——BROKEN CROWN, act one
CHAPTER NINE
Tommy and two of his brothers, and after persuading Polly, Michael as well. Tommy told her it would be a good time to spend some time with Anna now that they had been reunited again. Tommy had planned on buying a new horse, they made enough money to spend on a good horse. Michael wanted to join, and Tommy was fine with it, he saw himself in Michael. Which would either be Michael's beginning or cause his ending.
When they finally made it to the auction, there had been another woman, who immediately took notice of Tommy and the rest of the Blinders, family, and non-family, who wouldn't. They had dressed in fine clothing, at least the Shelby brothers did, and yet it seemed out of place for this event, like they didn't know what they were doing there. But Tommy did, even with Curly's pleads of going back because something bad was going to happen.
The moment the horse, the one Tommy was planning on betting on, was pulled up, the woman, May Carleton, noticed the interest Tommy had in the horse. Out of pure curiosity of what would happen she started to bid as well, she bid far more than she knew the horse, the white-grey mare, was worth, but as she continued to bid, Tommy Shelby kept outbidding her until she gave up and Tommy was left to pay nearly twice as much as he told his aunt he would spend.
But he got what he wanted and that's all that mattered to him. "What is your name, sir?" the auctioneer said. "Thomas Shelby" he said and looked directly at May. She stared right back at him, and there was something about him that drew her closer. Perhaps it was the danger he seemed to give off, something in her head screamed at her to turn and run the other way, but something also told her that if you get a man like this and eventually get him out of your system, you will meet the person you're meant to be with.
In the world of May Carleton, Tommy Shelby was the fling you had before you gave yourself fully to your husband, but Tommy was looking to be some rich woman's fling, he had bigger plans, one that involved the curly headed woman he met on the fields outside of Birmingham. Tommy and the Blinders and they walked down after the auction into the office to handle payment.
"Name?" the man asked. "Thomas Shelby" he said. "What will the name of the horse be?" the man asked as Tommy put down the money. "Twilight's Beauty" he said, and the man noted it. Tommy walked out of the office again and ran into May Carleton. "Why that mare?" she immediately asked, straight to the point. Something in her thought it would be pleasing to a man like Tommy, to be direct. "Why not" he said and grabbed a cigarette out of the silver cigarette case he always carried with him. There was probably not a man or woman who smoked as much as he did.
"Who are you?" she asked. "Thomas Shelby" he said as he wet the filter of his cigarette slightly with his lips before placing it in the corner of his mouth and kept looking at the woman. "And what do you do?" she asked. "I rarely answer questions" he said as he watched her. "My name is May Carleton, and I've become quite interested in the mare you bought" she said and looked at Tommy. He didn't say anything back and just looked at her, as if she was crazy.
"I train horses, I can train your" she said and pulled out a business card from her purse. "My father used to train horses as well, for the Derby races" she said. "Did he now" Tommy said as he slowly lit his cigarette. May was taken back. She had met men before who were the more dangerous type, but more often than not, they were intrigued by her. Yet, when she spoke to Thomas Shelby, the notorious Peaky Blinder from Small Heath Birmingham, she could not hold on to his attention. She was still holding out her hand with her card, and Tommy wasn't planning on taking it anytime soon.
"Come on Tom!" Arthur yelled as he and John started to shout everything and nothing, like typical brothers would do, trying to embarrass him, even though they knew Tommy wasn't one to be easily embarrassed. "Good day" Tommy said and walked away; May's hand still stretched out.
Tommy joined his brothers, and they went to make their way back to the truck, by going through the sandpit where earlier they were exhibiting the horses up for auction. "Let me tell you Michael, something our father said: slow horses and fast women ruin your life, but no one wants working class cock more than rich women" Arthur joked as Tommy rolled his eyes at his brother. They all started laughing, except Curly, who was still convinced something bad was going to happen. "Maybe she was the trouble, Tommy" Curly said as he walked next to Tommy as they tried to make their way to the exit.
