Auroras POV
A week later.
"I'll race you." John challenges me as we ride round the edge of the field we've just been hunting. "Where to?" I question, mapping out the field. "Back to the woods." John says. "You're on." I smirk. "3...2...1. Go!" John says taking on but I'm quick on his heel. The thing about John is he isn't the most experienced rider, nor did he plan his course, meaning instead of going diagonally round a bush, he went up to it then had to go up the length to get around.
I laugh, jumping the bush, and riding off, all the way to the outline of the woods, beating John by a good sixty meters. "You cheated." He states. "It's not my fault you don't know how to jump. Nor did you think of going diagonally." I retort. "Only you and Tom can do that, see." John points, noticing Tommy jump over the bush while the rest of the group go around.
"Who do you think taught him?" I ask wiggling my eyebrows making John chuckle. "John boy, why would even think that was a good idea?" Tommy questions coming to a stop next to us. "I don't do things because they're good ideas, I do things because they're fun." John replies. "Even if it means getting your arse handed to you by your bestie." I smirk as we trot on. "Oh, shut up." John retorts. "She's not wrong." Tommy tells him.
******
Tommys POV
"Oi! Arthur, John, baby, Finn. Over here." I call. "Alright, what is it?" Arthur asks as we sit down by the fire and Aurora sits next to me, wrapping her arms around one of mine to warm herself up. "This letter, says that dad is dead." I tell them before passing the paper to Arthur. "He was in Boston, a club called the Mickey Free. Two men waiting in an alley. He was shot twice." I inform them as Arthur hands the letter to John.
"Who's Rosie Rice?" John questions. "Probably some fucking whore." Arthur grumbles. "She is a woman who took the trouble to write to us." Tommy says as Aurora takes the paper from John, not bothering to look at it as she holds it out to Finn. Finn shakes his head so she throws it into the fire.
"She wanted us to know that during the night, while he was dying, he asked for our forgiveness. Including you, Ror." I tell them and she scoffs. "The only thing he ever taught us was how to kill and cut a stag. Finn, John, probably won't remember." I say. "I remember. Cannock Chase, parked up at a pub called the Griffin. He got drunk and sang 'Silver Dagger' about a hundred times." John says.
"Yeah, one weekend. One weekend he was like that." Arthur grunts. "The stag is to remember him. We eat and then we forget him. No need to forgive him, agreed?" I ask and they all nod. "John, I have to say this, you can name the new baby after him if you'd like-" I start. "No." John shuts me down instantly. "Arthur, I won't even ask. So his name dies, it's been in the family a long time, now it's gone." I say.
"Alright, that's done. Fuck him." Aurora says, raising a bottle of whiskey to her lips. "I can drink to that." Arthur chuckles, taking the bottle. "Before we cook and eat, there's some business." I tell them. "Boys!" Aurora waves the rest of the group over. "I wanted to say this out here 'cause I don't trust the maids in the house. There's gonna be a robbery." I tell them all.
"It's two hours work. A bit of grease in your cuffs, that's it." I say standing over a map of the Lancashire factory. "Tommy, should I really be here for this?" Michael questions. "Aurora cleared it with Polly Michael, there's no way around it, we need you to know." I reply.
"Who the fuck wants to buy twenty-seven stole armoured cars?" Charlie asks. "A foolish man." I answer. "And how much is this foolish man paying?" Michael asks. "175,000. Cash, diamonds and sapphires. So that's twenty for you, Charlie." I tell him.
"Scud, that's five for you. The rest we take to America to invest in legal-acquired property. Assets brought, with untraceable income resold and the profit reinvested to make sure its clean." I tell them. "And after that, I suppose, the whole business will be like that stag hanging up over there, right Tom?" Arthur asks.
"Well, with the profits of this scale, we'll be in a position to stop the off-track business for good." I tell him. "Keep the pubs, stop the protection. Horses for the sport and race days for a lark. I made a promise to Aurora." I say, glancing at my girl. "Now, I also made a promise to Linda." Arthur says. "I know, I can see it in your eyes brother. Part of the reason for doing this last job is so you'll be set up when you decide to walk away." I sigh.
"Look at you, Arthur. A man that wants to live a clean life, but here you are signing up for the biggest robbery of all. I have to hand it to you, Tom. You're a smart man." Charlie speaks. "You in or out, Charlie?" I ask him. "How do we know this foolish man will hand over the diamonds when we're done?" Charlie questions. "We don't, but that's another business. Right, let's cook some meat." I announce, rubbing my hands together, before wrapping my arm around Aurora's waist.
******
Auroras POV
"Oi, Ro, get the phone!" Finn shouts out to me. I roll my eyes at his laziness and make my way to the phone. "Hello?" I ask into the phone. "It's Billy, from the Garrison." The man replies. "Everything alright?" I ask. "Polly, Esme and Lizzie have gone on strike with Linda." He tells me making me laugh. "They've fucking what?" I question.
