"Delilah" Tommy stood beside the door of the girls room. "What?" she huffed, pulling her knees to her chest. "I have something for you"
Delilah looking up at him, growing slightly excited.
"What is it?" she asked. "Get your shoes on, we're going to the stables"
She jumped up and pulled on her boots, rushing after her father. "So" he began as they walked down the cold streets. "Remember when you were seven," he began.
"Yeah?"
"And how your mother would take you to see the horses when i was working. And for weeks you asked me for a horse but i always said no" he reminded her. "Well" he sighed, opening the gate to the stables. "I finally got you that horse"
Her eyes lit up as she looked at the black horse in front of her. "Is this your way of apologising?" she asked. He let out a breath. "I suppose, do you like him then?"
Lilah looked at him, relaxing her shoulders. "I do"
"Thank you" she said softly, admiring the horse.
He nodded, looking at the slightly red haired girl. "Go on then, you best get home" he checked his pocket watch. Her mood dropped slightly but she agreed. "Or go to the garrison, your uncles are there, i'll be over soon"
Delilah missed how close her and Tommy used to be. She knew that them drifting wasn't necessarily his fault, but it still hurt. She still needed her dad. Despite how old she was, she's always need him.
Delilah sat beside her uncles, growing frustrated at the singing from outside the snug. "Shuffle these cards and-" Arthur began.
"Arthur i really dont understand how to play" Francis complained.
The barmaid walked in. "Did you want whiskey as well." she asked, quickly looking at Delilah. "No just beer"
"Why no whiskey Tommy? Are you expecting trouble" Arthur asked. "Can someone tell them to shut up" Lilah groaned, listening to the crowd inside the pub.
"Jesus Christ, Tommy, what the hell made you let them sing" John chuckled, backing up his niece. "It's like they're strangling cats out there"
"I'm leaving, if i listen to another second of that i'll end up dying" Delilah told them, standing up. "Oh sit down" Arthur scolded, throwing a card at her.
She shot him a look and glanced out the frosted windows as car lights shine through. "Coppers?" Arthur asked.
Tommy shook his head. "No"
The whole pub fell silence as footsteps approached. "Whoever it is, they're heavy footed aren't they" Lilah joked.
"Is there any man here named Shelby" a man asked. Tommy stood up, along with Arthur. Delilah shot her father a look of disappointment.
"Delilah, when we leave this room, you stay in here and don't move till we tell you to" Tommy instructed. John frowned slightly. "Can i not just take her home?" Francis asked.
A gun shot sounded causing Delilah to jump. "Any fucking need for that" she hissed.
"I said, is there any man here named Shelby" he repeated. Tommy opened the door. She caught a glance at the man and let out a laugh at how he looked.
"Harry get these men a drink. Everyone else go home" Tommy instructed. People ran from the Garrison.
"You go home" Tommy pointed at the blonde barmaid. "But mr fenton said-"
"I said go home"
"I've never approved of women in pubs, but when they look like that" Kimber grinned, watching the blonde woman.
Delilah kept her head against the slightly open door, paying attention to the conversations.
"I dont like that barmaid" Francis sighed, sitting down. "Neither" Her daughter agreed. "I dont like how she looks at your father"
"You said you wanted men called Shelby" Tommy reminded him.
"You've got three of them"
Arthur continued pouring drinks whilst Thomas lit a cigarette, John staring at the other men.
"Right, i'd never heard of you then i did hear of you. Some little diddicoy razor gang so i thought to myself 'so what?'" He began. "But then you fuck me over so now you have my undivided attention"
"By the way which one am i talking to? Who's the boss"
"Well i'm the oldest" Arthur told him. He laughed. "Clearly"
"Are you laughing at my brother" John raised his eyebrows. "Right he's the oldest, you're the thickest" he pointed at the two.
"I'm told the boss is called Tommy and i'm guessing that's you, cause you're looking me up and down like i'm a fucking tart" he spat.
"I want to know what you want" Tommy nodded, staring into his eyes.
"There were suspicious betting patterns at Kempton Park" the other man stated. "A horse called Monaghan Boy"
Monaghan boy, the family's best horse.
"He won by a length twice then finished last. With three thousand pounds bet on him"
"Which one am i talking to?" Tommy mocked. "Which one of you is the boss"
"I am mr kimber's adviser and accountant" the man on the left stated. "And i'm the fucking boss. Okay right end of parley" Kimber stood.
"You fixed a race without my permission" he raised his voice. "You fucking Gypsy scum" Delilah's jaw tightened at the term.
He continued shouted, bragging about who he was and talking nonsense. Tommy chucked a bullet at him, his own name engraved in it.
He began telling him the story about the current feud with the Lee family which made Mr Kimber wait and listen.
Kimber threw a coin onto the floor.
"Pick it up Pikey"
She opened the door slightly, catching the eye of John who shook his head at her, telling her to stay where she was.
All three brothers stared at him. Tommy began kneeling, John standing. "Sit, sit down" Tommy said quietly, raising a hand to his brother.
Thomas picked it up from the floor. "For your ceiling" he said before exiting the pub. "Thank you, Mr Kimber" Thomas shouted as he walks out. "He's a fucking prick he is" John shook his head, downing the last of his whiskey.
-
"Are you armed?" Polly asked as Tommy joined her and Delilah in the betting den. Lilah looked up from the book. "No"
"Then i'll tell you"
"Do you want me to leave?" Lilah asked. Pol shook her head, "you deserve to know this as much as he does"
"Ada and Freddie Thorne were married today" Polly said, looking at Thomas. "They defied your orders and haven't left the city"
Tommy leaned over the table.
"I'll deal with it" Pol said. "Thomas, i'll deal with it"
"Where are they"
"Freddie's comrades have safe houses. Why do you want to know?"
"I want to send them flowers, why do you think"
Fucking flowers, as if Tommy Shelby is sending flowers to anyone.
"Would it be so bad if they stayed" Polly asked. "I promised id run Freddie out of town" he admitted. "Promised who?" Polly's eyes widened.
Polly then closed the doors, separating the betting den and the house, Delilah inside the den meaning she was no longer a part of the conversation. She sighed and walked down to Arthur's office.