Chapter 41

'It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light and winter in the shade.' Rosie didn't seem to care for Charles Dickens, or she hadn't mentioned him if she did, but that quote was one of his. Despite the fact it was almost April, Tommy thought it fitted the day. But then, he might have been mistaken. He knew little of the sun. The sun didn't seem to touch Small Heath often. So, he shouldn't claim to recognise its presence – the sun to them was some distant relative who sent a birthday card to remind you they existed but never visited. But there had been a heat in the air today, or so he felt. He hadn't worn an overcoat to execute Danny. Or to appear to execute him. But maybe the heat hadn't been in the air and had been inside him. Some intrinsic heat.

The heat from nerves and risk.

The lack of the sun's presence in Small Heath suited it. Like the sun knew it was a bad idea to illuminate what went on in their corner of the world. And it was almost like the sun had thought on it today, seen what Tommy was doing and turned its light elsewhere, but left a heat to smoulder in its wake.

The heat of fear and uncertainty.

He knew the risk he was taking in not executing Danny – and truth be told, he still wasn't sure he'd done the right thing. Danny had seemed to accept it when he thought he was going to be killed – "I died over there anyway Tommy. I left my fucking brains in the mud." That was what he had told him in response to his announcement that he'd be dispatching him from the world.

And when Tommy had asked if he had any last requests, Danny had said "You look out for my Rosie – and my boys."

It had been like someone had put a bullet in Tommy's own heart the way it had stopped at that. He imagined a war with the Italians, facing his own death – who could he request it of that they should look after his Rosie? Christ, this had better not come back on him.

He had gone home after the deed was done and Danny was on a boat to London to put the expensively acquired tarot deck in his desk. And he was worried enough about it that he could have been doing without Arthur, somewhere between hungover from the night before and freshly drunk again, shouting at him about Monaghan Boy winning and requiring Tommy's already given explanation for the plans with the horse. Usually Tommy was merely irked by his brother, but he had flown from the shop through to the kitchen spurred by frothing, boiling blood after the encounter, forgetting, in his rage, to go up the stairs and change out of his blood splattered collar or to pick up his overcoat. Waiting for Rosie to finish work, he wished he had remembered. Fucking Arthur.

And in the kitchen he had found himself facing Polly, bending over the table, finishing the accounts.

"Bad week," she'd commented, forcing him to stop and acknowledge her.

And he knew what she really wanted, and that it was nothing to do with the shop's takings. She was chasing him for the answer she knew he had been avoiding giving her about the guns.

"Did you do the right thing?" she'd prodded him.

"Yes," he'd replied, glad he could tell the truth, of sorts, "I did the right thing."

Not waiting for her to seek clarification of him – though he knew she knew what he was really saying – he'd strode through the front room.

His heart had only softened a little when his eyes caught sight of Lily standing further down the street with Katie, Finn and Isaiah and some others - though he couldn't see Ada anywhere. He hoped to god Polly had had the sense to keep her on a short leash.

Worries about Ada aside, Lily seemed to be starting to find her place amongst the street kids and her appearance of settling settled him. She was still happiest, he thought, when she was drawing and she didn't often elect to go outside unless Katie called in for her, but it was good for her to go out and socialise with the other kids. Make her explore what she had in her when she didn't have him or her sister watching out for her. He half thought about calling to her to see if she wanted to go get Rosie from work with him, but decided she was better left with the others. After she was bathed she'd be theirs for the night. At that moment, he let her play, let her enjoy whatever bit of sunshine she'd managed to find in Small Heath, whatever tiny bit of sun had lingered over Watery Lane for Lily.

Someone had a fire going outside The Garrison and even if there had been any sun, or indeed even any moon to provide illumination, it wouldn't have permeated the fog of ash that flew through the air. He noted the barmaid, Grace, standing outside the door. She made eye contact with him and he gave a slight nod – letting her know he was aware of her eyes on him. Warning her to stay away if she knew what was good for her. The fog, the lack of illumination – he was glad for it then as it would obscure the blood on his collar. If she was more than a barmaid, blood could lead to questions.

