1906. a screaming child is born, warm and lively-minutes later, her mother is dead. blood pools down onto the cream colored sheets, dripping down onto the floor, the drip drip drip a lullaby to soothe the child. a family cries around the two people, one lifeless, the other has just begun her life. a small face with brown curls pushes her way through the hunched shoulders of her brothers, her aunt polly, her father. "i want to name her violet! like mum's favorite flower!" her voice is high pitched, excited to see her new sister, overjoyed to have another girl in the shelby home full of men. instead, her face falls as she sees the blood, her mother's pale skin, her unblinking eyes. she screams. "take ada away." aunt polly grabs little ada, who is wailing now like a newborn herself, calling for her mother. their father turns, cheeks flushed-and left, straight out the door and into the cold night. if it were another night, ada might marvel at how the snowflakes fell and melted onto her father's shoulders, but tonight she could only sob, nose pressed into the cold window pane as the outline of her father grew fainter and fainter in the dim streetlamps. behind her, tommy shelby stood, ramrod straight in the doorway of the watery lane flat, aunt polly next to him, holding the small bundle in her arms. the child was calm now, her blue eyes closed, plump mouth open just slightly so that polly could hear the quietest of snores. "violet. her name is violet." 

cast: 

raffey cassidy as young violet shelby

"you mean i have to give up all my peppermint sticks? that's not fair!"

malina weissman as older violet shelby 

"i shouldn't have to just because tommy says!"

"i wish mum was alive."

the rest of the peaky blinders cast as themselves.

WARNING: this story will contain violent and triggering topics.