Mercy's pov:
The police destroyed the city in search of communists and raided any bar that paid the Shelby's for protection.
"The coppers told everyone Arthur had agreed to it when he was arrested. They said the peaky blinders had cleared out to the fair to let them do it." "What?" I asked looking at Arthur as if he lost his mind. "I never said nothing to that copper about smashing up bloody houses!"
"Alright, Which pubs did they do?" Polly and I looked at each other before I read off the list,
"The guns, the chain, the marquis. All the ones that pay you boys to protect them."
"The only one they didn't touch was the garrison," Polly added as I took a drag from my cigarette.
I wasn't much of a smoker unless I was truly stressed. "I think we need to make sure people think we were in on it. These aren't any coppers, they know how to get to people around here." "You always do know what to do, don't you doll?" Arthur said nodding at me
"Finish your beers and get out. You'd better show people you are still the cocks of the walk." "Hand out some cash to the landlords of the pubs. Pay some veterans to fix the places up." Tommy ordered everyone around while Polly and I were going to stick around the shop and help.
"Let them see your faces!" Polly said to all of the boys before closing the double doors. "So we both know what they were looking for." "I think ill just-" "mercy. Sit. I need a witness and a nice cup of tea." I got up and filled the kettle placing it on the hooks in the fireplace.
"You don't read the papers?" "Racing papers." "So let me tell you the odds. I reckon it's three to one there'll be a revolution." "I wouldn't bet in that." "That coppers betting on it. He's not going to let it rest till he gets those guns back."
"Did he talk to you, pol?" "In the church" "did he try to find our ada?" "She's been sleeping," I answered his question. "Where was she sleeping mercy?" "I always thought you didn't care for women's business Thomas Shelby."
"He knows your the boss. He wants to meet you. Will you talk to him?" I heard the kettle start to hiss so I removed it from the fire and let it cool down.
"No. You don't parley when you on the back foot, we'll strike a blowback first."Polly and I watched as Tommy grabbed his coat.
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I was sitting at the bar of the garrison talking to harry when Finn came in and hopped on the counter taking the pictures of the king off the wall.
"Finn?"
"lad, what are you doing?" Harry and I asked the 10-year-old. "We're having a fire. Come help me mercy!" I got off the stool and walked with him carrying the pictures while he went door to door taking people's portraits of the king.
"Hello Finn, lad. Hello, doll." "Hello scud." We said at the same time as we walked past the cars blocking the entrance.
"Come on, mercy! Throw em in." I smiled at the 10 your hold and tossed the pictures into the fire that Illuminated watery lane. "Come on you, little trouble maker. Back away from the fire." I pulled him back as john came over and threw a few paintings in.
"I hope to god you know what you're doing," Arthur told Tommy who was right next to us. John handed Finn his beer so he could throw in more pictures and Finn took a sip. "Finn Shelby, you spit that out!" I said smacking the back of his head while he handed back the beer. "Calm down mercy, let the lad have a taste," John said as I wiped off Finn's face.
"He can 'have a taste' when he's old enough and done growing, Till then it's sasparilla, cola, and tea" I looked up at John who just smirked at me and sipped his beer.
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Polly and I sat in the kitchen of the betting shop drinking tea and reading the news. "Good of you to join us, where have you been all day?" I looked up from my paper to see ada walk in. "In bed. " "Mhm" I hummed as I looked her up and down. She looked off.
"Couldn't sleep. Then I couldn't wake up. Then I was cold And then I had to go for a wee. Then I was with this bear on a boat, but that was a dream. Then I was hungry." I looked between ADA and Polly, confused on why she finds it necessary to tell us everything she's done.
"Why are you both reading the paper?" She asked as she spread jam on her bread. "Why do you find it necessary to tell us every bit of your morning?" I asked her suspiciously. "Why wouldn't we be?" "Well aunt pol, I've never seen you read the paper. I've only seen you light fires with them, and I assumed you would be busy with wedding planning." "The BSA is on strike. The miners are on strike. The IRA are killing our boys. Ten a day." "Polly." She turned to me and I nodded my head towards ada who looked at us confused.
"What?" "Stand up." "Why?" "Just stand up ada." "Side on." I sat at the table watching her closely while Polly walked over to her. She looked bloated and glowy. Dear god.
Polly grabbed her boob just as she did mine all those years ago. Still feels like yesterday. "What are you doing?!" I got up and shut the doors for privacy. "Ada... how late are you?" "One week." "Liar. You usually start when I do and mines started 3 weeks ago." "Five weeks. Seven if you count weekends. I think it's a lack of iron. I got some tablets."
