[ B i r m i n g h a m , 1 9 2 2 ]
Now that Zara didn't have to split her time between her family and the Shelbys, she was quite bored. She was around five months pregnant, and Tommy was beginning to really restrict her workload. She couldn't attend most meetings with him anymore, and she wasn't allowed to help Arthur take over the Eden Club (which she had been looking forward to for a long time). Now, Zara spent most of her time with John's wife, Esme, at the betting shop, and trying to pretend that her whole life was not crumbling around her.
"I love you, Esme, but I don't know how much longer I can sit in this fucking little shop." Zara groaned, laying her head on the table as the women listened to the group of men outside, banging on the walls to get them to open up.
Esme laughed. "You get used to it, after a while."
That sounded like absolute hell to Zara. "Look what he's reduced me to! I was in line to run a whole gang, and now I can't even attend the meetings. It's like I'm his fucking prisoner." She scoffed.
Esme hummed. "Tommy's just trying to keep you and the baby safe."
"I have worked so hard my entire life to prove that women can be in charge. Now that I'm pregnant it's like none of that even matters." She picked her head up, and ran a hand through her hair, lightly pulling at the roots.
"Once you have the baby things will go back to normal." Esme shrugged.
"Will they?" Zara shook her head. "Was my father right? Am I just going to be Tommy's little housewife forever?"
Esme gave her friend a sad smile, and walked over to give her a tight hug. She wrapped her arms around Zara's shoulders and set her head on top of her friend's. "You and Tommy will figure it out. You always do."
"Who the fuck is that?" Zara asked as someone began knocking softly on the door.
"We're not open for winnings yet." Esme called, going back to cleaning up the shop.
"I'm here to see Thomas Shelby. I have an appointment." A feminine voice replied. Esme looked at Zara who was just as confused.
"Come in." Esme opened the door for the woman, promptly closing it before any of the men could push their way in.
Zara scoffed as the woman from the auction came into the betting shop. "You've got to be fucking kidding me." She muttered to herself, shaking her head and planning her lover's murder when he showed up.
"May Carleton." She said, sticking her hand out for Esme to shake. The Gypsy woman shook it carefully, looking at the posh woman with suspicion.
"Mr. Shelby has his proper meetings in his other office." Esme said, looking at Zara.
"May, how lovely to see you." Zara fake smiled, getting up from her chair and walking towards the two women.
"Zara." May smiled back.
"Mrs. Shelby is fine." She placed a hand on her bump, directing May's attention to it. "Is my husband expecting you here?"
"This is the address he gave me." May smiled awkwardly.
"He gave you this address?" Esme asked.
"He said it was a gambling den. I told him that I'd wanted to see one since I'm always reading about them in the papers. Quite the big scandal in The Telegraph lately." May looked around. "Anyway, he said that I could come and have a look. And now I feel like a bit of an idiot because I'm early and he's late and I have no idea how to behave."
"In a gambling den?" Esme laughed, sharing a look with Zara as they silently made fun of the woman.
"I'll wait in the car." May started to walk back out the door, noticing the tension.
"If I open the door again they'll all want to come in. Like flies." Esme rolled her eyes, stopping May in her tracks. "So what are you?"
"What am I?" May was confused.
"She means, what are you to my husband?" Zara smiled tightly.
"I'm going to train his racehorse...For Epsom." May sounded uncertain under the harsh gazes of the women.
"You know horses?" Esme asked, softening a bit.
"Yes. You?" May nodded.
"Born riding. I slept in a manger when I was a baby."
"I was born riding too." May began to walk around the betting shop again, taking in her surroundings.
"There's a great fucking Riley parked out there and nobody's watching it!" John ran into the betting shop, stopping in his tracks as he recognized the woman from the auction.
"John, May says she's training Thomas' horse." Zara said, giggling as John mirrored her smirk.
"He's told us a lot about you." He said, trying to rile Zara up.
"Don't know where he is, do you?" May asked, looking up at the tall man, seemingly not intimidated. John shrugged and made his way into his office.
Right on cue, the door opened once more and Tommy finally arrived. "Sorry I'm late." He cleared his throat as he joined the group. "There was a family matter. Esme, keep it locked up for a minute."
"Yes, Thomas." John's wife nodded.
"Hi, love." Zara smiled as Tommy wrapped an arm around her waist, pressing his hand flat against her stomach. Her lover pressed a kiss to the top of her head in response and pulled her closer. Tommy was always very touchy with Zara, no matter where they were he always had her glued to his side. Now that she was pregnant, it intensified. Tommy always kept a hand on her bump at all times, as it was his way of protecting the child before it was even born. Zara sent May a fake smile as the woman looked uncomfortable with Thomas' affection.
"We'll show you around." Tommy said to May before walking a few feet away with Zara, not waiting to see if May would follow them.
"So, be my guest." He gestured to the open room, indicating that she could look around. Tommy leaned against a brick column and moved Zara to stand in front of him, one hand on her stomach and the other looking at his watch.
May walked by Esme's desk where she was doing the books before wandering to the offices.
