When The Boys Are Away

Part 25

A little over 6 months later, everything was slowly going back to normal; as normal as life as a Peaky Blinder could be. Still, more action had happened within that small half a year than most people would face in a lifetime.

Michael had gratefully moved in with Polly who insisted that she was going to buy a bigger house quite soon, despite living on Watery Lane almost her whole life. After much discussion, Harlow had moved back in with Tommy at the large manor, though their time was equally split between there and Small Heath.

Between all the madness and chaos of the week, Harlow, Lizzie, Ada and Michael had somehow managed to find the time to slip away from the chaos of their world and relax in The Garrison.

The topic unsurprisingly fell onto the upcoming wedding which was due to happen the following month, "Tomorrow, we'll go shopping and get your wedding dress Lizzie." Ada smiled excitedly as Michael took a sip from his drink; not at all invested in the girly chat. Nonetheless, he would still much rather sit with them than his older cousins, who were still holding a sense of hostility towards the so-called outsider.

"I think I want lace; you know." Lizzie hinted, looking at Harlow for some sense of reassurance. Harlow wasn't too absorbed in the conversation either; she had a nasty feeling that something was about to happen; she just couldn't place a finger on it. As an attempt to show a slight willingness, Harlow gave a light smile and agreeing nod which satisfied her soon to be sister in law's worried expression.

"I reckon a small amount of beading would look nice, maybe a ribbon around the wais-" The three of them jumped unexpectedly when Ada's glass shattered to the ground midsentence. The Shelby girl seemed frozen in animation with a horrified look on her face as she stared at the door. The whole pub went quiet as Michael tried to place a hand on Ada's shoulder, confused by her expression.

"Oh my fucking god." Harlow muttered, turning to see what all the fuss was about. Quiet whispers erupted around the pub as the bar tender's eyes widened, mumbling something alarming to his oblivious colleague, "It's Arthur Shelby Senior and Mark Winters."

******

1904

The soft cries of a baby flurried around the crammed Shelby household; Finn was barely the age of one, yet he'd been left without a mother due to a devastating illness. A tired, 8-year-old Ada cradled the small child in her arms as Lizzie tried to calm him down with a scruffy toy rabbit. Lizzie had been new to the street that year at the age of 9, but almost immediately she became best friends with Harlow and Ada.

A 12-year-old Harlow quickly hurried into the room, carrying a warm bottle of milk for the baby. The three girls often helped Polly out with Finn, but it was rare that they'd ever be left alone with him. Unfortunately, Polly's toddling son had become unwell and she had to take him to the doctors, leaving the trio alone with a large chunk of responsibility plonked upon their shoulders.

"Do you think it's cool enough?" Lizzie questioned as Harlow cautiously dotted some of the milk onto the inside of her wrist, offering a soft smile as she passed the bottle to Ada, "Yeah, that's fine."

The trio basked in the rare silence as Finn drank from the bottle happily, his small fingers reaching out to clutch his sister's hand gently. Ada loved her little brother, although at first she had pestered for a sister.

"Why can't we have a girl instead?" She complained to her Aunt endlessly, not understanding that the gender was random. "We already have three boys." To that, the rest of the family would just laugh and rustle her hair, ignoring her bizarre requests.

Deviating against her brothers' wishes, she often tried to cloth Finn in feminine dresses and pretend he was actually a girl. That was until one day, toddling Finn had fell over whilst playing in the house and tore one of Ada's favourite outfits, causing the girl to begrudgingly never share her clothes again.

Harlow leant back against the chair, before the three of them were startled by a trembling, loud noise from the shop next door. The Shelby betting shop linked to Ada's house, but the girls knew nobody was supposed to be there. They stared at each other warily, knowing full well they should leave the intruders alone, but Harlow wanted to help for a change.

"Stay here!" She whispered, but the other two shook their heads defiantly, jumping up behind her as Harlow grabbed the metal poker from the fireplace. Ada carefully placed the full, sleepy baby in the crib as the trio shuffled towards the large, blue double doors.

"Be quiet!" Harlow muttered to them, trailing her back across the wall to avoid the creaky floorboards which she memorised off by heart. "Wait!" Ada fidgeted nervously, "Shouldn't we get Arthur? Or Tommy and Jay?"

Harlow gulped, hearing another harsh sound from inside the closed shop, "We don't have time." Without hesitation, the confident brunette swung the doors open to reveal two large figures pinching money from the overflowing tables.

"Hey! That's not yours." She shouted, holding the metal rod fiercely as the men twisted around in shock.

Harlow and the two girls gasped when they saw Harlow's and Ada's father, both carrying large bags as they shoved the money into their pockets. "I think you'll find it is." Arthur Sr stated darkly, not giving them another look as he bustled around the room. It was clear that they were in a rush and did not want to face the unwanted disruption.

"What are you doing? You're leaving?" Harlow muttered, completely dumbfounded. Her shining eyes locked with her fathers as she took a few steps towards them in shock. Neither of the men responded, shoving her aside as they grabbed all their belongings.

"You can't take this, it's not just your money." Harlow reached out to grab Arthur's arm, resulting in him elbowing her straight in the face, and sending her stumbling into a nearby cabinet.

She clutched her nose in horror as he towered over her, glancing at her father to see he had an awful smirk on his face. "Listen to me you bitch." Arthur Sr spat, holding her up by her neck. His grip was tight, and she struggled to breath, kicking her legs around in despair. The alcohol was evident on his breath. "You will keep your mouth shut from now on." He sent a hard punch to the side of her face and she fell to the ground in agony.

Ada and Lizzie ran over to her nervously, before the horrified Shelby stood up to face the two men who were making their way out of the door, "Dad?" Her voice wavered greatly, but the cruel men ignored her pleads and exited the shop one last time.

The shaken trio sat slumped on the floor and not one word was uttered until the shop door opened nearly an hour later, filling the halls with loud shouting and laughter. The four boys shoved each other around jokingly, before coming to a complete standstill when they noticed the girls sat exhausted on the ground. Harlow had her head rested against Lizzie whilst Ada had laid her body across their laps.

When they noticed the blood and bruises on Harlow's face they quickly shook her awake, to which they all flinched suddenly. When they saw it was only the brothers and Jay, the trio calmed down, but not before Harlow launched herself into Tommy, wrapping her arms around his neck and hiding her face in the crevice as she sobbed lightly. Fifteen-year-old Tommy shared a concerned look with Jay who meanwhile helped pull Lizzie and Ada to their feet.

They sat around the kitchen table, frustrated and tired as Lizzie explained what had happened in a timid voice. When Polly returned later that day, she was absolutely fuming that her brother had done such a thing, yet she was thankful that he wouldn't be returning anytime soon. Although the family struggled with money, they soon bounced back without the two violent older men in their lives.

******

I cannot wait for the Season 5 finale tonight.