C h a p t e r T h i r t e e n
Many people believed that Lynette Reid was too strong minded to be with someone like Thomas Shelby. She was well known in the community due to being located in The Garrison almost every night. Her Scottish accent - as well as her auburn hair - made it hard to miss her in the streets, and she had developed her own reputation amongst the people of Small Heath. Respect her and she will respect you.
No one in the area had anything against the redhead, but they had seen that she was not afraid to tell off those who she didn't agree with. Because of this, many had assumed that her relationship with the Shelby man would not last long. Lynette took pleasure in seeing the surprise on people's faces any time she exited Tommy's home or vice versa. She liked being able to prove the nosy lot wrong, and show that she could not be judged so easily.
Her time with Tommy seemed to be going too perfect, it made her more anxious as she anticipated that eventually something would go wrong. As December came upon them, she knew that they could not avoid what was to come.
Immediately upon wakening, she could feel the nervous pit in her stomach as she remembered that today was the third day of the month. She lay there for a while, her worried thoughts clouding her mind as she stared absentmindedly at the window. She worried about how many could possibly die, their advantage in numbers should have comforted her but it didn't.
She was brought out of her thoughts as a pair of strong arms wrapped around her from behind, her frown was replaced with a smile as she felt Tommy begin to press open kisses on her shoulder blade. She turned around to look at him, his strong arms tightening as he pulled her closer to lay beside him.
"How long have you been awake?" He questioned under his breath.
"A while," she answered truthfully.
"Today is the day."
"That's why I'm awake."
Tommy leaned forward to peak her lips again before he got up to get ready. She could tell that he had been anticipating for this day to come, the day that Shelby Brothers Limited would take out Kimber and equal out with their competitors in the Bookmakers business. "Everything will be fine," he assured her as he grabbed his underwear.
Lynette remained in Tommy's bed, watching him with a frown. "You can't guarantee that. It's the Worcester Races, you don't know if Kimber could already suspect that his security is corrupt. And god knows if his remaining men have any weapons of their own."
"Lynn," Tommy began as he continued to get dressed. "I have the Blinders and all of the Lee Gang. Kimber has been very happy with his profits since his new assignment of security, he doesn't suspect a thing. He thinks the deal still stands for a year."
"Well then I have a deal of my own," she proposed while sitting up so her back leaned against the headboard of the bed. "You break that pig's nose for me and I'll forgive you for having Arthur send me home from work early last night."
Tommy - who now had his trousers and undershirt on - approached the bed so he could lean over the woman with a smirk. She reached a hand up to tease the back of his neck with her nails.
"Technically, you also work for me."
"Technically," she repeated mockingly with a smile. "I'm not contracted for what we were doing last night."
A breathy laugh escaped through Tommy's nose as he leaned closer to brush his lips against her's once again. The kiss continued for a few moments before he pulled away in a purposely slow manner to tease her. She noticed the wicked grin on his face as he stared down at her.
"Well, maybe I should write up a new contract."
A giggle escaped her as Tommy dipped down to kiss the bare collarbone. If only the morning had continued on like that, but life was never that easy when you worked for the most dangerous gang in Birmingham.
..............................
Upon entering the kitchen of the Shelby house, Lynette was instantly greeted by the smug-face of Polly. The smile on her painted lips was impossible to miss as she found her sat at the kitchen table, seemingly waiting for her.
The house was completely silent, leaving the Glaswegian wondering where everyone was. She already knew that Tommy had left to inform the others that today was the day that the Peaky Blinders would march on Kimber's stands. The family had been left in the dark about these plans, so preparations had to be made quickly before leaving for the races.
"Any particular reason why you and Tommy came downstairs separately?" Polly asked as she continued to smoke.
Lynette raised an amused eyebrow at the woman as she leaned against the doorway. "To avoid you lot taking the mickey out of us like you did when I stayed the other night."
"It's only me. John is at his place and Arthur is probably nursing a hangover in The Garrison. I was waiting to see if you wanted to come visit Ada with me, that girl will eventually let me in. And I think she has a right to know what today is."
The redhead nodded, "I'm ready whenever you are."
Polly dropped her cigarette into the ashtray before standing to pull on her coat. "Off we go then," she said.
