Lana had already warned Tommy of the IRA men offering Tommy money for the guns. He was prepared. Lana couldn't take the credit for Tommy asking Grace to the races. At first Lana wasn't pleased when she found out, she couldn't show that to Tommy but it was like he read her like a book. He'd said "Don't worry, i don't want to be around her any more than you want to." And then he'd laughed when he saw the look on Lana's face.
Lana was by herself, Tommy having gone to the Garrison to meet with the IRA men. She took this time to reflect on everything that she knew was going to happen to the Shelby's. She had the predicament of how much she was going to change and how much that was going to affect what she knew was going to happen. She knew that she was obviously going to stop any deaths she could and also stop any trauma happening to any of the family. But she also felt terribly guilty. Little Charlie Shelby wasn't going to exist. Not if she could help it. If Tommy was somehow seduced by Grace, even though he knew she was a rat, Lana would be heartbroken. It was all terrible confusing and Lana didn't like to dwell much on the future. She needed to tell Tommy what was going to happen in the future but she didn't want to tell him too much in fear that he got cocky and the whole thing going tits up because of it.
Lana had been waiting around ten minutes before deciding to go to the Garrison, knowing that Tommy's meeting was going to be over soon and she didn't have much else to do. She had been made Tommy's official secretary, but he didn't really give her any work, only asking her to accompany him on safe business and make sure that everything was running smoothly at the betting den.
She made her way down the smoke filled streets, lighting a cigarette she had just pulled out of her purse. Before she arrived Lana had been a social smoker, only smoking when offered it by others, but it was only so long being around the Peaky Blinders before she picked up the habit herself. She found it soothed her.
She pushed open the doors of the pub. Men would take one look at her before looking away, she was one of the Peaky Blinders now and any wrong looks would be dealt with. She headed for the bar.
Lana set her purse down on the bar, sliding onto the stool. Grace hadn't noticed and was still snooping and listening to Tommy's meeting in the snug. Lana decided to let Grace kill the IRA man as it did no harm and she knew of the girls past. She cleared her throat, catching the barmaids attention.
Grace looked over sheepishly. Lana rose her eyebrows at her before finishing the cigarette she had lit before and putting it out on the ashtray. "I won't tell if you won't." Lana winked, playing with the girls feelings. This made Grace go a darker shade of pink than she already was, being embarrassed that she was caught in the act.
"What would you like, Miss...?"
Lana suddenly noticed that she hadn't given herself a surname. She decided she liked it that way, the mystery of it all.
"Just Lana, I'll have a gin please." Grace nodded.
She handed Lana her gin just as Tommy exited the snug. His eyes landed on Lana at the bar, just as he expected.
"How are you?" He asked her.
"Fine Mr Shelby. How are you this fine morning?" She asked back, smiling. She took a sip of her gin and cringed at the taste.
"Is the gin not to your liking?" Tommy asked, placing a cigarette in his mouth the way he did and lighting it. Lana didn't know what it was about it but it was extremely attractive to her. And Tommy knew it, smirking while he did it, he knew it would tease her.
"It's not sweet enough, I like my gin sweet." He nodded.
"I'll remember that for future reference."
*
Lana and Tommy has left the pub, arms locked the whole way. They entered the betting den and went straight to the kitchen to find Polly.
"All right?" Tommy said as he entered, closing the door behind Lana.
Lana smiled at Polly, bringing her into a short hug before finding a seat at the table.
"Are you armed?" Polly asked.
Lana didn't expect it and creased her eyebrows in confusion.
Tommy replied, "no."
"Then I'll tell you."
"Ada and Freddie Thorne were married today. They defied your orders, they haven't left the city."
Lana almost slapped herself for forgetting, she'd forgotten to warn Tommy that Ada was pregnant as well. It was something that kept slipping her mind and she felt really bad for it.
"Shit." Lana mumbled in a reprimanding tone to herself.
Tommy looked towards her for answers but he knew she couldn't say anything in front of Polly so he left that conversation for later.
"I'll deal with it." Polly said.
"I don't see why you just can't leave them too it. I know Adas young, but at least Freddie isn't running away and leaving her with a bastard child. She's married now, she doesn't have to deal with all the nasty rumours and comments. Not that she'd have to deal with them anyway I mean she's a Shelby for fucks sake." Lana ranted, feeling that Ada was her own woman and didn't need her brothers dictating her life.
Tommy gave her an annoyed look, one that said 'we'll talk about this later.'
"Where are they?" Tommy asked.
Lana shot him a look.
"Freddie's comrades have safe houses. Why do you want to know?" Polly asked.
"I want to send them flowers. Why do you think?" Tommy said.
Lana giggles. Tommy looked over at her for a second, allowing a smile to come to his face at the sound of her laugh before becoming serious again.
"Would it be so bad if they stayed?" Polly said, slightly raising her voice.
"I agree with Polly, Thomas. I know Freddie's in hot water right now for being a communist but hopefully he'll see that he has a higher responsibility now and give it a rest with the strikes." Lana said to Tommy.
"I promised I'd run Freddie out of town." Tommy said to both Lana and Polly. Lana looked away forgetting the deal that he'd made.
"Promised who?"
"I told the coppers Freddie wouldn't come back. It was part of the deal."
"What bloody deal? What happened to family voted? What happened to meetings? If you let me deal with Ada and Freddie, it'll end in peace. Christ knows you have had your fill of war." Polly asks, getting more and more annoyed.
"You get Freddie out of town, Pol. Or else I'll deal with him myself." And with that he walked out, giving Lana one last look before nodding towards his office.
Lana stood up from her seat at the table before walking towards Polly. She put her hand on Polly's arm.
"Polly I promise you everything is going to work out fine. Ada is going to resent the family for a while but her, Freddie and Karl are going to be okay. I can promise you that." Lana said.
Polly gave her a confused look. "Who's Karl?"
Lana froze realising the slip up she'd just made. "Shit. Pretend you didn't hear that, I need to talk to Tommy. I'll explain at some point just not now."
Lana grabbed her purse from the table and made her way to Tommy's office. He shut the blinds when she walked in.
"Tommy I think I may have just revealed myself to Polly." He turned around to look at her, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.
"What do you mean?" He said, coming towards her and grabbing her arms gently.
"I just said that Ada, Freddie and Karl will be okay."
Tommy looked confused, just like Polly.
"Whose Karl?"
"That's the name Adas going to give her baby. Like after Karl Marx." She said grabbing one of Tommy's hands from her arm and gripping it in hers.
Tommy laughed and put his cigarette out in the ash tray sat on the desk. "Of fucking course she is, wouldn't expect anything different from her."
Lana laughed as well. She enjoyed moments like this with Tommy, the ones in private where he could be himself. He was so affectionate with her. Neither Tommy nor Lana had been truthful with their feelings with one another, and although they were very touching they were still in denial that the other one liked them. It had only been two weeks since they had first met, but they were never so sure of their feelings before. They were just too coward to admit them to each other.