Arabella || Peaky Blinders [Michael Gray]

thirteen

Chapter Thirteen
"Fucking pheasant!"

Tommy hadn't spoken to anyone for days.

Arabella was surprised he had even called her to his house to talk business, though she assumed he was focusing on work so he didn't have to think about Grace. Arabella hadn't really known the woman well, but she made Tommy happy, and that was all that mattered. So of course, she felt absolutely awful that Tommy Shelby was now without the love of his life, and that baby Charles was without his mother.

"He's back," Ada informed, releasing her grip on the curtain, the material falling back into place covering the window.

"Was he out there all night?" Arabella asked as she, Michael and Polly followed Ada into the other room.

"Every night since the funeral," Ada replied. "He comes back in the morning to see Charles and feed the horses. And when it gets dark he goes off again."

"He used to sleep out when he was a kid," Polly said. "Curly'd find him in the pasture. How's the baby?"

"He asks for his mum at night," Ada sighed. Arabella felt a heavy pang in her chest, tears almost forming in her eyes as she began to think about Charles' hurt and confusion about where his mother had gone. Arabella knew exactly what it was like to grow up without a mum. "Tommy made a list," Ada informed them. "He wants to see you three first."

Arabella's eyebrows drew together in a frown, sharing a glance with Polly. "What about John and Arthur?" Polly questioned, the exact thought having been on Arabella's mind.

Ada shook her head, any response she could muster being interrupted anyway by the front door opening. Tommy strode past them, face de-void of all expression, heading silently into his office and slamming the door shut behind him. Polly nodded over at Arabella and Michael, motioning for them to follow her. Arabella exhaled heavily, remaining a few steps behind them both, slightly nervous about how Tommy was going to act towards them in the midst of all his grief.

She was the last to step into Tommy's office, occupying herself with shutting the door shut behind them. When she turned around to enter the room properly, she was met with mostly darkness. Tommy sat behind his large desk, which was completely covered in sprawled out papers and documents. Arabella swallowed thickly, taking a few tentative steps inside, not quite knowing how to act, or what to say. Slowly, she moved to stand beside Michael, folding her hands together as she patiently waited for Tommy to speak, though the man merely scribbled over his paperwork, as if they weren't even there.

"How're the books?"

Arabella blinked for a moment, Tommy's voice finally cutting through the silence having startled her slightly.

"Unaffected," Polly answered. Arabella glanced over at her, noticing how rigid with tension the woman's entire body was.

"Up slightly," Michael informed him. "There's also been a threefold increase in donations to the Shelby Foundation Charity."

"The counsellor suggested naming the new school the Grace Shelby Institute," Arabella added on.

Tommy snuffed out his cigarette, clasping his hands together. "Tell the counsellor the name Grace Shelby Institute is acceptable to us," he said, rifling through the endless piles of paper to eventually hand Polly an envelope. "This is a list of the other things I want doing. That's all."

"Tommy–"

"That's all, Pol," Tommy interrupted firmly. "And well done, all of you."

Polly glanced at Michael and Arabella,  nodding her head. "Right, let's go."