get in the bath whilst the meeting was going on and informed his brother that he and Lily would be going straight to bed once it was done. He hoped it would provide a distraction, so that he wouldn't spend the entire time with his ear pressed to the door, trying to find out what they were discussing.

"Right, now that we're all here," Arthur began once they had all gathered and the door between the kitchen and the shop had been shut back over.

"On a Saturday night," John interjected, rolling his eyes.

Rosie smirked over her shoulder at him. He had a feeling she knew as well as he did that John's annoyance of his Saturday night being interrupted had a lot less to do with his children's bathing routine being disrupted and a lot more to do with his patronage of the Garrison being delayed by a few hours.

"Right," Arthur said, glaring at John, "I've called this family meeting because I've got some very important news – Scudboat and Lovelock got back from Belfast last night, they were buying a stallion to cover their mares. They were in a pub on the Shankhill Road yesterday and, in that pub, there was a copper – handing out these."

His brother picked up a small bundle of papers and handed one to Ada, who was sitting nearest him, passing the rest to Scud and Love, letting them go around and hand them out.

John snatched the paper from Ada's hands before she had a chance to read it and read aloud, "If you're over five feet and can fight, come to Birmingham."

Tommy glanced at the paper that he had been passed – it was signed by order of Chester Campbell, exactly as Moss had told him it would be.

"They're recruiting protestant Irishmen, to come over here as Special," Arthur announced.

"To do what?" Ada asked.

"To clean up the city Ada," Thomas told his sister. The rest of the room focussed on him, so he addressed them, "He's the Chief Inspector. The last four years he's been clearing the IRA out of Belfast-"

"How do you know so bloody much?" Arthur demanded, cutting him off.

Tommy fixed Arthur with a steady gaze. He was playing the game, he'd stood himself against a post, behind where Rosie sat at the bottom of the table. He hadn't challenged it when Arthur had situated himself at the top of the table and crossed his arms.

But if his brother wanted to stand there and make a fool of himself, highlighting to everyone present that he thought he had called this meeting to share information with them that they didn't have whilst Tommy already knew far more about it than he did, then there wasn't much Tommy could do about that.

"Because I asked the coppers on our payroll," Tommy told him evenly.

"And why didn't you tell me?"

Tommy stilled the eyebrow he felt begin to lift as Arthur glared at him, "I'm telling you."

Arthur took a drink from his flask, not answering and glaring at him.

"So why are they sending him to Birmingham?" Polly asked, turning her head to him.

"Well there's been all these bloody strikes at the BSA and the Austin works lately; now the papers are talking about sedition and revolution. I reckon it's communists he's after," he replied with the answer he'd already decided to give his family when the question was inevitably asked.

He kept his head still but caught, out of the corner of his eye, Ada looking slightly shifty and widening her eyes at Rosie over his words. He couldn't see the redhead's reaction. He presumed it was to do with his warning he had given her in the kitchen over Polly's tea leaf readings and her interpretation of red right hands.

"So, this copper's going to leave us alone, right?" Polly pushed on, her eyes on him, not having noticed any exchange between his sister and Rosie – or at least, not seeming to.

"There are Irishmen in Green Lanes who left Belfast to get away from him," Tommy replied, "They say Catholic men who crossed him used to disappear in the night."

"Yeah but we ain't IRA," John replied to his point, "We bloody fought for the king. Anyway we're Peaky Blinders, we're not scared of coppers."

"He's right," Arthur growled.

"If they come for us, we'll cut them a smile each," John proclaimed.

"So, Arthur, is that it?" Tommy asked, biting his tongue to keep from adding 'Is that what you interrupted everyone's Saturday night for? Some information you got from a fucking flyer that I was going to tell you about once the man had arrived with his men anyway, once I'd assessed how many men that was?'

He felt Rosie's eyes on him, but he kept his on Arthur, staring his brother down.

Arthur ducked his eyes, moving them to Polly, "What do you think Aunt Pol?"

Arthur was flailing. He very rarely called Polly Aunt anything, she was just Pol or Polly to them. His brother wanted reassurance, just like Lily did, but Arthur was too proud to admit it or ask Tommy for it, so he reverted to Polly. He supposed Arthur, like him, like John, found it easier to be softer with a woman – with any woman – than it was to be soft with another man.

