The moment Thomas Shelby dropped me off at home, my life turned upside down. Since I was away from home for one night, Jack called Charles who now had plans for me. I quickly packed my bags as Charles forcefully brought me to his estate on the outskirts of Manchester. Charles resided in a grand, old home, but it didn't feel like a home. It felt like a museum- cold and lifeless. The house was beautiful, but it didn't compare to the small, crumbling structures we called homes in Birmingham. Our homes were rundown, but they were working, breathing homes.
I was locked in Charles's place for a week, and I deeply missed my mother and James, who were still in the south, working. Living with Charles and his twin daughters, Mary and Martine, was like being thrown into a snake pit. They were constantly nagging me and critiquing everything I did. When Charles was in a foul mood, which was almost always, if I did one measly thing to upset him, he would whack me with his cane like an old dog. With him, I was constantly walking on eggshells.
"My little good luck charm, how are you feeling, hmm?" Charles called as we sipped our breakfast tea. He bored me to death! His personality was sucked out of him, and instead, status and money oozed out of blood. The worst part was that he expected me to be the same.
"We're ready to go to the races, Father." Martine and Marie Charles's daughters declared as they rolled on their silk gloves. I prayed I wouldn't have to spend a minute with them. They were completely self-absorbed, much like their father.
On our way to the Derby, I squished between Mary and Martine in the back of Charles's Rolls Royce. Sitting between them was like sitting beside two giant heads with only one facial feature- a mouth. Their scrunched up faces and snooty statements made me want to throw myself out of the moving car. It seemed like the only way to escape.
At the racecourse, working-class men and women scattered across the ground, drinking cheap beer and smoking cigarettes. As much as I wanted to join them, I sat with the upper class as they pressed binoculars to their eyes. The roars of bookies were far in the distance, but their raspy and husky voices flooded my ears. I could hear a Brummie wherever I was.
"Charles! I hope you placed your bets on that black stallion!" One of Charles's friends exclaimed as Charles squirmed with apprehension in his seat. My eyes were glued to the ambitious bookies, taking bets at the edge of the track. Their operation was a lot more interesting than horses sprinting in a loop.
"May I use your binoculars for a moment?" I asked Charles's friend, yearning to get a peek at the stallion.
"Who owns that horse? It's an absolute machine!" One of Charles's friends was elated as we all gaped at the black stallion who left a lasting impression on the sea of spectators.
"A man named Thomas Shelby. Say, he's going to be a rich man after today!" Another man praised, catching my attention. I didn't react to Thomas's name as Charles would have flipped in his seat, but I thought the stallion looked familiar. It was Bullet!
"I have to go to the betting den! I can't take this!" Charles panicked, storming out of the stands. The minute he left, I focused the binoculars on a group of well-dressed men not too far from the track.
"Arthur," I mumbled under my breath. A magnetic feeling pulled me out of my seat, and in my heart, I hoped Thomas was standing behind his brothers.
"Arthur Shelby!" I greeted as I approached the group of striking men. Arthur was front and centre of the race with his younger brothers John and Finn appearing from the crowd.
"Miss Yardley! It's a pleasure to see ya'! Ain't it Boys?" Arthur teased, glancing at his brothers.
"Always a pleasure!" John smirked, agreeing with Arthur. I felt at home around the Shelby brothers. Maybe it was their warm greetings or familiar voices, but whatever it was, I dropped my silly walk and talk and embraced being myself again.
"Your brother's stallion is doing well today, eh?" The men nodded at me with cheeky grins, causing my cheeks to flare in embarrassment.
"What?" I giggled as a mousy smile spread across my face.
"Forget us, eh? Ya' lookin' for Tommy." Arthur teased, shooting me a playful grin as John puffed on his cigar with a brazen hue in his blue eyes.
"Well-"
"No need to explain, Love. Tommy is inside. Second floor. He's watching from there." I took Arthur's word. However, before I reached the second floor, I noticed Charles strutting in the lobby. It was as if he was waiting for me to appear.
"I was just coming to see how you were doing." I tried to sound truthful, but it was challenging to perform all the time.
"Were you? Or were you looking for Thomas Shelby?" He snarled. His lip curled in contempt as the taste of Thomas's name burned disgust into his mouth.
