The Hanging Noose

Fifty-Eight

Dottie thanks Isiah with a smile before she turns back to her family, sliding in to the booth beside Polly as Arthur jumps up on to the seats.

Ada rolls her eyes. "Get down off the furniture."

Like a told off child, he scowls, jumping down from the booth. "Sorry, Ada. I was getting excited, wasn't I?"

"Right," Lizzie starts as she slides in beside Dottie. "Can I begin this family meeting with a proposal? From now on, we find somewhere else to meet."

"Your husband believes that being
seen mixing with the common people
is good politics."

"Hmm. Well, if this is our campaign
for socialism, perhaps next time, Polly, you won't wear earrings worth
more than the pub." Lizzie responds, lifting a cigarette up to her lips.

Dottie is quick to grab her lighter, lighting up Lizzie's and her own as Polly rolls her eyes, taking the lighter away from Dottie to light her own cigarette.

"Right. Family meeting. First item."

"This." Ada says, her voice harsh as she places a gold and brass bullet on to the table. " Dug out of our Finn's arm yesterday by Aberama Gold using your gin and a razor blade."

"Finn?" Dottie asks, frowning.

"He says they were sent to Limehouse.
Chinatown."

"Sent by fucking who?" Lizzie questions, sharing a look with Dottie.

"Sent by me." Tommy says simply, leaning against a pillar in the pub. "I told Finn to stay out of this."

"Obviously he's going to stay out of it," Dottie remarks, "he's a teenage boy, he's clearly going to listen to you, Tom, isn't he?"

Tommy half scoffs, "he obviously didn't listen."

"Oh, Tommy, sweetheart," Lizzie starts, "I listen to you. I listen to you when you tell me no more sport for anyone named Shelby. I listen to you when you make me promises. What's in Chinatown, Tommy? What the fuck is going on?"

"£50,000. In cash." Tommy answers, unfazed as he looks at Lizzie.

Ada tilts her head. "He said they were sent to Chinatown to kill somebody." She reveals as Arthur scoffs.

"That kid needs educating, Tommy, really does." Arthur grunts, shaking his head slightly.

Lizzie scowls, slapping her hand down on to the booth. "Jesus Christ, Tommy!"

"It was a particular opportunity." Polly says, making Dottie turn her head. She frowns at Polly, as Polly looks unamused and unfazed by the situation.

"A particular opportunity presented to me in confidence. I dealt with it in confidence." Tommy says

"But you told Polly." Lizzie argues back, crossing her eyes slightly over to Dottie before she stares back at Tommy.

"Tommy told me there was a pimp in East London who sold kids." Polly explains, lifting her cigarette up to her lips.

"Fucking kids, Lizzie, eh? Hmm?" Grunts Arthur, sitting back.

"This pimp was blackmailing a senior
member of the House of Lords," Tommy starts, "a very wealthy man."

"Now this pimp is lying in a ditch, covered in flies. World's a better place." Arthur comments as Tommy looks down.

"Holy fuck! So now your business
is improving the world?" Ada comments, the sarcasm rolling in through her voice.

"Sometimes, Ada... killing is a kindness. Hmm?"

Tommy blinks, "the man we did the job for is a High Court judge. We received intelligence from a senior police officer in Scotland Yard. I've made lots of new friends in London. Men with influence. The police felt the same way about this pimp as we did. He wasn't worth a trial. The coppers cleared the streets for us.
This was work commissioned by a High
Court judge, by Scotland Yard and by the House of Lords."

"It's a particular opportunity. It's not to be repeated." Polly adds as Dottie frowns at her.

"And it was the right thing to do." He finishes.

"Fucking right." Arthur grunts again.

Tommy turns his head back to his wife. "Lizzie, you need to understand—"

"That you tell Polly, not me." Lizzie responds, raising her eyebrows slightly.

"You need to understand that the corridors of Westminster are very dimly lit. And for those who make the rules, there are no rules. We own the ropes. Who's going to hang us now, eh?" He says in a cold manner.

"We? We own the ropes, do we?" Ada responds as Dottie breathes out, trying to forget the feeling of having her child being ripped away.

"If only you owned the ropes a few years back, eh, Tom?" Dottie comments.

Tommy simply rolls his eyes and ignores Dottie's comment. "Lizzie, Lizzie, if Finn had've listened to me, you wouldn't have known. When we go home, I'll explain."

Lizzie sighs, grabbing her stuff, "I can't be bothered with this shit." She says, strutting away as Arthur lifts a bottle of whiskey up to his lips.

"So... Tommy Shelby MP. Business as usual." Ada says as Tommy lets out a sigh.

"The strategy I outlined earlier to rebuild the conventional part
of this business will take time. In the meantime—"

"Just business as fucking usual." Ada argues back.

"In the meantime, it is fortunate
that we have maintained other sources of cash income. Because until the stock market recovers, cash is king. And cash we have." Tommy says back, almost shouting over Ada's repulsiveness.

Ada grabs her bag. "No-one is gonna hang you, Tommy. You're gonna hang yourself." She says before she walks out.

"Someone has to pay for them paintings on your wall, Ada." Tommy calls after her.

"Yeah, bye-bye, Ada." Arthur half slurs, lifting the bottle again up to his lips.

"Tommy, you need to go easy on Ada." Polly starts.

"Polly..." Tommy starts, moving from the beam to sit down, "when am I ever not easy on Ada, eh?"

Arthur stands up, sliding in to the booth opposite Dottie.

"Thomas, the thing is, Ada—"

"She's pregnant." Tommy finishes.

Arthur coughs, almost choking on his whiskey. "Ada's what?"

"These days, people tell me things
without even speaking." Tommy says in a quiet voice, as if he's speaking to himself.

"Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Ada's fucking pregnant? Hmm?" Arthur asks, still trying to get his breath back. "Dots, Ada's fucking pregnant?"

Dottie nods, "she is," she confirms, "went to the doctors with her before I went with the Lee's. Esme sends her love, by the way."

"Dottie," Tommy turns his head to her, "you need to reassure Ada that it's 1929, times have changed, we've a lot to do, and no-one gives a fuck who the father is."

"Really? I already know who the father is. But we've had enough shocks for one day."

Arthur looks across to Dottie.

"I promised I wouldn't tell who the father is. But I have warned her of the looks she'll get."