☆

CLARA HAD PARKED THE CAR AROUND THE BACK OF Arrow house. The rest of the family were piling in one by one, whilst others had opted to walk from the church. She fixed her jacket and hair once more before she joined Will's side. He ran a hand through his locks before swinging a loose arm over her shoulders.

"You ready for the longest night of your life?" He teasingly questioned as they walked behind a few men in red coats.

"Oh yes, I'm absolutely thrilled to be spending a night surrounded by the biggest pricks on this planet!" She sarcastically chirped.

The men in front glanced back at her, the two glanced at him. Clara raised her hand and teasingly wiggled her fingers at them. She was under orders not to fight. Tommy had specifically ordered it on the phone the day before.

"Easy, Shelby," Will laughed, "can't have you getting too happy, it might end up twisting your brain and making you all different."

"That's exactly why you're here," Clara huffed, "you've got to keep me grounded."

"If you start a fight, you owe me ten bob," He wagered.

"Deal,"

The two stopped in their tracks and shook on it before Pol and Michael walked up from behind them.

"Clara, Will," the woman greeted with a smile, her arm linked through her sons. "Enjoy the ceremony?"

"Oh it was incredible, I adored it, it was so go—" Clara's bland and sardonic voice was cut off by Will's hand clamped over her mouth.

"It was very nice, Pol" he answered simply, which earned an approving nod from the Gray woman. The two Gray's walked away as Clara twisted and squirmed in Will's grasp. An idea hit her and she grinned as the boy leapt backwards in disgust.

"You just licked me...what the fuck?!" He questioned in disbelief.

"Don't act like you didn't expect it," Clara scoffed, folding her arms. "Now come on, I believe it's time to face the masses."

Will's arm slung itself around her shoulder as they traipsed towards the entrance of the house where Tommy had stopped the horse-drawn carriage he and Grace had ridden from the church. The entire wedding party gathered around and cheered as the man helped Grace down from the carriage. Clara moved to pet the horse drawing the carriage before she was pulled off to the side by John.

"Oh for God's sake! What?!" She asked in annoyance.

"Your bloody neck! Who did it!" John pushed, "Tell me the man's name, Clara."

"I'm eighteen, John, at that age you'd already had a child and Martha was already pregnant with a second!" Clara accused, "you have no right to stand here and berate me, it's hypocritical and makes you look like even more of a bloody idiot."

"Tell. Me. His. Name."

Clara barked out a laugh before stubbing her finger against his chest. "I. Don't. Remember." She poked him as she enunciated slowly and spitefully. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get a drink."

She stormed inside of Arrow House after Will and her family, her rage threatening to bubble over and explode. She took the faded grey hat off of her head as she entered as well as her coat. John trailed behind her, his angry and frustrated eyes followed her in malcontent. She knew that if Tommy hadn't warned them both about not fighting, they'd be on the floor wrestling or screaming their lungs out at each other.

But no, not today.

Clara entered the foyer to find it packed with Shelby family and their many ties and Burgess family and friends. The girl scanned the room as she moved through into the rooms beyond, bypassing the live band and orchestra and people dancing. She watched as guests milled and drank the champagne served by maids in simple black and white outfits. Her eyes moved around until they landed on Will who seemed to be talking to a girl.

Clara waded through the crowd and towards a tower of drinks and with a single motion, she picked up two and downed one. She swirled the other one as she walked back out towards the foyer and leaned against the wall, observing the people that fake laughed and pretended to be interested in other people's lives.

"Will there be cocaine?"

The girl's head snapped to the side as a voice echoed just loud enough for Clara to hear. She watched a prim girl sidle up to Isiah in wonder, her eyes batting as she tried to woo the man. Clara inched closer in an attempt to eavesdrop as Isiah put his empty glass onto a table and smiled at the girl.

"Sweetheart, I am young, equipped and well informed, you chose your man wisely..." he answered, but as he went to lead the girl away Arthur breezed by and grabbed his shoulder.

"Go on, kitchen now," Arthur ordered, patting the boy on the back.

Arthur, these ladies want to play in the snow." Isiah tutted, his eyes still on the posh girl.

"No, No snow today." He told the boy. Clara's eyes widened. There was no way she was going to survive the horrific day ahead without snow. Her eyebrows pinched together as a sly smile of realisation crossed her face. She'd hidden her little habit for the past two years, one more day would be a piece of cake.

"Clara, get Will and go to the kitchen. Now." The girl glanced up as Arthur gestured for her to follow. He looked more stressed than usual. Clara sighed but obeyed as she drank her second drink before placing it down on a side table and making her way towards Will.