As they walked through the streets of Small Heath, Lynette couldn't help but notice the nods of acknowledgement that she received from the people she passed. It was the same sign of respect that she had seen every member of the Shelby Family receive, Tommy more than any others. She appreciated that she was recognised as part of the Shelby's now, because the nods were not only to Polly but to her as well. However, as much as she liked the gesture, she did not like the fear factor that came with her new association.
It didn't take long for the two women to make it to the home that Ada had been hidden away in. Lynette had only been here once, whereas Polly came almost everyday.
Much to their delight and surprise, this was the first time that Ada had actually opened the door anyone.
Lynette smiled from her place on the couch as she watched Polly fuss over little baby, Karl. It wasn't hard to tell that Polly loved children, and she loved her family. The smile had yet to leave Polly's face as she paced the room with the little boy in her arms.
"You're much better with him than I am," Ada commented from her place at the doorway.
From her appearance alone, it was clear to see that the young girl had been struggling. Her eyes were sunken from exhaustion, and decorated with dark circles. Her clothes hung off her, her baby weight having disappeared alarmingly quickly. Lynette felt sorry for Ada, knowing that she was struggling in the absence of her husband.
"He settles quicker with me cause he can't smell the milk," Polly stated before approaching the bassinet on the table. "You're tired. Let's put him down."
Lynette stayed on the couch as she watched Ada and Polly stand beside each other as they looked down at little Karl. She was glad to see the two women talking again, and that Ada was allowing someone in her family to see the new addition to the Shelby's.
"Mine were terrors for the tit. Both of them. Well, you never knew my children, did you?"
Lynette was surprised at the news that Polly had children of her own, she had never heard about them and Tommy had not mentioned it to her. But she supposed that it wasn't his place to tell.
"No, I was a child myself then. You never talk about them."
"Never had reason to. My heart breaks even when I think about them. But today I do have reason to. Sit down, Ada."
As Polly seated herself on a wooden chair and Ada sat on the couch, Lynette stood up with a neutral expression. She wanted to leave the two women to have their privacy as she was not technically part of the family. And she didn't what to intrude on stuff that wasn't any of her business.
"I'll wait outside," she told the two women, but was interrupted by Polly.
"No Lynette, I want you to hear this too. Sit down, love."
Lynette began to shake her head in protest. "Polly -"
The older woman grabbed her wrist before she could finish, and pulled her back towards her seat. Lynette gave a sigh of defeat as she reluctantly returned to her place on the couch beside Ada. Both girls looking over to Polly as she began to talk about her children.
"They were three and five years old. Sally was three, Michael was five. Well, two weeks away from being six. It was Sunday morning, I was at church. 'You're not forgiven.' This pinch-faced bitch said to me, 'You're not forgiven.' You see, some sheets I washed and hung on the line had the name of a hotel on them. They'd been stolen in a robbery, and they said some porter at the hotel had been coshed. And a woman from round here told the police about the sheets - jealous, you see, of the new sheets. And when the police came, they found a spirit still for making a few drops of gin."
Lynette's heart broke as she watched Polly's strong facade break for the first time. Tears had began to roll down the woman's face as her voice broke. The only other time she had seen Polly in distress was the night that Karl was born, but that had been in anger, not sadness.
"And for that...they took my children from me, and they never told me where they took them. And they did it 'cause they could, and 'cause I was weak. But they will never take your baby away from you. Do you know why? 'Cause Tommy wouldn't let them, 'cause Tommy won't let them walk all over us. Now it is Tommy who has given strength and power to this family. 'Cause he knows you have to be as bad as them above in order to survive."
The words struck Lynette, because she knew them to be true. Just by looking at her past, she could see that Tommy and herself shared that knowledge of survival. She had spent five years of her life walking men to their deaths for the Bridgeton Team in order to put a roof over her head and food on the table, she had done it all in exchange for protection from the man she feared so much. But in the end, she had killed him so that she could continue to live.
"I'm telling you this because I want you to forgive him," Polly explained.
Ada shook her head softly. "How can I? When my Freddie's rotting in jail because of him."
"It wasn't himAda," Lynette promised before turning to other woman, her expression now much more somber. "Do you want to tell her or should I?"
Polly nodded once indicating that she would take on the task of breaking the news of Tommy's plans. Ada looked between them in confusion, her expression wary as she waited for who would speak next. In the end it was her Aunt that broke the momentary silence.
"There's something about today you need to know."
..............................
