Later in the afternoon, in the big white kitchen of the manor, the scent of freshly made coffee wafted through the air as Leonor stood at the counter, a look of concentration on her face.
She was flipping through the pages of a cookbook, searching for something that she would succeed in making or at least try to. She then cursed herself for being stubborn enough to refuse to learn how to cook when the chance was given to her.
As she pondered her choices, Mary, the housemaid, entered the kitchen with a gentle but nervous smile. She had been tasked by Thomas to convince Leonor to join the Shelby family meeting, a task she approached with a sense of duty and a touch of apprehension.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Shelby," Mary greeted, her voice warm and respectful.
Leonor looked up from the cookbook, her expression guarded. "Mary."
"I hope you're finding everything to your liking," Mary said, attempting to strike up a friendly conversation.
Leonor sighed softly, setting the cookbook aside, struggling to find the right word. "It's... different."
Mary nodded in understanding. "Mr. Shelby told me to let you know that his family is here for a meeting."
Leonor's brow furrowed, and she shook her head. "I don't belong in those discussions and I have nothing to contribute, Mary."
"Please, Mrs. Shelby, just give it a try," Mary urged softly, the thought of disappointing her employer was enerving, grateful that Leonor was keen to etiquette enough to get ready without even being asked to. "You might find that you have more in common with the Shelbys than you think."
I doubt it, Leonor thought in secrecy. She knew their reputations, but in the end, they were the kind of people who would die for each other, how can she even compare to her family? I wouldn't know, they're all dead.
But the Shelby family were very much alive for the noise of it, they all had gathered in the dimly lit dining room of Arrow House for one of their regular meetings.
Thomas sat at the head of the table, his expression serious as he reviewed some documents. Ada was beside him, her teenage son Karl sitting close by, his eyes in disdain as he watched his mother cooing his sister as idly tapping a pencil on the table.
Arthur and Linda sat across from each other, sharing a whispered conversation, but Arthur listened more than he had the chance to speak. Finn and Mary, the youngest couple in the room, exchanged affectionate glances, and the family accountant, Mr. Jenkins, sat at the far end, a stack of financial reports in front of him as Curly, Johnny Dogs, and Charlie walked past the big windows, making the way to the stables.
She wore a tailored purple dress that accentuated her figure, and her dark hair was elegantly styled in soft waves down her shoulders. Her beauty was undeniable, even if her eyes gave it away how tired she was, but what else gave her away was her icy demeanor that was impossible to ignore as she entered the room.
"Good, everyone..." Thomas greeted, his tone businesslike. "I'm sure you all met but this is Leonor, once Lady Leonor Rose Bordon-Caleruega Astley, but now, Leonor Shelby." He spoke slowly, reaching out his hand. "Wife, take a seat."
Leonor nodded curtly but remained silent as she first poured herself a drink, before seating at the table. How could she even relate or be like them if Thomas himself didn't help, announcing her full name with a hint of mockery or disdain for her aristocratic roots even if those roots were what made him marry her in the first place? And who told him that she would ditch her family's name to begin with?
Arthur, always eager to engage in conversation even if it was awkward, tried to break the ice. "Leonor, how have you been finding Arrow House?" His accent was thick and heavy but surprisingly she found it easier to understand than the ones was used to. " It's quite a place, isn't it?"
She just smiled at him, giving no verbal response.
Finn and Mary exchanged glances, their attempts to make Leonor feel welcome falling flat.
Mary, catching sight of Leonor's gaze, smiled warmly and stood up to hug her, glad she wasn't the newbie anymore. "Welcome, Leonor! I'm so happy that you are part of our family, we never had a noble lady in the Shelby clan, and a pretty one too, Tommy is so lucky-"
"Technically, she's a marchioness, Mary." He corrected, his eyes never leaving the documents in his hands. "But yes, I am indeed the lucky one."
"Your name's Mary?" Leonor asked, glancing at her sister-in-law when she nodded an yes. "Hm, that name seems to keep me company anywhere I go."
