VICES AND VIRTUES | Thomas Shelby

EIGHTEEN

"He doesn't have to worry, the house is under Peaky Blinder protection," Florence sighed as she gently cleaned George's skin of blood.

"There are Peaky boys around your house?" George remarked.

"Do you honestly think those boys would let me move out of Small Heath without promising me protection?" Florence smiled fondly, reminded of all the promises Tommy had made to protect her.

About half an hour passed before there was any sign of Elijah. George and Florence had remained in the drawing room, although Florence knew that Billy Kimber could be quite the live wire, she also felt that she was as safe as she could be, with Peaky boys watching over the house and George by her side, she felt as safe as she could.

"Flo!" Elijah called out as he rushed into the house, "Florence, is everything alright?"

"We're in the drawing room," Florence exclaimed as George stood up from the sofa.

"What the fuck happened to you?" Elijah muttered as he laid eyes on his brother.

"Can I just say, if there had been less of them, I would've come out on top," George slurred, leaning against the wall.

"You've been drinking?" Elijah sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I'm completely in control of my senses," George mumbled as Florence realised that George managed to reacquire the whiskey bottle.

"Go down to the kitchen and ask the chefs to get you some food, we need to sober you up before you go back to Diana." Elijah explained firmly, keeping his eyes on Florence.

"Yes captain," George saluted his brother before leaving the room.

"Are you alright?" Elijah asked Florence as he approached her, kneeling in front of her as she sat on the sofa, "Nothing's happened since you called, has it?"

"Nothing's happened," Florence smiled, taking his hands in hers, "We're alright."

"And the baby, everything feels normal with the baby?" He continued to panic.

"Still kicking away," Florence grinned, taking Elijah's hand and placing it on her stomach, allowing him to feel the baby's feet against his hand.

"I was so worried that something might have happened to you," Elijah whispered, keeping his eyes on Florence's face, "If you'd have been hurt, I'm not quite sure what I would've done."

"Elijah," Florence soothed, resting her hands on his cheeks, "Everything is going to be fine."

Those past few months Florence had felt a pull to Elijah that she wasn't sure she could describe. He cared about her, he cherished her, he was willing to marry her just to protect her from public scrutiny, he was prepared to father a child he knew wasn't biologically his. He had given her everything that she had never felt from any man she had known, he made her feel secure.

"No one has ever cared about me the way you do," Florence whispered as she rested her forehead against his, "I don't know what I did to deserve this."

Without another word Florence tentatively kissed him, holding onto his jaw as her heart thumped against her chest, as she sensed the nerves that Elijah reciprocated. It was as though they were teenagers again, swaddled in the innocence of their first kiss, as though their minds weren't tainted by remnants of war. The world around them slowed down as their hearts sped up, with their breaths becoming heavier and tangled.

"Flo, it's just us, we don't have to pretend," Elijah whispered as he pulled away, keeping his forehead pressed against Florence's.

"This feels pretty real to me," Florence muttered with a nervous smile.