Sometimes you have to shut your mouth and just listen - unknown
"You asked for a meeting in the open, fresh air and a fine aroma of shit. Neutral ground you said." Arthur told Vincente, who came with his two bodyguards.
"This is hardly neutral ground." Vincente stated, looking around.
"Well it's what you've got. So, Por Favor, sit down." Arthur told him, sitting down himself.
"Where's Tommy?" Vincente asked.
"He got called away." John replied.
"He said he'd be here."
"Yeah, he's busy." Arthur said, unbothered by his anger.
"And I just told you he got called away so what do you want?" John said, getting to the point.
"Well you can have the next best thing, me." Lillian called out from the side. "Hello boys."
"Lillian what have we told you." Arthur exclaimed and she shrugged.
"I don't know, I usually tune you guys out when you tell me to do stuff."
"Tommy doesn't like it when you involve yourself in the business." Arthur told her.
"Well Tommy can suck my ass cause I'm here and he is not." She retorted, hands on her hips before looking at the Italian men. "Hi, I'm Lillian, Tommy's wife and I'm much better company than these lot."
"Says who?" John asked.
"Says everyone." She replied in a 'duh' tone.
"You seem nicer." Vincente stated and Lillian agreed. "I'll be right in saying that you have Italian roots?"
"You're right by that, on my mothers' side. She was Italian." Lillian answered.
"You're part Italian?" John asked shocked by this new information.
"Yes, doesn't change anything." She replied.
"Does Tommy know?"
"No, but Arthur knows." She said pointing at him. "And now my son has quarter Italian as well. So, Tommy has to deal with it."
"What happens when he finds out and he's angry, what are you gonna do?"
"I will show him my tits and he'll move on." Lillian answered seriously.
"You've been using that technique to get out of trouble for the past two years, Tommy's going to notice what your doing?" Arthur told her and she shook her head.
"No, he won't because if he tries to figure it out then I'll show him my tits and he will forget." Lillian gave him a deadpanned look.
"That's not the answer for everything." Arthur exclaimed.
"Yes, it is."
"Can we get back to the matter at hand." Vincente interrupted.
"Please do, I am so over this conversation."
"Now there has been peace between the Peaky Blinders and the Changretta family for two years now–"
"Do you want some tea or not?" John interrupted and Lillian rolled her eyes. "Here Finn, pour the Italians some English tea. Go on."
"Do it yourself John." Lillian muttered but he ignored her. Finn doing as he's told walks forward, grabbing the teapot.
"We don't want fucking tea. We want an explanation." Vincente shouted.
"Well I want fucking tea." Arthur ignored the man, leaning forward and grabbing the teapot.
"Explanation for what?" John asked but he already knew.
"The little Venice restaurant on forge street was burnt down..."
"No. No, couldn't have been us, we was at a wedding." John defended.
"You burnt it down to stop my son being at that same wedding." Vincente argued.
"He wasn't missed." Arthur responded and Lillian hit his chest.
"Why did you have to burn down that place. I liked that restaurant, I took Charlie there all the time and you burnt it down! You're a bunch of idiots you know that." Lillian scolded.
"Lillian you're not allowed to go into that part of town." Arthur reminded her.
"Eh yes I can, I have Italian roots, I can do what I want." She replied.
"Yes, but Charlie is a Shelby blood." John said and Lillian rolled her eyes.
"And he also part Italian. Which means we can go, and Tommy is gone all day anyway he doesn't know what I do every day. I certainly don't hang around the house waiting on his ass to come home." Lillian told them and she turned to Vincente. "I'd like to point out that even though I am now a Shelby, I had no part of this."
"What are you doing?"
"Throwing you under the bus." She said obviously.
"You are such big boys now." Vincente said. "But once you borrowed clothes from us to look like men."
"How's the tea Arthur, is it –"
"It's cold." Arthur said, throwing it away.
"Please tell Tommy, that we pay him whatever he asks us to pay. We stay out of the city and off the tracks, but you tell him from me that my son will walk with any woman in this city, any woman he chooses. Even if he works for the emperor, Thomas Shelby. My son is in love –" Vincente told us, but John snorted, clearing his throat to keep him from laughing.
"Sorry. Do excuse me. Carry on."
"I don't know why you're laughing John, you were in love with the same woman you tosser."
"We do not speak about that."
"Fuck off John."
"And if he wishes, he will walk with the women he loves." Vincente finishes.
"Okay, you know, it would be hard for you son to walk anywhere with a bullet in each knee, wouldn't it." John said causally and Lillian looked at him in disgust.
"Too much. You said too much my friend. Sabini says suck and swallow."
"My motto." Lillian said and the boys looked at her. "Sorry."