Ada, the ever-practical one, cut through the tension. "Speaking of company matters, where's Lizzie? She should be the one to be here for this meeting."
All eyes fell on Thomas, who glared at his sister but the accountant cleared his throat, earning their attention.
"Hm, Mrs. Shelby, I mean, Ms. Stark..., oh God, forgive me, Mr. Shelby." He closed his eyes, embarrassed by his confusion and Leonor did her best to hold her laugh. "About Ms. Stark, she asked me to tell you she won't sell her part in the company."
Thomas nodded, lighting his cigarette and inhaling the smoke. "Very well. Ada, since you're concerned about Lizzie's presence, you go and convince her."
"Me?" Ada argued, snickering at her son when he laughed. "Shut up, Karl! Tommy, why me?"
"Would you rather Leonor to go?" He asked, signaling at his wife, who just seemed to pay no attention to them, her eyes focused on the tray of fruits on the table. "Leonor, what do you think of it?"
She just looked at him, tapping her fingers on the wood, and decided to speak in spanish from now on, considering they talked about her as if she wasn't even there. "I thought you wanted me to be quiet."
Thomas tilted his head, his brows furrowing in confusion for a second, but before he could say anything, Leonor stood from her seat and stormed off the room, leaving them to continue without her, as she wished to in the first place.
She then decided to take a stroll around Arrow House's estate to cool her head, the place was still overwhelming and terribly cold but she found solace in exploring its vast grounds, alone.
However, unknown to her, an unwanted presence lurked nearby.
As she made her way towards the picturesque lake, her steps light on the gravel path, she marveled at the cold beauty of the surroundings.
Leonor approached the water's edge, crouching down to dip her fingers into the cool lake, the still waters reflected the cloudy sky and she hoped the English summer would be warm enough for her to swim on the lake as she used to do in Spain.
Hidden in the foliage, another intruder watched her every move, his intentions as clear as the lake before her.
As she touched the surface, her fingers brushed against something wet, cold, and sticky on a nearby rock. Leonor looked down, her eyes widening in horror as she realized she had touched a pool of blood. Disgusted, she rose to her feet, her heart racing.
Before she could react, the intruder, a burly filthy man, emerged from the shadows and grabbed her roughly. He twisted her arm behind her back, causing her to cry out in pain when he sniffed her hair, pushing her to the ground with a knife in hand.
"So you're Shelby's new whore?" The man laughed but Leonor's heart pounded in her chest as she struggled against his iron grip.
A gunshot rang out, and the intruder's grip on her loosened, she fell to the ground, gasping for breath, as the intruder staggered backward, clutching his wounded arm, falling on top of her.
"GET OFF OF ME!" She screamed when the second shot was fired and blood splashed on her face.
Uncle Charlie, who had been following her discreetly since she left the house, had arrived just in time to come to her aid. He approached the wounded intruder, his expression stern and unyielding as he pulled the man off the top of her.
He lifted his gun and was about to shoot the final hit but his nephew's voice boomed before he managed to.
"Charlie!" Thomas's voice boomed, his gun in hand and he took rushed steps closer. "Not here, eh? Not here.
Leonor lay on the ground, her heart pounding, her knee scraped and bleeding as she watched them. "Are you hurt?" He asked annoyed, his expression a mix of anger and concern. He crouched down beside Leonor, his voice filled with both relief and irritation when he saw her leg. "Leonor, are you hurt?"
She nodded, her body trembling with shock and fear. "No." Leonor didn't even feel that the skin on her knee was abraded and raw, the flesh beneath exposed to the elements. Blood welled up from the wounded area, forming dripping crimson streams, that mixed with the dirt and gravel. "I don't feel nothing."
"Anything." He corrected her, trying to take her attention out of the attack as he helped her to her feet, his grip firm but gentle. "Can you walk?"
