from a shelby to a solomons

four

A contract of employment? Charlotte thought to herself. Grace was an employee of her family's company before she was allowed a position?

As realization hit, Charlotte's anger flared. A barmaid was hired for the company before a blood Shelby? Charlotte was raging. She was fed up with Tommy and his antics, so she stayed up most of the night, planning what she would say to Tommy the next morning. She knew he wouldn't be happy with her confronting him, but she didn't care any more than she did the day before. In fact, she wanted to make him angry and upset; she wanted him to understand how she felt right then in the moment when she realized that he cared about girls and money more than his own family.

"So Tommy," Charlotte started as she sat beside her brother at the kitchen table. "How's the business? The legal business."

"Good," Tommy spoke, raising his eyebrows at her as he bit into a piece of toast that Polly had left out for them.

"Interesting."

"Why?"

"Just was wondering if you were in the market to hire any women, like as a secretary or somethin'," Charlotte spoke casually.

"No, Charlotte. I told you, this business is not for little girls to be a part of," Tommy sipped his tea as he stood up to clear his dishes from the table.

"She's only a few years older than me," Charlotte mumbled, "And I have the experience and she doesn't."

"Excuse me?" Tommy spun around to look at his little sister.

Charlotte withdrew the folded up paper that had been clutched in her hands all of breakfast, sliding it across the table to where Tommy was standing. 

"I know you hired the fuckin' barmaid as your secretary," she spoke as she stood. "And I'm a fucking blood Shelby and you decide to hire a bloody Irish barmaid who you've known for all of a week instead of your own fucking sister!" Charlotte was red-faced and teary eyed. Though she tried her hardest to maintain her angry straight face, her sadness and disappointment radiating through her eyes. 

"I can't do this with you right now, Charlotte." Tommy grabbed his peaky cap and made his way to the front door, not looking back. "I have business to attend to."

"You always have fucking business, Tommy!" Charlotte shouted after him. "You always have an excuse. Man up!"

Tommy continued to walk straight out the front door to attend to his business. But the whole walk there, he was coming to terms with the fact that his sister would not let this go - ever. He knew she needed to be involved in the business to prevent her from doing anything stupid that could get herself killed. 

---

"Oi, John, Tommy wants us in his office," Arthur called to his younger brother as he walked into the parlour. 

"What about?" John asked, and Arthur ignored. 

Tommy was sat behind his desk when his brothers walked in. "We need to talk about family business."

"No family meeting, eh?" John chuckled. "Charlotte would be too much for ya?"

"This is actually about her." Tommy replied, sighing. John and Arthur glanced at each other before sitting down opposite Tommy. "I've been thinking. We need to let her be part of the business."

"Alright! That's what I've been tellin' ya Tommy, she ain't gonna rest until she becomes a Blinder," John cheered, a smile crossing his face. 

"She's not going to be a Blinder," Tommy harshly replied. "She will work for Shelby Company Ltd. and she will get paid legally." He emphasized the last word.

"Right, right," Arthur groaned, "Why are we here? Did ya think we wouldn't be ok with Lottie doing legal business for our family?"

"No," Tommy replied. "It's what she will be doing that I wanted to speak about. You see, I have a very important business meeting in London. She's going to come with me."

"Who's in London?" John tensed up.

"Alfie Solomons."

"The bread-making Jew?" Arthur replied, chuckling. "Why in the world would you bring our Lottie to the roughest part of London?"

"She's going to be my pawn with Alfie. He sent me a telegram yesterday, asking to meet. And I need him to do me a favour, and I think I'll do him a favour in return by bringing Charlotte. She's young, he's a lone wolf, and it just makes sense."

"Tommy," John fumed, standing up and trying his best to control his rage. "Ain't no fuckin' way you're marrying our little sister off to fucking Alfie fucking Solomons! No fucking way."

"John, I-"

"No! You are not taking our 18 year old sister with you to fucking Camden Town as a pawn in your game!" John shouted as he turned and stormed out of his older brother's office. 

Tommy groaned as he put his head in his hands. His original plan wasn't to marry Charlotte to Alfie, but rather to just bring her as a distraction. She would go with him to London, see Camden Town and Alfie, and realize that she really didn't want to be part of the business. His plan was basically flawless - until John didn't hear him out all the way.

"Tommy, that's fucked up, even for you," Arthur spoke, pushing his and John's chairs in. "She's only just turned 18 and all she wants to do is spend time with her brothers and help her family earn money. She just wants to help."

"Help, eh?" Tommy retorted. "She will be helping if she comes with me to London. And I'm not marrying her off to him, Arthur. He's quite literally double her age, and I don't want someone like him in the family."

"So," Arthur responded, "You're just gonna bring her with you so that there's a girl there to distract him from business? You think someone who loves money as much as Alfie fuckin' Solomons is gonna be distracted by your little sister? No fuckin' way."

"It doesn't hurt to try, does it?" Tommy pulled out a cigarette, placing it into his mouth. "Don't tell her about Alfie, eh? Just that she's comin' to London with me. And find John and tell him not to tell Lottie either. I don't need her gettin' bad ideas in her head and then not come with me. Got it?"

Arthur rolled his eyes as he took another demand from his younger brother, something that really made him angry. He slammed Tommy's office door on the way out, calling throughout the office for John to tell him what Tommy said. But all Arthur could think about was his barely legal sister going to London to meet with one of the roughest gangsters in England.