With the official board meeting over, the family headed back to where they always ended up when shit hit the fan. Small Heath, another place that hadn’t changed and probably never would. They were meeting in The Garrison and Ailbhe had been told someone would come fetch her when the time came. She was surprised to find Finn on her doorstep, expecting Tommy to send one of the newer Peaky boys to fetch her but sure enough, Tommy had an ulterior motive. He knew Finn and Ailbhe hadn’t spoken since she got back and he had also seen what a disaster Finn had been for the last five months without her.
He was causing trouble for them, making messes that Tommy or Arthur or Niall had to come along and clean up. The timing wasn’t a coincidence that he became a nightmare the same time Ailbhe left for New York. Tommy knew they were young and in love, whatever it meant but he hadn’t thought about the implications for Finn should Ailbhe be sent away. But Tommy was dreaming again, bad dreams of people coming for his throne and he needed every person in his corner at their best. And he now understood that for Tommy to be at his best, he needed Ailbhe in his corner which she wouldn't be if Finn didn't wake up from this downward spiral he was intent on having.
“Tommy sent me to fetch you, the meeting’s probably already started” He told her, avoiding her eyes and flicking the ash off the end of his cigarette.
She narrowed her eyes at him, not moving her feet nor rushing at all. She took a moment, giving him a chance but he didn’t look at her. He couldn’t.
He guessed she was probably furious with him. He knew that she had every right to be for not writing to her, nor coming to see her sooner but he didn’t know what to say. How do you tell someone you fell apart without them? It was pathetic and Finn Shelby was meant to be a peaky blinder, a real Shelby brother. He wasn't supposed to need anyone, to be soft, to want someone as much as he wanted her.
“We better get going then” She snapped, pulling the door out after her and brushing past him.
He fell into step beside her, remembering to slow down for her legs that were shorter than his. She used to link her arm through his or hold onto his hand so he knew the pace to walk. It was something small but it felt awkward without it.
They walked in silence for a few minutes, many people on the streets nodding hello at them and whispering about Small heath’s own royal couple. Before New York, Finn and Ailbhe were seen together daily, almost always with Ailbhe laughing and Finn trying not to. Young girls would looks on and be jealous, wish that Birmingham's prince fancied them instead while men tried not to be caught admiring Ailbhe for fear Finn would catch their wandering eyes and take them from their heads.
Finn kept his eyes straight ahead as they passed beyond the factories that spewed out smoke and sparks from the different industries. He didn't dare to look at her, to remind himself what it felt like when she looked back at him and could practically feel her see straight through him, as if she could climb inside his mind and rifle through his deepest thoughts.
“Are you really not going to talk to me?” She snapped, grinding to a halt and folding her arms across her chest.
Finn stopped a few feet in front of her, turning back to face her. She had that look on her face, the one that Finn used to mock her for because it was so serious, so sullen. When usually Ailbhe had an air of ease about her while she was just so full of light.
“Are you not even going to look at me?” She asked him, her vulnerability fighting to be heard in her voice but she stopped it. The last thing she needed Finn to do was feel sorry for her.
As if he was making a point, he lifted his head and looked her straight in the eyes. Her anger faded slightly, leaving her look quite lost. His eyes were wide and a little bloodshot like he hadn’t slept properly in a long time.
She looked perfect as always, even better than when she had left him five months ago. It irked him to see her looking so perfect, as though it didn’t affect her in the slightest to be away from him. But he should have known Ailbhe was a good liar and an even better actor.
“I thought you’d be happy to see me...” she said it so quiet it was almost a whisper.
It had all been so rushed. One minute she was stuck in New York, away from Finn and away from everyone she loved and the next minute Tommy was telling her to pack her stuff and be on the next boat home. She had been apprehensive, not knowing what was waiting for her back home but Finn had promised to love her, to be with her forever. So why could he barely look at her?
“Well, forgive me Finn. I’m so fucking sorry I came back to ruin your fun.” She snapped sarcastically, walking past him before he could see that she was nearly in tears.
She wouldn't let him have the satisfaction of her tears. She couldn't. If Finn was so displeased to see her back then she would swallow back those tears and pretend she didn't care either. Now certain that she was crashing the party with her arrival, that Finn had been revelling in his freedom while she was away, she felt her temper outweight her heartache.
She had expected him to catch up with her, to fall into step beside her before they entered the meeting in The Garrison. But when she reached the door and turned around, he was gone. She wanted to scream, just to shout at him that she loved him and she was sorry she had to leave and that she was sorry she couldn’t come back sooner but she had done everything she could to get back to him as fast as she could. But Ailbhe had a pride and she wasn't going to swallow it for someone who couldn't even look at her and have a conversation.
