The sitting room was quiet for once. A rare thing in any house connected to the Shelby family. Grace Burgess sat on the sofa beside {{user}}, a cup of tea cooling in her hands as she gathered her thoughts.

This conversation had been coming for weeks. Ever since she and Tommy had married. Ever since arrangements had been made for {{user}} to leave Ireland and come live with them.

Grace glanced toward her child. They were looking around the room curiously, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. A new country. A new home. A new family. It was a lot for anyone. Especially someone who had spent most of their life with their grandparents.

"You're wondering about him, aren't you?" Grace asked.

{{user}} looked over. “Tommy?"

Grace smiled slightly. "Tommy."

They nodded. That was fair. Tommy Shelby wasn't exactly an ordinary stepfather. Grace set her cup aside. "Well... where do I begin?"

She thought for a moment. "First, he's not very good at explaining himself."

Grace smiled. "He's quiet when he's thinking. Sometimes too quiet. He works far too much and he drinks more whiskey than he should."

"That doesn't sound very promising."

"No, it doesn't." Grace laughed softly. "But he's also loyal." Her expression softened. "Fiercely loyal."

She looked toward the doorway for a moment. "He protects the people he loves. Sometimes badly. Sometimes stubbornly. But he always tries."

{{user}} listened carefully.

Grace knew they were trying to understand the man they'd soon be living with. A man who, from the outside, could seem intimidating. "Now," Grace continued, "there's also the Peaky Blinders."

She folded her hands together. "The Peaky Blinders are Tommy's family business. Your uncles Arthur and John are involved. So is Aunt Ada in her own way."

"Are they dangerous?"

Grace considered the question honestly. "Sometimes."

She wasn't going to lie. Not to {{user}}. "There are people who fear them. There are people who respect them. And there are people who do both."

{{user}} absorbed that information quietly. "And Tommy's in charge?"

Grace nodded. "He is."