"Sorry to interrupt," she butted into the conversation between the girl and Will. "But we need to go downstairs, Tommy wants us," Will swore quietly but nodded, stubbing out his cigarette before he dramatically swore to the girl he'd be back. The two walked side by side through the many halls of Arrow House.

Over the past two years, Clara had grown used to the long and winding halls that littered the House. She did not like Arrow House. She didn't know how anyone could. She'd stayed in the house more than a few times over the years and yet the haunting silence and heaviness still shocked her as she walked around. She often felt like a ghost in the house. A ghost whose only purpose was to drift in utter insanity. The only room that offered her any form of comfort was the small parlour at the back of the house which housed copious shelves filled with copious books as well as a roaring fire and multiple soft material armchairs that reminded her all too much of Watery Lane.

That was where she often found herself when staying in the house. It didn't feel as lonely as everywhere else.

"Where are they?"

The girl pushed open the kitchen door and entered the crowded room. The kitchen was a vast and busy area to hold a family meeting, especially with cooks preparing the wedding feast. Tommy paced back and forth and Clara thought he looked quite angry but also a little bit crazed as if half his mind was in the kitchen and the other half was boringly entertaining guests upstairs.

Alas, that seemed to be the effect of Arrow House. It split the mind and soul in two.

The Peaky boys seemed to have all been gathered. With John, Isiah, Finn, Jeremiah, Charlie and Curly already crowding around Tommy. The girl made her way towards the crowd as Johnny Dogs also joined the circle with some of the Lees.

"I'm telling you now, we got lost," Arthur boomed as he entered the kitchen with John. "You need do a map, Thomas."

Clara leaned back on a metal surface, her hand creeping into her pocket as she pulled out a cigarette. Will who had done the same held out his lighter and allowed the girl to lean forward and steal a sliver of the flame.

"Right, boys, you're all here." Tommy sighed, removing the lit cigarette that perched between his lips. "Today, this is my fucking wedding day."

"Yeah, and you said there'd be no bloody uniforms." John immediately snapped.

"Nevertheless..." Tommy moved towards his brother, his tone lowering as he spoke. Clara inhaled the smokey tendrils from the cigarette, exhaling the remnants in amusement. "Nevertheless, John...Despite the bad blood, I'll have none of it on my carpet. Now for Grace's sake, nothing will go wrong. Those bastards out there are her family. And if you fuckers do anything to embarrass her, your kin, your cousins, your horses, your fucking kids, YOU DO ANYTHING..."

"Tom?" Isiah cut in, causing the Shelby man to turn on his heel.

"WHAT?" The older man snapped,

"What about snow?" Isiah questioned, Clara shifted in her spot, her eyes glancing towards Tommy whose chest was rising and falling as if he was completely out of breath.

"Yeah, their women are sports, I'll say that..." John teased, taking Isiah's head into a headlock and ruffling his hair. Something he'd done too many times to Clara in the past.

"No. No. No." Tommy shook his head as he pointed at Isiah. "No cocaine. No cocaine." He moved to Arthur and John. "No sport. No telling fortunes. No racing." He made his way towards Finn, harshly gripping the boy's face. "No fucking sucking petrol out of their fucking cars."

"You two, hands to yourselves and not a fucking word, understood?" Tommy's nostrils flared as he looked towards Will and Clara. "I don't need those fuckers to be complaining about stolen watches and two kids talking shit."

Clara winced as the man grabbed her cheeks quite like he'd done with Finn. "No purposely winding them up for fun." He warned, and something told Clara that he was not to be messed with today. The girl nodded firmly before the man huffed and turned back to the family.

"And, you, Charlie," Tommy turned to their uncle. "Stop spinning yarns about me, eh?"

"I'm just trying to sell you to them, Tom." Charlie offered, his hands raising in innocence causing the Shelby girl to stifle a laugh. Tommy pinched his nose before taking a large drag of his cigarette.

"But the main thing is, you bunch of fuckers," he now paced back and forth with his arms out in exasperation. "Despite the provocation from the cavalry, no fighting...Oi!" He stormed towards Isiah, Will and Clara, his gaze jumping between the three as his finger pointed accusingly at them all. "No fighting." He moved to the Shelby brothers. "No fucking fighting. No fighting."

"NO. FUCKING. FIGHTING!" He yelled, Clara grimaced as she took another pull of her cigarette. It was quite amusing to see her brother so stressed out over the two families combining. "Good." He let out a breath as he moved to grab his coat. Unfortunately, a waiter happened to be walking past, accidentally bumping into Tommy.

