Did Peaky Blinders just kill off a major character?

Right, you clearly want to read on. In fact, you're probably still reeling from the closing seconds of tonight's episode which saw Grace Shelby (Annabelle Wallis) – wife to Peaky Blinders boss Tommy – shot by a mystery assailant during the fancy charity party she had organised.

The entire 60 minutes were loaded with a lurking sense of foreboding as Tommy and Grace frolicked happily around their family home while the remaining Shelby brothers turned a petty squabble with Birmingham's Italian faction into all-out war. A war that erupted on several occasions as the Blinders made their presence on the streets felt following John's deployment of his razor sharp flat cap.

But nothing prepared the Shelby family for the fate that befell poor Grace. Just one episode after her boisterous – and bloody – wedding, Tommy's wife was a flurry of excitement as she gathered the city's bigwigs together in the name of charity. Dressed to the nines in her ballgown, around her neck was the gigantic sapphire Tommy had presented her with – a stone that he was later told had been cursed by a gypsy.

Now we rarely see Mr Shelby all shaken up, but Tommy looked like he'd seen a ghost as Russian Princess Tatiana Petrovna informed him that nothing on earth would convince her to wear it. He went off in search of Grace to convince her to take it off – who knew he was the suspicious type, eh? – only he never got round to removing her 'cursed' necklace.

With a piece of enchanting music playing unnervingly in the background – a sure-fire sign that something's about to go down – the pair kissed instead before a mystery assailant emerged with a gun raised and ready to fire.

Who the shot was intended for, it's hard to tell – but as Tommy attempted to push Grace out of harm's way, she took the bullet to her chest and sunk to the floor in her husband's arms. The Blinders, meanwhile, wasted no time in pummelling the shooter to a pulp as Aunt Poll scurried towards Tommy's gravely-injured wife.

Will she survive? I'm no doctor but a growing pool of blood never bodes well – and Grace's demise would certainly pack an emotional punch for poor Tommy after all his promises to keep his family safe from the Peaky Blinders' increasingly volatile business dealings.

On a separate note, who was the gunman? Did he belong to the Italian faction provoked by the Shelbys on so many occasions? Or was he sent by the Russians – the exiled Petrovna family clearly have no qualms with ruthless killing to achieve their aim. Could they have ordered a warning shot for the Shelby family?

Elsewhere in tonight's episode, we were introduced to Paddy Considine's sinister Father John Hughes who clearly has an agenda beyond morning prayers and confession. Meanwhile, Aunt Poll's mysterious admirer turns out to be a painter – a painter with a serious admiration for his latest subject – while Ada continues to wile away her days in a London library.

But we have a feeling it'll be Tommy Shelby front and centre during next week's visit to the Blinders. The question remains, will Grace still be there by his side?

Peaky Blinders continues next Thursday at 9pm on BBC2