Criminal Royalty

Wedding Preparations

All Thomas had to do now that his plan for reconciliation was in motion, was to end his brother's relationship with Lizzie Stark. Once she was gone, John would be free to marry the Lee girl. If only there was some guarantee that by the end of it, John wouldn't resent him...

Tommy had decided to pay a visit to his brother's favorite companion, Lizzie. They had a complicated history—she was a familiar face he sought whenever he needed a break, just like many men in Small Heath. It was a successful business transaction; Lizzie received the money she required, and Thomas found solace in her embrace. Unfortunately, unless he could intervene, this arrangement was on the verge of becoming family. There was no way he could let his brother make the biggest mistake of his life by marrying Lizzie Stark. He was not going to let it happen. John would marry the Lee girl and be grateful to Thomas for saving him from such a grave mistake. But first, he had to prove to John that Lizzie had not abandoned her controversial profession. Then he'd see how Thomas was only protecting him.

This theory led him to proposition the woman in his car, and as much as he didn't want John to marry her, he hoped to be wrong this time. Being betrayed like that would break his little brother's heart, especially since John fancied himself in love with her. As their father had warned them, "fast women and slow horses will ruin your life." Lizzie was certainly not a slow woman. As he predicted, she didn't turn down his offer, proving she hadn't given up her night job. Thomas felt a mix of disgust at being proven right and sorrow on behalf of his brother.

Lizzie scoffed in the passenger seat, embarrassed that he had made a fool of her. "Your brother is ten times the man you are."

"Of that, I have no doubt," Tommy replied with a touch of bitterness.

Knowing that he would have to break the news to John, he couldn't help but curse himself for being right and hoped that the arranged marriage would distract him from the breakup.

...

"You must think I'm an idiot."

John was visibly humiliated by the fact that he had been duped by someone he cared for deeply. How could he have been fooled so easily? Of course, Lizzie would not change for him. He couldn't compete with the men she'd been with, and she didn't love him in the way he actually needed. The prospect of giving his children the maternal figure they could barely remember had blinded him. He couldn't make eye contact with his brother, and he had a slight flush on his cheeks.

Thomas hated to see his brother so disheartened.

"I think you're the first Shelby to have a legal betting license for anything. What would our granddad say, eh? He'd be turning in his grave. 'Honest bloody money? Eh? In this house? Here?'"

Tommy attempted to cheer up his younger brother by reminding him of their success with Kimber earlier in the week. John was completely right; he had made a mistake, but everyone had at some point, and the important thing was that he discovered it before being chained to a liar for life. At least with his intervention, there would be no Lizzie Shelby, and John's loneliness would be alleviated. His arrangement with the Lees was ideal.

...

The day of John's wedding had arrived.

A marriage that would put an end to the feud by uniting the two families. A marriage that seemed everyone but the groom himself was aware of. Fortunately for Thomas, the Blinder uniform of a clean suit and cap was coming in handy because no one asked why the men were dressed for a wedding. Even John, whom Tommy had asked to wear his best suit, seemed oblivious. He wouldn't find out until they arrived at the campsite, which was the reason for all the fuss today. Thomas could only hope that he knew his brother well enough to know that despite the shock of an arranged marriage, he would agree.

Arthur and Thomas, the eldest of the Shelby siblings, walked up to the van that held their little brother John and several other Blinders.

"Out you get, boys," Arthur called out as they approached the van, prompting its inhabitants to make their way out of the vehicle.

"Ready, boys?" Thomas greeted them as they exited the vehicle, weapons in hand. "John, ready?"

The unknowing groom-to-be mumbled an affirmative, still unaware of what was about to take place. Arthur, who was fully aware of the shock his little brother was about to receive, offered him a drink from his flask. In the mind of a Shelby, alcohol could improve any situation. He accepted, gulping down the liquid before returning the flask to his brother.

Feeling eyes upon him, John looked around to see all of the men staring at him. It made him feel uneasy.

"What are you looking at?" He questioned but received no answer.

Almost as though John hadn't spoken, Tommy continued, "Good, let's go."

They all walked off, trailing after Tommy like he was their mother goose. John followed too but still felt uneasy maintaining his questioning of "What?" when he felt he was being stared at.

Turning the corner into shotgun range of the Lee family did nothing to soothe the tension welling up inside John. He felt like his brother had finally lost the plot, entering enemy territory like that. Lee men were stationed there, their gaze falling onto the Shelby brothers.

"Tommy, what are you playing at?" John asked again, more worried this time. "We're in shotgun range."

All the men turned around to John, encircling him in a crowd of Peaky Blinders.

"John." Thomas paused, thinking of how to word what he said next. "Before you go into battle, there's something you're gonna need."

At this, as if on command, all of the men reached into their pockets. Each one of them pulled out a white boutonnière. Tommy started attaching his to John's lapel.

"What are you bloody doing, Tommy?"

The man in question cupped his hands around his brother's face. "Smile, John, it's a wedding."

"Whose bloody wedding?"

"Now if we'd told you, you wouldn't have come. There's a girl in the Lee family who's gone a bit wild, and she needs marrying off."

John finally caught onto what was happening, and he did not like it. Not one bit. Like a bucking bull, he tried to make his escape, but he was surrounded by men ready to hold him back.

"You have no bloody right, Tommy," he spat into his older brother's face.

But Tommy had expected this. Grabbing John's face again, he tried to convince him this marriage was for the best. He spoke lowly in an almost whisper, similar to how he spoke when his horses got a fright. Tommy had always been better with animals than people anyway, but this was his brother, so he had to try.

"Shh, listen to me, listen to me," he soothed, "a girl who needs a husband, a man who needs a wife."

"Tom, I'm not bloody marrying some fucking mushroom picker," John tried to argue.

"Listen, I have already betrothed you. So, if you back out now, there's going to be one fucking mighty war breaking out here that's going to make the Somme—It's going to make the Somme look like a fucking tea party." Tommy explained. "But if you marry her, our family and the Lee family will be united forever so this war will be over. Now, it's up to you, John—war or peace?"

He shook their hands off of him. Even John knew when he was fighting a losing battle, so he sucked up his emotions about the situation and thought about what was best for the family. John was a good foot soldier, always knowing when to follow orders. It was what Tommy had relied upon, that and his love for their family. It was this love that meant John accepted that this was to be his wedding.

And so, with uncertainty in his heart but determination on his face, John Shelby took the first steps towards a future that would forever change the course of his life and the destiny of the Shelby family.