𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 ᵖᵉᵃᵏʸ ᵇˡⁱⁿᵈᵉʳˢ

43

"Tommy you ain't gonna believe this" John burst in. "I just phone the garrison, right? I just spoke to Billy, he says Polly, Esme and Lizzie have gone on fucking strike" he laughed.

"They what?"

"They've gone on fucking strike, half of Birminghams out" he waved his arms around. "They female half, they're all out every single on of them"

"Where's Delilah??"

"Well, not her but the rest of em. Quakers put them up to it"

"Who's watching the shop?" Tommy asked, sipping his whiskey. "Polly's locked it up"

"See Good Fridays one of our best days for takings" Tommy angled his head at Tatiana who was sat on the couch. John looked over, standing up straight.

"All the men get drunk. The races are fixed. It's like picking apples off the lowest branches, right John?"

John nodded slowly, growing awkward. "Then your business is very easy?" she asked.

"Was Linda with them?" Tommy asked. "You know, Billy said that Polly jumped in the fucking bull ring, just pissed out of her mind, started going on about revolution , screaming to the rooftops" John said.

"Was Linda with them?" he repeated.

"Yeah"

"Then it was her idea" Tommy stared at the wall. "Linda's a smart woman"

Tatiana stood in front of them, crossing her arms. "John, there's a Bentley in the drive outside i want you to go out and put a nail in its tire" Tommy ordered.

"It's good Friday so there will be no garages open, the lady will have to spend the night. Then i want you and the boys to all go home, take Charlie an put him with Arthur and Linda for the night"

John nodded along. "You want to put a nail.."

"Yeah, you heard me"

"Well" he stepped back. "Right nice to meet you" he nodded at Tatiana, walking away.

"Why do you need to put a nail in a tire" she asked him. "I want it so neither of us can change our mind" he shrugged.

-

Esme carefully opened the locked room, stepping inside. "We came back early" John informed her, walking through the house.

She came out, closing the door over. "Polly didn't finish the count yesterday"

He hummed, frowning. "So you thought you could take a tenner?" he asked. "I thought i'd finish the count" she corrected him. She moved quickly and he ran after her.

He grabbed Esme but she shoved him away.

"Esme i've told you stay off the snow till the baby's here" he said, grabbing her again. "It does no harm, passes time" she shouted. "Knocks down the wall"

"Listen" he said, "i know you miss the travelling, it's all gonna be alright," he assured her.

"It's like being a hen in a coop" she said. John held her face. "Remember that house in Litchfield?" he asked. "Eh? The one the bailiff used to throw you out of?"

"Throw you in the ditch. I'm gonna buy that fucking house" he whispered. "Big as Tommy's and more land"

He breathed heavily. "If you feel cooped up, we'll take a wagon, camp out by the ditch. "How?" she asked. She held the sides of his arms and he moved the hair from her face.

"It's all gonna change, Esme"

She leaned forward, kissing him.

-

"I heard you were giving speeches off the back of the wagon, Pol" Tommy said looking at his Aunt who lay with a towel on her head. "I can't remember a fucking thing" she whispered.

"Well moss tells me you were threatening to burn down the town hall" he reminded her. "Tommy, we were having a laugh"

"You know, actually, the crowd around me was bigger than the one around Jessie Eden" she sat up. "Who's Jessie Eden?" he asked.

"She's too soft, not gonna break the capitalist system talking about separate lavatories for women"

"Who's Jessie Eden?" he asked again. "She's a new best friend" Lizzie sighed, looking down at the newspaper. "Shop steward at the Lucas factory"

"A woman shop steward i've heard of her"

"There's a leaflet here in you want to take a look, Tommy"

"So separate lavatory is that it, is that what you want?" he asked, reading the paper. They rolled their eyes. "I don't know what you want. You have to tell me what it is that you want then i'll know"

"Actually, we want to know about the robbery you're planning" Esme got in his face. " Not the factory one, the other one"

"The one you're not telling the women about"

"John has a big mouth" Tommy said. "No" Esme stopped him. "Arthur's got a big mouth, he told Linda, Linda told me"

"Polly"

"Ladies why don't i talk to Tommy privately" she suggested.

-

"Where's my daughter?" Tommy asked, closing the door to the shop as Linda walked out. "She's went out drinking with Micheal and Isiah,"

Tommy huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "And you let her?"

"Tommy," Polly scolded. "She's not a baby anymore. Isiah and Micheal will look after her, they always do"

"Polly it's past 11 in the night" he told her.

Polly raised her eyebrows. "And what, Thomas? She knows how to handle herself. She's a strong girl. She's not stupid."