Or perhaps it was less about being a barmaid and more about being a woman.

"You should change your collar if you're going to get it covered in blood," was the first thing Rosie said to him after she walked out of the shop and saw him waiting across the street for her, his hat pulled down low on his head and his cigarette in his mouth.

"Most women would ask why I have blood on my collar," he told her, beginning to walk the familiar road home.

"I suppose they would, but I know why you have blood on your collar," she replied, falling into step beside him.

He nodded at that.

"I suppose I do know – it is sheep's blood isn't it? It went how you planned?"

He nodded again and so did she.

"I'm glad."

He wasn't sure he was glad. But he had done it now and there was no point in letting it worry him, or in worrying her with his own worries.

"Good day at work?" he asked her.

She shrugged, "Nothing out of the ordinary."

"How would you feel about leaving it?"

She narrowed her fiery orbs at him, "Tommy, we've talked about this."

"You want your own money, I know," he nodded, still smoking, "But leaving it for another job?"

"What other job?"

"I've got a proposal for you."

"So I gathered."

"I'll present it to you in my office when we get home."

"In your office? That's formal of you."

He nodded, then grabbed her hand and pulled her another way, realising that walking their usual route past The Garrison might render his plan useless.

"Where are we going?"

"Home."

"Yes but why this way?"

"I'll explain as part of the proposal."

"Thomas Shelby, what are you up to?" she demanded in an accusatory tone.

"You'll see soon enough, I promise," he smirked at her, stopping to press his lips to her frown since the side street he'd pulled them down was deserted, "Come on, sooner we're home the sooner you'll know."

There was a new heat in him now as his eyes could rest on her. The heat of comfort and love and desire and content.

Lily and Finn had disappeared from the street when they entered it and he was able to usher her in through the shop door without any interruptions, other than her own, which he hushed with the reminder that he wanted to deliver a business proposal and therefore she should enter through the business door.

"I've had enough work and business for the day, I like my Saturday nights as they are," she grumbled, but let him smack her through the door, only sniffily saying, "I hope you don't go around smacking all the people you present your business proposals to."

"Only beautiful redheads who are a bit too saucy for their own good," he assured her, locking the shop door and steering her through to his office.

He dragged a chair from under one of the desks in the shop and sat it in front of his desk, motioning her to it. He suppressed a smirk as she narrowed her eyes at him before edging towards it, clearly suspicious of him.

"May I take your coat?" he asked, flicking an eyebrow at her.

He waited till she had given him it and settled herself before folding the coat and placing it on the edge of the desk, clearing his throat and taking his own seat opposite her.

"Thank you for taking my meeting Miss Jackson," he began, opening his drawer and beginning to rummage – purely for effect – within it.

As though his props had not been placed there earlier, albeit with Arthur's moaning in his ear.

She raised an eyebrow, "I didn't get much choice Mr Shelby, I got an escorted walk from my place of work to here."

"Well I hope the first order of business might make it worth your while," he said, producing the notes and sliding them across the desk to her, "For your witchcraft idea."

She managed to conceal her amazement quickly, but he still caught the flash of it on her face before she said, "Tommy, that's more than I make in about six months working in the shop."

"That's a small cut of the money we'll make off the back of it, there will be more to come so consider it an advance."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm never ridiculous when it comes to business."

"Tommy, I can't take that."

"You can - and you will."

"It's too much."

"I can quite assure you it is not. Now stop arguing so we can move on to the second order of business."

"You already gave me the books Thomas."

"They were a gift, this is remuneration."

"Tommy!"

"Quiet!"

"Do you bark at your usual business meeting attendees to be quiet?"

"I don't usually have to, they usually have the sense to do it without being told. And I've never had anyone argue with me about being paid."

"You can say what you like Tommy, everything about you is ridiculous."

"Do you need a reminder of what happens when you don't do as you're told?"

