In Small Heath | Peaky Blinders

sixteen; blind faith leads to nothing

Without much of an argument, too. Much to their wives, and mothers displeasure.

She hadn't heard much from him but she thought nothing of it, they all did. In fact, the whole street had only been given whatever Bash had managed to telegram over to Polly, and it wasn't much in terms of street gossip.

Pearl had a scream on her, a good set of lungs, especially for a woman who had only just given birth. She shouldn't be alone, and Ada felt that she needed to do something, to be helpful.

As soon as she was to her feet, she paused, feeling a hand gently wrap around her wrist. Polly's head shook lightly, whatever was about to be said was what she needed to hear, Ada knew it, but it didn't mean it didn't hurt any less.

"She's with her family, Ada." Polly started, taking a deep breath in before mustering the courage to continue, "they're telling her Paul isn't coming home."

Tears began to form, welling in Ada's eyes but she didn't dare to let them fall. How could she cry over someone she hadn't known for that long when she was one of the lucky ones.

Luck didn't last long though, not for the Shelbys.

As Pearls sobs quietened down to almost a cats crying, the heavy army boots began their descent to another house.

Finn had been watching out of the window for a minute or so, watching as men in green and grey marched in such an orderly fashion. He was bewildered, he'd never been able to watch these things happen before, he wondered for a moment if they knew his brothers, or if they were like them too.

"Why are those men coming towards our house?"

Heads snapped towards the window, even Martha's, who had been preoccupied with making Finns piles a little less all over the place.

Ada rushed to the window, and he was right, they were making their way diagonally across the road at quite some pace too. There was no idle wander about their movements, they were concise and uniform, from which foot led their walk to their arms moving back and forth.

Before anyone had the time to open the door, or even get to the door, the rickety wood chipping knock sounded through the house.

Fear that was only ever hypothetical began to settle in, Martha tried so hard to bite back a sob thinking about her John but the free flowing tears were just so hard to reign in. Polly instantly thought of Arthur, he was hot headed like his father and found himself in bother after a sip of liquid courage. Ada didn't want to think of Thomas, but that was where her mind had drifted to, she didn't even really know what his job was - just that it was dangerous.

No one gave it even a second thought that it could've been Sebastian, he was sending too many updates for others for it to be him.

People relied on him, he wouldn't be so reckless— would he?

Pollys hand gripped the door handle for dear life, giving her just a little more time to compose herself before gently pulling it open.

Solemn looks crossed the soldiers faces as a little John Junior peered out from behind Pollys leg, who was quickly ushered back inside by Finn - who was surprisingly the most calm.

"May we speak to a Missus Shelby?"

Martha stood forward, her face quickly draining of colour, before Ada too took a step forward. The two junior officers, who couldn't have been any older than eighteen, shared glances, pits clearly forming in their throats.

"A Missus... Sebastian Shelby?"

The one brother no one had thought about, the one that couldn't — shouldn't have even been placed in this sort of situation, Polly wouldn't even know what to plan for his... for his funeral, he was such a finicky little boy at the best of times.

"She abandoned this family the moment she could." Polly almost snapped, it was still evident that her abandonment, though predicted, was still very much a sore subject. 

"We've here that the next of kin after her, is a Elizabeth Grey?"

The red tint from Pollys cheeks went as quickly as the colour from Martha had, the other two took a few more steps back to give the matriarch enough space to talk privately.

Ada didn't want to leave her there alone, but she couldn't stop the silent tears from slowly slipping down her cheeks, staining her cheeks, wetting her collar.

Martha pulled her sister in law into what could only be described as the hardest embrace one would ever have to go through. Her breathing hitched in her throat, but the soothing pats to her back seemed to be doing enough to calm her.

Not enough to stay and listen, though.

Taking a step out of the doorway, Polly used her foot to shut the door just enough to keep the children from snooping any closer, and to give herself a much needed thing to focus on.

He'll be alright, God he'll be alright, Polly almost rhythmically chanted to herself, almost as if she was confirming that he was, and whatever this was .. was just heresy.

"Lieutenant Colonel Sebastian Shelby is M.I.A, ma'am." The first boy said, hands clearly shaking as he outstretched a hand, holding a telegram.

"And what does that mean to those unaware of army jargon?"

Neither of the boys were expecting such a snappy response, but when one of her boys was in trouble, or she wasn't told exactly what was wrong, she couldn't help it.

"It's- uh, missing in action, ma'am. Haven't heard from him in two weeks. Him and his whole squadron are classed as missing, presumed —"

"You will not presume he is dead until he is dead. We do not speak of such things until we know."

Doors surrounding number twelve quietly creeped open, no one had ever suspected the Shelbys would be getting a knock on their door. No one dared to speak, but they all listened, and intensely too.

"We're just trying to inform you that we-"
"No, you're trying to speak it into reality so you don't have to pay. Sebastian will come home and once he does, you will have not one, but four Shelby boys on your door."

The boys both knew that they were just doing what they were told to do, and had already been forewarned about the Shelby's and their little beliefs, and to approach with caution, but they hadn't expected such a spectacle.

Instead of bidding her farewell, the boys placed what they needed to in her hand and swivelled on their heels almost as quickly as they had knocked.

One foot lead the other and within minutes their uniforms were no longer spotted on Watery Lane.

"Who-" Pearl was the first to walk over, tears still silently falling, but her voice had found a small burst of confidence, knowing she wasn't going through it alone.

"Bash." Ada replied, Polly still stood where she had been left, hands clutching the bound papers with a vice like grip.

Murmurs spread through the street like a rat in the sewers, their only light of hope had been snuffed out.

"He's missing, they want to say he's dead but we all know he's missing- he got lost in a corn maze once. He'll come home to us, don't lose hope." This time, it was Martha to butt in whilst Ada and now Finn walked Polly back inside with the help of Pearl.

Without Pearl by her side, Polly knew she would've done something drastic, but she hadn't lost the one they came knocking for, she had though. It would've been selfish to react so brazenly and without thought, the consequences would've been dire, sure, but Pearl had nothing else for her on that street now.

Apart from the Shelbys.

It was going to be hard but in their guts they knew they'd all come home.

They had to, blind faith didn't lead to nothing, not for the Shelby family. It couldn't, and they wouldn't let it.

He would come home.

He had to.