For a few weeks, Theodora had been doing everything in her power to stay away from the Shelby's as a whole. When Bash woke up every morning, she wasn't there, and when he went back to bed she - again - wasn't there.
She left no note, at all, although Bash wouldn't have done anything to pull her up and question her about it.
It was about time that she was leaving the house and actually becoming more confidant in being a new resident of Small Heath, but little did Bash know she was actually sneaking off to do exactly the opposite.
She left, most days, to travel back down to London- splitting her time between her parents house and the house of the man who she claimed to love, and who claimed to love her back.
"Where's the wife today, brother?" Arthur teased, jabbing an elbow into his younger brothers side.
Of course, this earned him such a glare, but as Arthur was the sort of person to ignore what his brothers did, he simply just brushed it off with a laugh whilst simultaneously wrapping an arm around his shoulder.
"Out of my hair, that's all I care about." Ada added quite nonchalantly into a conversation that wasn't hers to butt into.
Before Ada could start another conversation about Bash's wife, or rather the person who took up more space than she should in their lives, Finn popped his head up from under the table and his cheesy grin quickly lightened the mood.
"She's gone down to see someone about something important. She didn't elaborate and I didn't ask." Bash interjected into the almost silent nattering between John and Ada.
Without the likes of Finn, Bash was sure he would've committed such a crime that the Peaky Blinders couldn't possibly pin it on another. There was something about them all in the same room that made Bash and Ada heated. Perhaps it was because they were too alike in how they acted, or it was just a constant coincidence.
"Can we do something as the six of us, today? Please, please, pleeeeeeaseeee!" Finn whined, and no one could ever say no to the boy.
No matter how hard they tried.
"I've the day off work-" Arthur lied, the betting shop would just have to be without a Shelby today.
A short, fleeting moment of silence passed through the kitchen before the next sibling thought about and followed through with the idea of agreeing.
"I'm sure I can manage a day-" Thomas added, a small (seemingly forced but still vaguely real) smile graced his features.
Since Ada was the only one of age without a job, she didn't have an excuse as to why she couldn't spend time with anyone, and John was always grateful for any excuse for a few hours away from the wildlings he called his own children.
Almost silent chatter fell upon them, the few whispers of the likes of Finn and Thomas were barely audible - Bash was sure they were intensely planning their day ahead but not above the mouses whisper of a tone. They knew their brothers didn't enjoy surprises but they knew that Ada adored them - to a point, of course.
Thomas gave a few instructions to the younger of the siblings, footwear and jackets to be worn and perhaps gloves if needs be.
The gloves part of the attire was purely aimed at Finn, who was one to complain when he thought his fingers were going to fall off because they were cold.
Unbeknownst to the middle Shelby, too long for Finns liking had passed, but Bash hadn't realised. At least, not until the heard of angry elephants - Finn and John, came hurtling towards his door, fists rapping against the door again and again in such a repetitive motion that it could've been classed as music.
"SEBASTIAN." Finns little voice called out in between the knocks, making Bash almost jump out of his skin, as lacing his book down - eyes glancing at the clock that sat comfortably on the wall next to his portrait of the King.
A whisper came from John next, followed by the rattling of the unlocked door handle.
It didn't take long before the two were stood by b front of their brother, eyes wide with surprise to see him standing inches away from them.
"We've been shoutin' for five minutes." John spoke first, a sheepish grin painted across his face.
It was very much plausible that they had been shouting for as long as they said, it wasn't uncommon for Bash to simply dive into a new world to escape his own.
The Great Gatsby had been such a good read, but cut short by his brothers, Bash would simply have to start again when he came back.
"I'm—"
"You're sorry, you were too deep into the lives of whoever the fuck that book is about." John finished, a cheeky laugh from Finn followed.
The elder sheepishly grinned, ushering the two out of his room and down the stairs, knowing full well that Johns lip would get him into more trouble than what was worth...
But it did make him who he was - the cheeky chap with humour to share.
"Are you going to tell us all what's going on?" Arthur asked once he noticed the gaggle of brothers in the hallway.
Finn, still with a giggle behind his tone, nodded his head with such veracity if it wasn't firmly attached by skin and bone, it would've rolled onto the floor and underneath the cabinet.
"The fair!" The redhead exclaimed, bouncing in his place.
Bash should've known, Finn rarely got as giddy as he was. The idea of him being able to sit on the back of a Shetland - a breed of horse that the Shelbys had never owned, excited the boy to no end. Though, the idea of a simple game of hook-a-duck seemed to excite Bash more than anything.
There was something comforting in such a simple game such as that, one that he hadn't found in anything other than horses. Why, he couldn't quite put his finger on it but he definitely wasn't one to complain about it.
"But-" Ada started, about to display her disdain against going to such a place, full of ruffians and pick-pockets.