It had been easy to conceive Ada to forgive her brother after she discovered the risky business that would be taking place that day. She was very much on board to coming back home for the family meeting when Lynette revealed that Tommy had planned to break Freddie out, and that those plans were already in motion.
Polly and Lynette kept Ada hidden in the kitchen as the men filed into the betting shop, they wanted Ada's return to be a nice surprise for the family - something that would lighten the spirits before they headed off to the races.
The auburn haired woman stood at the back of the room beside the Shelby woman, watching with a faint smile as everyone took their places to listen to Tommy. Her attention was drawn away by a tug on her sleeve, looking down she saw that it was Finn.
"Can I sit next to you, Lynn?"
Lynette attempted to control the joyful grin that fought to break on her lips as she nodded to the boy, she was in pleasant disbelief that he was starting to warm up to her. "Be my guest," she responded, pulling out the wooden chair from the desk in front of her.
Once Finn had seated himself with a childish grin on his face as he watched Tommy, Lynette turned to Polly to reveal the excited expression on her face from the boy's request. Polly had chuckled and simply rubbed her arm before Lynette returned her attention back to her new partner. He too had also watched the moment and sent her a pleased smile despite the others in the room.
Esme was the last to enter the shop, closing the doors behind her to signify that everyone was here. All eyes focused on Tommy as he began to address those in the room.
"I've brought you all here today because this is the day we replace Billy Kimber. This is the day we become respectable, the day we join the official National Association of Race Course Bookmakers. But first we do the dirty work. We've all known it's been coming, I just haven't told anyone the date."
Lynette and Grace were the only ones to know about the date, because it had been recorded in the books of The Garrison, and Tommy had asked them to organise the enclosure tickets to get them into the Worcester Races. Thought Lynette would never say this to the family, to avoid causing any conflicts. Instead she watched silently as he continued.
"We're going to the Worcester races. The track opens at One, we get there at Two. Now, Kimber thinks we're going there to help him fight the Lee brothers. But thanks to the efforts of our John, and his lovely new wife Esme, the Lees are now our kin.
I interrupted those efforts this morning, and er...I can assure you all, John is making great sacrifices in the cause of peace."
Laughter filled the room at the comment, everyone turning to look at the husband and wife. Esme appeared somewhat bashful at the comment, whereas John seemed to he unhappy that his personal activities with his wife had been exposed.
"Yeah, alright," he grumbled.
"So, it'll be us and the Lees against Kimber's boys. We take them out, then leave the bookies. I expect a swift victory which will send a signal all the way to London, that we believe in letting legitimate businesses run peacefully."
"And, er...what about Kimber himself?" John questioned.
Tommy answered as he directed a nod to the redhead woman in the room, a nod that only they understood the meaning of. "I'll deal with Kimber. Any other questions?"
Polly gave a gentle nudge to Lynette with her elbow to tell her that it was time. No one else in the room had noticed the gesture as the women stood close together, side by side.
"We have one," Lynette announced as Polly approached the closed doors that connected the shop to the Shelby home.
She knew that everyone was looking at them, but she could only watch Tommy as she waited for his reaction. The confusion was present in his eyes, but he attempted to hide it from his men.
"Does anyone object if I bring a newcomer to the meeting?" Polly asked, before opening the green doorway. She poked her around the partially opened door and whispered to the individual on the other side.
Lynette watched with a knowing smile as Polly opened the door full to reveal Ada on the other side, she entered the room slowly with baby Karl wrapped up in her arms. The Glaswegian woman was excited to see the reactions of the three Shelby men who had yet to lay eyes on their nephew.
"I'd like to introduce the newest member of the Shelby clan."
Arthur was the one who started the applause, clapping excitedly at the entrance of his sister, which caused the others to follow suit. Lynette and Polly joined in as they followed the young woman as she approached the crowd of men. She could see the wide smiles on John and Arthur, and the hint of a smile on Tommy's face - most likely a result of still being shocked to see his sister.
"Welcome home, Ada."
Ada nodded to Tommy with a smile, before looking around at the others in the room to see their reactions. "We named him Karl. After Karl Marx."
Everyone had a chuckle at the name, knowing that Freddie would be pleased to have his son named after the historical communist.
"Karl bloody Marx?" Arthur laughed, walking forward to get a hold of his nephew. "Let me get a look at him."
