VICES AND VIRTUES | Thomas Shelby

THIRTY

"Let's at least try to keep things normal...for the children," were the words Florence had uttered to her husband as she laid breakfast on the kitchen table that morning.

The pair had barely had a moment alone since they had arrived in Small Heath, whether it be Florence being wrapped up in Shelby family matters or Elijah answering work calls and visiting his family's most local brewery, they were both ultimately wrapped up in their own lives.

On the day of the Shelby Christmas meal, Elijah had raised questions when Florence and Vinnie had returned home from Charlie's yard late. He was obviously uneasy about his wife being amongst the aspects of her apparently previous life that she had vowed never to return to.

So as the young Harrington family sat at the kitchen table in Florence's childhood home it was the children that kept the conversation alive.

"Mummy, can we visit Grandma today?" Daisy asked as she eagerly ate her breakfast, "I like Uncle Georgie's horses."

"Maybe, petal," Florence smiled, although she was nervous about letting the children out of the house, knowing that Chagretta's men were no doubt lurking.

"What have you got planned today?" Elijah asked his wife.

"Charlie asked me to visit the yard, a trainer's coming to pick up a horse, and he's busy with other work, wants me to make sure everything is done properly," Florence explained, which wasn't the entire truth, it was Tommy who had asked her to do this deed for him.

"So you'll be back in time for lunch?" Elijah replied.

"That depends," Florence glanced at her children.

"On what?"

"The trainer's punctuality," Florence answered, "Will you be visiting the brewery today?"

"Most likely," Elijah replied, "So if you're not back by midday who will watch the children?"

"Ada and Polly are next door, they'll watch them if we need," Florence explained, Vinnie was unavailable as he was needed back in London for a few days to help with the safe transfer of the children at the orphanage in Richmond as Mr Chapman's body had been found in the canal, written off as a fatal and tragic accident.

"How long do we have until this all returns to normal?" Elijah asked, glancing at their children who were sitting with them at the table.

"I don't know, Elijah," Florence sighed honestly, "We can go back to London once the mess has been tidied up."

Following her particularly frosty family breakfast Florence made her way over to Charlie's yard, greeted by Curly's joyous smile as she walked towards him.

"Hello, Mrs Harrington," He smiled.

"Curly, just call me Florence," The young woman insisted with a smile, "I'm still just Florence."

"Very well, Mrs- sorry, Florence," Curly grinned, "She should be here soon to collect the horse."

"Very good," Florence sighed, "I hear you do a good job of looking after them."

"Yes, I like to keep them safe," Curly nodded.

"That's good," Florence replied as a small well kept truck pulled into the yard, "Is that them?"

"Yes," Curly nodded as he stood beside Florence whose red lipstick and her long fur coat made her look out of place in a place like Small Heath.

They watched as a well dressed brunette woman stepped out of the front of the truck, approaching the pair, "Hello Curly," She smiled, looking to Florence, trying to recall whether she had met her before, but the more she looked at her the more she concluded that she would remember a face like that.