"But no. Too much. I spit."
"In my defense I think the deal you just said is fair. I'll speak to Tommy." Lillian shouted after him.
"Lillian what are you doing?" John asked her.
"Not being a selfish prick that's what." She replied as one of his guards broke the chair. "Great now you've pissed them off."
"Fucking hell." John laughed and Lillian saw that Arthur wasn't happy at him either.
"Isiah. Put two extra men on our pubs in Nechells." Arthur ordered and he nodded.
"What are you talking about Arthur? We're not scared of fucking eyeties anymore." John said and Arthur stood up from his chair.
"Don't tell Tommy about the chair and clean this fucking shit up." Arthur hissed and turned around, walking away with Lillian joining him.
"We're not scared of fucking wops!" John shouted after us.
"Shut up John."
"Alright John."
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"Are you hungry Mrs., Shelby?" Mary asked as she entered Tommy's office. Lillian looked up from the desk. Soft music playing the background.
"Hungry. Oh, no. Sorry Mary."
"You'll ruin your eyes." Mary stated and Lillian rolled her eyes.
"Thanks Mary." She said sarcastically before hearing the front door opening. "Tommy." She whispered excitedly, getting up from her seat. She knew she was in trouble, Arthur or John had probably told him by now.
"Hello." She greeted, walking up to him, giving him a kiss before stepping back. "Sit down."
"Guess." Lillian said excitedly.
"Guess what?" He asked with a smile.
"He said yes."
"Who?"
"The leader of the Birmingham City council is going to attend the dinner. Everyone has said yes. Everyone. I know I'm good, but this is insane, I keep having to change the catering." Lillian explained kneeling down in front of him, using his knee as support to lean her hands on. "My hand is killing me as well."
"Oh, what are you writing for? I bought you a typewriter." He said in confusion and Lillian looked at him silly.
"You don't write letter of a social occasion on a typewriter and handwriting is more personal than a typewriter." She chuckled.
"Oh, forgive me."
"I also have the drawings of what they plan to do with the grounds of the house, and I made them put an area for the children to play. Look." Lillian explained to him and he hummed. "And the Birmingham charity commission have agreed to set aside those three rotten floorboards upstairs and grant us the license within a month." She smiled up at him, kissing him over and over until he held her cheeks. "You're not listening to me."
"Yes, I am. I am." He said, stroking her cheeks softly.
"Do you think I'm becoming obsessed?" She asked.
"Yes."
"Should I ask you how your day was like a good wife?" She teased.
"No."
"I'm guessing that your day was not as successful as mine, hmm."
"Well that depends on how you measure success. See personally, I measure it in sapphires." He explained and Lillian laughed.
"Really?"
"Close your eyes." Tommy tells her softly and she smiles, kissing him before turning around. Facing away from Tommy as she sat between his legs. She heard jingling noises behind her before she felt his arms around her. "Alright, you can open 'em."
"Where the hell did you get that? It's beautiful." She gasped as he clipped it around her neck, moving closer to her.
"You can wear that to the foundation dinner." He told her, kissing her cheek and then her neck.
"Don't you think it's a bit much for a charity dinner?" She asked looking up at him. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, squeezing her closer.
"Lillian, this is fucking Birmingham. Good taste is for people who can't afford sapphires." He joked and she laughed, pushing him down onto the couch and climbing on top of him.
"Oh Mr. Shelby."
"Oh Mrs. Shelby its your turn to talk." He said.
"About what?" She asked but she already knew what.
"Come on tell me why you were at the docks this morning. You know I don't like it when your involved." He stated and she sighed.
"I was bored and before we were married, I was a part of everything, and John was acting like a prick and if we're talking about the deal you've decided to start a war with the Italians."
"It's not a war if you already know you've won."
"Don't get cocky Tommy, that's when you start making mistakes." Lillian sighed, looking down at him. She didn't know what she'd do if he got hurt, now that they have this life together and their son.
"Okay." He nodded his head, running his hand through her hair. "And what's this about you been Italian eh? I had to find out from Arthur."
"Would you Have treated me anyway different if I told you from the start? You've been enemies since I've arrived all those years ago." She asked him, fearing the answer.
"No, I wouldn't, not when you have an arse like that, eh." He squeezed her arse as if to justify his answer and Lillian giggled, snuggling up to him. "It doesn't matter where you come from, never have, never will."
"Good."
New cover! Hope you like it x
Hi guys, I'm back! I thought it would be appropriate to post this chapter on the same day I started a year ago. Which is insane and I can't believe how much support I've got from this! Thank you.
Published on the 17th Of January 2019
Edited on the 21st of January 2019