VICES AND VIRTUES | Thomas Shelby

TWENTY SIX

"Tommy Shelby, you have done well for yourself," Florence smirked to herself as she stepped out of her car and onto the driveway of his house.

It was far larger or grander than Florence had imagined when George gave her the address but it was all that Tommy had ever dreamt of. He wanted to be great, and she had always known that he would stop at nothing until she got there.

She closed her car door and made her way to the front door, knocking gently. The door quickly opened and she was met with the face of an older woman, who she assumed was Tommy's housekeeper.

"I'm here to see Mr Shelby, I'm an old friend." Florence smiled at the lady.

"I don't know you, and Mr Shelby isn't expecting guests." Tommy's housekeeper replied calmly, yet seeming on edge.

"You can tell him that Mrs Harrington is here to see him," Florence told her, and from the look on the housekeeper's face, she knew just what that name meant.

"This way, Mrs Harrington," She smiled nervously, welcoming her into the house and leading her towards Tommy's study.

Frances knocked on the door, to which Tommy quickly responded with, "Come."

Frances pushed the door open, letting Florence wait in the hallway, "Mrs Harrington is here to see you, sir."

"Mrs Harrington?" Tommy muttered, assuming that perhaps Margaret wanted to give him an earful for involving her youngest son in his work.

Frances glanced at Florence, nodding at her to enter the room. Florence obliged and crossed the threshold, preparing herself to come face to face with the man she had spent six years avoiding. She looked up to see Tommy standing at his desk, the look on his face was a picture, no doubt never expecting to ever see the woman who stood before him ever again.

"Hello, Mr Shelby," Florence smiled as Frances left the room.

"Florence," Tommy whispered in disbelief as Frances closed the door, leaving the two of them alone, "What are you doing here?"

"Spreading festive cheer," Florence answered sarcastically, her new found confidence surprising Tommy, "Oh, and I received some post that I thought might interest you."

"You came all this way to tell me about some post?" Tommy remarked, slowly coming to realise what she was referring to.

"Yes, I did," Florence replied, approaching him and slamming the envelope on the desk, "Do you want to tell me why the Changrettas have sent a six year old girl a black hand?"

Tommy looked down at the envelope, reading the name 'Daisy Shelby', two words he never quite imagined he would see side by side. He removed the card from the envelope to see the same card that he had been sent. When he told Florence he couldn't marry her all those years ago it was because he feared a moment like this, but even without being publicly tied to him, those girls were still unsafe.

"Where is she?" Tommy muttered, looking up at Florence who's entire demeanour he hardly recognised.

"George and Vinnie are watching the children," Florence told him, "They're both armed, I assume you've all had one."

"Yeah, we have," Tommy replied, "Who's Vinnie?"

"Polly didn't tell you, did she?" Florence replied, watching the confusion on the Shelby man's face.

"Polly doesn't tell me much these days," Tommy frowned.

"Do you remember my mother being pregnant about three years after I was born?" Florence asked, knowing that their age gap meant Tommy might have some sort of memory of that year.