enchanted
chapter 08, arthur shelby sr pays a visit

•❃°•°❀°•°❃•

The next morning Rory walked alongside Pol under her umbrella shielding her from the rain, making their way to Ada's with some food in a basket that Rory was carrying despite her protests which were silenced by a glare from Pol.

"Go careful down the steps the last thing I need is for you to get injured because of your clumsiness," Pol sighed. "I'm running out of things to tell your dad why he comes to get you with a new bruise everyday."

"I'm not that clumsy," Rory protested earning a look and a head tilt from Pol.

"Really? So that's why you've got a black eye from you pulling your tights off and you punched yourself in the face? Or what about the time you fell up the steps because you were running, something both me and your dad have told you not to do, and missed a step knocking your tooth out? Or-"

"Okay, okay I get it I'm clumsy and I didn't fall, Finn tripped me because I was running," she mumbled the last bit.

Pol sighed again, "You shouldn't have been running in the first place, Rory."

"I know."

When they got down to Ada's door they saw the basket that they left the day before still outside. Pol knocked on the door, "Open up, love. I brought new things for you and the baby. Got some fresh eggs and bread. I'll leave it here." She grabbed the basket from Rory and replaced the old one with the new one.

Ada didn't reply but they heard Karl cry. "Ada, think of the little one," Pol said through the door. The silence from Ada made Rory frown which she thought she masked with a straight face but Pol saw. "Babies don't have principles and your niece wants to see you, she's doing my head in not being able to see you or her cousin."

Rory smiled slightly at the last bit hoping it would work because even Finn was getting annoyed at her constant complaints about not seeing Ada and Karl. It didn't work which made Rory sad, Ada hated hurting her niece like she was and she would make it up to her when she could but as of now she didn't want anything to do with them.

Ada heard her aunt's and niece's footsteps fade away from the door.

"She'll come round, darling I promise," Pol told her niece pulling her into a side hug on their way back home.

"I know, I just miss her," Rory replied with sadness lacing her tone.

"I know you do, I know."

•❃°•°❀°•°❃•

Finn and Freya stood at one side of John while Rory stood at the other side as they stood watching Arthur senior, Rory's grandad who she had never met before, eat a sandwich.

Arthur senior pointed to Rory with his knife, "She's not one of mine is she?" he asked.

John wrapped his arm around her shoulder pulling her closer to him while Arthur replied, "No, dad she's John's eldest, Aurora."

Rory stared at the man nodded his head slightly, "Martha or Lilian's kid?" he asked.

John cleared his throat and took the toothpick out of his mouth before replying, "Lilian's."

"I still speak to Billy but he doesn't know about her does he? She never told him about Rory did she?" he asked John.

The blonde shook his head, "No it was for the best that he didn't know and that I kept her."

"Her name is Rory but only we're allowed to call her that not you to you she's Aurora," Finn piped up and John looked down at him and smiled.

Rory had zoned out of the adults conversation mainly because she didn't know what they were talking about and because she was bored.

Her trance was broken when the door opened and Tommy walked in.

Arthur senior stood up. "How are you son?" he questioned Tommy.

The man shook his head slightly, "Get out."

Arthur Senior tilted his head slightly and smiled. "Come on, son. I'm a changed man," he tried to reason.

"This family needed you ten years ago, and you walked out on us. Not now. Get out of this house," Tommy demanded.

Arthur piped up saying, "Tommy, he's different-"

Arthur was then cut off by Tommy, "Shut up."

Arthur Senior nodded his head, "It's alright son, Arthur Shelby never stays where he's not welcome."

He then looked at Tommy and said, "Quite something you've become."

Tommy had overheard John and Arthur Senior's conversation so he said, "If you say a word about Rory, her whereabouts or even her fucking name I will blind you. That woman abandoned her child bit like you and if you dare give her or her family any information about this family especially my niece it will be the last thing you ever do, Rory is safer with us than she would be with Lilian and Billy you and everyone in this room knows that do you understand?"

"I won't say anything," he replied and walked out of the house after ruffling the twins hair and saying bye to them.

"Finn, Freya take Rory somewhere that isn't in here please," Pol asked them and they went into the living room.

Once they left John looked up at Tommy, "Tommy, if she finds my daughter I'm going to-"

"She won't find her, she has no idea what she looks like the last time she saw her, Rory was wrapped in a blanket on my doorstep and if she shows up here Rory is protected, she's got the blinders, the Lee's and us protecting her. Lilian won't find her I won't let her and Ada won't let her either," Pol promised her nephew. She hated lying about Lilian and the night she dropped Rory off but she also had a promise to keep in order to keep all three of them safe.

"Pol's right, she's one very protected little girl and I won't let either of them find her," Tommy agreed.

"Neither will I," Arthur agreed as-well.

•❃°•°❀°•°❃•

The twins had walked Rory over to her house where Esme was sat on the floor playing trains with George.

"Hi," Esme smiled at her step-daughter who waved in response.

"Are you staying Finn?" she asked.

Finn shook his head, "No I'm going to go back to Pol's thanks though." And with that he was running back to Pol's house after hugging Rory while Freya went to go get Lottie.

"You okay? You don't look too good," Esme pointed out, feeling her forehead for a temperature since she looked pale.

Rory sighed, "My dad's dad mentioned something about him knowing my mum's dad and I overheard my dad saying they might find me but I don't want them to find me because what if they take me away I don't want to go, I don't want to leave, I-" she went on.

