Shelby Madness

Chapter 17, 'war shy gypies bastard,'

3rd May 1919, Small Heath, Birmingham.

"Are we nearly there yet?" John moaned on, in the back of the car. Tommy had organized a trip to the fair for his brothers and children and was regretting taking John and Arthur. John had done nothing but ask if they were nearly there and complain saying that it was taken forever to get there when Tommy told him they weren't even close yet and Arthur was winding John and James up who were squashed in the back with Libby and Finn.

"Does it look like we are nearly there, John?" Libby snapped, getting fed up with the constant bickering of the three adults and her brother. She was fairly hungover from the night before and had only slept for about two hours before being dragged back home by James to go to the fair with their dad.

"Sorry I was just asking, moody pants." John sassed back.

"Will you give lot it a rest before I chuck yous out of the fucken car," Tommy shouted, not being able to take it anymore.

The rest of the ride was fairly silent after that until the car came to a stop in a random field filled with gypsies. "I thought you said we were going to the fair," Arthur said, confused as to why they had stopped at a gypsies camp.

"We have business first, come on bring your whits," Tommy replied, jumping out of the car.

"What business?" Arthur asked, confused. It was becoming a habit now that Tommy confused Arthur with the business by not telling him anything he didn't need him to know.

"That's the Lee family." John pointed out, stepping out of the car.

"Tommy." A random man shouted upon seeing the family.

"Johnny-Dogs," Tommy shouted back. Arthur and James had also now gotten out of the car and were standing on the bank with John and Tommy while Libby and Finn waited in the car.

"Tommy, how the hell are ya?" Johnny-Dogs asked as he made his way over to the four boys on the hill.

"All the better for getting the city smoke out of me lungs," Tommy answered as a young boy brought the most beautiful white horse over to Tommy that Libby had ever seen. Libby loved animals, especially horses. When they lived in Newcastle she would often visit the stables at the bottom of the bank to help feed the horses, she would even sometimes venture down to the gypsies camp where she made friends with a boy about her age called Bonnie. He was from Liverpool but was with his dad while they visited the family they had there, they visited quite often and Bonnie would always let her know he was in town by sending one of his little cousins to the orphanage with a single white rose on the gate.

"I thought you became a bit too grand for us," Johnny-Dogs said which brought Libby out of her daydream. She was standing next to her father.

"I've been busy," Tommy replied.

"I'm riding with the Lee family now."

"I've heard, myself would rather live amongst pigs," Tommy commented, causing Libby to roll her eyes. Just yesterday ad Libby told him he needed to be nicer to people and not make snide comments but it must have gone in one ear and out the other as most things did now with Tommy.

"Now, now Tommy, no disputing," Johnny said trying to keep the peace, "So this your first fair since France?"

"What would you know about France? You war shy gypsies bastard." Tommy Jokes, at least Libby hoped he was joking but you really couldn't tell with Thomas Shelby. "So, this the horse?"

"And that's the car?" Johnny-dogs replied.

Tommy was standing with Libby at the horse, stroking it while Johnny went over to have a look at the car.

"Hold on, you're not swapping the family car for a horse," Arthur said, finally thinking he had figured out what Tommy's business was with the Lee family.

"Of course not swapping it, that would be mad," Johnny-Dogs said, looking Arthur right in the face.

"We are going to play two up," Tommy told his family as he and Johnny-Dogs stood next to each other, both taking a coin out of their coat and tossing them up in the air.

Tommy and Johnny both bend down to see what side both of the cons had landed on. Heads. They both picked the coins up and spat in their hands before shaking them. Tommy handed Johnny the keys to the car. Libby sighed in disbelief as the group would now have to walk back to Small Heath.

"See I knew it, I knew it, Tommy you bloody idiot," Arthur began to rant.

"Shut up Arthur, I won. I promised Johnny-Dogs a spin in the car if he lost." Tommy said to try to shut Arthur up.

"Alright," Arthur said, having calmed down a bit.

The Lee brothers had started to hysterically laugh at Arthurs Confusion, something Tommy didn't appreciate. "Are you Lee boys laughing at my brother?" Libby knew something bad was going to happen and it was going to end badly. The Lee boys began to square up to Tommy as he taunted them, wanting them to admit they were laughing at Arthur

Despaired to keep the peace, Johnny-Dogs ran over, "Tommy, Tommy, Tommy." He shouted, getting louder each time, "It's just the crack, get your family out of here and enjoy yourselves at the fair. Before they start a war."

"Lean ar aghaidh. Téigh. Siad is as maith daoine. A athair mór bi ri. A athair mór bi ri." Johnny-Dogs Snapped. (Go on. Go. They are good people. Their grandad was a king. Their grandad was a king.)

"Yeah, but his ma was a diddy-coy whore." One of the Lee boys said.

"And so is his daughter," Another one said.

Libby looked at Tommy and she saw a look that she had never seen before. It scared her that her brother and uncles had a similar one. While Libby had her back turned Tommy pulled his hat off his head and swiped it across the closest Lee boys' face. His screams were ear-piercing. Libby didn't watch what happened next as Arthur, John and James made their way over to fight the other two Lee boys. Libby ran over to the car and got in, covering Finn's ears so he didn't have to hear the shouts from their family and the screams from the Lees. She cuddled him as he started to shake, scared of what his family were doing. "It's alright Finn. I promise. They aren't going to hurt you, okay?" The boy just nodded and wrapped his arms around Libby.