"I can't imagine Arthur with a child" Ruairi jokes to his best friend as they walk home from the theatre, talking about their siblings with children.
"Imagine, him and James, they'd have it addicted to whiskey before it could talk" Lilibet laughs, hoping Arthur never has children. "I'm happy we're the youngest, cause we get to be the really cool aunt and uncle"
"Look it's starting to snow" He tells her, feeling little snowflakes drop onto him. He notices she's just in her dress with no cover up, so he takes off his coat and hands it to her, she thanks him putting on the over sized coat.
"It's lovely isn't it?" Lilibet asks him, referring to the snow falling onto the ground as they enter Watery Lane, he takes her hand and brings her in between her house and his, the street empty due to it being almost midnight, only the muffled sounds of drunk men in the nearby pubs. He laughs with her, walking her to her doorstep out of the snow falling, she enters her house and hangs up Ruairi's coat and going into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea.
She heads to her room, sleeping peacefully until she hears a blood-curdling wail come from Tommy's room, saving no time she runs to his room and soothes him.
"You're alright Tom" She says rubbing his back, he goes to respond but the two hear violent shouts and frantic knocking at their door, Lilibet gets up and looks out the window facing the street, to find Curley out in the pouring rain shouting for the two to come down.
"Couldn't have picked a better night to come get us?" Lilibet asks Curley as they make their way into the stables, her long hair soaking and her only proper piece of clothing on a coat belonging to one of her brothers, underneath bed shorts and a bralette.
"Shut up Elizabeth, Curley tell me" Tommy scolds his sister.
"It's a curse Tom" Curly warns him. Elizabeth knowing straight away the poor horse was at the end of its life just by the look of her uncle Charlie.
"Curley, Curley shh, curly, tell me what's wrong with the horse" Tommy soothes the distressed man.
"You bought it at the fair in bad feeling, the Lee's but a bad seed in the hoof, got an old woman to put a spell" Curly huffs.
"So, those Lee bastards cursed her" Lilibet puts it simply.
"Whatever it is, he says it spread to the other foot" Charlie says to his niece and nephew, still a bit sour over how they spoke to him earlier that day.
"Its going to his heart by tomorrow" Curly finishes, still not having calmed down from the moment they got here.
"You can't take a curse like this back" Lilibet thinks out loud, looking over at her brother knowing what they have to do to put the horse out of his misery. She nods at Tom telling him she'd do it, not wanting him to kill one of the things he loves most. "Get out, the three of you" she demands to the men.
She walks up to the horse and puts her head against its forehead, muttering an apology. Even though she never really liked horses as much as Tommy she still admired the creatures. She takes a step back and a deep inhale of breath, taking her gun out from her coat pocket, placing it on the white horses forehead and shoots.
Bang!
She got home humming but realising Tommy wasn't with her, shrugging it off thinking he's stayed with Charlie and Curly. Polly bursts through the kitchen whilst Lilibet, still humming away is making herself a cup of tea. The two sit down and she explains to Polly about what happened moments earlier, then realising she hadn't told her about the Inspector and Grace at the theatre.
"Pol, you know that Irish barmaid, Grace?" she questions her aunt, not even knowing if she knows he, Polly nods egging her on to continue. "Well, Ruairi and I saw her and Campbell, together at the theatre, coincidence I think not"
"It's probably nothing, they're both Irish, maybe old friends" Polly tries to cover for the two.
"Why is it no one believes me in this fucking family" Elizabeth gets up to leave, but is stopped by Polly placing her hand in her niece's.
"We do, it's just you never liked this barmaid from the start-" Polly starts but Lilibet snatches her hand and exits in a rush, stressed out by knowing her family didn't believe her, she was the smartest in the family, even sometimes ahead of Tommy, surely she knew what she was seeing and thinking. She heads back up to bed and sleeps the night, hearing that gun shot every so often.
•
"Did you want whiskey as well?" Grace asks the four siblings in the snug.
"Just beer" Thomas replies.
"Why no whiskey, Tommy, are you expecting trouble?" Arthur asks
"Jesus Christ Tommy, what the hell made you let them sing again" John pipes up.
"Its like they're strangling cats" Lilibet says, making Tommy crack a smile at his younger siblings.
"It's about time Tommy" John says, noticing the way he looks at Grace not just like another whore they talk to.
"Time for what" Tom says acting clueless to what his brother meant.
"Time you took yourself up a woman" Arthur states, noticing how his younger brother took a liking to the Irish woman.