"And I suppose that's a perfectly normal thing to say in a business meeting?"

"It would be if all business meetings were conducted with cheeky young women who don't respect their elders."

"Elders should earn respect."

"Is that right?"

"Uhuh."

"Well Miss Jackson, I can't do business with someone who doesn't respect me so we'll bring this to a close, shall we?" he baited her, raising his own eyebrow.

She smirked and stood, "I do have a child to bathe and dinner to make."

"So you're not the slightest bit interested in what I have to say for the second and third items of business?"

"Oh I'm interested, Mr Shelby," she told him, coming around to the side of the desk, "But you suggested bringing the meeting to a close and I'm being compliant."

"Oh now you're being compliant are you?" he asked her, standing up himself so he was once again the taller party.

"Uhuh," she told him, raising her chin.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her around the corner of the desk to him, wrapping an arm around her waist and applying his right hand to her arse.

"Should have been compliant from the start like a good girl," he told her, bring his hand down with every syllable.

She looked over her shoulder at him with a smirk and wriggled against his hand, "But it's so much more fun to wind you up Tommy."

"Fun is it?" he growled, kissing her neck and smacking her arse some more.

"Uhuh," she confirmed, letting him pull her around and kiss her hungrily, his teeth pulling at her lip.

He sank his hands into her firm thighs and lifted her up and onto the desk, pulling her legs open as he did so, settling himself between them, his hands moving up to caress the curve of her waist as he continued to kiss her.

"Plus," she told him when they broke apart, "It's nice to see you smile a bit, takes the edge off that bloody collar."

"Smiling am I?"

"Yep."

"Must be mad if I'm smiling at you, you'll be the fucking death of me," he told her, landing kisses across her face and down the side of her neck in between his words.

"I have a theory you quite like it that I wind you up," she told him, her voice low as she tilted her throat to offer him more of her skin.

"You do, do you?"

"Uhuh. Makes a change from everyone going along with you without question the rest of the time."

He sighed against her neck.

"What?" she asked at once, catching his sigh and recognising it was not one of content.

He stood straight and shook his head, landing his lips on hers again, though with more restraint.

"Just Arthur," he admitted, "I wish he'd do what I say without question."

"Or maybe you should respect your elders and not expect him to?"

"Maybe you should learn to mind your tongue."

She heeded him, probably hearing the edge in his voice, and buried her face into his neck, wrapping her arms around his waist as he stood against her. He tightened his own hold on her and kissed the top of her hair in thanks. She pushed him, but she knew when to stop too.

They stayed there for a while before she looked up and asked, "So what was your second order of business."

"Interested are you?"

"You know I am."

"And are you going to be nice and compliant and respectful?"

His tone had been playful, or as playful as his tone ever was, but she frowned and moved her hands to his face, crossing her legs behind him to pull him closer to her, "Tommy, you know I respect you don't you, seriously? I wouldn't have brought Lily here if I didn't."

He nodded, "I know."

"Good," she said, winding his arms around his neck and hugging him tightly to her.

He thought he might know what was in her head and said, as gently as he could, "Shall we discuss yesterday first, then talk business?"

She removed her face from where she had lain it against him and looked up at him with wary eyes, "What do you want to discuss?"

He stroked his thumb across her cheek, letting his hand rest against her face as he told her, "Respect, for a start."

"I suppose we're on the topic," she muttered, looking down.

She didn't really want to have the discussion, that was clear - for all it had been her who asked him to start discussing things.

"Eyes on me," he told her, waiting for her to comply before he continued, "I don't want that happening again, where the whole house knows if we're arguing. I expect that nonsense from Ada not from you, it's beneath you to act like that."

She nodded, biting her lip.

"And it upset Lily."

"I know," she said, remorse in her voice, "I didn't think she would notice – that any of them would notice."

