Shelby Madness

chapter 9, 'What the bloody hell happened in Newcastle?'

19th April 1919, Small Heath, Birmingham.

The black Bentley pulled up outside of 13 Watery Lane at nine am. It had taken double the amount of time it would normally take to get back because John had insisted that they stay in a hotel in Manchester and Ada and the twins agreed. With much convincing Tommy eventually caved and booked two hotel rooms, one for him, John and James and one for Ada and Libby. However, he did wake them up at six to be back in small heath as quickly as possible.

Polly had been waiting patiently by the Windoor in the kitchen for Tommy, John, Ada and their two new family members to get back. Arthur, however, had not been patient at all. He had been snappy with everyone since Tommy and the other two left yesterday morning and then this morning he had paced the betting den so much that Polly and Finn were surprised that he hadn't put holes in the floor.

The old, crooked door had swung open and Tommy, John and Ada walked through with a small, brown, paper cardboard each. Tommy's box had Libby's stuff in it and John's had James in, Ada's However had a new hat she had seen when staying in Manchester and told Tommy that she just couldn't leave it behind.

"Well, where are they?" Poll asked with a smile that had slowly started to fade as she noticed that the twins weren't there.

Tommy swung himself around and sighed, "Not again. Where the bloody hell are they?"

At this point, John was pissing himself laughing at how they hadn't even met the rest of the family and had already nicked off again.

"What's all this noise, Pol?" Arthur asked, then he turned to Tom with a smile, "Ah, your back, so where are my niece and nephew, then?"

"They've done a runna again, Arthur.'' John managed to get out in between laughs.

"What do you mean again?" Polly chimed in, "What the bloody hell happened in Newcastle?"

"You alright tom?" Finn asked as he came into the house red-faced.

"Right John, Arthur you both see if you can find them by the cut, Ada go to the garrison and I'll ask about the streets and Finn keep your eye out for two new kids when you are out, okay?" Tommy rushed to get out as he opened the door to leave to find his kids for the second time in twenty-four hours.

The only difference was that this time they had not run away, they just simply got distracted talking to some boys at the corner of the street and forgot to follow Tommy, John and Ada in the house.

"James, Libby." a disembodied voice called out. The group turned around to see none other than Thomas Shelby storming down the street. The slight panic in his eyes disappeared when he saw them talking to a group of boys at the bottom of the street.

"What have you done to piss off a Shelby in the 10 minutes you've been in Small Heath?" one of the boys, Adam joked.

"What did I say yesterday about running off. I thought you tried to leave again." Tommy quizzed orotundity.

"Sorry, we didn't run off tho. We were only talking." James replied quickly.

"Right well come on back home will ya?" Tommy wanted to get them introduced to the rest of the family so he could get back to work.

"Alright, we are coming," Libby said as she and James followed him back up Watery Lane. 

"John, Arthur, Ada. I've found them. Get Finn and Tell Charlie and Curly that there's a family meeting." Tommy demanded as he pulled the twins in the house and upstairs where he showed them their rooms. Libby had the room next door to Tommy and the bathroom and James had the room opposite of Tommy's next to Finn. While Polly had the big room at the front of the house around the corner from the rest of them. Tommy had given them time to unpack and said that when everybody was here he would send Ada up to get them.

About ten minutes had passed and Libby had found herself in James' room on his bed while he hung up a white shirt. "Do you think we made the right decision coming here?" Libby asked, staring out of the window or.

"In all honesty, Yeah. We finally have a family. I mean I saw the look of panic and worry across dad's face when you went missing, which by the way I'm not happy with you about. I was worried. I honestly thought you'd left to go to America ye dafty." James was happy Libby had asked him, it just made it easy to work out what she was thinking.

"Dad?" Libby questioned.

"That's what I said," Jame answered.

"Ano, I guess it will just take some getting used to, that's all."

"It will and it feels weird to say but he is our dad and does love us."

"He doesn't even know us, James."

"Maybe not but if his face is anything to go by and the amount of panic and worry he clearly felt when you ran away proves he loves us. Why would he open his home to us and introduce his family if he doesn't love us?" James had moved from standing up to sitting next to his sister on the bed.

"I don't know, maybe he feels obliged to. That he doesn't have a choice and to be honest it looks like their family is already big enough, so why would they want two new teenagers with nothing but baggage in their lives?"

"You're overthinking everything again, okay?"

"Whatever James." Libby scoffed getting up off his bed to go to her room.