Crown of a Prince (Finn Shelby)

38.

Ailbhe sighed in relief once the door closed behind the men. They had gone to get a drink, to settle Tommy’s nerves and to leave the women to talk. Linda left, saying she had to go pick up Billy but Ailbhe knew she just wanted nothing to do with them anymore. Ailbhe was glad, she didn’t want Linda knowing her business anyway. Ada had to leave with the men, she had a meeting with the shop steward of one of the Shelby Company Ltd factories in Digbeth. There was more and more talks of strike with Ada and Tommy constantly being called to settle industrial disputes. The door slammed behind her, leaving Ailbhe with two of her most trusted women, Polly and Lizzie.
 
“I just have one request Ailbhe” Polly spoke, stepping towards Ailbhe, cigarette in hand and gesturing for Ailbhe to stand up.
 
Ailbhe obliged, standing and looking at Aunt Pol face on. Polly studied her face, dropping her eyes down and examining her body, her hand reaching out and cupping her breast and running down her tummy. Ailbhe rolled her eyes. She knew what Polly was checking for.
 
“I’m not pregnant Aunt Pol” Ailbhe promised, pushing Polly’s hand off her lightly and sitting back down.
 
She reached across the table and took a cigarette from the packet, lighting it between her lips.
 
“Good. It better fucking stay that way, we’ve had enough Shelby baby surprises for one lifetime” Polly exclaimed, going back to standing by the fireplace.
 
“Have you told him yet?” Polly asked, watching Lizzie carefully who grew fidgety and nervous.
 
“Not yet” she shook her head, avoiding their eyes “But I will, later.”
 
Ailbhe was nervous for Lizzie. Tommy was a lot of things but predictable wasn’t one of them. And even Ailbhe couldn’t predict with any degree of certainty what way he would react. He could be thrilled and drop down on one knee, he could be silent and withdrawn. Nobody could predict it.
 
“You be careful about that, babies happen when you’re not careful, alright?” Polly warned Ailbhe, giving her the glare as if to say ‘don’t fucking test me’.
 
Ailbhe nodded, understanding.
 
Lizzie stayed quiet, avoiding their gaze so Ailbhe felt better to draw the conversation away from them.
 
“What about Michael?” Ailbhe asked, turning back to Polly.
 
Her face changed, growing worried and angry.
 
“Tommy will have to decide. Michael didn’t warn him about Changretta, he betrayed Tommy” She admitted, her eyes giving away how torn she was.
 
Michael was her son and he had done what he had done for her. So she believed. Ailbhe knew there was another layer to it. There was a piece of Michael that liked the idea of a crown, a throne that belonged to him. And it was much easier to take Tommy’s than to have to create one for yourself, he knew that. Michael wasn’t stupid. But neither was Ailbhe and she was onto him.
 
“I mean about his recovery” Ailbhe clarified, tapping off the ash from her cigarette into the tray “I have an idea but he won’t like it”
 
Ailbhe explained to them her idea to send Michael with the Gold family and their gypsy comrades who they travelled and camped with. From what she had learnt from Bonnie, they were always moving, always changing location without anyone being able to predict or follow them. It was the best plan out of a bunch of bad ones therefore it was all they had.
 
“You’re right, he won’t like it but it’s what will happen” Polly nodded, standing by the fire with one hand on her hip.
 
She turned to Ailbhe, taking a deep breath and facing her square on. Ailbhe felt nervous, it felt like she was being examined at the doctors. Everyone kept staring at her recently, as if they were looking for a chink in her armour, a crack in her calm facade and thinking she was shattered, held together with tape and glue.
 
“How is your neck?” Polly asked, reaching out and tilting Ailbhe’s head to get a better look.
 
The red marks were only faint pink lines now, the bruises had faded to light marks that looked like shadows across her small wrists.
 
“I’m fine” she nodded, telling the truth.
 
She was alright, she was moving on and Finn had been there pulling her along to getting over it.
 
“We will beat them” Polly told them, looking at the two women she had watched grow up.
 
Ailbhe looked at Lizzie, then back to Polly. Ailbhe just wanted it to be done, as did Lizzie and Polly. They had no want for a war with the Italians, nor with anyone. They just wanted to be safe, for their family to be safe and looked after. But this was their life, they chose it and if they wanted to live a normal life they could leave it all behind them. But they didn’t want that.
  
Ailbhe didn’t want to give up work and get married, to have a few screaming babies and toddlers and a husband to come home from the factories and moan and groan about how unfair the system was. She couldn’t think of anything worse. This was her life, and she had picked it.
 
“They won’t have the power to touch us then. They won’t be able to put a noose around our necks, to fuck us against our will, to throw money at us and do what they like because they know we need the money more than we need our dignity”
 
Polly looked between the two women. They were three women who had been treated like dirt because they were women who dared to live in a man’s world. But the Peaky Blinders were on the rise and they wouldn’t be beneath anyone soon.
 
It was addictive. Ailbhe knew it was more intoxicating than anything else they dealt in. Power made your head spin more than any of the cocaine or booze in the world. And they were going to have more and more of it.