Leonor nodded again, but her silence wasn't out of spite this time, as she came to realize the gravity of the situation. Her bratty attitude and her vow of silence suddenly felt like frivolous indulgences in a world where danger lurked around every corner, this wasn't the estate she grew up in where she would act out to get her way and all she could get was an ugly stare or her father reprimanding her.
In Spain, all she could get was a punishment, a stern look, or harsh words. But this was Birmingham, and this time, she could get all that and a bullet to her head or a knife to her chest as well.
It was only later, after the danger had passed and her heart rate began to slow, that she would become aware of the injury.
Thomas led her inside, wondering how they missed that man and how dangerously close he got to her. Leonor was a noblewoman, a Spanish marquesa, with a lineage that stretched back centuries.
She was accustomed to a life of privilege and opulence, one in which danger and violence were distant visitors. Thomas, on the other hand, was a Peaky Blinder, the Peaky Blinder, a man whose very existence was defined by the razor's sharp edge.
He had enemies on every side, and they were getting closer and closer.
"Mary, can you run me a bath when you're done with this?" Leonor asked her eyes on the bloody cotton that the maid tossed away. Mary nodded, pleased by the acceptance of the new lady of the house. "Please?"
"Of course, Mrs. Shelby."
"Thank you, Mary." She sighed with teary eyes, not by the pain of the torn hanging skin, but by the feeling this had brought back to her. The shots, the smell of blood, the aftermath.
"You're welcome, Mrs. Shelby."
Thomas watched Mary clean the blood from Leonor's leg with an unreadable expression, listening again to all those Mrs. Shelby, now said to the third different person.
He couldn't help but wonder if marrying Leonor had been a grave mistake, he had dragged her into a world she was ill-prepared to navigate. She was a fish out of the water, an innocent bystander amid a gangster's den, and he feared that the consequences of his actions would come crashing down upon her as soon as it had happened to Grace.
Grace.
Not that Lizzie was deserving of the daily dangers that came by simply being married to him, but at least she was used to it, she could defend herself with a gun, if needed.
But just as he was on the precipice of a still forming decision, a phone call shattered his contemplation. The shrill ring of the telephone echoed through the room, jolting him from his thoughts, Mary stood up to take it but he picked up the receiver himself, his voice curt and businesslike.
"Shelby."
The voice on the other end was unmistakable, the smooth and cultured tones of Lady Diana. She was inviting him to a gala, a prestigious event attended by the cream of society. It was an invitation that they wouldn't give him had he still been married to Lizzie Stark, a woman with a complicated past, with her husband nonetheless.
As he listened to Diana's words, a sense of certainty crept across Thomas's face. Perhaps marrying Leonor had opened doors he not imagined. Perhaps it had elevated his status in the eyes of the upper society, a gamble that had paid off earlier than he expected.
With renewed purpose, Thomas replaced the receiver and turned back to the window. He could no longer afford to dwell on the past or second-guess his decisions, it was unlike him, he barely had the time for it.
The world was changing, and he had to change with it, there was no other way. His marriage to Leonor, with all its risks and uncertainties, was now a part of that changing world, so help her God.
They stayed in silence until Mary was done and glanced at each other just in time a sharp sound shattered the last reminder of the tranquility of Arrow House. A gunshot echoed through the air, its report like a thunder in the distance. Leonor froze, their eyes locking onto each other in a moment of shared understanding and she just stood from the stall, her legs almost trembling.
"I'll take a bath now." She gulped, knowing what had happened just now, and considering her new reality, it would probably happen again.
"Sure, I take it you won't want to eat with us but come to my office after dinner." He nodded, looking out the window, just in time to catch Charlie walking by with a shovel. "I have some things to discuss with you."
"Sure, but...uh, can I join you for dinner?" She asked, referring to the family she treated badly before, now regretting her behavior. Thomas held in a chuckle and nodded again. "Thank you, Thomas."
"Leonor," Thomas called her before she could leave the room, lighting one of those sour-smelling cigarettes of his she figured she would have to get used to, as all bad behaviors that came with him. "Welcome to the family."
"Donde fueres, haz lo que vieres."
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