from a shelby to a solomons

seven

Charlotte slowly turned her head to the side, still mumbling the Romani prayer, praying Tommy was safe. It was him who was talking to her. 

"Get up, Lottie." He had blood on the front of his shirt and his hair was messed up, but other than that he seemed unharmed.

"W-what just happened?" Charlotte spoke quietly, standing up from the hay. She was used to violence - she knew what her family was involved in. But her brothers, especially Tommy, tried to shield her from the gory truths of what happened behind closed doors and in alleyways.

"He works for Sabini. Don't know how he knew I was here, but he's dead," he replied, adjusting his gun back into the holster that wrapped around his body. "Let's go. Don't look down." He held out his arm, reaching for Charlotte's hand. She grabbed it and tried her best to keep her head up so as not to see the bleeding body that lie on the floor of the horse stable, a place she always considered safe.

The two didn't speak on the way back to Watery Lane. Charlotte was trying her best to put on a brave face so that Tommy didn't get the idea that Peaky Blinder business was too much for her. She wanted to go to London, and come hell or high waters, she was going to go to London.

"I don't like you seeing stuff like that." He spoke quietly, Charlotte had to strain her ears to hear him. She couldn't tell if he was talking to himself or talking to her. She decided to respond anyway.

"I can take it. I'm a Shelby."

"No, you can't. Charlotte, this is why the business in Small Heath is not for you," he spoke harshly.

"No, Tommy, this is why I should have my own gun."

She could tell that he considered it for a second, but quickly rejected her request, shutting it down immediately. He knew she needed to protect herself, but he wished that there was a way to do that without giving her a real gun.

"Come on, walk faster. We'll miss supper," Tommy spoke gruffly, grabbing Charlotte's arm and pulling her forward to walk as fast as he was. She walked as fast as she could to keep up with her brother, her legs aching with each step.

They walked through the front door of the betting shop and through to the kitchen. Polly was sat at the kitchen table, with her hands together, fingers intertwined. Her face was grim and she barely glanced up as Tommy and Charlotte walked through the front door.

"Polly?" Tommy spoke first, removing his peaky cap off his head and placing it on the table.

"It's Arthur," she replied, not wasting time and cutting to the chase. "He's tried to hang himself."

Charlotte froze and her eyes became blurry with tears. The room around her was spinning - she couldn't speak and couldn't see. Arthur? Her oldest brother, who in her eyes could do no wrong. What could have happened to drive him to this point? Tommy cleared his throat and put his cap back on.

"He's alive, but he's in hospital," Polly spoke again. Her eyes were focused on the wall behind Charlotte and Tommy, and she clearly didn't know what to do with herself. Sometimes Polly needed to distance herself from everything that happened with the Shelby family, and that's just what she decided to do now.

"You could've said that first, Pol," Tommy replied through gritted teeth, grabbing Charlotte's hand and pulling her back out of the house. The pair walked back up Watery Lane towards the hospital.

They walked in silence until Charlotte decided to speak up. "Do you think he'll be ok, Tommy?" Her voice was small and quiet and Tommy empathized with her.

"He'll be fine, Charlotte," Tommy spoke confidently. Though his words sounded confident, Tommy couldn't help but think of what would happen if his brother had actually died.