"You're used to it being the two of you, I get it," he told her, "But it's not just the two of you anymore, alright? You're both part of this family now, do you understand?" He thought it wise to reiterate this as often as possible going forward, to tell her over and over again as Polly had suggested, "So there's more than just the two of you to consider – your actions have a wider audience now."

She nodded.

"So in future if we're arguing you keep it behind closed doors when they're around alright?"

She nodded again.

"And no more kicking or slapping me," he continued.

She frowned at him.

"What?"

"Tommy," she sighed, then moved her eyes determinedly back to him, "I respect you, but I don't always know if you respect me. I was upset and you just threatened to drag me back to Charlie's yard and give me a spanking for being upset with you, I've got a bloody right to be upset from time to time you know."

"I know," he nodded, "And I've apologised for not really understanding why you were upset and for, maybe, shirking it off too easily. But I wasn't going to spank you for being upset, I was going to put you over my knee because you were having a tantrum about the fact you were upset rather than telling me why. If it helps, the respect I do have for you is why I think it's beneath you to have tantrums and give me the silent treatment. I know you're better than that."

"I'm not particularly proud of how I acted, or that I upset Lily in the process, Thomas," she told him, and he noted the use of his formal name, "But I didn't feel you gave me much of an alternative. You knew I wanted to know and you wouldn't tell me and-"

"Rosie," he interrupted her, "I respect you, I do. I'm sorry if I haven't made you feel like it, but I do. But that doesn't mean I have to tell you everything. As I already told you, I didn't tell you about what was going on because knowing about it puts you in danger if anything happens. By not telling you, I'm protecting you."

"I don't want you to protect me Tommy, I want to be your equal."

"You are my equal."

"Then tell me what it's about?"

"No," he said, watching for her reaction.

"See! That's not being equal. You expect me to come to you with everything, you expect to be able to put me over your knee if I don't tell you something but you're allowed to keep what you like from me."

"Let's get one thing straight," he growled, annoyed by her rising tone, "That night after I dealt with Ada I told you to go to bed, you were the one who told me to make it right between us and you knew exactly what you were asking me to do when you said that."

"I know," she said, biting her lip, "But it wasn't going to be right otherwise."

"And you felt guilty."

She nodded.

"And me giving you a sore arse helped get that out of your head."

She nodded again, frowning.

"So it worked out for the best then, didn't it?"

"Tom I'm not saying that it didn't – and I… Well, it doesn't matter."

"No, it does matter," he frowned, "This is the cause of all of this you know – you went off in a mood the other night and wouldn't tell me what it was actually about so I had to go work it out for myself, and you held a grudge against me the whole time it took me to do that. Bloody women. I tell you, the lot of you are a damned nuisance – but as it happens, I want you. Despite your nuisance-ness. So, it does matter, it matters to me."

She flushed then lowered her eyes and muttered something inaudible, even at their closeness.

"Didn't catch that love," he told her.

"I said," she said, taking a breath, "I feel quite safe with you, even when you spanked me."

"And that's what I want for you – I want you to be safe. Which is why I will elect to keep certain business things from you if I deem it safer."

"I don't like it."

"Tough."

"Tom!" she whined.

"Rosie, you knew who I was when you came here. I'm a man with a dangerous life and being with me – it's not going to be picnics in the park. One day," he stroked her face, "One day I promise, once I've made us enough money to get that big house and move out of here, when we move I'll leave all of this behind and we'll have a nice, normal life with Lily and any other kids that come along, alright? I won't be dealing with the men I do. But right now I am dealing with those types of men. So I need you, and anyone else in my life, to toe the line and do what I tell them, when I tell them. And you know I give you more liberties than the rest of them – and maybe you're right and I do like a little bit of your sauce – but at the end of the day my love, I am in charge around here and if you push me, or question my judgement, I will put you over my knee. So if I say I'm not telling you something, I expect you to leave it alone. I expect you to trust my judgement that it's better for you not to know. And I'll bet that safety you feel with me partly comes from knowing you have someone who will take charge of you, and not leave you with all that spiralling guilt in your head."