Esme kneeled down in-front of her putting her hands on her shoulders. "Hey, hey, hey it's okay, you're okay, she isn't going to find you. I promise I won't let her, you're dad won't let her, your uncles won't let her, the Peaky Blinders won't let her and if she does you can stay with Johnny Dogs until she leaves yeah and I'll stay with you so you're not on your own okay? you're safe Rory," Esme reassured the panicked girl who was moments away from a panic attack.

Tears formed in her eyes which eventually spilled onto her cheeks which Esme wiped away, "I promise you as long as I'm alive nothing is going to happen to you, no one is going to take you away."

Rory looked at Esme holding out her pinky finger. "Pinky promise?" she asked.

Esme entwined her pinky with Rory's. "I pinky promise," Esme smiled at her.

"Aurora!" Lottie yelled from the bottom of the stairs, Katie and Alice looking towards their older sister with concerned looks.

"What have you done?" Katie whispered towards her sister.

"I don't know," the girl shrugged as the door swung open, revealing an angry Lottie. "What have I done?"

"What have you done?" Lottie seethed. "More like what haven't you done."

"Okay then, what haven't I done then?"

"Oh, I don't know maybe decided to punch Betty's younger brother in the face and now she won't speak to me and not to mention the fact that you kicked Isaiah down a flight of stairs!"

"I punched Jasper in the face because he was calling you names and it was three stairs and I nudged him not kick him, that boy is so bloody dramatic," Rory rolled her eyes. "Wait, is that what he's been telling everyone?"

"Either way, Betty isn't speaking to me so thank you for that," Lottie sighed and flopped on Rory's bed.

"You do know that we are your friends and she was horrible anyway," the girl tried to reason with her. "Who needs Betty when you've got me and Freya?"

"Suppose you're right," the girl muttered.

"I'm never wrong."

•❃°•°❀°•°❃•

Rory had fallen asleep laid on Esme's lap with George asleep on the floor, his train's tiring him out, Katie and Alice upstairs in their bedroom plaiting eachother's hair while James had fallen asleep in his bed. John opened the door then closed it with a loud slam that surprisingly didn't wake anyone up.

After hanging his jacket up and taking his cap off also hanging it up away from his kids he walked into the living room, his footsteps came to halt when he looked at the floor seeing his youngest child asleep on the floor then his eyes moved over to the sofa where Esme sat asleep with her hand on Rory's hair having been stroking her hair to calm her down and get to sleep. Rory was then curled in a ball next to Esme with her head on her lap.

John looked at his wife and daughter with a smile knowing that Rory trusted Esme since she hugged her and was now asleep on her.

John took George up to his shared room with Jamss where he tucked both his sons in and kissed their forehead's and walked into the girls room. "Time for bed now," he told them as he opened the door to see Alice plaiting/ knotting Katie's hair and huffing because she couldn't do it.

"Dad? Can you help me please?" Alice asking looking at her dad over Katie's head and he nodded. "I can try but you're best off asking Esme or Pol tomorrow," he told her and the girls nodded. John then went to detangle Katie's hair without hurting her as Alice sat on the floor next to him watching him intently.

After 15 minutes of attempting to plait his daughter's hair, Katie had a lopsided braid and they were tucked into their beds and John kissed their forehead's and closed their door before going back downstairs.

"How long have you been back?" Esme questioned looking over her shoulder at him as his footsteps made the steps creak making his presence known.

"About half an hour, the boys are asleep and the girls minus Rory are in bed," he replied and made his way over the sofa to sit next to Esme as best as he could with Rory in the way.

He had placed Rory's legs on his lap so he could sit down. "She likes you, you know and that's a massive deal for her," he informed his wife.

"I like her too," she responded smiling down at the sleeping girl. "She's worried," she told him.

John looked confused and concerned. "About what?" he asked.

"She told me she overheard you, Tommy, Arthur and Pol talking saying your dad knew where Lilian is and you're worried she might find her and she's scared they're going to take her away," Esme replied.

John sighed pinching the bridge of his nose, "Lilian is her birth mum, she left Rory on Pol's doorstep hours after she'd been born wrapped in a blanket with no name and a note and she's never once been bothered about not having a mum I mean it has bothered her seeing everyone else with a mum and she doesn't have one, but not the point where she'd go looking for her well because she's too young to go anywhere herself and because I won't let her out of my sight. I didn't even know Lilian was pregnant she didn't tell me and her dad never approved of me because I'm a Shelby and if he found out about Rory back then or even now he'd do anything and everything he could to get her taken away from me but he wouldn't keep her. I remember he once called me the spawn of Satan but he had the wrong brother and it scares me that if he ever found Rory what he'd do to her because she's my daughter, because she's a Shelby."

Esme already knew about Lilian Davis but not about Billy Davis, Tommy had failed to mention him probably because only John knew he bad he was having seen it first hand. She listened to what John had to say before saying, "I won't let her get to her. She's not her mum yes she gave birth to her but she left. If they ever do come to Birmingham we'll take her to the Lee's they're your family they'll look after her. We look after family and you, Rory and the rest of the kids are my family now."

"I loved Martha but Martha never loved Rory unlike you do. I can see it on your face and the way you speak about her as if she's your own and I admire you for that," John spoke looking between Rory and Esme.

"I'm going to take her up to her bed," Esme informed John standing up with Rory in her arms. John kissed her forehead then walked into the kitchen to get a drink.

"Esme?" Rory asked still asleep and Esme stood still. "Yeah?" she replied softly.

"Can you stay with me just until I fall back asleep please?" Rory asked moving over in her bed for Esme to get in. Esme stroked Rory's head until she fell back asleep and moved her over so she could get out and go back downstairs.