"Finn, get in here" John shouted, "Finn, hold the phone, come here" he passed the phone to his younger brother. "Take this"
"Yeah sure"
John stepped outside his office, hands in pockets. "Polly" he began, "He's gone to the black lion" she stepped forward.
"On his own?" John asked her, "Tommy does everything on his own"
"Should i go to the Black Lion?" he asked, following Polly. "What?" she asks. "Should i go there and see him"
"No!"
"Where the fuck is Arthur" John hissed, "Protecting the Garrisons whiskey from the police" she sighed. "For fucks sake" he whispered, closing the doors that separated the house from the betting den.
"Polly," he began, "feels like things are getting out of hand"
"So get em in hand" she shrugged. "Know what Ada said to me yesterday?" he asked, "she said we all look like we work in a factory" he scoffed, "under the ground"
Polly lit a cigarette.
"She said we look like ghosts" he continued. "She'll be back" Polly said.
"When?"
"When she needs us,"
"And anyway" John started, " who the fuck would blow up our pub?"
"Six" Polly stated. "Six what" he frowned. "Six questions since you walked through that door"
He raised an eyebrow.
"Soon you'll have to start being the man with answers" she pointed at him. "Well i do apologise Pol but currently my head is revolving around my niece who is sat upstairs hating everything" he reminded her.
"When London happens, you'll have to hold up your end" She stared at the fire. "or we'll find somebody else who can"
-
Tommy looked at the people sat before him as the sack got pulled from over his head. "Thomas Shelby" the woman began. "You blew up my pub" he stated.
"Anger defeats fear. Good"
"You blew up my pub" he repeated. "Tommy has a reputation to uphold" she told the man beside her. "A reputation for not being scared of anything" he said, looking at Tommy.
"In all the world, violent men are the easiest to deal with" she said. "So tell me which brand of rebel are you,eh?" Tommy asked. "I read somewhere that you paddies started fighting amongst yourself now"
"The king offers you a peace treats and you start a war about it, that's funny, don't you think" Tommy nodded his head, taunted them. "A war about peace"
They stayed quiet.
"So are you for the treaty or against the treaty" Tommy asked. "Forgive me i'm confused"
The man stood up, grabbing his gun.
"You are one decision away from death, Mr Shelby," she told him. "So stop fucking smiling" the man chimes in.
"Your name is Irene O'Donell" Tommy pointed at her. "You have a son at the Cherry Wood Road School in Harborne, he has irons on his legs. His name is Sean"
"He comes last in every race" he added, "poor boy"
"Poor boy if the race was important. Do you know what i mean Irene O'Donnell?"
The gun cocked an the man pressed it to his head. "There are other ways to carry out this mission, please allow me to put a bullet in this scum tinker's head"
"No" she says softly, "he researches his enemies, that's why he's been chosen"
"I am chosen?" Tommy raised his eyebrows, "I am chosen" he repeated, looking up at the man holding the gun. "Can the chosen one smoke?"
He lowered the gun, stepping back.
"A vacancy has appeared, and you are going to fill it" she stated as he lit a cigarette.
"Chosen by who?"
"By an informed consensus" she told him, "I have things to do" Tommy told them. "So perhaps you could tell the chosen one what he has been chosen for"
"From now on Mr. Shelby, you shut your fucking Gypsy mouth and listen to your instructions"
-
"Where's dad?" Delilah strolled into the den , noticing he wasn't there. "At the black lion" John said, shuffling a deck of cards. "Oh" she whispered. "And Arthur?" she asked.
"The gym i think" he sighed.
Delilah sat in front of him, watching as he flicked through the deck of cards by himself. "Can we play a game?" she asked. "What are you, five?" he laughed.
She dropped her shoulders, feelings slightly embarrassed. "Never mind"
Delilah missed the little things she had before everything changed, she wanted everything that she missed out on growing up. Like, all the birthdays her dad missed from being at war, playing silly games with her uncles, running around the cut and not caring that they could get sick. She missed it all.
-
"Arthur" Finn said, looking at his brother who was jumping over a skipping rope. "Tommys called a family meeting" Arthur ignored him. "Arthur"
"He just beat the shit out of an apprentice" the man beside him said. "I had to take half the kid away in buckets"
"Arthur"
Arthur finally stopped, breathing heavily. "Two thousand" he whispered. Finn waited whilst Arthur ran his hands through the water.
"Come on" he said.
-
Arthur stretched his fingers as Finn entered the betting den. "Sit down Finn"
Finn sat beside the stairs that Esme sat on, reading a book. "Where the bloody hell is Tommy" John asked Polly.
"He's on the way" she said sternly. "Right then while we're waiting patiently" Arthur stood, "whiskey" he lifted a crate. "Left over from the explosion"
"Can i have one?" Delilah asked. "No" Arthur said bluntly. She sighed, crossing her arms and leaning back.
Esme and John exchanged looks.
"Right" John said, "before Tommy gets here, there's a few things we need to get straight between us"
"You think?" Pol questioned, placing down a cup of tea in front of Delilah.
"Yeah" John kept his hands behind his back. "Yeah i do, i want to know, when did we all take a vote on this expansion south" he asked.
"You have anything to say, you wait for Thomas" Polly crossed her arms. "Polly is fucking right" Arthur said.
"I see all the books" John said, "legal and off track. saw stuff you don't see"
"And in the past year, the Shelby Company Limited has been making 150 pounds a day" he said, his voice getting louder.
"Right, a fucking day" he shouted. "Sometimes more. So what i want to know, is why are we changing things "
"Polly look what's happened already, we haven't even set foot in London yet. they've already blown up our pub"
"Who said anything about the Cockneys" Arthur asked. "Who else?" Esme asked.
"You know who did it do you?" Polly asked Esme. "No she doesn't know who did it"
Tommy stepped behind Polly.
"I'm told only family are allowed to speak" Esme said. "You are family" Delilah told her. "Everyone's allowed to speak" Tommy corrected.
"On your feet Esme, let's hear what you have to say"
She glanced at John as he cleared his throat. "I speak for our household"
"Oh give over" Lilah scoffed.
"John, this company is a modern enterprise and believes in equal rights for woman" Tommy nodded. "On you feet, Esme"
She slowly stood up.
"I'm not a blood member of this family but perhaps because i am not a member, i can see things in a different light" she said. "So i will get to my point"
"That would be nice" Pol said.
"As my husband said, Shelby Company Limited is now very successful, But London, I have kin in Shepherds bush and Portobello" she nodded. "It's more like wars between armies down there and the coppers fight side by side with them"
"And there are foreigners of every description, and the use of bombs is the least of it"
Curly and Charlie listened carefully.
"I have a child" Esme stated, "blessed with the Shelby family good looks. I want John to see him grow up"
"Amen" Delilah nodded, tapping her feet on the floor.
"I want us to someday live somewhere with fresh air and trees," she continued, "and keep chickens or something"
"But London is just smoke and Trouble Thomas."
"Thomas?" Polly questioned. "That's all i have to say" Esme sat.
"That was a lot of words" Arthur nodded. "Thank you Esme" Thomas thanked.
"Firstly, the bang in the pub has nothing to do with London. Understood? The bang is something i'm dealing with on my own. Secondly, we have nothing to fear from the business expansion as long as we stick together. After the first few weeks, nine tenths of what we do in London will be legal"
"The other tenth is in good hands isn't that right Arthur"
"That's right"
"Some of you in this room have expressed your reservations" he said, "fair enough, any of you who want no part in the future of this company, walk out the door"
Everyone looked around. "Right now. Go raise your chickens. This of you with ambition, the expansion process begins tomorrow"