"This had better be good to interrupt my holiday." Polly stated as she walked into the betting room. We were all standing there waiting for Polly to come because Tommy had some news to talk about. He would not tell me, however, until everyone was there. 

"Where's the boy?" Tommy asked Polly as she walked into the room and stood in front of Tommy, a desk in the way of the pair of them. 

"In the back room. I only brought him because afterwards we're going to the museum." Polly answered and I thought it was great for her, doing all these things with Michael. 

"He wanted to come in and say hello but..." John began to say before Polly snapped at him angrily. 

"Shut up, John." Polly barked and John backed himself up against the wall. "There is nothing of interest to Michael in this room. Tommy, get on with it." Polly instructed and Tommy did just that. 

"Last night, one of our men had his throat cut in Winson Green. This morning, I had a telegram to say it was Sabini who ordered it. And it says here that Thomas Shelby's next. If our men think we can't look after them in prison, they'll not work for us. Sabini knows that." Tommy explained and I was so upset for his family. It was our fault we sent him there. "So we need to get the Green sorted out. Scudboat, you and one of the boys. Break a couple of windows and get yourselves arrested. I'll have our coppers get you into the Green and you can find the bastards who did it." Tommy continued and I thought that was a good idea. Nobody would touch them in Winson green, nobody with a brain anyways.  

"Instead of breaking a window, can we pinch a car?" Scudboat asked and I just looked at them grinning, completely intrigued as to why? 

"What?" I asked them confused, why would they want more time in jail?

"Everybody else is getting a bloody car. I'm still on a donkey." Scudboat joked and everyone burst out laughing. 

"All right, just get yourselves fucking arrested, it doesn't matter how. And before you all laugh, a boy is dead." Tommy explained and everyone stood quiet. "He was just a kid." Tommy added and I gulped scared. We never should have let him do that. "We'll start a fund for his family, Pol." Tommy stated and I would be angry if they did not do that. 

"Agreed." Polly stated as she nodded her head. "So is that it? Can I go now?" Polly asked them, she wanted to get back to Michael. 

"Well, as company treasurer, I need your permission to spend 1,000 guineas." Tommy stated and Polly stood still, frozen. That was a hell of a lot of money.

"On what?" Polly asked him confused as fuck. 

"On a horse." Tommy answered and he saw Polly's face.

"That's right." She scoffed and then she saw everyone was being serious.  "When was this decided?" Polly asked everyone with a raised eyebrow. 

"You've been busy with Michael." Tommy commented. Bad move. Polly did not like that comment, let me tell you. 

"Oh, my God. So, in the absence of common sense, you boys have had an idea." Polly snapped as she paced left and right. 

"Polly there's a thoroughbred quarter-Arab filly up for auction at the Doncaster Blood Stock."  Tommy replied. 

"What do we want with a 1,000-guinea horse?" Polly asked extremely confused. 

"When we make our move on Sabini's racing pitches, any men we get into the betting enclosure will be lifted by Sabini's police. A good racehorse is a passport to the owner's enclosure." Tommy explained. 

"We'll be in there with all the toffs. Coppers won't know where to look." Arthur explained and everyone knew I could fit in, they would get in and look respectable with me by their sides. 

"Yeah, the Epsom Derby, Pol. We'll be drinking with the bloody King." John shouted excitably. 

"The Derby? Did he say the Derby?" Polly exclaimed and I rolled my eyes at John, who shrugged his shoulders in response. 

"That's right. For the last ten years Sabini's made it his race. If we're going to take him down, might as well make it there as a symbol." Tommy explained smirking. 

"Did you come up with this idea in a pub by any chance?" Polly asked snarky and I shook my head. 

"Pol a good racehorse is an investment, like property. We need to diversify the portfolio." I explained because I knew she would listen to me. 

"So when is this sale?" Polly asked him intrigued. 

"Tomorrow." Tommy answered in his stern, cold face. 

"And Tommy's had a death threat so we'll have to go with him for protection." Arthur explained and I nodded my head in agreement. 

"So, you're going to close up the shop, go out on a piss-up and blow 1,000 guineas on a horse that's not even whole Arab." Polly argued angrily. one thousand guineas was a lot of money. 

"Quarter Arab is better!" Curly defended.  "Quarter Arab, it means..." Curly began to explain before John stopped him. 

 "Curly, shut up." John stated as Michael walked into the room. Polly looked at John angrily. 

"I thought I told you to lock that door." She exclaimed angrily and John looked innocent because he was. 

"He did." Michael stated. "I used the key on the nail. Look, I've been listening. I want to go with them. You see?! I love horses. I could even help." Michael explained enthusiastically but he was going to have to do better than that to get a yes for Polly. 

"Over my dead body." Polly responded certain. 

"It'll be all right, Mum I've been to loads of horse auctions before with my uncle. They're very respectable. People bring their butlers." Michael reassured but Polly did not look to sure. She did not want her son to be in the world of the Peaky Blinders. It was not a safe world. 

