XLVII. The sweetest of hearts.

Maude and Tommy were already sitting in the big room as they waited for their family to arrive for the meeting Tommy called. Maude's eyes were firmly settled on her husband. He still refused to tell her what was going on, only telling her she'll find out soon enough.

Her heart felt like it was caught in her throat and she nervously waited. Her mind ran through every possibility, but never could she prepare herself for what Tommy was about to do.

Maude's gaze only diverted from Tommy when their family began filling into the room, everyone finding their seats on one of the chairs lined up in front of the desk. Tommy sat behind his desk, wads of Russian money lined up in front of him. He watched his family silently.

He waited for everyone to be sat before he spoke up. "Before I begin, I want to let you know I made a mistake. I made a mistake, and I want to apologize to all of you." He spoke to all of them as he got up to his feet, his gaze drifting towards his older brother. "Arthur, you warned me against getting involved in Russian business, and you were right." He said and Arthur hummed as he nodded his head. "I doubted your wife, for that, I am sorry. Linda, I have added 3,000 here, in the hope you will forgive me." He said as he picked up a wad of money and tossed it to the side.

Linda stared at Tommy before getting up to her feet, one hand pressed against her baby bump. "Apology accepted." She said as she grabbed the money before returning to her chair.

Tommy's gaze turned to the woman cradling a newborn baby in her arms. "Esme, I doubted you as well." He said softly.

"Now John has got innocent lives on his conscience." She muttered as she glared over at Tommy. "Ordinary working men... "

"Yeah, all right." John cut his wife off as he glanced at her over his shoulder with a frown tugging at his lips. "Esme, we got it."

"No. She is right." Tommy spoke as he picked up another wad of cash and tossed it to the edge of the table for his brother. "You and Arthur are going to have to share that burden. As well as Daniel and Henry," he said before picking up another wad of cash and tossing it to Henry before turning to Daniel and his wife. "Anna, I'm sorry to you as well." He said before picking up another wad of cash and handing it to her. "But I hope the house that you can buy with this can become a place of contemplation and perhaps, redemption."

John hesitantly got up to his feet, sniffing as he took the wad of cash from the desk before returning to his seat again.

"Charlie, for lost tools and dangerous goods and Curly's wise words," Tommy spoke up as he tossed a wad of cash at his uncle before picking up another wad and tossing it at Johnny Doggs. "Johnny, for board and lodgings." He said before picking up more cash and slamming them down on the edge of the table. "Michael, for the killings. Five for cutting and five for shooting."

"No, Tommy," Polly spoke as she got up to her feet and slammed a hand over the money he tried to hand her son.

" What?" Tommy called out, his voice loud and harsh. "Tell me, eh?" He demanded. "This is who I am! And this is all I can give you for what you have given to me." He said as he held the cash in the air to show her. "For your hearts and your souls." He said before going silent for a second, his gaze briefly turning to his wife. "Yesterday, I nearly lost my son." He said as his gaze shot to Polly. "You should fucking understand that." He insisted as he pointed a finger at her. For what, eh? For what? For this? For this?" He questioned as he pointed around the room, a dry chuckle slipping from his lips.

"And I know that you all want me to say that I will change, that this fucking business will change. But I've learnt something these last few days. Those bastards. Those bastards are worse than us." He yelled as he pointed a finger in no particular direction. "Politicians, fucking judges, lords, and ladies. They are worse than us. And they will never admit us to their palaces no matter how legitimate we become. Because of who we are, because of who we fucking are because of where we are fucking from." He said before his gaze landed on his sister. "Is that right, Ada? Our Ada knows. She got smart about revolution. And she knows you have to get what you want your own way." He insisted before his gaze rounded on everyone else again. "And the rest of you, you took the King's shilling. You took the King's fucking shilling. When you take the King's shilling, the King expects you to kill." He told them as his gaze landed on his older brother. "Right, Arthur? Yeah. That is how it works. Right, John?"

Michael got up to his feet and approached the desk, taking the money Tommy had laid out for him. "That's right." He agreed before taking his seat again.

"That's right, Pol," Tommy repeated to her as he pointed at Michael. "That is fucking right."

Polly silently stared at him for a second as she slowly shook her head at him. "Tommy...You've had a bad time. We understand." She said softly. So at an alternative time, when we have all recovered." She spoke as she turned towards her son, taking his money from his hands before looking between the family. "I would like to put before the family an alternative view of the future of the Shelby Company Limited. A more hopeful view."

"Which I, for one, would quite like to hear," Maude spoke up, pursing her lips as she looked up at Polly before her gaze shot towards Tommy. Every other woman inside the room grumbled in agreement.