"Get the fuck off me!" Her brother hissed as he shoved the waiter which sent him stumbling to the ground along with multiple glasses of alcohol. Clara rolled her eyes as she watched the man fall.

The poor alcohol. It could've been drunken by her but alas, it now lay in scattered puddles around the kitchen and perhaps that was the biggest tragedy of the day.

Nope! Clara was very wrong.

Being stuck at a dinner table surrounded by stuck up, arrogant men glancing towards the Shelby family and anyone associated as if they were scum on the bottom of their pristine Calvary shoes, was by far the worst tragedy of the century. The girl slouched in her seat beside Ada and Finn. She and Will had been forced to separate by Pol who had caught them both moaning and spitting curses at the arseholes beside them at the table. Clara had been relocated and was now under her aunt's watchful gaze.

The girl flinched as she was elbowed in the side, her head turning to face her older sister.

"C'mon, sit up," Ada urged quietly, her heeled foot nudging Clara's ankle in encouragement.

"Ada? Is dying before speeches considered rude?" The girl questioned in boredom. They were waiting on both Tommy and Grace who were off doing God knows what. "Because I'm seriously contemplating whether or not death would put me out of my misery."

"Clara," Ada tried to be stern but her stifled chuckle found its way through her words. "Dying before speeches is surprisingly considered rude, so let's not do that, shall we?"

"Mhm..."

Clara's eyes scanned the table landing on Will who had glanced towards her. He had been moved next to Isiah and a Calvary man. The boy moved his fingers into the shape of a gun and subtlety raised it to his throat before pulling the 'trigger' and collapsing further into her seat. Clara slowly nodded in agreement, her own fingers creeping towards her temple in a similar manner.

The girl turned her attention back towards the conversation happening around her as she lolled back in her chair. Ada had begun to natter on about whatever political party she now had aligned herself with and wholeheartedly defended. Clara had lost track at this rate. Don't get her wrong, the girl loved her sister a lot, but by God, Clara couldn't take another moment of the constant chatter. She eventually huffed and pushed back her chair in aggravation.

"Where are you going?" Finn's nose shrivelled as he asked the question, not wanting to be left alone in the midst of the 'riveting' conversation.

"Mind your own business," Clara briskly answered, flicking him in the forehead before she slipped out of the dining room. Her hands were shoved deep into her pockets as she walked, her head held high. She cleverly manoeuvred around scattered servers and maids all running around with empty, used plates from the dinner. Her shoes clattered against the wooden flooring, its echo bouncing off of each wall. She glanced back every so often before she sidestepped into a small bathroom at the end of the hall.

It was the smallest bathroom in Arrow House, a bathroom not well known by others. It was the perfect spot. Clara locked the door behind her before she slowly slid down the wall. Her hands wrapped around either side of her neck as rolled it. The day wasn't over just yet and the thought alone was the sole reason Clara pulled out the blue bottle from her pocket.

Not caring about any decorum, the girl dumped the powder onto the back of her hand and sniffed it up. She tapped out a little bit more. She needed it. Just as quickly as she'd done it last time, Clara snorted the powder. She had long gotten used to the bitter chemical smell of the powder but it never failed to make her slightly splutter at times.

Clara allowed herself to smile weakly as she leaned her head back against the wall. She just had to wait for it all to go fuzzy and then, and only then would she return to the table of doom. The girl squeezed her eyes shut before she pushed herself off of the ground.

Perhaps she'd take a walk around the House? Clara pushed open the bathroom door, wiping under her nose using her shirt sleeve. She had to kill time. The girl could already feel the powder taking its effect as her heart began to pick up the pace. Her mind was beginning to blur in a swirl of unintelligible thoughts and processes. Clara stepped out of the bathroom, rolling up her shirt sleeves to her elbow as she began to walk back towards the dining hall.

"OI, CLARA!"

The girl shook her head slightly before she turned around to see Arthur stalking towards her from down the hall. She folded her arms as her eldest brother grew closer.

"What are ya doing out and about?" Arthur said hurriedly, grabbing her elbow as he continued to walk. "They're about to give speeches."

"So you found Tommy and Grace then?" Clara mused, "took them long enough, where are they?"

"They're just finishing off," Arthur huffed out before he paused at the amused girl. "Uh...right, get inside, weasel, and not a word, Alrigh'?"

"First of all, I didn't need to know that and second of all, I've got it," Clara plastered a grin across her face. She watched as her brother paused before backtracking down the hall, Clara's elbow still gripped in his hand.

