VICES AND VIRTUES | Thomas Shelby

NINETEEN

"You were the one who asked to marry me, remember?" Florence teased.

"I would argue that it was a two way proposition," Elijah muttered as he continued to admire the pictures, reaching one of him as a little boy, "Where'd you get this?"

"Your mother gave it to me last time she visited, you know she'll be making comparisons between you and the baby eventually," Florence sighed, sitting up straight, "She'll say the baby has your eyes, or your nose, but we'll know won't we? And if we have other children, this one will stand out, and then they'll know."

"Hey, slow down a minute, Floss," Elijah soothed, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, "We've always known that would be likely to happen, and if at any point someone has questions we'll face them the way we've faced everything else, together."

"But I'm right, you know I'm right," Florence replied, fear rising in her voice, "Your mother doesn't need a reason to dislike me."

"Florence, look at me," Elijah said firmly, causing the girl to turn and face him, "We made vows, didn't we? And I vowed to protect you so that is what I'll do, nothing that anyone says can change the way I feel...about you."

"I know," Florence sniffed, wiping her glossed over eyes, "I just worry."

"I know you do, darling," Elijah whispered, pulling her towards him and kissing the side of her head, "But I won't let anything happen to you, okay?"

"Mmhmm," Florence nodded with a smile.

"Do you need me to stay at home today?" Elijah asked, "I can take the day off."

"No," Florence shook her head, knowing she had plans she needed to follow through that would only worry Elijah, "You've got an empire to build us, remember?"

A woman's intuition is rarely wrong, and when Imelda had called a few days after George's run in with Kimber, explaining that Ada was still locked away in her basement flat, she knew that what Ada needed was someone with a better understanding of what she was struggling with.

So despite being almost full term in her pregnancy the minute Elijah left for work after their morning in bed Florence had one of the drivers prepare a car and take her to Small Heath. She had no intention of visiting the blue eyed Shelby man, her priority was Ada's welfare. Before she left the house she took some food from the pantry as well as some clothes for the baby, she already had more than she needed, what harm would it be to donate a few?

The car pulled up in the familiar street, just a few roads back from Watery Lane. It wasn't an ideal place to raise a baby, but Florence knew that Ada would've felt she didn't have a choice but to escape the grasp of her family.

"Would you like me to wait out here, Mrs Harrington?" The chauffeur asked as he helped her out of the car before handing her the basket of food and provisions for Ada and the baby.

"The local pub will be fine," Florence assured him, "I'll meet you at The Garrison when I'm done."

"Very well, Mrs Harrington." He smiled.

"Have a good afternoon, Geoffrey," Florence replied before he drove in the direction of the Garrison.

Slowly, Florence made her way around to the side door of the building in which Ada lived. She pushed the door open tentatively before making her way down the steps, clinging to the handrail as the weight of the baby lay heavy on her pelvis. She knew that the baby's arrival was soon to be imminent, she knew that Elijah would be worried that she wasn't resting and she knew that Margaret would go spare if she knew that Florence wasn't at home preparing for the baby to arrive.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs she noticed a basket of food that must have been left by Polly and Imelda, so she knocked gently against the door, hoping for a response or sign of life from Ada.