But Finn hadn’t even tried, it seemed to Ailbhe that he had given up. After everything they had been through, everything they had promised and he was acting as though none of it mattered anymore, like it had all been for nothing.
She swallowed down the emotions that threatened to bubble over and yanked open the door to The Garrison. Her family were already seated around one of the booth tables mid conversation.
While Lizzie, Ada and Polly sat around the table the men stood around leaning against the columns and tables.
Ailbhe muttered an apology for being late, throwing herself down beside Polly and slipping her coat off her shoulders.
“Where’s Finn?” Tommy asked her, knowing she wasn’t meant to come alone.
The way she lifted her head and glowered at him was enough of an answer.
“Right, family meeting. First item – this” Ada announced slamming down a bullet onto the table “Dug out of our Finn’s arm yesterday by Aberama Gold and Ailbhe using your gin and a razor blade”
Ailbhe kept her eyes down, noticing how Lizzie looked around in shock. She was clearly the only one who didn’t know about it. Unfortunately, Ailbhe knew all about it.
“Finn?” Lizzie asked incredulously, looking around and seeing that none of this was news to Ailbhe nor Polly.
“He says they were sent to Limehouse, Chinatown” Ada explained.
“Sent by fucking who?” Lizzie asked, her eyes going straight to her husband.
“Sent by me, I told Finn to stay out of it he obviously didn’t listen” Tommy replied, waving his hand casually with a cigarette between his fingers.
“Tommy sweetheart, I listen to you” Lizzie scoffed sarcastically “I listen to you when you tell me no more sport for anyone named Shelby”.
It was true. With Tommy being an MP and Shelby Company Ltd being a legitimate company the family had to stay clean, keeping their reputations clear of scandal and thankfully they had. Ailbhe’s little brush with the law had been kept under wraps and no one knew about it apart from the family.
They were quite lucky Ailbhe had learnt her lesson about Ireland. The fight for freedom was far from over, but it was also far from being won. Ailbhe came to terms with the fact that the killing wasn’t done, the dying wasn’t done but it wouldn’t be her blood spilt and it wouldn’t be her hands that were covered blood either. The politics in Ireland was growing more and more complicated with every passing month and it was a dog fight, a war between politicians and officials. But just because Ailbhe wasn't going to pick up a gun anytime soon didn't mean she'd forgotten about it.
Ailbhe looked up, finding her eyes drawn to Ada. There was something different about her. Ailbhe felt herself staring, scanning Ada up and down before Ada looked back at her. Ailbhe tore her eyes away. Perhaps she was imagining it.
Lizzie’s voice broke Ailbhe’s train of thought as she found herself picking up the bullet and looking at it. The bullet that had been lodged in Finn’s arm just yesterday, the bullet that Ailbhe had helped yank out. Chinese inscriptions were written along it. They had been expecting them.
“I listen to you when you make me promises” Lizzie snapped “What’s in Chinatown Tommy what the fuck is going on?”
Perhaps marriage wasn’t all bliss and easy living.
Ailbhe looked up at Tommy, seeing the defeat in his eyes as he gave in. He had to tell them sometime.
“Fifty thousand pound in cash” he answered.
Ada looked between them adding “He said they were sent to Chinatown to kill somebody!”.
Ailbhe had been sure the job Aberama Gold, Isiah and Finn was ordered by Tommy but she hadn’t been told why or who they were after. The family business was very much a need-to-know basis and having been in New York for five months, Ailbhe was behind.
Arthur sighed, shutting his eyes and shaking his head in frustration.
“That kid needs educating Tommy he really does, he’s been a fucking nightmare since Ailbhe left” He sighed, grabbing a cigarette and lighting it.
Ailbhe stayed silent. She didn’t look up at the pairs of eyes that looked at her at the mention of her name. She doubted her return was going to help the situation at all since Finn couldn’t stand to be in the same room as her and that despite her earlier tears, right now she wanted to put a bullet in his arm rather than take one out.
“Jesus Christ Tommy” Lizzie snapped, slamming her hand down on the table.
Polly leaned across, putting her hand out
“It was a particular opportunity” She explained, trying to make Lizzie settle down but of course it almost did the opposite.
“It was a particular opportunity presented to me in confidence, I dealt with it in confidence” he explained, his eyes catching on Ailbhe. She wasn’t sure why but she could feel Arthur, Tommy and Liam’s eyes watching her, as if they were waiting for her reaction.
“But you told Polly” Lizzie stated, her frustration with Tommy coming to a head.
Lizzie was sick of being Tommy’s crutch in private and then being treated as nothing but furniture in public. She was sick of being told nothing and expected to keep quiet.