"Hold on, wait a second. So you're saying I'm not allowed a man!"

Clara stumbled as she walked with Arthur towards Michael and Lizzie talking in the hallway. Her thoughts were beginning to mold and mush together into a ball, it was hard to think straight (—if she could ever). She chuckled to herself at the thought before she almost tripped again, only to be caught by Arthur's firm grip.

"Michael, speeches. Come on." Her brother gruffly reminded, waking straight between them with Clara still beside him. He grabbed a bottle of champagne off of a maid's tray as she passed.

"Arthur. You know why he didn't come, don't you?" Lizzie questioned. She sounded mad, but nowadays the woman was usually justified to feel angry.

"Why who didn't come?" Arthur lied. Clara could smell the feigned innocence from a mile away.

"My bloody man." Lizzie snapped.

"Oh, you mean the wop?" Arthur let go of Clara as he opened the champagne bottle and drank straight from it. The girl went towards the wall on her left to lean against it.

"I just heard there was a fire at his restaurant midnight last night." Lizzie's nostrils flared as she spoke. "And a smashed back window and a smell of petrol."

Clara's eyebrows scrunched together. As she watched the woman place her hands on her hips in a confident manner. Clara liked Lizzie. She was nice, realistic and harsh sometimes, but nice nonetheless. The girl's hand dropped into her pocket and fiddled with a cigarette before withdrawing it.

"Lizzie, we tried to talk some sense into you." Michael sighed, "We did checks on him. He's had five different names in the last six years,"

"And you've had two different names in the last four," Clara mumbled as she perched the cigarette between her lips, lighting it with a gold lighter she'd nicked from John. Her comment had fallen on deaf ears it seemed.

"—and he's got connections with the Naples boys." Michael finished.

"Come on, Michael," Arthur tried to steer the subject away from Lizzie's man.

"What do you know about love?" The woman sneered. "About when lightning strikes?"

"So, it was lightning, hmm?" Arthur put his hands up. "Not petrol." Clara let out a small cloud of smoke as her lips curled in enjoyment. She watched as Michael joined Arthur's side as they made their way back towards the dining room.

"You set fire to his restaurant to stop him coming!" Lizzie called after them. Clara's eyes drifted after them as they stopped in their tracks. "You have no right to choose who I step out with in my own time!"

Clara chuckled as the men retreated, obviously unaware that Lizzie was not going to let the matter drop anytime soon. She watched as Michael grew closer to Lizzie, the tall woman towering over him in almost a comical way.

"Lizzie, you now have an important position in this company." He began, his voice low as if attempting to intimidate the woman. "You got the order, same as us. You can do it."

"Until further notice...No fraternizing with the foreigners," Arthur added before the two turned and began to walk again.

"Yeah, well, you can tell Tommy from me, all the girls in the office think he's losing his FUCKING mind!" Lizzie yelled.

"Here! Here!" Clara cheered, holding up her hand with the cigarette in it. She was grinning like a mad man, her head leaned back against the wall as Lizzie stormed off in the opposite direction of the way Michael and Arthur were going. "Shit..."

Clara pushed herself off of the wall and stubbed her cigarette out in a random plant on an oddly placed table in the hallway. She stumbled as she tried to regain balance as she set off after her brother and cousin who had already disappeared out of view. She practically skipped down the hall, too lazy to run but too excited to walk.

"Clara..."

The girl paused in her bliss while she glanced behind her for the origin of the voice.

The hallway was empty.

"Clara..."

It came again. She turned back around, her eyes bouncing over each and every crevice. Her fists began to clench as she surveyed the hall for anyone.

"Claraaaaa..."

The girl turned in a circle, her hand placed firmly on the knife she had learned to keep in her pocket at all times.

"Who's there?" She demanded as she continued to turn until she lost balance and had to catch herself on the wall.

The voice had gone, all that was left in its place was the heavy, thunderous sound of silence.

Clara shook her head as she squeezed her eyes shut. Her palms lay flat against her eyes as she rubbed them. Of course, she was bloody hearing things. Of bloody course she was. One night of quiet was all she asked for but noooo.....voices! Bloody voices!

The girl let out a short, disbelieving laugh while she ran a hand through her tangled hair. She was just exhausted and her mind was just playing tricks. As she slowly re-entered the dining room, only a few fleeting glances were sent her way. She slipped back into her seat beside Ada and Finn. Her fingers tapped against her leg as she sat and her foot bounced on the floor beneath her. Her smile lingered as she sat up straight in her seat, her fingers now reaching to fiddle with a new cigarette, which she promptly lit.

