Devils Inheritance | Peaky Blinders

05.

The morning after the fire Matilda and Lottie were sat in the kitchen area along with Polly— though she was taking no interest in the girls as she was too fixated on the newspaper she had in her hand. Carlotta had slept over the previous night after her and Tilly had met up down Watery Lane.

They were sat around the table, Matilda was eating a slice of toast, whereas Lottie was just drinking a cup of tea, they were talking about some boys from school. You know, typical girl gossip. But then Ada came wandering into the room.

Polly looked up from her newspaper momentarily, "good of you to join us," she said sarcastically, considering it was well past twelve o'clock. "Where have you been all day?"

"In bed." Ada replied simply. "I couldn't sleep, and then I couldn't wake up. Then I was cold and then I had to go for a wee. Then I was with this bear on a boat, but that was a dream. Then I was hungry."

Matilda's eyes were following the girls every move— she knew something was going on with Ada, recently she had been acting very... different? Yet, she just couldn't put a finger onto what it was. But she was being very strange, and she could tell Aunt Poll was feeling it too.

The girl grabbed a slice of Matilda's toast, earning a glare out of her, before taking a seat beside Carlotta. "Are you okay, Ada?" Tilly asked, raising her eyebrows wearily.

Ada's eyes narrowed, "of course I am, why wouldn't I be?" She asked, not understanding why she was being questioned. "Anyways, why are you reading the paper, Poll?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Polly replied, sighing and turning her attention back to the open paper in front of her.

"I've never seen you read the paper, i've only ever seen you light fires with them." Ada said quietly. She started spreading jam all over her toast before bringing it to her lips, taking a decent sized bite.

Polly sighed again, chucking the open newspaper on the table, "the BSA are on strike. The miners are on strike. IRA are killing our boys ten a day."

Matilda and Lottie shared a look as Polly stopped speaking, they knew she was sceptical of something. They watched as the woman looked the younger girl up and down, and not in a friendly way.

"What?" Ada questioned, confused with what was going on. She licked the jam off her fingers.

"Stand up," Polly said simply, a cup of tea placed in her hand.

"Why?"

"Just stand up."

Matilda coughed, feeling awkwardness linger in the air, "what are you doing, Aunt Poll? Why do you want her to stand so badly?"

Ada dusted her hands off before doing as she was asked, getting out of her chair and standing before the three. Polly was quick on her feet, "side on," she ordered.

And without warning, Polly grabbed one of her nieces breasts, pushing it upwards. This caused the other three to let out small chuckles, "Polly, what are you doing?!" Ada asked desperately.

"Are you alright today?" Matilda asked Polly, laughs still falling from her lips, "you can't just go grab the poor girls tit like that."

Carlotta giggled, "Too late for that, Tilly, she already has."

"Ada." Polly replied, her eyes fixated on her nieces stomach. The atmosphere went quiet as Polly's expression turned serious— everyone else's following suit. "How late are you?"

Matilda's jaw dropped. No. No. No. This cannot be happening. She thought. She knew this was bad, really fucking bad. Especially after catching her sister with Freddie Thorne, her brother's best friend since their school days.