"You won't ever leave here behind Tommy," she told him softly, kissing him as if she knew it would calm him to feel her lips on his, "This is who you are, you were forged here, so you shouldn't make promises you can't keep. But you're right that I did know who you were when I came here. But like you say Tom, I'm used to it being just me and Lily. I'm used to being in charge."

"You're still in charge of Lily, you just have help," he told her, kissing her back.

"I know – and it's a relief at times – I do appreciate it," she replied, the words seeming to stick in her throat a little, as if she was nervous to offer the truth up to him, "But it's an adjustment for me. And I - I get worried if I can't control everything sometimes. Knowing there are things going on that I don't know about, it sounds stupid Tommy, I know, but my mind goes into overdrive imagining what they could be and I get worked up and-"

"Darling, I promise you, if this thing affected your life directly, if it had anything directly to do with you or Lily, you would know, alright? Right now it's only linked to me."

She nodded.

"So is that agreement? You'll accept it that you've to leave it alone?"

She sighed, chewed her lip and looked into the corner of the room for a few silent moments before slowly dragging her eyes back to his and conceding, "I'm not saying I find it easy, but I'll try."

"Good girl," he said, kissing her forehead, "Now that-"

"Tommy," she interrupted him suddenly, "Can you please never call me that in public?"

He frowned, "I never do."

"I know, but can we just agree that you never will?"

"If you like – but why?"

"It's a bit patronising."

"I can just stop calling you it altogether if you like?"

She squirmed and shook her head, "No, I quite like it – but just behind closed doors, like you said."

He smirked and ran his hands through her hair – it was getting slightly longer he noticed – using it to pull her head back so he could kiss her deeply, "So," he murmured against her lips, "You like being my good girl behind closed doors do you?"

She groaned and squirmed again, "Yes sir."

It was his turn to groan into her mouth at that, his hands releasing her hair and sliding to her hips to pull her to the edge of the desk, practically grinding against her like a teenager in an alleyway as he stood between her spread legs. He did notice she was moving her hips against him as she kissed him back and he figured if he'd been able to touch where he'd like to he'd find her as wet as he currently was hard. Still – for all he had harboured his passions for long enough to let him forget it, they had only kissed a week ago. And he was sure she was virgin. And a thousand other reasons as to why he had to keep a lid on this for now. He had to stay in control, one slip could have a baby in her and now wasn't the time. She had to do her exams, he had to get them out of Small Heath. They had a life to start, one that didn't need put on hold by getting her pregnant. With that on his mind he took a step back, putting some space between them.

"So, before you interrupted, and distracted me," he said, raising an eyebrow and keeping his face composed, though his insides still raged and his trousers were not becoming less constricting, "I was saying you do agree to abide by my judgement? If I say you've not to know something you'll accept that?"

She sighed and nodded, "Yes. I can't promise I'll always be happy about it but I'll do my best."

He nodded, holding her eye contact, "Good, because the third order of business – my job offer – if you accept it I'll be telling you what it is."

"Oh Tommy!" she shrieked and pulled him back to her, her arms around his neck, landing kisses all across his face, "The other job is for you! Yes, whatever it is, yes, I accept it! Yes, yes – a million times yes!"

"Well that's the most fucking enthusiastic I've ever heard you about anything," he replied with a raised eyebrow as she continued to kiss him.

"I knew you were up to something but I didn't realise the job was for you, I thought it would be for a friend or something in a shop! I was so annoyed when you said I wasn't learning to shoot so I could use it to work for you, I'm just – I know it's stupid but I worry that if whatever this is between us gets ruined, I don't want Lily being caught up in it and if I have a job and it's worth you keeping me around then even if you get bored of me then that makes it more stable for Lily because I just – I worry that I was so selfish to bring her here just because I wanted you and-"

He cut her rushing words off by kissing her fiercely, his hands on her face, figuring that this stupid worry of hers was what the whole thing had been about all along.