Just a few more hours...

Just a few more long, boring, draining hours.

It hadn't taken much longer for Tommy and Grace to return. The people in the dining room stood as the two walked in, their hands intertwined as they took their seats at the head of the table. Clara watched as Grace smoothed down her dress as she sat whilst the chatter around the room continued. The girl's lit cigarette was plucked from her fingers by Ada who subtly stubbed it out underneath the table all while glaring at the younger girl and her lack of table manners. Once the woman had sat down, Arthur remained standing alongside Tommy.

"To the bride." Tommy toasted, raising his glass.

"To the bride!" The people chorused, all their glasses lifted in the air.

"The bride!" Clara cheered slightly after the rest, her glass raising before she downed the rest of the contents. She followed suit as everyone sat back down. She leaned back in her chair, her heart feeling like it could burst from how hard it was pounding.

"And now, according to tradition," Tommy began and if Clara looked closely she'd swear she could see the pure regret and nervousness rolling off of her brother. "My best man will say a few words."

"Go on!"

"Here he goes!"

"Go on, Arthur!"

Clara chuckled as the Peaky boys cheered and clapped for the older man.

"I'd like to, erm... I'm not one for speeches." Arthur stammered.

"Sing, then!" John drunkenly urged,

"Yeah, sing us a song, Arth!" Clara called out, raising her drink once more. The cocaine she'd taken coursed through her veins in a flurry of euphoric confidence and peace.

"I will later, John, Clara," Arthur said lowly, his amusement seeping through his anxiousness as he smirked. "But, er... I do, er...I do have some words written down here on this piece of paper. This doesn't include everything that I want to say."

"Arthur, just, uh... just read what we wrote down, eh?" Tommy whispered. Being able to see Thomas Shelby shitting himself in anticipation and nervousness was honestly the funniest thing Clara had witnessed in a while. He smoked his cigarette and looked up at the ceiling with a look Clara could only distinguish as 'god bloody help me.'

"I will. I will." Arthur reassured his younger brother before he placed the cards down on the table. "But...First...First, uh, a few words from... From the heart." Clara covered her mouth with her hand to stifle her laughter as she watched Tommy's head drop in defeat. She could feel small shakes beside her, indicating that Finn was seemingly also found the situation to be as comical as she had it.

"Um..." Arthur hesitated, "This man here, my brother Tommy, helped me survive through some of the worst times." Tommy let out a laugh cough as if trying to warn Arthur not to dig any further.

"It's a wedding, Arthur, tell a joke." Michael now interrupted.

"Yeah, tell a joke." John backed, pointing at his cousin in agreement before turning back to Arthur.

"What I am trying to say is that..." Arthur took a shaky breath as Tommy shook his head. "My brother and the love of a good woman pulled me through that time. Now Tommy also has the love of a good woman. Her name's Grace." He paused. "Like the grace of the good Lord."

Clara fell into a fit of silent laughter as she shook her head and hid it in her arms. A stray tear leaked from her eyes as Arthur continued.

"And even though the circumstances of their union was tragic..."

Tommy jumped to his feet, "All right. Let's, uh... Arthur." He said quickly, "Let's raise a toast, eh?" He wrapped an arm around Arthur's shoulders. The family stood to their feet again with their glasses raised. "To, uh...To love, to peace, to marriage."

"And to marriage." Arthur echoed dishearteningly.

"To marriage." It was a less enthusiastic toast than before as many voices trailed off before the word 'marriage' had concluded.

"Well done, Arthur, beautiful speech. Really nice." John commented, "Really, really nice." Clara wiped under her eyes as she leaned back in her chair in complete glee. "Where is he fucking going?" She watched as Arthur left the dining room followed by Linda and then by Tommy.

"Christ," Clara let out a laugh, as she shook her head and clapped her hands together. "If there's one thing about this bloody family, it's that we sure do know how to put on a bloody show!"

☆

THIS BLOODY WEDDING IS GOING ON FOREVER BUT DONT FRET, THERE'S ONE MORE WEDDING CHAPTER LEFT!

ANYWAYS, hello my BEAUTIFUL, GORGEOUS READERS! How are you on this fine Friday?

I have to say that I'm doing pretty great! Also may I just show you how I imagine Clara this episode?

(Obviously she'd be wearing a shirt but oml I'm so attracted to her.)

ANYWAYS I LOVE YOU AND HERE'S YOUR WEEKLY MEME!