Shelby's Bambi (Thomas Shelby's daughter)

The Discovery

It was an average Wednesday morning.. at least, in Thomas Shelby's lifestyle. He had woken early, from his sleepless rest, and went off to discuss business with the Lee family. He had been trying to improve relations with the family, because things still hadn't been completely settled after Billy Kimber's death. Certain members of the family wanted a much larger portion of the newly acquired assets, which Tommy wasn't willing to agree to.

Today had been, thankfully, the last meeting that they would have on this topic. The Lee family had settled for ownership of two race tracks, and the ability to bet on three others that were owned by the Peaky Blinders. This deal was a little more giving compared to the previous offer, which only gave the family one track and betting on one of the Blinders horses. However, this didn't mean that the Lee family was being taken advantage of at all. Most businessman would kill for ownership of a quarter of a track, let alone two that they had complete control over.

Tommy had known that the family would eventually fold, which was another benefit to their blood backed alliance. The fact that his brother, John, had married one of their members, greatly helped influence how quick they were willing to fight against Thomas's proposals. And, they had also seemed less demanding after his brother's wife gave birth to the first ever child from both the Lee and Shelby family lines.

However, the successful meeting didn't mean he wasn't excited to return to their headquarters in Birmingham. Even though the Lee family often resided close to the Peaky Blinders company, it's still drained Tommy after the intense discussions. That being said, he didn't lower his guard. As he often did, he kept an eye out for any threats, big or small. So much so, that he took note of a stray tabby cat down a neighboring alleyway, and a homeless man sleeping on the corner of one of the streets.

Nearly 30 minutes had passed before Thomas had laid eyes on the Shelby residence. However, his plans to rest and recharge before his later dealings with a few local alcohol suppliers, was interrupted. As soon as he had opened the front door, he spotted his aunt Polly sitting at the kitchen table. Tommy quickly noted that she seemed angry, and that she was holding a piece of paper tightly in her grasp.

"Pol?" he asked as he took off his coat and hat, placing them gently on the table. Thomas leaned over his aunts shoulder as he tried to read the contents of the paper, "What is it?"

"What is it, what is it!" She mocked angrily, as she shoved the piece of paper harshly to his chest. Her face was red, and her eyes were glistening from unshed tears, "This was delivered this morning. It's a letter from a orphanage in Leicester.. which says you have two children!"

Tommy quickly pulled the paper out of her hands, before he read the contents himself. His eyes flicked back-and-forth as he read the words on the page, in disbelief.

*

Mr. Thomas M. Shelby,

It has recently come to our attention that you are the father of two children, one aged sixteen and the other fourteen, who are currently housed in the Leicester home for girls and boys. Because of laws regarding child endangerment and abandonment, you are required, as their father, to either come and pick up the children, or sign documents that will release them to the government. We are not allowed to do anything concerning the care of the children until you decide whether or not you were going to give them up. It is recommended that you take these children into your home, however, we understand you may not wish to.

We apologize for bombarding you with this information, however, it is of dire need that you respond quickly to this letter, either in person or through the post. Also, if you have reason to believe that we are mistaken, in our understanding that these are your children, you can inform us through a letter as well. If you wish to release the children to the state, the necessary documents have been sent with this letter.