"They've gone on strike, half of Birmingham is out. Well, the female half. Polly locked up the shop, last I heard she jumped into the bullring, pissed out of her mind talking about a revolution." Billy informs. "Alright, is the pub alright though?" I ask. "Yeah, pub's fine." He tells me and I hang up.
"You ain't going to fucking believe this. The female half of Birmingham have gone on strike, all of them. They've locked up the betting shop, and are in the fucking bullring screaming about a revolution." I tell the boys who look at me shock.
******
"Alright, what do you want? You comes storming in here, acting all pissy, dragging me out of bed for some fucking convention." I say to Lizzie and Esme as they shove me into a kitchen chair. "The strike." Esme states and I roll my eyes. "They are never going to take us seriously if you're acting like everything is fine. Because of how you act, they're taking that as an unanimous opinion." Lizzie tells me.
"So you're acting pissy because I couldn't give two fucks about some bathrooms. See, you they don't take seriously because you're constantly whining. Me they take seriously because I get on with things. We are different people and I'm not going to change how I act because of you." I reply.
"Have they brainwashed you?" Esme exclaims. "We've got told fuck all, just some lap dogs." Lizzie adds. "Correction, you guys know fuck all because if I'm being fucking honest, it's none of your fucking business. It's certainly not yours Lizzie as you're just a worker. Esme, you know what type of family you married into. You've got to turn a blind eye to whatever isn't your business and stick to your jobs. This isn't your job." I say looking between the women.
"You wanna do what I do? Go out there, shooting and stabbing, doing all the physical work? Be my fucking guest, let's see how you whingers handle it." I continue and they both stay quiet. "I didn't think so. It's the way I've been raised. My dad is a gang leader. The reason you guys know fuck all is because you're not involved in it. It is my job as a Peaky Blinder and Tommys wife to know what's happening." I add.
"My husband's involved." Esme argues. "As I said, you are not involved in it. Now, you want some bathrooms?" I say standing up and pouring myself some whiskey. "It's 9am." Lizzie tells me. "And your point is exactly?" I ask her sarcastically. "I need this to put up with you two." I add.
"We want to know about the robbery the guys are planning. Not the factory robbery, the other one." Esme says just as the door opens to reveal Tommy. "John's got a big mouth." Tommy states, pecking my lips. "Actually, Arthur told Linda, who told me." Esme corrects as me and Tommy share a look. "We want to know about the robbery, the one you're not telling the women about." She adds.
"My wife knows, she's a woman." Tommy responds making me smirk. "Doesn't act like one." Esme retorts. "And who defines what a lady should act like. Got the same fucking body parts, my hands have just got blood on them." I say. "What happens when the Russians want revenge? When I am giving birth?" Esme questions.
"Get out, get back to work." Tommy demands, pointing towards the betting den for Esme and Lizzie to leave. "Keep us posted, won't you sister?" Esme says to Polly who nods. "I will." Polly says. "Oh, fucking hell." I scoff downing my glass of whiskey. "So Arthur tells Linda everything, eh?" Tommy says.
"She's stolen his soul and taken it a better place. The suburbs, where men are honest with their wives. And you tell Rory everything." Polly replies. "We can trust Lizzie." She adds and I burst out laugh. "What, Miss-spread-her-legs-for-every-man-she-sees? No, we can't fucking trust her." I spat.
"Yeah and I can't trust Esme. I can't trust the Russians to pay me what they owe me. And I can't trust my own brother to keep his fucking mouth shut. I tell Ror everything because she's my girl and has a right to know and I trust her with my life." Tommy says lighting his cigarette. "Did you make progress last night?" I ask him. "Yeah, I did, baby." He nods.
******
"Ror." Tommys voice sounds through the phone. "Tom?" I question. "They want the robbery to be sabotaged. They don't give a fuck who gets hurt." He tells me. "You alright, Tommy?" I ask concerned. "Did the Arthur and John make a list?" He asks me instead of answering.
"Arthur! John!" I shout. "Why, what's going on Tommy?" I ask but the line hangs up. "Tom? Tommy?" I say but get no reply. "What is it, Rory?" Arthur asks. "Have you made the list Tommy asked you for?" I question. "Gypsies and kin only." John confirms.
******
"Ada, calm down. Deep breathes. Calm down." I tell her as she rambles over the phone. "Hospital. Tommy. London." She breathes, sounding as though she's on the verge of tears. "More words Ada." I tell her.
"Tommy came here, wanted a meeting with someone from the Soviet embassy at 10pm. When he got here, his face was swelled up and he was sweating. He just about got through the meeting, then he collapsed onto the stairs, saying he couldn't see and I needed to call for an ambulance, say he has a fractured skull and internal bleeding, thinks he has a haemorrhage. So now I'm in the hospital, waiting for a doctor to tell me something, what happened?" She rambles, her breath shaky and I feel my heart beating faster.
"I'm not sure, he did something weird when he called me earlier about four, maybe something happened at the meeting." I suggest. "Can you get here please. You know how to handle this." She pleads. "Yeah. What hospital?" I ask and write down the information she gives me.