Polly approached the Russian man beside the door. "So what does he say?" he asked. "He won't meet you unless you give us the name" she said. "What name?"
"We were told to ask for a code name when contact was made"
"Constantine. The code is Constantine" he said quietly. She took a drag of her cigarette and walked away.
-
"Tommy said no racing, no gambling" Curly reminded John. "Yeah well he's changed his mind" he turned to Finn who had appeared beside him and grabbed his shoulders.
"Right. Don't worry Finn, okay?" he said. "Right" the boy chuckled. "Cavalry boys ride like a sack of stones, all right" he said, pulling his brother down and rubbing his head.
"John. John, there's an awful lot of Kings shillings around here today" Johnny stopped the two. "Now, out of loyalty to the regiment, they'll all be putting their money on this bad boy" he pointed to the dark horse.
"That i filled up with morphine and water" They both laughed and continued walking. "Here. Tommys all right if i, uh, do the book is he?"
"He said bettings okay but all proceeds go to the Shelby Foundation Charity" John nodded, turning the corner.
"Oh, is this charity for real, then?" Charlie asked. "He says he wants to be seen giving back to the poor of Birmingham" John nodded.
"So that'll be me, John" Johnny shouted. "Myself, if i can't earn a shilling here tonight"
"They'll make him the fucking Lord Mayor next" Charlie scoffed. "That's the idea Charlie Boy" John hummed, lighting a cigarette.
"Right, all you lot make as much noise and fuss as you can" he instructed to the other peaky boys.
Johnny helped Finn up on to the horse as John walked away, shouting at the Cavalry men to place their bets.
-
John blew smoke from his cigar, watching the Russian man join him and Arthur. "Oh you found it" Arthur said. "We nearly give up"
The man placed his arms to the side, waiting for one of them to search him.
"Did he tell you what my business with him is?" he asked as Arthur stepped forward, searching his pockets. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and sniffed them, pulling a face. "The same shit the Turks used to smoke" he said, dropping them to the floor.
"I wonder, why does he trust his aunt more than his brothers?"
Johns head lifted at his words.
"Go and watch the race boys" Tommy said, standing at the bottom of the hall. "The turks clean" Arthur told him. "I am Russian"
"Same fucking thing" he hissed.
The man walked to Tommy. "So you make contact on my wedding day?" he said. "You now have very powerful enemies" The man nodded. "At the soviet embassy and within your own government. You are being watched"
"At your house, your office, your clubs, your bars."
"You best be quick or i'll be missed. Now where's my money?" Tommy asked.
-
Delilah stood in the crowd of Blinders and Cavalry, watching as Isiah threw punches at the other boy. "Come on, Isiah" she shouted, clapping her hands together. She watched as the boy went down to the floor, holding his stomach. Isiah grinned widely, wiping his forehead and walking back toward the stable.
He sat down and Delilah pushed through everyone, walking in after him. She smiled brightly at him, wrapping her arms around him.
Isiah frowned slightly, hesitating before hugging her back.
"Did you see that boys face?" she laughed. "Fucking hysterical"
He pulled back, lifting her chin up. "Av you been drinking?" he asked. Delilah looked up. "Yeah?" Lilah nodded, pushing him back slightly. "Put a shirt on," she teased, feeling like she was invading his space.
"I spoke to Micheal earlier, went off with some girl" Delilah grinned.
Isiah playfully raised his eyebrows. "Really?" he asked. She nodded. "She's called Charlotte"
-
"Evening" Polly sighed, pouring herself a drink."You look absolutely beautiful" Polly complimented. "Welcome to the family"
"Oh, I see. Tommys orders." Grace nodded. "No upsets tonight"
"Your hair, everything, beautiful." Polly continued. Delilah squinted at the interaction. "Do you know where he is?" she asked.
"Yes. Yes i do" Polly nodded. They both looked at the older woman. "You know, Tommy really wants to keep certain things from me. It's very hard when you're man and wife. We were late coming down because we were having sex"
"Okay i'm leaving," Delilah said, a disgusted look on her face.
"So afterwards, he told me everything" Polly tilted her head. "Royalist Russians buying weapons to fight the Bolsheviks in Georgia. A lost cause, Tommy says"
"And Churchill, that he's the go between. But it's against the government policy so everything must be kept a secret"
"You know its begun" Polly told her, "they started the business tonight?" she continued.
"No" Grace sighed. "I didn't. But you just told me. So thank you. Let's not forget i used to do this for a living"
"It's only Thomas that's forgotten what you are" Polly said.
A man stepped up to the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, the bride and the groom will now dance alone"
Delilah walked through the crowded room, searching for anybody to talk to. She frowned slightly when she saw a small bottle of snow beside people on a table. She licked her bottom lip, purposely bumping into the boy. "Oh my god, i'm so sorry," she apologised, slipping it into her hand. He shook his head, "it's fine," he assured, letting her walk away.
Delilah bit her lip, grinning at her successful steal. She walked up the stairs, looking for Isiah and Micheal. Lilah pushed the door open, popping her head inside.
"Finally" she sighed, closing the door behind her.
The dark haired girl looked over her shoulder at Delilah. Delilah pulled out the bottle of snow and Isiah smirked. "Your dad told me no snow," he said.
"Well, don't have any?" she shrugged, kneeling on the floor beside the table, in front of his chair.
"You do snow?" Micheal asked.
"No Micheal, i'm just pouring some on the table for fun," Delilah said sarcastically, taking Isiah's cap and pulling the razor blade from the front.
Delilah sniffed the substance off the table, sighing and throwing her head back.
The two boys laughed at her.
-
"Pass me that," Delilah slurred, taking the bottle of whiskey off Micheal and leaning back against Isiah's chest. She swigged the bottle, squinting slightly and wiping her lips.
Isiah's hands rested on the outside of her arms as they all shouted and laughed. He looked at her face and used his thumb to wipe the white powder off the edge of her nose.
The door opened and they all looked over. "Shit" Delilah whispered, pushing herself away from Isiah. Tommy stood, eyebrows raised. "Delilah?" he asked. "Hello, father" she smiled.
"Stand up," he said. She did and he gently grabbed her chin. He looked into her eyes. "Have you been doing Tokyo?" he asked.
She kissed her teeth. "No, i'd never" she mumbled.
He squinted, stepping backwards. "The party is downstairs, all of you get out" he said, talking to his daughter too.