"Yeah, and their posh wives! And their mistresses." John added and I stood forward a little. 

"Hence my job. They are going to need someone classy who can shoot a gun with amazing aim." I smiled over at Polly. Michael looked shocked. 

"You shot a gun." Michael stated in amazement. I nodded my head proudly. 

"Learned in France, then Battle of Loos' happened." I smirked at him honestly. 

 "Let him come, Polly. We'll go there, buy an 'orse, come back. I'll drop him back at the house in Sutton before it gets dark." Tommy explained and I nodded my head in agreement. 

"I will make sure he does." I promised and Polly knew she could trust me. I had never given her a reason not to. "I have to go because of Roma. I have to relieve the sitter. I will meet you boys tomorrow." I explained before I placed my hand on Tommy's arm before I walked out of the betting place. 

I was worried at to what Polly was going to say about it all and if she was going to let Michael come along. 

___

We were on our way to the betting place. Tommy had stopped so everyone could have lunch and I could change into my outfit. I was in the back of the car trying to change into my respectable outfit.  God it was difficult. I was rolling around and everything. I screamed out annoyed as I breathed heavily. 

"Clara are you nearly ready?!" Tommy shouted impatiently, the absolute cheek of him. 

"You try putting on a dress in a tiny space. Ugh these fucking shoes." I screamed back at him as the sweat dripped from my forehead. My makeup was now snookered. 

"Tommy can help you!" Arthur teased and I had had enough with the boys. 

"Shut up Arthur before I shove this heels so far-" I began to shout before John interrupted me. 

"We get your point just hurry up." John stated and honestly these boys had it easy. I opened up the car door and moved my way out. I pulled up the top of my dress so my chest was not showing and fixed my long brown hair. Long hair was not very common in this day and age, young respectable women would cut it short. Not me. I loved my long curly hair. 

"Do you I looked respectable enough?" I asked them and they could not stop staring at my yellow dress that almost hit the floor, but not quite. 

"Yes." They all answered in awe as I slipped on my jacket. I took my very expensive necklace out of the jacket pocket and walked up to Michael who was sitting on the car. 

"Be a dear?" I asked him as I handed him the necklace and turned around. There was an awkward pause for a moment. 

"Michael, don't stare too much." John teased and all the boys laughed as Michael clipped on the necklace. I smiled at poor Michael. 

"Leave the poor kid alone, he was probably never seen a women like me." I winked at them before I sympathetically kissed Michael on the cheek. I felt bad for him. "Thank you." I smiled at him before I leaned against the car. 

"Eat your sandwiches and fucking hurry up." Tommy barked in Tommy fashion. I rolled my eyes at him and he just smirked at me. That was how our relationship went. 

___

We had finished betting for the horse and one. I could not help but notice Tommy staring at a women also bidding for the horse. She definitely found him attractive, what women did not?

Now we were waiting for them to hurry up and stop speaking to each other.  

"Who's that?" I asked the boys as we watched Tommy speak to a elegant brown-haired women. She kind of looked like an older version of me. 

"She wanted to buy the horse, but we won." John answered and I just bit my lip as I looked at her. I was kind of jealous. Obviously I knew that she wanted the horse, I wanted to know if the boys knew of her. 

"Tommy, come on, hurry up! We've got to go!" Arthur screamed but Tommy did not seem to be bothered. Screw it, I was getting jealous, confused and over whelmed. This is what Tommy does to you. 

"Oh fuck it." I muttered to myself as I started to unbutton my dress a little at the front. Someone just call me desperate and get the taunting over with.

"Someone's jealous." John smirked at me as he looked down at, well, my chest area. I just smacked his shoulder a little. "Tommy! We've got to get this kid back before dark or Polly'll have your balls! She will have 'em!" John shouted as he placed Michael into the headlock. I just laughed a little at their joking around. 

"I am not jealous. I am just really warm." I lied and Michael pointed to the big jacket I was wearing. 

"You could have taken off your jacket." Michael replied and the boys all raised an eyebrow at me. I got all tense as I thought of an excuse.

"Would you like to carry this big jacket? No, I don't think so." I stated in a snappy tone and the boys just rolled their eyes at me and my excuses. 

"Tommy! We've got to get back to the caravans! The chickens are hungry!" John teased and I laughed a little.

"I am a gypsy." I stated and John and Arthur shook their heads.

"You're a rich girl with gypsy blood." Arthur corrected and I just admitted as I shrugged my shoulders. Tommy finally walked over to us, he was done with the women.

"Right, about bloody time!" John exclaimed as we began to walk out. 

"It's the fucking truth, John boy." Arthur added as we walked through the back to get to the horse. "Rich women these days, all they want is working-class cock." Arthur explained and I started to walk backwards in front of them. 

"That is so-" I began to argue but then I realised that I could not argue that. "true." I admitted as I began to walk on in front of the boys. 

"Tommy, maybe she was the something bad I had a feeling about!" Curly admitted, speaking about the women. 