A glare followed, cutting Ada off from her almost tyrannical display of utter hatred of the place so many of them had once found immense joy. Deep down, Finn and the other boys knew that she just didn't want to appear childish with her glee for leaving the city to the fields - surrounding herself with Lees and the likes whilst having more fun than she could possibly have in the city.
"It's one day, Ada, one day." Thomas argued, though his tone remaining as it had been that morning at the table.
"Even I'm not complaining." Arthur added, puffing out his chest as if it added some sort of validity in his statement.
Of course, it didn't, but he would rather pretend it did.
"It's just one day of standing in horse shit, Bash does that every day - I don't!" She argued back, silenced for the final time by the aforementioned brother grabbing his coat.
The door never had opened very quietly, it was an old rickety thing that Bash and Arthur had both meant to replace with something less ... noisy, but hadn't yet gotten around to it. As with most of the small fixes that the family home was in need of.
Finn rushed outside, throwing all caution to the wind until one of the others grabbed him by the scuff of his shirt, pulling him back in just enough to throw a coat and hat on him. Ada took her sweet time, muttering to herself about all of the shit her new shoes would be smeared in and how they never do normal things together. For the Shelbys, the fair was the most normal thing they could've ever done.
Even non gypsy families visit the fairs.
Of course, they get swindled out of more money than anyone else, but they still went in their thousands.
"I'm gonna play the shit out of hook-a-duck, money ain't gonna be a problem." John added, knowing now there was going to be a competition between him and Bash to see who could score the best loot.
"Yeah, yeah, keep dreaming big ears." Bash retorted from his position a few houses down from their own.
Tommy shared a knowing glance with Arthur, both struggling to keep their stoic faces intact. Despite the two being so unalike, Bash and John found every excuse to be carbon copies of each other without knowing.
Once upon a time, the family would visit the travelling fair every time it passed through nearing towns and cities, most of the time it was to sedate Arthur Seniors gambling and stealing urges but on the odd occasion all four of the oldest boys would stand in the room and box. Arthur, (junior of course) was the best and always had been, he had an eye for gauging the reactions of his opponents seconds before even they knew what they were going to do.
Thomas hated the idea of boxing for money, or at least his face told the world that he did. John over the attention that it have to him and Bash wished for nothing more than to win to get it over with.
It was clear as to which brother continued on with the boxing throughout their childhood and into adulthood.
"D'ya think they'll let me box again?" Arthur asked - though directed to no one in particular everyone replied with a knowing groan.
Arthur hadn't been allowed to box in these fairs for almost five years, it was one of the reasons they all stopped going. The other reason was Finn and his wandering-itis.
"D'ya think they've all grown another set of ears?"
A prompt bush-shove - one of success too, ended with Bash in Missus Norris's rose bush, legs dangling over the side wall.
Unable to get out himself, Bash had to be rescued by both John and Thomas, whilst Arthur almost keeled over with such strong laughter that his cheeks began to burn pink.
John struggled to keep his laughter to himself, the judgemental glares from Ada burned through everyone's skin and Finn was yet to notice his brothers were further behind than before. He was on a mission and nothing could deter a Shelby from completing one - not even the lack of knowledge of where the fair was actually taking place.
Where the wind blew, the fair would be.
Luckily for Bash, the rest of the walk towards the fair was uneventful, no one fell of the pavement and no one was shoved either.
However, little Finn did have to start holding Bash's hand almost ten minutes into the journey after an almost idiot but Finn thing to do - walk into the road by 'accident' because he thought he saw a penny.
He did not see a penny, he saw a metal button off of a coppers uniform. An easy mistake to make, but one that almost cost the family their youngest.
As the group finally reached the fair, the sound of horses hooves against the solid mud ricochet off of the wooden carriages that they had pulled, the sound of coins bouncing and pin balls thumping against metal was like music to their ears. But the sound of a familiar voice made Arthur and Thomas share a look with Bash.
A look of known apprehension.
"Well, well. I thought we ran you boys out of town." Aberama Gold's nasally voice cut through everything else.
As the man with the cane (used for fashion and nothing more) stepped towards the boys, the fair seemed to fall still. Heavy breathing horses, could be heard but it was still quiet enough to hear a pin drop.
Ada and John had both taken it upon themselves to busy Finn with petting a Shetland and the kind man who owned it allowed the boy to sit upon its back, it was their way of keeping the redheads view of his brothers clean.
"Aberama." Thomas said courtly, taking off his hat out of respect.
Arthur stood silently next to him, arms folded across his chest as if being the body guard paid in silver chains. Sebastian on the other hand had kept the smile on his face.
Aberama happened to like him, and it was shown with the way they interacted.
"Don't s'pose you'll let our Finn look around for a couple hours? Kids only young." Bash asked, hand extending towards the elder man as a sign of momentarily suspending their families dues, surrendering in a way.
"Two hours, Mister Shelby."
And two hours is what they got... after all, it didn't take two hours for Sebastian Shelby to find a Shetland Pony that was deemed good enough for his family.
Now that only took fifteen minutes.