“Tommy told me that there was a pimp in East London who sold kids” Polly snapped, taking a pull from her cigarette.
“Fucking kids eh Lizzie?” Arthur added for emphasis.
But Ailbhe didn’t buy it. The Peaky Blinders did a lot of good with the foundation and their institutions but they weren’t the law, the police. What did Tommy get out of taking on the Chinese?
“This pimp was blackmailing a senior member of the House of Lords, a very wealthy man”
There it was, the real reason.
“And now this pimp is lying in a ditch, covered in flies. The world’s a better place” Arthur added, shrugging and taking a swig from the bottle of whiskey on the table.
“Holy fuck” Ada sighed “So now your business is improving the world?”
Ailbhe couldn’t take her eyes off Ada for again. Ailbhe's dreams, her instincts and second sight was sharper than ever and she knew Ada's secret. She caught Polly watching her and looked into her eyes. Polly knew too. She nodded slightly at Ailbhe and kept her lips pursed. Ailbhe had known Polly long enough to know when Polly was telling her to keep quiet about something without even opening her lips.
“Sometimes Ada, killing is a kindness” Arthur spoke softly but his words weren’t his. He had borrowed them from Tommy.
“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 the trial. The coppers cleared the streets for us”
Tommy explained, the whole family looking on intently.
“This work was commissioned by a high court judge, by Scotland Yard and by the House of Lords”
Tommy continued, catching eyes with Ailbhe again.
“It is also the reason why Ailbhe was permitted to come home and why her slate was wiped clean” He added, pointing his hand in her direction.
So, that was why the boys had been in Chinatown. It was why Finn had gotten shot. He had done it for her, to get her home. She suddenly felt guilty for snapping at him earlier, for being so impatient and bratty.
“It was a particular opportunity, it is not to be repeated” Polly clarified, pointing her cigarette at Lizzie.
“And it was the right thing to do” Tommy added, backed by Niall and Arthur’s nods and hums in agreement.
“Lizzie you need to understand-” Tommy began but Lizzie interrupted him.
“That you tell Polly and not me” She snapped, her expression cool and withdrawn.
“You need to understand that the corridors of Westminster are very dimly lit and for those who make the rules, there are no rules” He clarified.
Ailbhe paused, reaching for a cigarette and sighing. They had come a long way and with Tommy’s new position they were higher than ever. Almost untouchable. And Tommy wouldn’t stop there.
“We own the ropes, who’s gonna hang us now?”
The words hung in the air like a strong smell. The boys, Ailbhe and Polly had all come close to hanging for their sins. It was something they all feared. But Tommy seemed to think that now he was almost above that but Ailbhe knew that no one was above death, above revenge and retribution.
“We! We own the ropes do we?” Ada snapped, her tone laced in sarcasm and emphasis.
“Lizzie if Finn had listened to me you wouldn’t have known. When we go home, I’ll explain” He tried to rationalise with her but Lizzie had had enough.
She grabbed her handbag, storming out and leaving the rest of them to it.
“So” Ada sighed “Tommy Shelby, MP. Business as usual”
Ailbhe knew that Ada and Lizzie wouldn’t be happy about the strategies of the unofficial business to keep themselves afloat. But they hadn’t seen the books, the real figures. If Liam didn’t keep the other side of the business running, they wouldn’t have two pennies to rub together after the stock market crashed.
Tommy sighed; his family weren’t as easy to convince as he had hoped.
“The strategies Ailbhe and I outlined in our plan are put in place to rebuild the legitimate side of our business but it will take time” Tommy explained, knowing there was in fact another side.
“In the meantime-” He started to continue but Ada interrupted him, not caring if he wasn’t finished.
“Just business as fucking usual!” She snapped, louder this time.
Tommy raised his voice over hers.
“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!” He retorted, louder than Ada.
Ada pursed her lips, shaking her head at him. She had thought Shelby Company Ltd was done with all of that. But clearly not.
“I thought we were done with all that. Liam?” She snapped, turning to face Liam who stood against the bar, his arms folded across his chest.
“Ada, we keep the other businesses going in case of emergencies and this is a fucking emergency!” He tried to reason with her but she wasn’t listening anymore.
“No is gonna hang you Tommy, you’re gonna hang yourself” She snapped, grabbing her handbag and slamming the door behind her just like Lizzie had.
“Someone has to pay for them paintings on your wall Ada!” Tommy yelled after her. The only response he got was the slamming door.
Liam sighed deeply, grabbing his hat and pulling it back on his head. He left too, not slamming the door but in none less of a huff than the two before him.
“Jesus Christ the women in this company” Niall groaned, rubbing his face in his hands. The slamming doors and arguments were getting on his nerves.