"No, anyone but her please" Elizabeth pleads, making her brothers laugh at her, thinking she was joking when she really wasn't.
"You stay the way you are Tommy, remember what dad used to say?" Arthur says to his siblings, them all remembering the phrase their drunk for a father always quoted.
Elizabeth doesn't remember a great deal of her father but the odd few times like the time her and a brown haired boy she can't remember the name of, were playing in front of the fireplace happily until her father came stumbling through the door, shouting at everyone and anyone. Not the best memory but one she somehow remembers. Oh and also when she was little that he locked her outside one morning to punish her, and didn't let her back in until the next day, making her family search everywhere for her, she was hiding from the cold in their uncles yard..
"Fast women and slow horses will ruin your life" Elizabeth rolls her eyes, her siblings laugh until they see lights approach "here he is"
"Is there any man here named Shelby?" No response "I SAID, is there any man here named Shelby" the four come out of the snug, Tommy telling everyone to go home, telling Grace by herself to go home resulting in Lilibet rolling her eyes at her brother, desperately wanting to slap him straight. She leaves and it's left with the four Shelby's facing Kimber and his men.
"I've never approved of women in pubs, but when they look like you, my love" Billy says, looking straight at Elizabeth, making her scrunch her face in disgust.
"Shut the fuck up" John says, already getting violent with the man only for Elizabeth to tell him to calm it.
"You said you wanted men called Shelby, you've got three" Thomas states.
"And me" Lilibet smiles.
"Right, I'd never heard of ya, then I did hear of ya, some little didicoy razor gang. I thought to myself, 'So what', but then you fucked me over so now you have my undivided attention" Thomas not breaking eye contact with him the whole time. "Who am I talking to, who's the boss"
"Well I'm the oldest" Arthur speaks up.
"Ha, clearly" The man chuckles
"Are you laughing at my brother" John pipes up
"Right he's the oldest you're the thickest and I'm told a mans called Tommy and I'm guessing thats you because you haven't stopped looking me up and down like I'm a tart" he claims getting angry. "Which means you, my girl, is Elizabeth" he softens his tone.
"Don't call me your girl" she points at him, only Tommy calls her that "We want to know what you want"
"There were suspicious betting patterns at Kempton Park, a horse called Monaghan boy. He won by a length twice and then finished last, with 3,000 pound bets on him" A man with glasses speaks up.
"Who are we talking to, who's the boss?" Tommy asks the men opposite him.
"I'm Mr. Kimbers advisor and accountant" the man who was just talking speaks.
"I'm the fucking boss, okay right, end of parley. You fixed a race without my permission" Kimber says getting up out of his seat forecefully. "I'm Billy Kimber, I run the races and you fixed one of them, so I'm gonna have you shot against a post" Kimber shouts, only for Lilibet and John to start giggling at him.
"Talk about fucking anger issues, I thought we were bad" She wheezes to her brother, the two not giving a damn, everyone in the room thought they were off their heads.
"What you laughing at sweetheart?" Billy asks the girl brave enough to act like that in front of him.
"Never call me sweetheart, alright?" Trying to shake off the disgust "I've got something for you hold on." Lilibet states whilst standing up and reaching into her stocking, pulling out the two bullets Uncle Charlie gave them. She throws one at the man.
"My name on it, Thomas also received one, courtesy of the Lee family, you're also at war with the Lees if I am right?" Elizabeth asks in a calm, almost soothing tone. Billy nods, impressed at the young girls knowledge.
"The Lees are attacking your bookies and taking your money, your men can't control them, you need help" Tommy finishes for his sister.
"Mr Kimber perhaps we should make arrangements for a second meeting" His advisor speaks up looking between the three. Kimber nods throwing the bullet back at Elizabeth with power, she catches it and smirks at him. "We'll be at Cheltenham" the man says following them out.
"He was pleasant" Lilibet says, realising her laughs she was keeping in, John joining in.
"You two are something else" Arthur laughs with his younger siblings, amazed at how his youngest sister doesn't care what she says or does to one of the most dangerous men they know. That's what he always admired about her, they all did, she had no filter which they didn't know was a blessing or a curse.
"Lili, get yourself a nice dress, Lads, get a decent haircut, we're going to the races" Tommy says looking between his three siblings, downing their drinks as a toast.
"And Grace" Lilibet, says pouring John another drink.
"What?" Tommy asks, sharp as a knife.
"Grace is coming too, yeah I know, eyes and ears everywhere." Lilibet winks, getting up walking over to her brother, "She told me, I love you T, but I mean it when I say there's something off about her. Stop thinking with your dick", Elizabeth says knowing her brother won't listen to her if she told him to stop seeing the woman all together.
