king, arthur shelby

eleven|forgiveness of a sister

It got better.

Phoebe could not remember a time she has ever been as happy as she is right now. Arthur had a smile on his face. He came home for dinner most nights, and Lillian got to spend time with both her parents as a family.

She was happy, and in love.

Those are words she thought she'd never say.

Even the family was happier. Ada hadn't left her house yet, but whenever Bee visited she could see that Ada was getting better. Tommy even had a smile on his face (especially when the bar maid was around), while Esme and John were having the time of their newly wed lives with four kids already there.

And now, just simply sleeping in bed, wrapped in her husbands arms, Phoebe Shelby was the happiest woman in the world, but then the door opened and so did the curtains.

"Up! up! Come on Arthur!" Thomas Shelbys voice cut the air in the room.

"Thomas Michael Shelby," Bee said, dead calm and staring at the ceiling, "Do you know what time it is?"

Ignoring his sister in law, Tommy shook Arthur's leg again, "Be downstairs in ten minutes Arthur, I'll be waiting for you. Bee just so you know, your daughters attempting to make herself breakfast right now."

Sure, she was the happiest woman in the world, but why the fuck was she awake at seven in the morning.

...

"Oh, little one." Pol cooed over her newborn grandnephew. Bee and Lillian had arrived only a few minutes prior to Ada's apartment, and Lily was standing on the tops of toes to peer at her cousin in Polly's arms.

"You're much better with him than I am." Ada said, leaning against the doorway after giving Phoebe her cup of tea.

"He settles quicker with me because he can't smell the milk." Pol explained, kneeling down a bit for Lily, "You're tired. Let's put him down."

"I was that small?" the little girl asked, still amazed by her cousin who now sat in his basket.

"Smaller," Bee answered, smiling softly at her daughter.

"Mine were terrors for the tit." Pol mused, "Both of them. You never knew my children, did you Ada?"

"I was a child myself then." Ada answered, looking softly at her aunt, "You never talk about them."

Lillian was also entranced by this conversation, never knowing her favorite aunt had children. Curling up in her mother's lap, Lil looked at the women in the room as they spoke.

"I've no reason to. Heart breaks even when I think about them. But, today, I do have reason to," Pol sat down on a chair, "Sit down, Ada. I should've told you about them a while ago Bee, but when you first joined the family, I didn't fully trust you," and after a moment a deep breath, Polly spoke, "They were three and five years old. Sally was three, Michael was five, well, two weeks away from being six. It was Sunday morning. I was at church...'You're not forgiven.' This pinched-faced bitch said to me, 'You're not forgiven.' You see, some sheets I'd washed and hung on the line had the name of a hotel in them. They'd been stolen in a robbery, and they said some porter at the hotel had been coshed. And a woman from around here told the police about the sheets. Jealous, you see, about the new sheets. And when the police came, they found a spirits still. Making a few drops of gin. And for that...They took my children from me."

Pol began tearing up, causing Bee to sit up and take her hand tightly, "And they never told me where they took them. And they did it 'cause they could, and 'cause I was weak. They will never take either of your babies away from you. Do you know why?" She asked the two girls, holding onto their hands, "'Cause Tommy and Arthur won't let them. 'Cause Tommy won't let them walk all over us. Now, it is Tommy that has brought strength and power to this family. 'Cause he knows you have to be as bad as them above in order to survive. And Arthur, he would never let anything happen to his girls." She squeezed Bees hand, before directing the conversation directly at Ada.

"I'm telling you this because I want you to forgive him."

"How can I?" Ada asked, sympathetic for her aunt but angry with her brother, "When my Freddie's rotting in jail because of him."

"There's something about today you need to know." Pol told her, before exposing the plan to both women, the youngest girl in the room having fallen asleep in her mother's lap.

......

"Right." Tommy stated off once everyone had entered the betting shop, "We've brought you all here today 'cause this is the day we replace Billy Kimber. This is the day we become respectable. The day we join the official National Association of Racecourse Bookmakers." Tommy smiled, as Bee grabbed Arthur's hand, smiling towards him.

"But, first, we do the dirty work. Now, you've all known this day's been coming, I just haven't told anyone the date," Tommy said, "We're going to the Worcester races. Track opens at 1:00, we get there at 2:00. Now, Kimber thinks we're going there to help him fight the Lee brothers. Thanks to the efforts of our John and his lovely new wife, Esme, the Lees are now our kin. I interrupted those efforts this morning and, uh, I can assure you all, John is making great sacrifices in the cause of peace." All the men chuckled as Bee locked eyes with Esme, the two sharing a smile.

Bee really did like her new sister in law, but that didn't mean she didn't miss Martha. Martha was there for Bee all throughout her pregnancy, and Bee was there for all of Martha's. She wanted to spend more time with Esme, but every time she saw the Romani woman all she could think of was how Martha was gone.

"Yeah, alright." John shrugged off Tommy's comment.

"So it'll be us and the Lees against Kimber's boys. We take 'em out and leave the bookies. I'll expect a swift victory which will send a signal all the way to London that we believe in letting legitimate businesses run peacefully."

"And, uh, what about Kimber himself?" John asked.

"I'll deal with Kimber." Tom confirmed, "Any other questions?"

"Yeah," Bee said, "Pol, if you would go get our guest of honor?"

"Does anyone object if I bring a newcomer to the meeting?" Pol asked, walking towards the closed door, sharing a smile with Bee, "Come on." She urged, "I'd like to introduce the newest member of the Shelby clan." And everyone clapped, taking looks at the baby.

"Welcome home, Ada." Tom smiled, as Finn peaked up at the baby.

"We named him Karl." Ada said, "After Karl Marx."

"Karl bloody Marx." Arthur shook his head with a grin, looking up at Bee, "If we ever have a boy, we ain't naming him that. Let me get a look at him." Artie then put his peaky hat on the baby, "Oh, here we go. Hey, look! He looks just like me, look!"

"Unless his arse looks like you." John cut in, causing Bee to laugh. She could definitely get used to seeing Arthur holding another baby in his arms.

"He's all right. He's a Shelby."

"Well, Ada...Am I forgiven?" Tommy asked.

"If what Aunt Polly says is true, you are."

"It's true." Tommy confirmed.

"Thank you, Tommy." Ada hugged her big brother.

Freddie Thorne was coming home.

......

authors note:
alright here's part one, i was gonna leave this episode as one part but i like the symmetry of having 12 chapters when we finish season 1.

-mya