"This family does everything open," Polly said, turning her head to him and raising an eyebrow, "You have nothing more to say to this meeting Thomas?"

Polly knew.

But even though Polly had figured something out, or at least figured out there was something to be figured out, he would stick to his plan, he would keep this away from his family, he would deal with this on his own. He wouldn't risk Rosie and Lily by mixing them up in this. This would be handled by him, handled alone.

He shook his head, "No. Nothing that's women's business."

Polly exchanged a look with the redhead who sat beside her before turning back to him, "This whole bloody enterprise was women's business while you boys were away at war – what's changed?"

"We came back," he replied, evenly but with enough warning in his tone that his aunt let it go.

"Yeah we came back and now we want to go to the pub," John said with a grin, never able to hold tension for too long off of a battlefield, "So can we get on with it if that's us done?"

"Where are your kids John?" Rosie asked.

John shrugged, "Little ones are in their beds, George was playing out on the street, he'll have gone in by now."

"Right," Tommy said, before Rosie could respond, "Arthur, we done?"

His older brother looked between him and Polly and then nodded, which made for a din of noise as the men began to disperse, all of them eager to get to the Garrison.

"John," Tommy raised his voice, catching his younger brother's attention, "You walk Ada over to – to whose house Ada?"

She looked to him, caught unawares, "What?"

"Whose house is it you're going to tonight?"

"Oh, Claire's," she replied, her eyes flicking to Rosie's.

"Right – John, you walk her to this Claire girl's house then go to your own and check on your kids before you go to the Garrison."

"Tommy!" John whined, throwing his hands up, not sounding too far removed from their sister.

"Just do it," Tommy said, rolling his eyes, "Come on you," he said, his voice becoming gentle as he placed his hand on Rosie's back, "Let's get that child off to her bed so we can try and avoid tantrums in the morning when she's overtired. I told her earlier she's going to start going to bed by eight o'clock and the first bloody night of me intending to ensure that happened has been fucked about with."

He swept out of the room without looking to Polly or Arthur. Polly would hunt him down, demand his time and his answers – he knew that. But for now, his main priority was claiming the remainder of his Saturday to be spent as he wanted to spend it. And he wasn't giving Arthur any more of his time.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

It was Lily, ironically, who decided against that.

"Arthur," he found himself back in the shop saying, just as his brother was about to leave.

"What?" his brother demanded, glaring at him.

"Lily's upset you're in the house and you haven't come to speak to her – she wants to see you before she goes to bed."

"Right," Arthur said, softening almost immediately and heading through the kitchen doors to the front room, where Lily was standing on the sofa with a pout.

"Arthur!" she said, holding her arms out for his brother to go to her and let her wrap them around his chest.

"Hello sweetheart," he replied gruffly, one of his hands splaying across her back, the other going to her head.

"Were you going to go away without seeing me?" she asked up at him, accusatory.

"Your sister told me I wasn't allowed to see ya tonight," he told her.

Tommy frowned, ready to jump in and defend Rosie if need be, but Lily had laughed.

"You weren't allowed to come see me when I was in the bath Arthur," she giggled, "But you can see me now."

"Right, well, that's you seen each other so why don't you let Arthur go. Then he can do what he needs to do and you can go to bed, like you need to do," Rosie's voice broke in, a smile playing around the corners of her mouth as she watched his brother and her sister.

"I hear I interrupted your night Lily," Arthur said, a slightly sheepish grin passing over his face as he glanced to Rosie before looking back to the child.

"Yeah I got to stay up late – even though I had to stay through here on my own."

"You weren't on your own you were with Finn," Tommy replied.

"Finn was listening to the meeting," Lily replied, rolling her eyes as if that was obvious – though he supposed, really, it was, "But I stayed in here like Rosie and you said."

"Is that right?" Tommy asked her "Finn!" he called, bringing to boy through from the kitchen, dragging his heels.

"Were you in that meeting Finn?" he asked him.

His brother shook his head.

"No, so were you meant to hear what was being said?"

His brother shook his head again.