"That's my brother Arthur's office. Down there is my brother John's office, that's where we slate the runners and the riders." Tommy called as May passed each destination.
"It's so out in the open. What about the police?" She asked, innocently.
"What about them?" Zara rolled her eyes.
"When I drove into Small Heath, I thought I was going to get murdered."
"Pity." Zara whispered, smirking as Tommy stifled a laugh with a cough.
"Then I mentioned your name. It was like being escorted to see a king." May finished.
"You came here to get my girl, right?" Tommy asked, changing the subject.
"Right." She nodded.
Tommy took Zara's hand and led them out of the betting shop and to Charlie's yard where the stables were. Zara was hoping someone would snatch the rich woman from behind them, but alas she was still there when they arrived.
Tommy sent Curly to get the filly, and Zara smiled as the man brought out their new beautiful horse, stopping next to Charlie.
"She looks in very good condition, considering she's not been out on the gallops." May wrinkled her nose at the boatyard around them.
"Curly's the best horseman in England." Zara said, proudly making the man blush at her kind words.
"I have a man called Mickey who'd argue the point." May responded as they walked over to pet the horse.
"Ah, Curly here is half horse himself." Tommy said.
"She's blessed, very blessed." Curly said to Tommy, as he ran his hand over the filly's nose.
"Thank you, Curly." Zara smiled, gently patting the man's arm. "You're too good to us."
"Well, she's from the best stock." May walked around the horse, inspecting her.
"But I'd rather have a colored pony. Blood is stronger." Curly said.
"Not to win the Derby, Curly." Tommy shook his head.
"Don't like them racing, Tommy. Not the way they beat them." Curly whimpered. "She's all yours." He passed the reins to May.
"He gets sad when one leaves." Tommy said as Curly walked away. "So what time is your box van coming?"
"Midday." May continued looking at the horse.
"You've got time to take the lady to the Garrison. Show her the spa and the tea rooms." Charlie spoke sarcastically.
"I'd like that, why not?" May said, looking up at Tommy from beneath her lashes.
Tommy looked at Zara who stayed silent, waiting to see what he'd say. Tommy only nodded at May and tried to lead Zara out, but she did not move.
"I think I'll go home, darling." Zara wrapped her arms around his neck and placed a passionate kiss on her boyfriend's lips. "Have fun." She raised her eyebrows at May who kept her gaze on the ground.
♔♔♔♔
Tommy cleared his throat as he led May Carleton into the Garrison. The woman's eyes were wide in shock at the extravagant interior. "Zara just had it done up. There was a fire."
"It's..." May trailed off as she looked around the pub.
"Yep. What do you drink?" Tommy went behind the bar.
"It's so early, but gin." May said, unbuttoning her coat and taking a seat in front of the bar.
Tommy took out a glass and started pouring the gin for her.
"Goodness. With something?" May looked uncomfortably at the glass full of alcohol in front of her.
"Like what?" Tommy's eye twitched in annoyance.
"Tonic water or..." May trailed off again.
Tommy cleared his throat and scanned the bottles behind the bar. "We have, um...cordial." He took the bottle and poured some into the almost full glass. "There's not much room in there, but..."
He sighed as he poured a whiskey for himself. The atmosphere in the pub was so awkward, Tommy knew Zara would have laughed at his inability to socialize in a normal setting. Tommy wished she had come with them. It had been a long day for him and he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible before he became completely distracted with plans for the Derby.
Tommy was also still concerned about Zara's father. He hadn't heard anything from the leader of The Kings or Theo, and he was worried about what the next move would be. He knew that James loved his daughter and would do anything to get Zara away from him, and Tommy was not going to let that happen. The only solution to keep Zara safe was to keep her with him or one of his brothers at all times, and leave her out of his plans so she wouldn't do anything reckless and put the baby in danger. Tommy wasn't an idiot. He knew she was getting pissed having to sit at home all day, but he knew his lover like the back of his hand, and she wouldn't hesitate to run into the middle of a gun fight even though she had their child to think about.
"Do you want to fuck me, Mrs. Carleton?" Tommy turned back around to face May. She looked up in shock at the bluntness of his question. "Perhaps because I... Perhaps because I represent something to you? We should have this conversation before the booze starts talking for us."
May shook her head, trying to steer the conversation back to her entire purpose for being in Birmingham. "You... you have a horse."
Tommy nodded and lit a cigarette. "Yes. I have a horse."
"The horse is why I'm here." May looked into his eyes. "Purely that. And because you're paying me a lot of money to train your horse, that's why I'm here. Purely that."
Tommy flicked his cigarette into the ashtray on the bar and hummed. "Good. I'm sure my wife appreciates that."
May returned her gaze back to her drink and took a sip, slightly coughing at the overwhelming taste of gin.
"A toast then. To the horse, to the Derby. Tommy raised his glass to May. She hesitated before clicking them together, once again flinching at the taste of her drink.
"So is that what you say to women?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest lightly. "Did you say that to your wife?"