"She looked all right to me, Curly!" Arthur teased and I just rolled my eyes but none of the boys could see. Jealously was not pretty on me let me tell you. 

"All their men are dead, see. Officers, all shot." Curly continued in a warning tone. 

"Yeah, by us." John joked and I just slowed down so the boys could keep up with me. We were all walking together. 

"All I'll say is she has good contacts in the racing world." Tommy replied and I just scoffed, the boys all saw that. "Why have you unbuttoned your dress?" Tommy asked me confused as we got closer to the horses pen. I was beginning to turn bright red. 

"I was warm." I lied and the boys burst out laughing. Tommy looked at me confused and I just nodded my head, trying to avoid all eye contact. 

"Here, Michael, you drive." Tommy said throwing Michael the keys as he changed the subject. I goes that was for the best or I would have embarrassed myself more. 

"Thomas Shelby?" The man asked as he pulled out a gun. I gasped as I pulled out my own gun at the man. "Tommy! Tommy! Down!" John shouted as Tommy duck down. Arthur punched the man across the face.

"Tommy Shelby? How about fucking Arthur?! Fucking good to meet you." Arthur screamed in his face as he tried to beat the guy to death. With every punch my skin crawled. 

"Get him off him! Arthur!  Arthur! Get him off him!! Come on. Stop it, Arthur. Get him off." Everyone screamed as they tried to hold Arthur back. I looked over at the scared Michael. 

"Michael come on. Michael you don't want to see this. You don't come back." I practically shouted at him as I tried to pull him away but he just was not moving. He was stuck, looking at them. 

"Don't get blood on the kid! Michael, you didn't see a thing. This didn't happen, all right?" Tommy shouted as he ran up to Michael. "Give me the keys." Tommy demanded and Michael was still frozen. 

"Michael, give him the keys." I whispered in a comforting tone because he was already scared.

"I'm all right to drive." Michael stated as they lifted Arthur away from the man. He was bloody and angry. 

"All right. Go on. Go on, go on!" Tommy stated and Michael and I ran on with the rest of the boys behind us. We could not do anything quietly, we had to go out with a bang. Didn't we? 

___

"Hello baby, mummy is home." I exclaimed as I walked into my daughters room and picked her up. Tommy walked in behind me, he was looking around the room. This was his first time really in her room. "Are you going to help Arthur?" I asked him as he looked at the piles of clothes that I had bought for Roma. I went a little overboard. 

"We are trying." Tommy answered as he continued to walk around the room. 

"He's got no control and he is killing boys, Tommy." I stated worried as I cradled Roma who was sleeping a little. 

"I know. Clara, I know." Tommy replied almost sighing. He really did care for his brother and was trying to stop him from going mental. 

"Who was the women you were talking to?" I asked him curiously but he raised an eyebrow at me as he walked closer to me. 

"She wanted to train the horse." Tommy answered, I was kind of jealous. They seemed to have a thing going on I think and I wanted us to have a thing. 

"I can do that for free if you would like?" I offered and Tommy just smirked at me as he looked down at Roma sweetly. 

"Are you jealous?" He asked me smirking immensely. Stupid smug bastard. 

"God I try to be helpful." I lied only partially as I fixed Roma's night dress. It was all crumpled at the front. I smoothes it out. 

"You're jealous?" He asked me smugly and I stayed quiet. It was very quiet, very quiet. So I decided to speak how I was feeling. 

"You left me after that night. I liked that night. I really liked it and you just left me after it. Like I was a prostitute." I explained getting all frustrated. 

"What do you want me to say?" Tommy asked me bluntly and coldly. Could the man show me any emotions? 

"Something." I answered mousy. Tommy sighed a little before he took a little box out of his jacket pocket and got down on one knee. "What are you-" I tried to ask him before he sighed. 

"Can you be quiet for one moment?" He asked me interrupting me. I just smiled as I nodded my head. 

"Yes." I whispered but it was a little bit of a lie I must admit. 

"Clara, will you marry me?" Tommy asked me and I froze. Nothing was coming out of my mouth, nothing. I was frozen solid. Then I was saved by the bell, literally. 

"Who's that at this hour?" I asked as I stood there holding Roma. Tommy slowly stood up. 

"Wasn't the answer I was wanting." He muttered and I was just so flustered and overwhelmed by everything. 

"Here just take Roma." I instructed as I handed Tommy to Roma. I picked up my gun and walked to the door. It was very late and I was scared as to who was there. I slowly opened up the door and held the gun up. 

"Hello, darling." My mother smiled in her over-pleasant voice. I was in complete shock, my adopted parents were standing in front of me with bags. They had not aged and it had been seven years. 

"Mother, father." I whispered as I placed the gun on the sideboard. I looked behind me to see Tommy standing there holding Roma. I just sighed because I knew this was going to be a long night. 

+++

ahhhhhh!

love? like? hate? 

tell me in the comments below 

mrs n o'brien xxxxxxx