𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋𝐒 ᶠⁱⁿⁿ ˢʰᵉˡᵇʸ

𝟎𝟐𝟔: 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐛𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐞

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟔
𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐛𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐞

Rory poked Finn's side to get him to stop talking as Tommy stepped to the front of the room to give a speech about the Grace Shelby Institute they were opening up for unfortunate children.

He cleared his throat. "Speech!" Arthur called out. "Come on, speech!"

Tommy took a deep breath. "I didn't come here today to make a speech but I will say this, these children are now safe, in our care they will be safe. Because we are from the same cold streets that they are. And in our care, they won't be shipped away to the colonies or separated from kin or made to work for men in their various ways. They will grow up here at home, loved in Birmingham. Because this is our city."

Rory smiled to herself and nodded along.

"By order of the Peaky Blinders!" Arthur shouted. Aurora glanced at him but everybody clapped, some hesitating before doing so. Not everybody in that room agreed with the Shelby family.

"Now let us sing Immortal Invisible." Polly announced.

Rory, after noticing Tommy had slipped out of the room, discretely joined him. He was out in the hall admiring the painting of Grace that sat in the hallway. "You alright, Tom?" Aurora asked from behind him.

Tommy grunted, his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall.

Rory stepped beside him and glanced at him. "She'd be proud of you— that you've done all this." She said. Tommy nodded slightly. "And she'd be happy to know that Charles has his father around." She said, hinting to him as she knew he wasn't around much for his son. "So, you're going to do that, aren't you?" Her words were negotiable.

Tommy looked her in the eye.

"Won't you?" She asked again.

Tommy nodded. "Yes." His answer was simple.

"What you've done is good, Tommy. You know that don't you?" She praised. He nodded once.

Aurora didn't get to speak much more because Michael had appeared behind them. She offered him a smile and took one last look at Tommy before disappearing down the hall to give them a moment.

She didn't go back to where people had gathered. Instead, she found herself watching Father Hughes talk to the group of children at his feet. Her stomach turned. She dug her nails into the skin on her palms and leaned against the wall, watching his lips twist into a wide smile.

It worried her that he had power over such innocent, young souls. He would be working in the institute, obviously. And it honestly worried Aurora.

She watched until another woman came, rounding the children up and taking them elsewhere.

Father Hughes stood at the end of the hall and turned his head slowly toward Aurora. She froze. He smiled at her, flashing his teeth. She didn't love. And then, within seconds, he was gone.

-

Isiah laughed as they watched Finn get a lecture off Arthur over absolutely nothing. Arthur didn't even know what he was talking about. Finn didn't glance back at his friends because he knew he would burst out laughing. Rory cupped a hand over her mouth to quiet her laughs.