The Darkness Within (Peaky Blinders) Thomas Shelby

40. Arthur Shelby Senior

I'll be good, I'll be good

And I'll love the world, like I should

Yeah, I'll be good, I'll be good

For all of the time

That I never could

- I'll Be Good, by Jaymes Young

It had been two days and no one had spoken to Ada. She had gone back to the hovel her and Freddie had been living in the second she could and refused to see or speak to anyone that had anything to do with the name Shelby. Polly left in the early morning with a basket of food, on a mission to try and get Ada to come around, but Kiara doubted it would work.

Tommy stood, leaning up against the brick wall in the kitchen, smoke flying around him from his cigarette as Kiara began to do the dishes from their breakfast, still wearing her nightgown and robe unlike her husband who always immediately put on his suit the second he woke up.

Kiara had tried to talk to Tommy about the possibility of it being Grace who had sold Freddie out, but he had changed the subject rather quickly. It made her mad, no... it made her furious and he could clearly see that, but she said nothing. With how things were with Ada she could tell it was eating at him so she decided to keep the peace.

Polly soon arrived, briskly walking into the kitchen and placing the basket of unclaimed food on the table.

"Did you speak to her?" Tommy asked.

"She didn't speak back." Polly shot back, clearly not happy to be talking with her nephew, still not believing that it wasn't him that sold Freddie out. Arthur and John also didn't entirely believe it.

"Did you tell her?" Tommy asked while Polly made herself busy, immediately pulling things out of the pantry to begin to prepare lunch or maybe even diner. She just needed something to do.

"I'll only tell her what I know to be true."

"It's the last time I'm going to say this. It wasn't me who shopped Freddie Thorne."

"Tommy," Polly turned on him, stopping what she was doing, "I'd ask you to swear on the Bible..." Tommy took in a deep frustrated breath, knowing what was coming next, "but you can't swear on that, can you? Nothing you hold sacred." With that she walked out.

Tommy sighed and pushed himself off the wall before turning to his wife.

"Go get dressed, I'll walk you to the Garrison."

Kiara nodded and then went upstairs and changed in silence, knowing it was better to leave him with his thoughts for a little while. They had talked about Freddie, he knew that she believed him and that was all there was to it. There wasn't much else to be said between them on the matter and for the time being it seemed like that was all he would be thinking about so... silence seemed best. And he was grateful for it.

The Garrison was quiet, as it often was until lunch. Grace was the only one there, out the back and doing some paper work. Kiara had bought a diary and insisted that everything should go in it and tasked Grace with filling in a few things.

Kiara went out back to check a bit of the stock while Tommy wandered out into the office where he found the barmaid.

They exchanged a small greeting before he walked closer, puling out a pen and leaning over to scribble something down in the diary. A black star on December 3rd.