“Shut up Niall” Ailbhe snapped, shaking her head and giving him a glare.
He went to take a swig from his bottle only to find it was empty. He slumped off his stool and headed for the storeroom in the basement leaving Ailbhe, Polly, Arthur and Tommy alone.
Polly shook her head, leaning in and tapping the ash off the end of her cigarette.
“You need to go easy on Ada” she sighed, shaking her head.
Ailbhe agreed. Especially now.
“Pol, when am I ever not easy on Ada? Eh?” Tommy sighed, taking the seat beside Ailbhe.
Arthur slid into the booth where Lizzie and Ada had left vacancies.
“Thomas” Polly started, looking for the words and looking at Ailbhe “The thing is... Ada...”
She couldn’t find them, the right words.
“She’s pregnant” Tommy found them for her quite easily.
The news came as a shock to Arthur who choked on his drink and started coughing.
“Ada’s what?” Arthur gasped, trying to catch his breath.
From the way Ailbhe just sat there, taking another sip of her drink and unreactive he knew that she knew too.
“These days, people tell me things without speaking” Tommy stated, looking away from them.
Arthur was still gasping for breath and coughing beside them.
“Wait a minute, our Ada is fucking pregnant?” He gasped but no one answered him.
“And you knew?” Arthur asked Ailbhe incredulously.
She smiled a little, satisfied her earlier observations had been right. Polly smiled too, Ailbhe’s sight had clearly sharpened while she was away.
“You two need to tell Ada that its 1929, times have changed and no one gives a fuck who the father is” Tommy exclaimed, looking between Polly and Ailbhe.
“Really?” Polly hummed “I already know who the father is! But we’ve had enough shocks for one day”
Polly was, as usual a few steps ahead. Ailbhe had no idea who the father was but she had done well to guess Ada was pregnant therefore it shouldn’t take her long to figure out the baby’s father too.
Polly gathered her things, standing up from the table and following the steps of the other women out the door. Somehow, it had just been left with Ailbhe, Tommy and Arthur around the table.
“Alright, how long have you both known?” Arthur asked, grabbing the bottle and filling three glasses.
Tommy’s answer was much more calculated than Ailbhe’s.
“I know her doctor, he calls me” Tommy explained, turning to look at Ailbhe.
Thomas raised an eyebrow at Ailbhe. How could she possibly have known?
She shrugged, just tapping a finger to the side of her temple. She didn’t know how to explain it, how to word it but she just knew. It was a feeling, just an instinct that she got when she looked at someone, like she could read them.
“Have a look at this” Tommy requested, taking the bullet from in front of Ailbhe and passing it to Arthur.
He held it up to the light, seeing the Chinese inscriptions.
“What’s that funny writing?” He asked, inspecting it by rolling it through his fingers.
“Chinese” Tommy answered, his eyes being drawn to outside the window as a milk cart rolled by.
“So, what is it? Bad news?” He asked them, looking between Ailbhe and Tommy.
Ailbhe seemed to be the only one keeping up with Tommy these days anyway.
“Maybe” Tommy sighed. Ailbhe was almost certain it meant bad news. Everything usually did these days.
Ailbhe watched Arthur roll the bullet between his fingers almost proudly.
“Look at that! Pulled from our brother eh? Finally took a first bullet” Arthur smiled, holding it up to the light.
Ailbhe felt sick knowing that could have been lodged in his heart if Finn had been a few inches away.
“No one fucking listens to me” Tommy sighed, throwing his head back and closing his eyes before he pulled it back, looked at Ailbhe and Arthur and nodded “Except you two”.
He reached across, taking the bullet from Arthur and promising to keep it for Finn.
“I’ve still got my first one” he explained, standing up and pulling on his coat.
“Now so” Tommy turned, facing Ailbhe who had been uncharacteristically quiet for the duration of the meeting.
“Where’s Finn?” He asked her but she didn’t meet his eyes for a moment, staring down into her glass.
When she did look up, she seemed cold and withdrawn.
“Fuck knows” she snapped, looking away from them again.
Tommy clapped a hand on Arthur’s shoulder.
“It turns out Ailbhe, you hold the key to our brother’s sanity so sort it out because I can’t have any more loose cannons around here” He ordered, pointing a finger at her and telling her to get it done.
“You Shelby’s are fucking complicated”
Ailbhe snapped, finishing the end of her whiskey and sighing at the familiar burning sensation in her throat. She grabbed her coat and bag, following everyone else out the door. Of course, she wanted to sort it but it was quite hard to when Finn wouldn’t even speak to her. Well, if he couldn’t bear to even speak to her, he could well enough listen. And with three whiskies in her, Ailbhe felt like talking.