Tommy raised an eyebrow, "Words, Finn."

"No Tommy, I wasn't meant to hear," Finn sighed, obviously resigned to what he thought was coming.

"If I hear of you listening at doors that are shut to you again, I'll box your ears for you son - so that they'll hear nothing in them but ringing, understood?"

"Yes Tommy."

"Good," he nodded, "Bed."

Finn glanced at him, probably amazed he wasn't getting his ears boxed on the spot, then glanced at Lily. Tommy could practically see the protest of 'But she's not in bed yet and I'm older' forming on his brother's lips, so he raised an eyebrow and it had the desired effect – Finn scurried back through the doors and up the stairs before Tommy had to change his mind on not boxing his ears for him.

"Bed time for you too, Lily, say good night to Arthur," he said to the child on the sofa, lighting a cigarette.

"I don't want to go to bed," Lily told Arthur, "I like staying up late!"

"You won't like it in the morning when it's time to get up and you're tired," Rosie said.

"You won't like it in the morning if you're throwing a tantrum because you're tired and I have to settle you down Lily," Tommy warned, gesturing his cigarette at her.

She frowned up at Arthur, looking for support.

"Ah I'd better go an' let you get to bed sweetheart, I've seen that Tommy settlin' down Ada an' Finn before an' I'd advise it's to be avoided if possible," Arthur told her, patting her head.

She looked between the adults - him, his brother and Rosie - clearly trying to figure out if there was one of them she could wheedle into letting her stay up, but he saw the moment of resignation arrive on her face. She let out a sigh.

"Good night Arthur," she said, squeezing him.

"Good night princess," he said, returning her squeeze.

She looked between him and her sister, and Rosie stepped forward and said, "I'll take you up."

Arthur stood back to let her pick up the child and she stopped at Tommy's side on her way out to say, "You saying good night to Tommy?"

"Good night Tommy," she said.

"Good night my little love," he said, putting his cigarette down to place both of his hands on her little face and kiss her head gently.

"Tommy?"

"Uhuh?"

"Can we go to the tearooms every Saturday?"

"No my love - I'm afraid I have to work most of the time on Saturdays, but I promise we'll go again soon, eh?"

"Okay Tommy," she sighed.

"Besides, your sister's cakes are better anyway," he said, placing a hand on Rosie's backside - since her sister's legs were on her waist, conveniently blocking him from resting his hand there - and patting it gently to accompany the compliment.

Rosie scoffed, "Lily's already said you just sat there and smoked and let her eat all the cakes herself, so you don't have any evidence to base that on."

He grinned, "I didn't bother eating any of them because I know there's no chance they'd be any better than yours."

She snorted, "That's men's logic for you Lily – non-existent!"

He swatted at the arse his hand was still resting on, "You get that child to bed whilst you're still welcome to come back down - before I decide I've had my fill of women for the day and send the two of you off for the night!"

She flapped a hand at his chest and shook her head but went through the doors to carry Lily off, leaving him and Arthur alone.

"Tearooms Tommy, eh?"

He shrugged and picked the cigarette back up, "She liked them."

"She's a good baby,

"She is."

"I'm glad you brought her here," Arthur offered.

"So am I, Arthur, so am I."

Lily had broken the tension between them, broken it enough for now.

Their mother had dragged them out to a first footing once, to the house of someone their father had been arguing with.

They hadn't wanted to go but she'd told them they needed to be there and when they'd asked why she'd said, "Because you're babies."

Not considering himself a baby at all – Tommy had pointed to his mother's rounded stomach, where John was still growing and said, "That's a baby, I'm not a baby."

"You are a baby, you're both babies still to me," she'd said, gathering him and Arthur in to her, "And it's important we fix this before the new baby is born. That's why I need you both there – babies make everybody okay, babies stop everything."

He didn't even remember whose house they'd been dragged to or what had happened, but he remembered his mother telling him it was his power that would stop whatever it was she needed to stop – that it was because he was a baby that he could fix it before the new baby came.

He supposed she had had a point – babies certainly went a long way to making things okay.

Even between arguing Shelby's.

As always, thank you so much for your reviews and messages - they really do make my day when I see them coming through!