"I was worried about you, Charles." I placed a hand on his arm, wishing he would believe me. It seemed to be no use.
"You have some history with this Shelby, don't you?"
"No, I told you he-"
"Well, I just found out that Thomas Shelby is from Small Heath." Charles snapped as he sent me a glare that burned into my soul. According to Charles, during the one night I spent in Small Heath, I slept with Thomas Shelby. Even though I didn't, Charles's beliefs were concocting in his head. He would believe something made up until steam burst from his ears.
As predicted, Charles forcefully gripped my arm, leading me to a less populated spot. Who knew what he was capable of doing. It only took a pinch of jealousy for him to see red.
"Fucking whore!" He growled as his bitter hand stung my cheek. After being with Charles for one week, bruises lined my arms. The once purple marks that lay on the temples of my head faded to a soft yellow. If I married him, I would be black and blue forever.
"Excuse me?" I bellowed as I desperately tried to wiggle out of his humiliating grasp. Charles gained strength in an envious rage, and there was nothing I could do to escape his wrath. He had a power over me that he adored.
"You have a history with that fucking Brummie! Well, I will see that you two never encounter each other again! No more races, no more going to Birmingham, nothing!" Charles seethed as a veil of hostility glossed over his eyes. Knowing that if I stayed for a second longer, Charles would strike me until I saw stars, I mustered enough strength to break out of his grasp.
"I never fucked a man in my life, and I'm sure if I did fuck Thomas Shelby, he'd be twice the man you are." I hissed at Charles as I pleasantly watched him get a taste of his own medicine- pain and ridicule. Free from his controlling hands, I rushed to the staircase to look for any Shelby man. I had to be quick because Charles was often quicker.
"Adeline!" Charles stammered through his teeth as he threw his hands on me. I wasn't fast enough.
"The race is over. There are drinks and dancing in the lobby. Upper class only, and we are attending together." Charles quickly regained his calm as pairs of eyes were on us. It was clear that I would have to stick with Charles for the entire event. I had to do it if I desired freedom.
The racecourse lobby was a nest of simmering celebration. A live jazz band buzzed while affluent men and women indulged in bubbly champagne and full cigars. Charles knew man after man, and with me wrapped around his arm, I sparked curiosity and conversation.
"You need a new horse trainer!" Charles bellowed to one of the prominent men who sat in a booth with young women encircling him.
"The race was fixed! Some gypsy scum owns the winning horse. Fucking tinker screwed the race!" The man grunted as he practically chewed on his cigar with vexation. As much as I wanted to defend Thomas, I bit my tongue. A part of me clung to the idea of seeing Thomas today.
"That Shelby bastard! He owes us!" Charles roared, throwing his hands in the air. Thomas didn't owe anyone anything. Whether or not Thomas fixed the race, the Shelbys outsmarted the wealthy, and I was proud of the Birmingham boys for that.
When the crowd lingered on the dance floor, Charles took my hand and guided me across the wooden floor. The music was fresh and lively, but Charles danced with two left feet.
"Charles, you're stepping on my toes!" I whined as he pressed his cheek against mine. There was nothing romantic or enjoyable about dancing with him. It was an embarrassment.
"Enjoy the moment, Adeline." Charles breathed as his hand found its place in the nook of my back. As we glided across the dance floor without elegance, my eyes noticed Thomas Shelby in the distance. Charisma poured out of him as he made smoking a cigarette an art. I wanted to take his hand and dance with him back to Birmingham. I'm sure he was a much better dancer than Charles.
As I sipped on a glass of bubbly at the bar, Charles encircled his arm around my petite waist. It was his way to claim me while he engaged in conversations. Conversations I had no interest in joining. As I turned my attention to the dancers, my eyes instantly locked with Tommy's piercing blue orbs from across the dance floor. When I realized he had been watching me from the opposite side of the room, I exploded with temptation. I wanted to run my fingers through his dark, fluffy hair, and I wanted him to claim me in ways that were more than just wrapping his arm around my waist.