"Listen to me," he told her, keeping a hold of her face once he had broken his lips off of hers, "I will never be bored of you. And it's insulting that you think I would be, insulting to who I am as a person. I don't rush into things. I wanted you, I will always want you – I've told you that before but if I need to tell you every damn day for the rest of however long you choose to stay with me to make you realise it, then I will."

"I'm not going anywhere Tom," she told him.

"Good. Because I don't want you to. And I never will want you to, alright? And no matter what happens, I will always be here for you and for Lily, alright?"

She kissed him again, then something took over her eyes for a minute.

"What is it?"

"Lily – after that day at the woods – when that Johnny asked if she was your daughter. I think it confused her a bit. She asked me that night when I was putting her to bed if you were her father."

"What did you say?" he asked, trying to keep his voice neutral.

"I said you take care of her like a father, the same way I take care of her like a mother."

"I told Johnny she was my daughter so that it would get around the Gypsy community that she was mine and should be protected as such."

"Do you think of her as your daughter?"

"I suppose I do," he answered, honestly but cautiously, "Is that alright?"

She nodded, then asked, with a wrinkled nose, "You don't think of me as your daughter though, do you?"

He frowned, "No, I bloody well do not."

"Just checking."

She rested her head against him and moved her arms to his waist, inhaling him, "You're quite something Thomas Shelby," she told him.

"You reckon?"

"I do."

"I reckon you're quite something too," he told her with another kiss.

"I didn't take on some wayward girl and her baby sister by choice."

"No, you just took on the Shelby family."

"Thomas Shelby in particular," she said with a smile up at him.

"I hear he's the worst of the lot."

She nodded, her face going very serious, "You heard right, disagreeable, moody type, determined to be obeyed at all times."

"Sounds exactly like what a wayward girl with a saucy mouth needs," he replied with a raised eyebrow.

"You might be right."

"I'm always right."

"Keep telling yourself that."

"Do you want a good-" he started to ask her but she cut across him.

"To hear what your job offer entails? Yes I do."

He smirked, amused by her flippancy, "Second order of business first."

"What's the second order then?"

"You've been doing Arthur's ledgers for him."

"Uhuh."

"For how long?"

She shrugged.

"More or less since you arrived?"

She nodded.

"And what would your women's liberation movement have to say to me about letting you work unpaid?"

"I live here Thomas, you bought all those clothes and things when we moved in, I figured if I help with the ledgers it pays you back."

He rolled his eyes, "I've told you, I'm providing for you and that's that – none of this paying me back nonsense. Now, presuming you're happy to continue the ledgers?"

She nodded.

"Good. Because Arthur's hopeless. You'll be paid ten shillings a week for it going forward."

"Tommy that's two pounds a month."

"Uhuh."

"I'm fairly sure that's far more than the going rate for doing some ledgers."

"Book keepings a learned profession, generally you need to have done some qualifications so the pay rate's higher than non skilled work."

"I don't have any qualifications."

"No but that just proves your brain is worth paying well. Don't argue. Think about what your precious WSPU would say."

"WSF, not the WSPU."

"Well, them then."

"Alright, you've made your point."

"Good," he said, pulling open the drawer, "So if you came here in October and started doing the ledgers in November, I reckon we owe you five months of wages backed up, so here."

He put the ten pound note on top of the other notes, which she had left on the desk when she stood up.

She stared then looked up to him and said, "Tommy, I make three shillings a week working in the shop on Saturdays."

His stomach swooped as he realised how much of a pittance she was on and he felt slightly sick when he thought of the shoes she had bought Ada and the pen she had bought him at Christmas. He knew she had been doing more hours before he had argued her down to just the Saturday, but he was in awe at the fact she'd kept herself and Lily as well as she had done. And here she thought he was something.

"Well the Shelby corporation pays more fairly than that," was all he said, knowing his concern at her poverty wouldn't please her.

"That much money would take me years to earn in the shop," she said, her eyes going back down to it, her face whiter than normal. She had probably never seen so much money in her life.