John sniggered. "Oh, here we go."
"Eh, look!" Arthur exclaimed as he held up Karl, the young baby now wearing his razor cap. "He looks just like me, look."
"That's his arse looks like you, Arthur."
More laughter filled the room. Lynette was pleased to see the wide grin on Ada's face as she pulled her into a sideways hug, she knew that the family was slowly mending back together, and that this had been an important step in that direction.
"He's all right. He's a Shelby."
The men stared to disperse from the room, only few of the family members staying behind. Lynette stayed at Polly's side while they watched Arthur, John and Esme crowd around Karl to get a look at him. Her attention was more focused on Tommy and Ada, as she waited for her partner to address his sister again.
"Well, Ada? Am I forgiven?"
"If what Aunt Polly and Lynn say is true, you are."
Tommy nodded to her statement. "It's true."
Polly and Lynn shared a grin, pleased with their accomplishment as Ada rushed forward to hug her older brother. They could see the weight that had suddenly been lifted from her shoulder now knowing that her husband would be returned to her by the end of the day. All thanks to her big brother who wanted to see her happy, even if he didn't approve of the man she married.
..............................
Lynette's worries had fallen significantly since she had woken up that morning. As she stood in The Garrison waiting for the boys to arrive from the shop, she was much more confident in their plans considering they all seemed more energised with the visit from Ada.
She had left ahead of Tommy and the others to alert Grace and Harry of the large crowd that would soon be joining them before they headed off. Lynette noticed that Grace was unusually quiet but brushed it off as nerves for today, much like she had experienced earlier.
The Blinder lot entered the small pub loudly, all lining up to the bar for drinks before their send off. The two barmaids began to carry pint glasses to the taps as Tommy addressed his men.
"All right, lads, listen up. You have a pint and a chaser, no more. On the house."
The redhead raised a brow in amusement as Tommy shedded his jacket and joined her behind the bar. "Right," he exclaimed, rubbing his hands together eagerly. "Let's get pouring!"
She laughed as he started to pour pints with her, while Grace handled the chasers with Harry. "Do you have the enclosure tickets? And the register of book-keepers on the track?" the blonde asked from the other side of Lynette.
"In me coat," Tommy answered. "You did a good job, Grace. The next family meeting, I'll make sure you're there."
"If I were family, but I'm not."
Lynette shook her head with a smile, not realising that her colleague's tone was a result of something more deeper than just nerves. "We're part of the company now, Grace. And Polly needs help keeping these men under control." She leaned closer with an excited grin as she whispered, "We're no longer the runaways."
"The barrel needs changing," Grace snapped abruptly, before heading into the back room - where Lynette had once hidden from the IRA men. The door closed behind the woman loudly, leaving Tommy and Lynette stood in bafflement.
It wasn't hard for Lynette to spot the lie in Grace's words considering that she had changed all the barrels the day before, and Grace wasn't using the taps. She turned to Tommy as she rested the pint glass she had just filled on the counter.
"I'll be back in a minute," she excused herself before following the blond.
She closed the door behind her as she was met with the sight of Grace wiping the tears from her face. Her eyes now red and puffy as she looked to the slightly taller redhead.
"What's going on, Grace?"
"Lynn, I'm leaving tonight."
"You're running again?" Lynette shook her head in surprise, her eyes somewhat widened by the news. "Look, Grace, I get that maybe this place isn't what you were expecting but look how well you've done here. I thought you wouldn't stand a chance when you walked through those doors, and you proved me wrong. Maybe we're not exactly friends but we can fix that? And besides, you still have a contract of employment with Tommy."
The blonde backed away from the woman slowly, Lynette now noticing that she was edging towards the side door that lead out onto the street. "I have done something terrible, Lynn. And I'm sorry."
Lynette stepped forward to stop the Irishwoman, but she had already fled through the doorway and had began to run down the cobbled road. She stood there in utter disbelief, too confused to really understand what had just happened. It had all been so out of the blue.
The door opened behind her to reveal Tommy, his eyes scanning to room quickly before he realised that only Lynette remained. He then noticed the partially opened side door. "What was all that about?" he questioned.
"I have no idea. Maybe she's just freaked out about today."
"We'll sort it out later. Right now, I want to tell you something before we go out there."
Lynette looked up in confusion as Tommy turned her to face him, his hands resting on her elbows. "What is it?"