"I'll take my chances" He says with his raspy voice clear. She scoffs and leave the pub. Why's he so fucking difficult, she thought. She had to go back to the pub in a few hours for another meeting with two Irishmen but she wanted to get as far away as possible.
The young woman made her way down Watery Lane intending to see her best-friend, craving him and his touch. She walked into his house, knowing he'd forget to lock the door because his parents and brother are at work and Saoirse is, well god only knows where. She called his name looking into different rooms but not finding him, she went into the small garden to find him outside playing football with Finn.
She leaned against the doorway for a moment and admired him, his curly hair messy from running and his lips turned up into a smile from playing with the young boy he watched grow up. "Lil" Finn shouts and runs up to his favourite sibling, missing her when he hadn't seen her in so long, even though if it was only a few hours.
"Hey Finny, hope you're beating his arse" She says to the young boy laughing, looking up to Ruairi seeing him with his tongue pocked out at her.
"How was the meeting?" He asks about the meeting, despite his objections about her not going because he didn't want her to get hurt, she did what she wanted, as always.
"Good, that man has got major anger issues, like me and Arthur put together" She tells him, making him laugh at her recollection of an important meeting, although he knew she was keeping it short because Finn was listening to the two.
"Have you two seen Ada today?" She asks the two boys. Lilibet hasn't seen her sister since they got back from Wales and she wanted to ask if Ada was alright. The two boys shake their heads in response.
"Irish whiskey, three glasses" Thomas orders off of Grace, Elizabeth was stood beside him smiling.
"I've decided I'm not going to the races, not unless you give me two pound ten shilling more, for the dress" Grace tells Tommy, getting the whiskey.
"Its not me you'll be dressing up for" he says simply, Elizabeth smirks at this, not going unnoticed by the barmaid.
"How much does your suit cost" She replies to him.
"I don't pay for suits, they're on the house"
"Neither do I, I don't pay for my dresses" Lilibet adds, receiving a look from Grace, and a nudge from Thomas. She sits down, and lets in the two Irishmen they were meeting with.
"You said you had business" Thomas states, pouring himself, and the two men a glass of whiskey.
"It's delicate, its a question about who knows what, about what concerns the factory at the BSA and you may know most of them are Irish, big old place, rumours are started" the brunette man starts off. "Caught wind that there was a robbery"
"Of what" Lilibet asks him, folding her legs.
"Guns a serious amount of guns" he replies to her.
"What business of ours is that?" Thomas now asks the man
"You can't beat a night shift at the factory, some say there was word from the proofing bay that it was the Peaky Blinders who took them"
"They must be dreaming"
"Maybe they ain't" The second man speaks for the first time, he seems a bit off his rocker, Kezia thought.
"If you were to hear about the whereabouts of these items, we have good money" The first man tries to make a deal with us.
"You have good money?" Lilibet laughs a bit, seeing the fifth of their clothes, and the mud on their faces.
"We have the collections from the pubs" He tells her.
"For who do you speak?"
"The Irish people, the Irish republican army" He says with force.
"For a fact" She raises her eyebrow, mouth open in taunt.
"For a fucking fact, you think we're jokers?" The second
"An bhfuil muid ag gaire?" She speaks the men's native tongue. The second man starts singing, an old rebel song, the two Shelby's lay back in their chairs, the first man evidently embarrassed.
"Maguire shut up we're tryna do business" He slaps him.
"I joined the IRA..." he finished singing
"Bravo" Kezia claps slowly, they see the men out, rolling their eye sup to heaven at the men.
"Alright boys, I'll let you know" Thomas ends the 'meeting' by showing the two men out one still signing his green little heart out.
"I thought there was only singing on a Saturday?" Grace jokes with Thomas, with a slight smile on her face until Kezia emerges from the snug at the sound of her voice.
"Whiskeys good proofing water" Thomas replies to her, taking a sharp sip of the glass of said liquid.
"What did they want?" She questions, quite bravely as nobody bar family would dare ask these two what their business dealings were. "Sounded like rebels"
"Only rebels cause they like the songs" Elizabeth laughs jumping onto of the counter.
"I am surprised you could understand them their accents were so thick, next time I could translate" The barmaid speaks to Thomas.
"An bhféadfá a bheith níos soiléire" Lilibet scoffs and jumps off the counter walking out "Toodles". She leaves the two older adults to themselves, not caring about her brothers dealings with the barmaid, Lilibet deep down knew that it would bite him in the bottom someday.