"Well you've earned it fair and square. So if the prospect of being employed by someone who pays better appeals, that brings me nicely to item number three on my agenda for this meeting."

"The job?"

"The job. So – you don't go to the pub do you?"

She shook her head.

"Well there's a new barmaid at The Garrison."

"Yes I heard."

He frowned, "How did you hear?"

"I work in the tobacco shop, men talk to other men when new women turn up out of nowhere."

He nodded, "Right. Well, that's just it – she's Irish and she's supposedly turned up out of nowhere. And I'm not sure I trust it."

"Oh?"

"So – the thing Charlie and Polly and I all know about that no one else does…"

He filled her in on the guns, on why the new Chief Inspector had really arrived, taking care to point out that the government would be looking to pin the robbery on the communists if they could, or the IRA.

"It's a bit of a coincidence then that the new Chief Inspector is from Ireland and made his reputation clearing the IRA out of Belfast and then this barmaid turns up at the same time, also from Ireland?" she said.

He nodded.

"So what's the job?"

"You say men talk to other men - well, women talk to other women. She's seen Polly in the snug with us, she knows she's a Shelby. And there'll be paperwork on us all, if she is coming from somewhere where she'd have access to that."

"But she won't know me."

"Exactly. That's why we walked the other way tonight, so she doesn't see you with me. I want you to go to the pub. Chat to her – find out her story."

"I've never interrogated anyone."

"I don't need you to interrogate her. I want the story she tells you about who she is, so I can run some checks. Find out why she's here, where she's from in Ireland, what she did there – anything you can so I can find out if it matches with a real story. Just make it seem like you're casually chatting with her, don't try to get it all in one go, don't raise her suspicions. And don't tell her anything about yourself in the process, though you have that bit down already from what I can gather."

She nodded, "Okay."

"You'll get a pound a week for doing it."

"Is that on top of the ten shillings for the ledgers?"

"Yes."

"Christ."

"I don't want you attracting attention with it, just get one of those boys from your school to go with you and start turning up the odd night during the week or on a Saturday afternoon for a few hours. Let her get used to your face before you start trying to get answers from her."

"I'm not stupid Tommy."

"You've never done this kind of work before," he said, raising an eyebrow, "So you'll listen to my direction on it, alright?"

She rolled her eyes but nodded.

"So you can quit the shop."

"I could have quit the shop for a year based on that," she said, nodding at the pile of notes.

A pile that seemed small to him.

"If wealth's an indication of power in this world-"

"Which it is," she cut across him.

"Then I'm doing my bit for the women's liberation movement by redistributing it a bit, aren't I?" he asked, unable to stop himself from sounding slightly smug.

Freddie could take his thoughts on Tommy being unwilling to redistribute power and wealth and stick them up his fucking arse.

"You are Mr Shelby."

"Good. I've got a thing for this girl who's into women's liberation you see, I'd like to impress her."

"I'm sure she's impressed."

She let him kiss her again before she said, "Though this girl has a dinner to make and a child to bathe, so if those are all your orders of business done?"

"Business is done. But I have one more thing on my personal agenda."

"Oh?"

He went back into the drawer and pulled out the card.

"Do you remember Johnny telling you about the roses on the tarot cards?"

She nodded.

"This is for you. It's the strength card. I want you, whenever you're having one of your silly worries, to think about this. You are my strength, do you understand? By doing this job you're supporting me. By running this house, which I know you do, you support me in letting me get on with everything else. By being who you are, you support me every day because I have someone I can trust and when I'm with you I relax in a way I don't with anyone else. Do you understand that? I rely on you. I couldn't do what I'm doing without you."

"Yes you could, you already did."

He shook his head, "No. I used to dream of the war every night. I didn't sleep. And since you came, I do. I wouldn't have anyone else I could trust to get me Grace's story. I was reliant on Polly to run the house – and I was barely here. I never came home and sat down to dinner with them, I didn't see Finn or Ada as much as I do now. You've made me a far better person, a far more capable person. I know you don't think it, but it's true. You are my strength, Rosalie Jackson, for all you know how to wind me up and give me the twitchiest palm in the world with your sauce."