My breathing deepened as my mind began to envision doing things with Tommy that I had never thought about before. Unable to control myself, I gently leaned against the bar's counter as I gradually crossed my long legs. The deep slit in my dress slowly peaked open as I let my leg rest on the other. If Thomas looked hard enough, he would see the lacy straps that held my silk stockings in place. We were locked in a moment together. The music, the people, the drinks, nothing mattered but the timeless and passionate moment we shared with our eyes.
"Adeline! For goodness sakes! Are your ears not working?" Charles grumbled as he tugged on my arms, pulling me out of my seductive stare with Tommy.
"What!" I called, rolling my eyes.
"He's asking you if your family were nobles in Yardley, Birmingham due to your last name." I got a taste of what it was like to talk to the rich. You had to have status and fortune.
"I doubt it!" I scoffed with a sharp giggle. Us Yardley's were far from noble. We were labourers through and through.
After talking with the toffs, my eyes, heavy with desire, met with Thomas's again. This time, his eyes had a special message for me.
Thomas gently raised his eyebrows as he exhaled a gust of smoke. As much as I wanted him to approach me, he motioned to a door insinuating something, something provocative and sinful that I couldn't resist.
"Charles, I need to use the lavatory," I whispered in his ear. Luckily, he was too busy in his conversation to care for what I said.
When I glanced back to where Thomas was standing just seconds ago, he vanished. Anxiously, I made my way through the crowd of dancers towards the door that Thomas eyed. He must have been there, waiting for me.
The diamond engagement ring around my finger clinked against the doorknob as I opened the secretive door. The moment I stepped inside, Thomas's tender hand wrapped over mine as we both grasped the door handle, ensuring it shut. When I pulled my hand away, his fingers travelled down the handle until a 'click' rang out, signalling the door locked.
"Adeline," Thomas breathed in his husky voice. Before I could turn to see him, Thomas's needy fingers grasped the back of my waist, pulling me near him. It was a greeting like no other. It was a greeting that I dreamed of. Warm, tender and passionate.
"Mhm, Tommy," I moaned in sweet ecstasy as he pressed his hungry lips to my neck. Being in this room was a sinful act, but it was a hell of a good one.
"I can't stand to see you bored out of your mind with those fucking pricks." Thomas breathed along my skin, causing goosebumps to scatter across my body. My neck had never felt a man's lips before, and the more Thomas ate at my neck, the more he tempted me.
"Mr. Shelby," I whispered, turning to him. His striking features glowed beneath the dim light like stars shining in a black sky. We gazed at each other for a moment with a blazing fire of passion before Thomas slowly leaned down towards me as I went up on my toes to my highest point. My blood heated as his hands carefully explored my body, feeling my curves and edges. A small moan escaped my mouth as our lips gently brushed together. Thomas was quick to eat my moan as our lips slowly tangled together. If this was what a real kiss felt like, I never wanted it to end.
Thomas kissed me just as I wanted. Soft, yet hot and breathy. I felt so close to him. We shared a breath, and a wave of heat reached my cheeks. We kissed for seconds, or minutes, or hours for all I knew. By the time Tommy pulled away, my lips were swollen, hungry for more. Tommy's blue eyes told me he wanted more, but there was an aggressive thump on the door.
"Who is it?" Tommy called, not letting his hands leave my waist. My heart stopped beating the moment the doorknob rattled. Someone wanted in, and they wanted in now.
"Thomas!" I inhaled in dread as my fingers tightly grasped the material covering his forearms.
"Who is it?!" This time Thomas shouted, wanting the idiot behind the door to give him an answer. Sweat formed in the palms of my hands. What if it was Charles?
Instead of giving Thomas a straight answer, the door shook back and forward as the person on the other side grew impatient. The more the door rattled, the more my heart raced.
"Fucking hell!" Thomas whispered under his breath as he calmly creaked the door open and quickly stepped out, leaving me in the dimly lit room. I was lucky no one could see me.
Pressing my ear against the door, I attempted to hear who was on the other side. I needed to join Thomas, but a tingling sensation in my gut told me not to leave the room. Charles could have been prowling the lobby, searching for me. If he was, I was dead meat.
Hiya!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Work and school have been hectic, but more to come soon! Maybe we'll find out who is behind the door!
Xx