"I'm home Pol" Lilibet shouts but being very quickly hushed by her aunt in the living room by the fire with a sleeping Finn on her lap.
"Come here please he has been asking for you" Polly says lifting his head up to swap places with her niece. "Poor thing has the flu" She remarks, his little nose was all red and tender, whilst his chest was raspy and uneven, whenever the littlest Shelby was sick, he would only ever want Lili's lap as a pillow, Lili's tea and Lili's bedtime stories.
"Where's Thomas?" The older lady asks, with her ams folded leant up against the fireplace, this usually meant she had something to tell us both, usually also meaning it wasn't particularly good news, just as if he heard her, Thomas Shelby walks through the door.
"Uh-Oh, we're in trouble Tommy" Lilibet hums quietly, rubbing Finn's hair out of his face. Thomas looks to her, then back at his aunt and gives a suggestive look shaking his head, as if to say 'What then?'.
"Are you armed? Then I'll tell you" She says, he takes the gun out of his pocket and throws it onto the opposing sofa, she nods in thanks.
"They're married, they defied you, they haven't left" Polly says in a soft voice careful not to wake the boy fast asleep on his big sister "I'll deal with it"
"Where are they?" Thomas simply asks, in a matching tone.
"Freddie's comrade's safe house, why?"
"He wants to send them flowers" Elizabeth quietly giggles, the two other cracking a small smile. Lilibet did not care much of this as Thomas did, sure it was bad rep for the family name, however she knew her older sister was happy, and what more could she really ask for but a quiet house without Ada?
"Would it be so bad if they stayed?" Polly speaks once more, receiving a scoff from him.
"I promised I'd run Freddie out of town" He admits to her, sitting down on the small arm chair.
"Well who did you promise?" She asks with a unpleasant mix of anger and intrigue.
"We told the copper he wouldn't come back, it was part of the deal" Lilibet answers for him.
"What deal?, What happened to family bloody votes, family meetings?" She tries to remain calm. "If you let me deal with them it'll end in peace" She tells Thomas. "Christ knows you've had your fill of war"
"You get Freddie out of town or I'll deal with him myself" Thomas warns Polly, bold move Thomas, Lilibet thought.
"Flanders blues again" Lilibet thinks outloud.
"I just wanna know where she is" he says whilst storming out, Polly huffing and storming out too.
"Just us th-" Lilibet gets interrupted, with Moss, a police officer that the Peaky Blinders pay, with Thomas and himself storming back into the family room "Nevermind" she whispers.
"Mr. Campbell wants an explanation" The man starts.
"Freddie Thornes back"
"Mr. Campbell thought you controlled his secretaries"
"Mr Campbell this and that, has he not a first name no?" Lilibet asks, genuinely annoyed at the whole situation now.
"I heard your sister married Freddie some family eh, bet you can't wait for Christmas, she'll get four years for sedition, if you don't get Freddie throne away" He laughs. earning a quick shush from Elizabeth.
"Or you can turn him and our sister goes free" She whispers leaning slightly ahead, with a wink.
"Right, night then Tom, goodnight Lilibet" Thomas shows him out, Elizabeth carries a surprisingly heavy Finn upstairs to tuck him in, before getting ready for bed herself. She had trouble sleeping this particular night however, mostly due to the fact that her sister and her unborn niece or nephew had a chance of being in prison, all due to Ada's love affair. She admired how far Ada went for Freddie though, she was always fond of a fairytale ending, even if it is staying in a Comrades house, seeking solemn from even your own brother.
Elizabeth hears murmurs coming from the room beside hers, she lightly steps up and leans her ear against the wall to Thomas' bedroom, she hears voices so decides to get up and comfort him, thinking that he is just having another nightmare.
"Thoma- woah, hello Danny" She whispers, giving the man a hug as she steps into the room, that has an aroma of cigarettes and sweat.
"Private Whizzbang, at your service" He smiles to her.
"At ease" She smiles back at the kind man, taking a seat in her brother's bed.
"So, what from London?" Thomas asks him, pulling his sisters legs into of his lap.
"I was in a pub, an Irish one and I got talking to some old bloke about ham and a paddy man shot, they think it was the Peaky Blinders, is it true?"
"No but lies travel faster then the truth, get a message to them, and get them to send someone to parley" Thomas orders, Danny nods at his request.