"Life's awful dry without any sauce Tommy."

He let himself laugh at that, "Aye you'll be the death of me alright my darling girl. Brain's far too quick for your arse's good."

"Stop pretending it's a hardship on you when you get to smack my arse Thomas Shelby."

He kissed her and assured her, "Oh that's no hardship, not in the slightest with an arse like yours my love. But I mean it - fuck everyone else, I need you to be alright, you understand? I need you. Now, away and put that money up the stairs and get started on my dinner like a good girl, I'm used to a meal at night these days."

"There's bread, you can put jam on it if you're hungry," she replied with a raised eyebrow.

"You never gave me those jam spreading lessons you promised."

She smirked at him, then picked up the notes and leafed through them, disbelief on her face that they were hers.

"Got any plans for your new fortune?"

"I'll probably buy Lily that pram she's after."

"I'll buy Lily the pram, buy yourself something with that."

"I don't think I want anything that costs this much."

"Ask Ada to help you, I'm sure she'll manage. Tell you what – next Saturday we'll go into town, I need to get new coats for you lot anyway, it'll be too warm for winter coats soon and we'll get Lily some swimming stuff and a pram and then you can look around for yourself. How's that sound?"

"I'm buying her the pram," Rosie argued, "But it would be a good time to get it. The school stops for the Easter holidays after this week, be nice for her to have the thing to play with during the fortnight."

"Fayre's coming to town next week. I'll take you both – have a nice day out just us," he said, choosing to ignore her declaration that she would be buying the pram.

"What about Finn?" she asked.

"I'll take Finn along when I go with John and Arthur. I'm going to see Johnny about this spare horse of his. Figured if it's suitable Lily might be able to learn to ride on it."

"You're not going to get a horse just so she can learn to ride, Jesus Christ Tommy!" Rosie flared, shaking her head in disbelief, "She'll be the most ridiculous child in Birmingham if you get your way. She'll become a nasty, entitled little thing."

"She will not, she'll just have some nice things to play with and be able to ride. I can ride and I was never an entitled child. Besides, I don't reckon Katie or that lot would let her become an entitled child. She was playing out with them when I left to get you. Polly's probably brought them in for baths by now, but she's finding her feet out there with them."

Rosie smiled at that, "I'm glad. But I'll probably still cry the day she decides she'd rather spend time playing out with them than staying in with me."

"Well you'll have me," he offered, kissing her, "I promise I'll always prefer to stay in with you than going out to play with the other kids."

She snorted, "I hope to hell Lily isn't playing the same games when she's out that you do."

"You're playing them now too," he reminded her.

"I suppose I am. Does this make me a Peaky Blinder now? Do I get a hat and a fifty a day smoking habit that I can newly afford?"

He stroked her hair, something tightening in his stomach as he realised himself, "Well, yeah, I suppose this sort of does make you a Peaky Blinder. But there'll be no actual blinding so no need for hats. You can smoke if you like, spend your money however you please."

"I was joking," she said - then paused before she asked, tentatively, "Am I the first female not born to the family to be let in though?"

"Suppose you are."

"Maybe I'll write to Sylvia and tell her what I've achieved in paving the way for women's equality amongst the gangs of Birmingham."

"I'm sure she'd be very impressed," he replied, kissing her lightly.

She grinned and kissed him in return, more forcefully, before breaking off and saying, "Do you know Tommy, I think she actually would be."

Thank you again for all your reviews - I've been super busy this week but every time I see one coming through it makes me want to force in time for writing this more quickly as I remember that there are real people reading, which makes it much more exciting and rewarding for me! I do massively appreciate you taking the time to read and review or send me messages or add the story to your favourites etc, it spurs me on so much with this little project to know people are enjoying it! xx