The Darkness Within (Peaky Blinders) Thomas Shelby

19. A War Waged

Break a mirror

Roll the dice

Run with scissors through a chip and fryer fight

Go into business with a grizzly bear

- Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair, by Arctic Monkeys

"Finn, don't forget your coat." Kiara told the youngest Shelby boy as all of the brothers and Kiara were making their way out the door. He grabbed his coat and then ran out excitedly causing her to chuckle as she closed the door.

Finn and John piled in the back, leaving the front passenger's seat for either Kiara or Arthur.

"In the back." Tommy nodded to his older brother before opening the front door and holding out his hand for his wife to take, helping her up the step as gentlemen did.

A family trip to the fair, Tommy had said it was, but Kiara had seen something behind his eyes. He knew she noticed, but neither said anything and now they were driving down the road. She only realised where it was they were heading when they drove over a hill and she saw the gypsy wagons and threw Tommy a sideways glance. He felt her looking and flicked his eyes to the side as she turned back to face the front with a clear unimpressed look on her face.

"I thought you said we were going to the fair." Arthur said from the back seat as Tommy stopped the car and turned off the engine.

"We have business first." Tommy replied before opening the car door and then walking around to open Kiara's. "Come on, bring your wits." Tommy said to his brother's when they didn't move from the back seat.

"What business?" Arthur asked.

"That's the Lee family." John observed, pointing down to a group of people by the body of water the gypsies had camped their wagons by.

"Tommy!" A man called from within the camp as the other Shelby's got out of the car.

"Johnny-dogs!" Tommy yelled back as a greeting.

"Tommy, how the hell are ya?" The man asked in an Irish accent as he began to walk over to the Blinders.

"All the better for getting the city smoke out of my lungs." He replied.

"I thought you became a bit too grand for us." Johnny said.

"I've been busy." Tommy shot back. "You know my brothers, but I don't think you've met my wife." Tommy gestured to where she stood behind him, a white fur coat draped over her shoulders.

"Ah, so you're the one I've heard so much about from Bryan and Moira Kenny." He smiled over to her as Kiara stepped forward, taking his hand to shake it, but instead he placed a kiss on the back of it.

"Pleasure to meet you." She smiled. "You weren't riding with the Lee family last time I visited, I don't believe." Kiara observed, rarely ever forgetting a face.

"No, no. New development this is." Johnny smiled.

"So I heard." Tommy cut in, beginning to walk, Kiara stepping along beside him with Johnny on the other side and Arthur and John behind. "Myself, I'd rather live among pigs."

"Come on, Tommy, no disputing." Johnny stated.

Tommy's mother had been a gypsy, a member of the Lee family in fact, but since her marriage she didn't really have much to do with her family, especially with five kids to raise, and then when she died the distance between the Shelby's and the Lee's became even greater. Kiara's family, however, weren't Lee's they just travelled with them, having come from Ireland and then met up with the Lee's in England and never left.