"Tell them there's been a misunderstanding and we don't want any trouble" Elizabeth tells him in a quiet voice, "Say it with my smile too, charm them"
"You've got enough trouble, and charm alright" Thomas chuckles at her pushing her legs off him.
"The whiskey and the smoke I can smell it, they gave us the worst Job" Danny starts to stare off at the painting on Thomas' wall.
"I'm gonna go let you to reminisce" The girl kisses her brother on the cheek goodnight and leaves the room, to fall right asleep forgetting her worries. She sleeps the rest of the night, peacefully, being awoken bright and early by Thomas.
"Rise and shine, sunshine, get that dress on and let's go" He opens her curtains, receiving a tired groan, ignored. Lilibet puts a light layer of makeup on, not too much so that it doesn't cover her all so gorgeous freckles, and puts on her one of a kind dress, a beautiful black high neck with a perfect length skirt, although she would bet her life one of her brothers will make a remark on the length.
"Ready" She sings as Thomas has her coat waiting for her downstairs, he gives her a look of 'as if you are wearing that'. She ignores it and carries on her merrily way down to her Uncle Charlie's yard.
"Will it get us to Cheltnam, Curley?" Thomas asks the man, polishing a small black car.
"Maybe, not a fast getaway though, the Lee's will be all over the track, and Kimber and his men, they control the law Tommy" He warns them.
"The car only seats four, whether they be dead or alive" Charlie jokes with the two.
"It's just me and him" Lilibet tells Charlie
"And the girl" Thomas adds. Lilibet rolls her eyes, clearly forgetting Grace was accompanying them on their ride to the races, 'day ruined' thought Lilibet.
"Uh, I forgot that yoke is coming, I'm driving if so" Elizabeth takes the drivers seat, before Thomas could drag her out of it, although he does anyway and Grace arrives in the far distance. Thomas greets her and they approach an annoyed Elizabeth.
"Is it the three of us?" Grace asks, almost surprised Lilibet was joining them on their romantic venture.
"Ah, something like that" Lilibet taunts from the back seat of the car now, tapping Tommy's shoulder. Grace rolls her eyes to heaven, not going unnoticed by Thomas. They set off for Cheltenham, the older woman making useless and in Lili's opinion 'desperate' chatter toward Thomas.
"I should have gone with Johnny and Arthur" Lilibet groans as they get out of the car, after complaining the whole way over.
"Off we go, come on Elizabeth" Thomas orders her.
"Oh grumpy old men" She mutters. Elizabeth strays from Thomas and his date, annoyed at him for being so rude to her and actually coercing with Grace more than her, she was jealous, but had every right to be. She tried to find her other older brothers, and the Healy's of course.
"Oi, oi gorgeous" A man from the north comes up to her, she immediately pushes him off of her before his hands go lower than her hip.
"Fuck off freak" She laughs at him on the ground, thankfully she turns a corner to be greeted with John, with blood on his face, as per.
"You have a little something like all here" Lilibet covers her face with her hands, mirroring the blood on her brothers face.
"Yeah well you always have something there" He pushes her, "We just attended to some kind fellow in the gents, are you not meant to be with Tom?" He asks her.
"Yeah but I don't wanna" She mumbles to him, he chuckles then grabs her shoulders and jolts her.
"Wise up Elizabeth, this isn't a game you have to co operate, no matter how much you don't want Tommys attention to be taken off you" He comments, she scoffs at his words and pulls herself from him, he throws curses at her as she leaves but she doesn't pay any heed. Elizabeth rejoins Thomas and Grace at the dance floor, to instantly join in a conversation with Billy Kimber and Thomas Shelby.
"Your boys are taking cuts, I wanna suggest you contract a portion of your race tracks to the Peaky Blinders, it would save you a lot of money in return you give us 5 percent and three illegal tracks" She catches the end of Thomas' bargain
"Talk business to my accountant, I wanna dance" Billy tells him, putting out his hand for Lilibet, she looks at it for a moment, but before she can speak, Thomas speaks for her
"No, she's coming with me, take her" Thomas points over to Grace, looking solemn. After talking business with Kimber's nerdy accountant, Thomas and Lilibet head back over to Kimber, talking suave to Grace, which she looks profusely unamused.
"Im going home with John" Lilibet tells her brother as they walk to the pair. Thomas nods at her.
"It's only business Lilibet" Thomas states so plainly, oh but she knows her brother better than he knows himself.
"It's not Thomas, don't come crying to me when she breaks your heart" She raises her eyebrow at him. He ignored her, but it scared him deep down, what if she was right? what if she was a spy? Surely not, he thought.