"When I get back here tonight I will have one of the biggest legal racetrack syndicates in the country. That means that the Shelby name will spread, people will want to know as much about their competitors as they can. If your name goes back to Fullerton, we'll deal with it together. We'll make some kind of deal with them, some of my boys have already dealt with Richard's body so they or Campbell can't -"
"What?" she interrupted him in utter shock. "H-how did you find him in the Clyde?"
"I had Charlie and some boys go up there to fish him out, they found the body and burned it to ash. There's no evidence, no one can touch you for his murder."
"I can't believe you did that, Tommy."
Tommy dipped his head down closer to hers, his tone lowering to a soft murmur. "I did it because I love you, Lynn. And we are going to make things work. A better life for the two of us. From now on, it will be legitimate business. And I'm going to close down some of that other stuff. Maybe open a club, eh? We could take a trip down to London."
Lynette had tears in her eyes as she laughed lightly. "A Brummie and a Glaswegian in London? That sounds like the start to a bad joke."
Tommy smiled at her comment, a breathy laugh escaping his nose. He could see in her eyes the gratitude that she couldn't find words to describe. He could also see the happiness behind the shock, which left her voice only able to come out in a whisper.
"I love you too, Tommy."
He leaned down to peak her lips before ducking back to admire her again, one of his hands come up to wipe the tears away from her check. She suddenly wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close as she tucked her head into his neck while fighting off tears.
"Hey," Tommy started as he rubbed her back, knowing that the tears were a result of the overwhelming mix of emotions. "Things are looking up now, yeah?"
He placed a final kiss on her hair before they were interrupted by the door opening hastily. They stepped apart to see Arthur and Jeremiah, both with concerned plastered on their faces. Lynette quickly wiped the tears from her face as she realised that something had gone wrong.
"Right, tell him what you just told me," Arthur instructed the preacher.
"Just heard there's two vans driving up the Stratford Road. An old corporal of mine said he recognised some of the men. He said it's Kimber boys, and they're heading this way."
"Shit," Lynette swore, she and Tommy rushing from the room knowing that their plans had been ruined.
..............................
"Ada, wake up!" Tommy ordered loudly as he and Lynette marched into the Shelby house. Both were in panicked states as they entered the living room, where they found Ada napping on the armchair while little Karl slept in his bassinet. "You and the baby get into the Bull Ring, where there's lots of people."
Polly entered the room, having heard the commotion from the next room. "What's going on?" she asked with a frown.
"We've been fucking betrayed, someone let slip," Tommy answered, running a hand over his head in frustration. He began to pace while Lynette stood at his side, her fists clenching and unclenching due to nerves. "Kimber's men are on their way here."
"Yeah, but you can handle them, Tommy?"
"It's just us, all the Lees are on their way to Worcester. We're outnumbered." Lynette head snapped to the left in fright as Tommy suddenly slammed his hands on the surface of the sideboard. "Fuck!"
Polly and Ada watched the pair continue to freak out. "Who else knew today was the day you were moving on Kimber? You said you kept it a secret. Who else did you tell?"
"Me and Grace knew because we sorted the enclosure tickets. I never said anything, and she didn't know about the atta-" Lynette's words suddenly caught in her throat as everything clicked into place. Her jaw hung open as she stared absentmindedly ahead, her voice now only coming out in a shocked whisper. "Oh my god, she did know."
"How, Lynette?" Polly questioned.
"The star," the redhead answered. She looked over to Tommy, whose back faced her as she continued. "The black star, you put it in the books. Grace handles the bloody books!"
Lynette's anger caused her to spin around and punch the wall. She was furious that she had missed the signs; Grace's constant questioning and her behaviour in The Garrison. Her fingers knotted up into her hair, a force of habit when she was stressed.
"She told me she did something terrible. I didn't know what she meant," she explained to the group.
"I'll deal with Grace. If either of you set eyes on her again, you might kill her."
Lynette didn't protest, she and Tommy remaining completely silent. One of the reasons she didn't argue with Polly to let her deal with Grace was because she was still trying to work her mind around the fact that she had been spying on them for months. The second reason being that she knew Polly's statement was accurate.
The story is coming to an end, only one chapter left. But I do plan on writing a sequel, so let me know if there's anything she would like to see Lynette do in Season 2 of Peaky Blinders