"Only if I don't know what they want." He shrugged. "And I'm sure Zara and I will tell you two completely different stories of how we came together. But that isn't any of your concern, is it?"
"I suppose not." May answered. "What do you do if they don't want to fuck?"
"Then life is simpler for Zara and I."
"You want a simple life?" May asked in disbelief.
Tommy scoffed. "Do I look like a man who wants a simple life, eh?"
"So what do you want?" May took another sip.
"For what I'm paying you, Mrs. Carleton, I want a horse that will pay out at Epsom on an each-way bet. And for you to stop asking questions about my life." Tommy put his cigarette tin on the bar, and slid it towards May.
She took the tin and started playing with the edges. "Before I took your account, I did some credit checks on you. Apparently, you don't exist." She put a cigarette into her mouth and waited for Tommy to light it. When he ignored it, she finally struck her own match and lit the cigarette.
"My existence is questionable." Tommy said, completely unbothered.
"Gypsies don't like registers."
"You see, I'm not Gypsy like you mean." He slightly pointed at her.
"But you did register for France. I also sent your name to the war office, I have friends there." Tommy's muscles tensed. He hated talking about the war. May continued, "You won two medals for gallantry."
"Does that really impress you, Mrs. Carleton?" Tommy put his cigarette in the ashtray, waiting for her response.
"Call me May."
Tommy furrowed his eyebrows, confused on how to proceed. Even though they were simply talking, he felt guilty for just being alone with May Carleton. Even though she said she had no romantic intentions, Tommy didn't quite believe her. The women he worked with would always try to get in bed with him, and before he was serious about Zara he would let them. But now, that wasn't an option, and he couldn't risk losing his family.
Luckily, Tommy was saved as Finn came into the Garrison, looking confused as his eyes darted back and forth between Tommy and May in the empty pub. "Charlie says the box van's here."
Tommy internally cursed, as he knew how much Finn adored Zara, and he worried his younger brother would exaggerate the situation and get him in a fuck ton of trouble. "Thank you, Finn." He smiled tightly as his brother quickly turned around to exit.
Tommy sighed and drank the rest of his whiskey in one sip, clearing his throat after.
"You know, I still don't know what you're going to call your horse." May broke the silence, and put out the rest of her cigarette.
"The horse will be called Zara's Secret, Mrs. Carleton." He nodded slightly.
"Zara's Secret." May muttered, keeping her eyes in her glass.
♔♔♔♔
"Well, look who finally came back." Zara smirked as Tommy walked into their shared home. He smiled at his girlfriend who was curled up on the sofa with a book and a cup of tea. "How was your date with May Carleton?"
Tommy gave her an unimpressed look as he took his coat and gun belt off, hanging them up in the entryway, then walking over to sit with her. Zara laughed at his annoyance.
"Can we not talk about her, please?" He sighed, leaning his head on the back of the sofa.
"Alright, alright." Zara put her hands up in defense. "Let's talk about the baby. We haven't even started thinking of names."
This made the man smile and relax. "Has Polly told you the gender yet?"
Zara shook her head. "No. I asked her to keep it a surprise for us." She sucked in a deep breath. "That way, if anything happens..." Tommy shook his head as Zara trailed off.
"Nothing is going to happen, Zar. Your father isn't going to do anything to you, it's me he wants dead." He raised his hand to gently stroke the side of her face. "We've made it this far, eh? We can make it a few more months."
Zara nodded, shakily. "We should start picking names then."
Tommy smiled, making her relax. If he believed everything would be fine, then Zara trusted him. "It's going to be a boy." Tommy said firmly, lightening the mood.
Zara scoffed. "It's definitely a girl. I have mother's intuition."
"Have you seen how many brothers I have? We're having a boy." Tommy laughed.
Zara giggled at his certainty. "Did you know our chances of having twins is much higher since I'm a twin?"
Tommy's eyes widened at the information. He really didn't think about that. "God help us then."
Zara sadly smiled as she thought about her brother. How did they get to this point? She never thought that Theo would betray her by wanting her to get rid of her child and the man that makes her happy. Zara wanted to be angry at Theo, but she was just disappointed. If she was having twins, she vowed to never let them go against each other like her and Theo have. She would make sure her kids were on each others' sides, always.
Tommy noticed her saddened expression. "If it's a boy, we should call him Theodore."
Zara's eyes softened at his thoughtfulness. "We don't have to Tom. I'm sure you want to name him after your brothers."
Tommy shook his head. "I've thought about it. I like Theodore John. Don't you?"
She smiled, the light returning to the eyes Tommy loved so much. "Yeah. I really like it. If it's a girl, we should call her Thea Elizabeth. After my mum and Polly."
"Theo was named after your mum?" Tommy chuckled.
Zara rolled her eyes. "My parents were convinced we were both girls. Theo was supposed to be Thea, while I'm named after my dad's sister."
Tommy chuckled. "I'm telling you, love. We're having a boy."
"I can't wait to see your face when she comes out a girl, Thomas."
♔♔♔♔
They're so cute I love it. Tommy's such a simp
as always please remember to vote and comment !! <33