"Thomas Shelby?!" a man yelled, who was sitting at a small table in the sandpit. He stood up and pulled out a gun which he started to point at Tommy. "Sabini sends his regards!" he yelled before he tried to pull the trigger, but unfortunate for him, Arthur Shelby was much faster, he tackled the man to the ground causing the shot he took to go wild into a wooden panel.
"Thomas Shelby? What about fucking Arthur Shelby!" Arthur yelled as the Blinders started to jump the man, attacking him with the razorblades in their caps. Tommy pulled out his own gun and looked around while at the same time keeping an eye out for Michael, because if he wouldn't be killed right here right now, and something happened to Michael, it would be Polly Gray who would kill Tommy herself. "Curly, Charlie, bring Michael back right now" Tommy ordered. "No, I will be fine!" Michael said. "Michael" Tommy said in a warning tone. "Tom!" Curly called out and held up a piece of paper from the table Sabini's man was sitting at.
Tommy strode over to Curly in large and fast steps, the moment he read the content of the piece of paper his heart dropped down to the bottom of his body. "What does it say?" John asked as he walked back. Michael stepped up and took it from Tommy who was trying to process everything. "'If not Thomas Shelby, then the person he loves—Sabini'" Michael read. "Who does he mean, Tommy?" John asked confused as was everyone else. No one had really noticed a special woman in Tommy's life, not since the whole ordeal with Grace went down.
Tommy didn't speak a word as he started to run towards the truck, luckily no one questioned him and followed. Tommy was fumbling with the keys, his mind running faster than the rest of him. "Let me drive, I drive fast" Michael said and took the keys as everyone got in. "Where to?" Michael asked. "Home, now" was all Tommy said.
The whole journey back, John and Arthur tried to speak with their brother, they had never seen him like this. And while Tommy's head was filled with what ifs, he also tried to think logically. Was what he was doing smart? Or was he being a fool to once again fall for a woman he barely knew.
What if she was betraying him as well? What if she worked for Sabini? But all those questions and their scary answers, at least scary to Tommy, disappeared the moment they stepped foot into Small Heath. Tommy quickly ordered them to go back to the betting shop, to make sure Polly wouldn't kill them as Tommy started to make his way towards the open field outside of Small Heath. But when he got there, Naomi's caravan was gone from its usual place. It had been there for a few weeks now and suddenly it was gone.
Tommy looked around to see if more had disappeared, it had been a Romani camp, so it wasn't too odd for them to move on, but Naomi seemed to have settled with the Lee's who are still around. "She moved her caravan closer to the woods" someone said, and Tommy turned around to see a woman with similar curly hair, and similar pattern on her skirt. "Is she safe?" Tommy asked. "Last I saw her, yes" the woman said. Tommy had seen her around before but did not remember her name. "I'm Luna Lovell, Naomi's sister" she said, as if she expected Tommy to remember her.
"Right" Tommy said, trying to play off like he remembered her. "She likes you, somehow" Luna said as she looked at Tommy, who slowly calmed down. He didn't know what to say. "Don't hurt her, or Sabini won't be your biggest problem, Mr. Shelby" Luna said as she walked away before Tommy could say anything else.
He started to make his way to the edge of the woods, and just like Luna said, Naomi's caravan was standing there. On its own and in the perfect spot for the last bit of sunlight as the sun was already disappearing on the horizon. Tommy knocked on the door and when she answered it the anxiety and stress he had been feeling since he left the auction washed away. Like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "You're safe" he said as he held on to the door posts. "I am? Is everything alright?" she asked. "Talk to me" she said as she placed her hand on his cheek and he seemed to melt into her touch. "I am a fool" Tommy said and looked up to her. Her eyes scanned his face. "Come" she finally said and took him with her towards the woods line. She had already started to make some food and a small fire. She made Tommy sit down on the log near the fire.
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next part is coming soon too, and will contain smut ;)