"Come on, Arthur," Linda spoke up as she carefully got up to her feet, hand resting on her bump. "The train for the dock leaves in one hour. Then we'll get the boat to New York, and it'll all be in the past." She said as she turned to look at Tommy with smugness in her eyes.

Everyone hesitantly got up to their feet to bid goodbye to Arthur. Maude hugged him tightly as she softly patted his back. "There's always letters and phones, Arthur." She assured him softly and he nodded as he pulled away from her.

She remained standing, hands resting on her stomach as she watched everyone else say their goodbyes. Tommy remained silent, not moving from behind his desk to say goodbye to his brother. He sat down, staring at the desk as Arthur approached him, hesitant with his words. "I will be off then, Tom." He said but Tommy remained quiet, making Maude's heart tighten in her chest, waiting for the bomb to drop. "I will see you, eh? I will see you, Brother."

"You can go, but you won't get far, Arthur," Tommy called out to his brother and everyone turned to him in confusion at his choice of words.

"Uh, all right, Tom," Arthur spoke up as he made his way over to the door, stopping to turn and look at his brother.

"I spoke to Moss last night," Tommy informed them and Maude's heart sank, figuring this was going to be the bomb. "He told me that the Chief Constable of Birmingham has issued a warrant for your arrest." He informed Arthur and everyone froze as they looked around at each other in confusion and worry. "Murder, sedition, conspiracy to cause explosion." He listed to his brother. "John, they're coming for you as well. Murder, conspiracy to cause explosion." He said before his gaze flicked to his wife and she could see the regret and hurt fill his eyes before he looked at her brother. "Henry, murder, conspiracy to cause explosion."

Maude's heart dropped, and her eyes widened as she looked at her brother. He was pale, his eyes wide as well as he stared at Tommy.

"Michael...For the murder of Hughes." Tommy continued as panic set into his family, all of them searing at him, yelling. "Polly.., for the murder of Chief Inspector Chester Campbell." He spoke over the yells of his family and the pounding of the police on the front door of the house. The people we betrayed last night, they want to bring us down. They control the police, they control the judges, they control the juries, they control the jails. But they do not control the elected government." He spoke over the angry yells of his brothers and family. "Listen to me." He demanded. "So I've made a deal. In return for giving evidence against them. It is all taken care of." He assured before turning to his assistant. "Lizzie, collect up the money and bring it to the cellar. You will all get your money in due course. When the police gets in, do not resist. You go with them, and you do not say anything." he instructed them before his gaze settled on his older brother. "Arthur, I have made a deal with people even more powerful than our enemies. Arthur! Trust me, Brother, eh? Trust me."

Maude stared at her husband, her heart-wrenching in her chest, her stomach knotted and warm tears running down her cheeks. Never had she felt so betrayed, so heartbroken. She barely recognized the man in front of her. She didn't want to believe what he had done, but the screams of the coppers swarming her house, proved to her that it was all true.

She watched as her family made a run to the door, trying to make their escapes, but by the screams of protest, she knew the coppers were already waiting outside the room. Her heart broke and she let out a shaky breath as her gaze returned to Tommy.

Linda stormed up to Tommy, pushing and hitting him as he stood there, taking what he deserved. "You did this deliberately! You made this happen to keep us!" She screamed at him as Arthur grabbed her, dragging her away and out of the room.

Tommy's gaze flicked up to his wife, and the look of pure hurt and betrayal in her eyes broke his heart. His eyes teared up and he looked away again as he inhaled sharply. Maude didn't mutter a single word to him as she spun on her heel and rushed out of the room.

A gasp left her lips as she watched half her family being detained by the coppers. The others tried to fight them, but they were shoved to the side. "Henry." She called out to her older brother as handcuffs were slammed onto his wrists. She rushed to him but one of the coppers grabbed onto her arms, yanking her away. Daniel was immediately by her side, shoving the copper away from her.

Maude pressed one hand firmly against her stomach and the other over her mouth as a sob escaped her lips, watching as everyone who had a warrant for their arrest, was dragged out with handcuffs and the rest escorted out of the house.

She spun around, coming face to face with her husband who stood by the door, silently staring at her.

"What have you done?" She asked him softly, her voice strained as more tears ran down her cheeks.

"I did what I had to." He replied softly as his gaze diverted to the ground. "I did what I had to, to protect you and our son, and our baby inside you." He explained softly as he swallowed thickly at the lump stuck in his throat. The look in Maude's eyes broke his heart. He was scared, and only one time had he ever felt this scared. When he thought he lost his wife after she got shot. And now, if he did lose her, it would truly be his fault and his fault alone.

Maude silently stared at him for a second before she scoffed. "Right." She muttered bitterly as she glared at him. "Well, don't you just have the sweetest of hearts."