When The Boys Are Away

Part 2

That night was the worst.

When all the kids were safely in bed, the four shaken women made their way down to the unusually quiet betting shop. It was cold in the large, empty space, but it felt like a sin to discuss business within the cosy front room, which was meant for love and family, not illegal Shelby activities.

The silence was heavy as they sat around the wooden desk, not one of them reaching for a strong drink like they usually would. Polly coughed slightly before speaking up, "I am aware it is going to be difficult with the boys gone." Her normally firm voice had wavered from the pure dread filling her mind, "But it is our duty to keep this business up and running."

Harlow nodded, crossing her arms across her chest, paying close attention to the strong woman in front of her, "We all have our reputation to uphold. Without the men here, we will be seen as vulnerable; an easy target for anyone who wants to take over Small Heath. Let me tell you, we will not lose our place in this town, not to any bastard."

Her glare became more determined, as she gazed at the strong trio sat around her.

"The girls are taking over, and Birmingham isn't going to know what's hit it."

******

Before even 3 weeks had passed, it was evident that Polly was drowning in the responsibilities that had be chucked onto her fragile shoulders. She was really struggling to keep the business booming whilst looking after the houses, food and the kids.

Harlow had noticed her immense pressure pretty early on, and had immediately gathered Lizzie, Ada and their Uncle Charlie to discuss things from a new perspective. Despite enlisting into the army, Uncle Charlie had been rejected due to his ripened age and injured leg that had been damaged during a racing incident a few years before. This meant that him and Curly were still able to run the stables whilst the boys were away.

Taking a seat in one of the barns, Harlow began to raise her concerns about the older woman. Much to her relief, everyone agreed with what she had to say, so roles were allocated effectively. Lizzie was to watch the kids, look after Olly and Charlotte throughout the day and cook dinner for the family at night with the help of Polly sometimes.

Charlie was to continue running the stables, and offered to walk Finn, Edward and Lily to school and back to ensure that they stayed out of trouble and actually received a proper education.

Meanwhile, Ada had happily accepted the job of controlling the books, making sure that the money within the business was as it should be at all times. With the last remaining Shelby's permission, Ada, Harlow had taken on the biggest job of all; running the Shelby business whilst Tommy and Arthur were away.

The young, brown haired girl was extremely determined that she would make this business a success, even if it killed her. She wanted the boys to be proud when they returned, and she hoped they would come back eventually. Tommy had always talked about making the business legitimate, so Harlow wanted to change it for the better. And my god, she would do it.

When Harlow and Ada alerted Polly of the changes, they were certain that their Aunt would be beyond fuming that they went behind her back, yet it was the complete opposite. The pair were taken aback when Polly had broken out into grateful sobs, pulling them into a warm embrace, thanking them immensely. She was quick to give her permission for Harlow to take over the company, as she knew that her strong minded, quick thinking nature was just the right mix for a businesswoman.

After all, Polly knew that she would become a Shelby one day, she saw the connection between the brunette and Tommy, and she prayed that if he returned from the war, they would wed speedily. Her heart yearned to see her nephews again, in her eyes they were still the young boys that she had desperately tried her best to raise alone after they were left practically orphaned.

She only wanted best for this family, and she knew that this was the way to go.

******

6 months later, the horrid war was still raging on, and Christmas had passed forgotten. Over the wild sea in France, their boys were still battling against the Germans, risking life and death to stop the enemy. Every time a police warden walked through the streets; Harlow was absolutely terrified that they were coming to inform her that one of her beloved friends had been killed.

She hated life without her brother by her side, and his familiar scent had almost fully faded from their shared house opposite the Shelby's. Recently, she had moved into John's house to assist Lizzie who had moved in months before. The kids were growing restless without the men to put them in their place, but Harlow did a pretty good job herself, learning from Polly relatively quickly.

The only positive thing was that the business was growing at an impressive rate, with Harlow making sure to put in endless hours of work to ensure that it stayed that way.

In those short 6 months, she had transformed the stables to attract more customers who payed generously for Curly to care for their horses attentively whilst Charlie trained them for races on the local field that Harlow had smartly purchased. On one half, there were jumps and obstacles to test for ability, whilst the other was just open grass which allowed the horses to increase their speed. The multiple customers were beyond happy with their horses' results, spreading the word to others who also followed the trend. Soon enough, rich pensioners were willing to pay bucket loads just so the infamous Charlie Strong would train their horses.

Finn and John's kids often spent their spare time around the stables, clearing up or feeding the horses. It was a win-win situation as it kept them out of trouble, kept them entertained and kept the stables in spotless conditions. Even nearly 4-year-old Charlotte loved to help her Uncle Charlie, but Lizzie was there to keep her amused and out of the way when the clients came in.

Harlow paid Curly and Charlie relatively for their work, but they would often refuse and tell her to invest the money back into the business, not wanting her money to be wasted on them.

Similarly, she had seen much success in other areas, such as the local pubs which were once supervised by the Peaky Blinders, but never owned. Since there were many older men who couldn't go off to fight, they were stuck in factories within grotty Birmingham, turning to the pubs for stress relief at the end of the day.

At first, she approached The Garrison's bar man, Harry, about buying the bar, to which he was happy to oblige for a fair price. She chose to put Arthur's name on the lease as he had repeatedly expressed his love for the certain facility in the past, and she was almost sure that he would return home from war eventually.

She and the other three women wrote to the boys every month, as they were told that the post could be unreliable out into the trenches, which was more than understandable. Lizzie was chuffed that she could reconnect with her childhood sweetheart – Jay Winters, Harlow's older brother, even when he was away across Europe. The small bit of communication was enough to keep Ada's spirits lifted and she was happy enough to help out with John's kids whenever Lizzie and Polly needed a break. The goofiness of Edward reminded her of his father, and although it didn't replace John, it filled the slight hole that had ruptured this family.

Perhaps they would be okay until the boys returned home after all.