"But they didn't work." "No." "Oh dear god help us all."
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Polly and I were waiting for ada to come out of the building. We were praying what we believed was true wasn't. I don't want her to go through what I went through.
She came out and we quickly started to speed walk. "Keep bloody walking ada," Polly told the girl who stopped to light a cigarette.
"If anybody sees us here they'll know." "I'm not getting rid of it." "Just come home and we'll talk about it." "Listen to her ada." "You both get off me or ill scream it. I swear."
"Alright you want to do this on the street, let's do it. Who's is it? And don't try to pull a mercy on me because ill find out one way or another." "If I tell you, you'll tell them and they'll cut him to pieces." "Ada she didn't tell them when I had the same problem. She won't do that to you." "She right ada. They won't do anything if he marries you. Will he marry you?"
"I Don't know. I don't know where he is." "My god ada Shelby!" "Jesus Christ." "Calm down, he's gone away, but he said he'll come back."
"But they all say they'll come back." "Ada you cant rely on that." "He's not like that. He's a good man. He promised." She began to cry and we hugged her so she would stop.
"He will come back. I know he will!" If only I had the strength and faith that girl has.
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I took ada to the theaters to get her mind off things.
"I think your brave for what you're doing ada." "What do you mean?" "All I'm saying is if I could go back and have the faith that the guy was coming back just as much as you do. I probably would have suffered the consequences instead of taking the easy way out. But I would never shame you if you did change your mind."
The doors swung open and in walked Thomas Shelby. "Alright, that's my cue to leave." "No. You sit." What is up with the Shelby's making me stay for their private conversations?!
"Tell me the man's name, ada." "Rudolph Valentino." I stifled a laugh as she named the actor in the film and Tommy got up to cue the lights. "Get out! All of you!" I got up to leave as well. "Mercy, sit!" He yelled as if I was a dog but I obliged because I would rather not be on his bad side.
"I said tell me his fucking name." Ada looked infuriated and looked Tommy dead in his eyes. "Freddy. Fucking. Thorne!" I dropped my popcorn and froze. Freddy?! as in Tommy's best mate?!
"Yeah. Your best mate since school. The man who saved your life in France!" I leaned forward and smacked my head against the chair in front of me.
Ada Shelby's lost her bloody mind!
"Go on? Cut him! Cut him up and chuck him in the cut!" Tommy stormed out of the room as I was still processing everything going on.
"Oi, I'm a Shelby, too, you know. Put my fucking film back on!" "Jesus Christ, ada Shelby what have you done?"
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I was doing the count when I heard Polly and Tommy arguing about Ada.
Once she left I went over to where he was and sat in front of him. "What is it mercy?" "I think you're right. It's no good to bring a child into the world alone." "Well, At least one of you has some common sense-" "But I understand how she feels. Tommy, can I tell you something?" He just nodded at me and sat down.
"A couple of years ago, when I came back from France I was in the same position as ada but unlike her, I took the easy way out. I'm not saying get rid of it makes someone a terrible person but if I could go back and redo it knowing then what I know now I would've kept the child. You can be upset with ada all you want, but I truly believe she's in love with Freddy Thorne and the way she speaks of him sounds like he will come back, And nothing you do or say can change that."
"Who's was it?" I contemplated telling him. I trust Tommy Shelby, even if most people don't.
"Tommy, I keep a lot of secrets for you and I've never told a soul. If I tell you, I'm asking you to keep this one for me." "Well go on then I haven't got all day."
"Tommy, it was John's."
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Polly and ada went to the train station and Finn and I was playing snap while drinking cola.
"SNAP! I win again." "Finn I'm starting to believe that you're cheating. There is no way you could win 5 times In a row." "Believe it, 'cause I'm no cheat."
The people singing in the pub sounded terrible but they suddenly stopped.
Holy shit- "it's billy Kimber." Harry mumbled to Finn and me, and I told Finn to get behind me because one of his men held a gun.
"Is there any man here named Shelby?" He shot a bullet into the celling and i pushed Finn behind the bar as everyone screamed.
"I said, is there any man here named Shelby?"
Tommy Arthur and john came out of their snug and told everyone to leave.
"Doll, make sure Finn gets to bed." Tommy said.
I grabbed Finn after the bar cleared and walked him out the front door before i went back for our coats.
"I've never approved of women in pubs but when they look like you darling-" I scoffed and walked out to see fin sitting in the passenger seat of my car.
"Dear god, I've got a feeling things are going to go to shit Finn lad." "Me to mercy."
"I cant believe a 10 year old is my best friend."
"Speak for yourself, ill be 11 on-" "this weekend Finn. Trust me I know"