VICES AND VIRTUES | Thomas Shelby

TWENTY ONE

"The boys will like that," Florence smirked as Polly gazed down at the little boy as he settled.

"Mine were terrors for the tit," Polly sighed, reminding Florence of the two tiny children she had vague memories of when she was growing up, "Both of them, well neither of you knew my children did you?"

"I remember John and Arthur being a nuisance with them," Florence smiled.

"No, I was a child myself, then," Ada replied, "You never talk about them."

"Never had reason to," Polly muttered, "My heart breaks even when I think about them. But today, I do have reason to...Sit down, Ada."

"They were three and five years old," Polly told the girls as Ada sat beside Florence, "Sally was three, Michael was five, well two weeks away from being six. It was Sunday morning, I was at church. This pinch faced bitch said to me 'you're not forgiven'."

"You see some sheets I'd washed and hung on the line had the name of a hotel in them, they'd been stolen in a roberry and they said some porter at the hotel had been coshed, and the woman from round here told the police about the sheets - jealous you see, of the new sheets," Polly continued to explain, "And when the police came, they found a spirit spill for making a few drops of gin, and for that, they took my children from me, and they never told me where they took them."

Polly's eyes welled up with tears, and Florence swore it was one of the only times she had seen that fearless woman cry.

"They did it cause they could, and cause I was weak," Polly continued to talk through her tears, "But they will never take your baby away from you, either of you, because Tommy won't let them, because Tommy won't let them walk over us."

"Now it is Tommy who has bought strength and power to this family," Polly told the two girls, "Cause he knows you have to be as bad as them above in order to survive."

"I'm telling you this because I want you to forgive him," Polly explained, keeping her eyes on Ada, but in some ways Florence knew those words were meant for herself too.

"How can I? When my Freddie's rotting in jail because of him," Ada replied.

"There's something about today you both need to know," Polly told the girls, "Freddie will be freed today."

"What?" Ada whispered, her eyes flitting between Florence and Polly.

"Tommy's sorted it," Polly explained, "It's all part of his big plan because today's the day."

"What day?" Florence asked.

"Today's the day the boys take control of Kimber's tracks," Polly told the girls, "And he needs all the help he can get from good strong men."

"They're going after Kimber?" Florence muttered in fear, knowing that meant there was a chance that blood would be spilled.

"Yes, and you know what could happen on a day like today, give him the chance to see his little girl." Polly replied, startling Florence.

"How did you know?" Florence whispered in disbelief.

"I knew, long before you told me that you wanted him at the birth, I could just tell in the way something shifted between you both," Polly explained, "So what changed?"

"When I told him about the baby, he told me that he couldn't marry me, because he wouldn't be able to keep me safe if the baby and I were tied to him," Florence explained, "And I suppose that's what today is."

"God, I could throttle him for letting you go," Polly sighed.

"You and me both."

"He's a good man with a good heart," Polly attempted to assure the girl, "He just has an odd way of showing it."