𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐀𝐘 peaky blinders

iv. ELI'S HAT COLLECTION

"Good." Eli observed, lifting her cigarette and breathing in the nicotine. "I'm gonna bash John's head in when I see him."

Polly frowned, eyes already filled with an unholy combination of concern and fury. It was no secret the woman was quick to jump to conclusions, especially when it came to assuming the worse of the nephews renown for stirring up trouble. Eli's mention of being at odds with John didn't sit well with her. After all, Eli was like a second daughter to her — or a first since she had been denied the right to care for her own daughter, Anna. She'd gladly skin John alive if she found out he done something to hurt the younger woman. "Why? I'll kill him. What's he done now?"

Eli sent her a pointed look. "You mean besides informing all of Green Lanes I'm in business with the Blinders?"

"That bastard." Polly cursed, running her thumb along her bottom lip as she thought of ways to smack some sense into him. "You know he's got four kids at home waiting for him to get his bloody act together? I caught Katie running through the streets barefoot the other day."

Ada rolled her eyes at the way her aunt's eyes lit up with anger and plucked the cigarette out of Eli's fingertips when the blonde offered it to her to finish. "John's always been a wanker, Pol. What else is new?"

The rest of the journey was spent gushing about anything and everything, whispering gossip here and there until they had arrived at the races and stepped out of the vehicle, careful to mind their fancy outfits.

Eli had been the first out and she paused by the side of the car to gap at the outside of the stadium, this being the first time in years she'd been to the races. The last time she'd been was when her father took her while her mother was heavily pregnant with the twins. They couldn't quite afford to bring the whole family and Eamonn and Eli were the only two with any remote interest in racing. God knows, Marie Montgomery would sooner smoke than allow her husband and eldest to drag her to one of these things.

Ada and Polly shared a smirk at the awestruck expression on the blonde's face before Polly looped her arms around the younger two's. "Come on, I didn't come all this way and get dolled up to stay out here all day."

Before long, they'd all snuck in and found their hands fashioned with champagne glasses and cocktail glasses. Polly and Eli were stood on the second floor where a balcony overlooked the dance floor where they had the perfect view of Ada dancing with a handsome stranger who had the guts to come up to the three and ask for a dance with their youngest member.

"She's certainly enjoying herself," Eli commented, watching the giggle escape Ada's lips as the pair danced like no one was watching.

"Hopefully, not too much." Polly mused before spotting the boys making their way over to them. "It's 'bout time they showed up."

Eli turned to look over her shoulders to see where Polly's gaze had wandered off to and noticed the infamous trio of Shelby boys swerving through the crowd to get to where they stood.

"Aunt Pol, Eli, havin' fun without me ladies?" Arthur greeted cheerfully as he swiped a glass of some kind of alcohol off a waiter's tray when he strolled past.

"Not as much as your sister," Pol threw back at him before latching her eyes onto John. "Oi, dickhead. Do you want me to murder you in your sleep or are you just that bloody thick?"

"Me?" Jon scoffed, placing another toothpick between his lips while Arthur, confused by Polly's words, looked over to Eli for help. The blonde simply pointed down to the dance floor with her eyes, leading Arthur to grumble in overprotectiveness as he caught sight of Ada. "What the fuck did I do?"

"You only just blurted to the entire fuckin' Green Lanes of all places that Eli was in cahoots with the Blinders!" Polly snapped, her irises blazing like flames in a fireplace.

Tommy's eyes widened slightly at the news, knowing that wasn't good for either party involved. Eli would either lose customers or gain a bad reputation for dealing with criminal gangs and the Blinders would have to find another place to supply their caps, knowing their enemies would target anywhere with associations with them. That and Green Lanes were densely populated by IRA men and sympathisers who would likely try and exploit Eliza's good graces with the Peaky Blinders.

"I never got to thank you for that." Eli added, her own eyes narrowed into a sharp glare.

John didn't pay heed to his family's reactions, instead smirking at the anger written over Eli' face. "You can thank me later in the bathroom, sweetheart."

The blonde felt the rage swarming off Polly like radiation waves leaking out of a nuclear power plant but it done nothing to compare to her own rising temper. Though, to everyone's utmost shock, she smiled sweetly.

Too sweetly in Tommy's opinion.

"Why not right here?" She asked in a soft voice, stepping forward to lightly trace her hands over the exposed skin on John's neck, trailing across the sides and back in a manner that had John breathless at her feathery touch. His lips parted as his eyes glued to hers, watching them inch closer and closer to his own. But he quickly regretted his blind lust the moment he felt Eli knee him between the legs.

The blonde grinned, clearly pleased with herself as he bent over in pain, his face mere inches from her shoulder as she held him up on his feet. "Don't fuckin' underestimate me, sweetheart."

Tommy sighed in a tired manner, though he wouldn't deny he was a vaguely impressed by her actions. There weren't many brave enough to put John back in his place, even if he deserved it with his overly sexualised comments and infuriating actions. Most girls were too afraid of his reputation and just scoffed and walked away — that or they embraced his attention and gladly took advantage of his horniness.

Polly smirked and grabbed John by the crook of his shoulder. "Time to go freshen up, Johnny boy." He groaned as he was dragged by his aunt, shocks of pain riding up his groin with every step he was forced to take to match her quick pace.

Glancing around the crowd, Eli was pleasantly surprised to see no one had witness her little scene, despite the many odd glances trailing after John as he limped behind Polly. But as she looked around, she noticed another was missing from their party, leaving her alone with the one and only Thomas Shelby.

"Where'd Arthur go?" She asked him.

"Look down." He nodded towards the balcony behind her. She complied with his directions and quickly found Ada glaring up at Arthur who she was now slow dancing with after he'd forcefully pried her away from the other man she'd danced with. "Can you dance?"

Eli snapped her head back to him and smirked coyly, tilting her head up at him. "As well as I can sew."

Tommy rose his eyebrows with a silent challenge dancing in his eyes as he offered his arm to her. "Well, then. Shall we?"