read chapter nine before this one!!!!
Florence and Elijah's outfits for this chapter!
"Are you ready, Florence?" Margaret asked from the other side of the door as she stared at herself in the mirror, "The car's ready for you and Elijah."
"I'll be there in just a moment," Florence answered, feeling increasingly self conscious in the expensive dress that covered her body.
It was the day of the Cheltenham races, and Florence was making the final touches to her appearance in order to attend alongside Elijah. It had been suggested that Florence stay at the Harringtons' home the night beforehand, so that she wouldn't have to be picked up from Small Heath, given that it was further from Cheltenham. So she slept in one of the many guest bedrooms, hoping that her sleep wouldn't be ended prematurely by the call of morning sickness that had plagued her for the past few days.
She still hadn't found a moment to tell Tommy, even though their relationship had been the same as always, she just wasn't sure that she was ready to break it to him. She knew that he would most likely be overly protective of her and the unborn child, urging her not to overexert herself or put herself at risk.
Margaret had bought Florence a dress for the races, her justification was that it would only be a societal embarrassment for the woman on her son's arm to look anything except perfect. Since she visited with the intention of meeting Dakota, Florence had slowly found herself feeling more comfortable in Margaret's presence; she assumed that George and Elijah must have had a firm word.
Both Elijah and Florence were surprised by his parents' delight when they suggested that they represent the family at Cheltenham. Florence assumed that she was the last person Margaret would want beside her son, but the way Margaret saw it was all driven by business. She heard that the idea was Florence's and realised that the girl had more of a business brain than she had first assumed, so she decided she was willing to give her a chance to prove herself.
The dress was black, which Florence felt helped disguise her stomach, not that there was a bump to conceal yet. It was more lavish than any dress she had worn before, with delicate beads sewn into it, the top half a lace cami style top with sheer chiffon covering it.
Her hair was pinned back, letting the front sections frame her face. She had opted for red lipstick, hoping to make an impression when Tommy would lay his eyes on her. She knew that Tommy would be stunned when he saw her, he didn't have a clue that she was going to be at Cheltenham, let alone that she'd be with Elijah Harrington.
Once she was truly happy with her appearance she picked up her bag, which contained her revolver, aware from her previous run in with Billy Kimber, that there was always a chance of trouble when he was near. She knew that Tommy would be spending his time sweet talking the man, perhaps that's why he was taking Grace, as a sweetener.
She opened the bedroom door to see Margaret waiting eagerly, an overly friendly grin that unsettled Florence immediately, "Darling, you look lovely."
"Thank you, Margaret," Florence smiled awkwardly as the pair made their way down the hallway.
"You'll keep my son out of trouble today, won't you?" She replied, impressed by how well Florence had presented herself.
"I would've thought you'd be asking him to keep me out of trouble," Florence sighed, fiddling with the ring on her index finger that her mother gave her for her sixteenth birthday.
"Florence, I know I may have doubted you in the past, but we do have one thing in common, we both care about my boys," Margaret assured her as they reached the top of the stairs, "And I know you didn't have an easy childhood, but I see that it made you a strong woman, so I trust that you'll keep my son in check."
As much as she didn't appreciate the sly line about her childhood, given that she wouldn't call being raised by a single mother difficult, she looked past it. But she appreciated that Margaret was making an effort, and wasn't actively attempting to keep the girl out of her sons' lives.
"I'm sure that Dakota will do you all proud today," Florence smiled as the two ladies made their way down the grand staircase, unsure of how to respond to the latter.
"Florence, I'll be honest, I don't care," Margaret sighed, "But no doubt, the horse will win, my husband will be delighted and then he'll have her registered in every derby for the next year."
"Think of what you could do with the prize money if you won," Florence reminded her, paying attention to the way the woman's eyes lit up.
"My husband has been in your ear, hasn't he?" Margaret laughed as the two women reached the bottom step, the front doors were open, revealing the Harringtons' car, the driver waiting beside it. Of course at an event like this, the family wouldn't have Elijah drive himself, they had a reputation to maintain.
"I feel somewhat underdressed," Elijah's voice startled the girl. Florence looked to her left to see him walking towards her, dressed in a navy blue suit with a crisp white shirt and matching navy blue tie, "You look as wonderful as ever, it's a good thing George isn't here or he'd be calling off his wedding to Diana."
"Elijah, behave," Margaret pointed her finger at her son, not that he noticed, his gaze was focused on the woman standing beside his mother, the woman he had called his best friend for years, but always wondered whether there was a chance of something more.
"The car's ready," Richard Harrington appeared at the open front door, glancing at Florence, "You look lovely, Florence."
"Thank you," Florence smiled tentatively as Elijah stepped towards her.
"Shall we?" He held his arm out for her to hold onto, leading her through the front door and down the steps to where the car awaited them.
"Good morning Mr Harrington, Miss Dawson," The driver smiled, opening the back door and letting Florence and Elijah climb in.
"Thank you, Geoffrey," Elijah replied as he closed the car door, nodding to his parents who watched eagerly from the doorstep.
"I would've been fine if you'd driven, you didn't need to pull out all the stops just to take me to the races," Florence assured Elijah as the car engine began to sound and Geoffrey proceeded to drive them away from the house.
"It's for show, my parents believe it makes us look more prestigious," Elijah explained, turning his gaze to Florence as the car pulled out onto the road.
"Anyone would think you're trying to impress me." Florence teased, tucking the loose strands of her hair behind her ears as they got caught in the wind.
"Who said anything about trying?" Elijah smirked, letting his eyes linger on the Dawson girl's lips just a little longer than he should.
After a long drive to Cheltenham, the Harrington car finally pulls up at the main entrance to the race track. It's busier than Florence had expected, women and men wearing all sorts of colours, which made Florence happy, given the hues of grey and brown she had grown so used to seeing at home.
"Thank you, Geoffrey," Elijah smiled as he leant forward, handing some money to the man, "Treat yourself to a drink at the bar."
"That's very kind of you, Mr Harrington," Geoffrey answered, securing the money in his pocket, "What time will you be needing me to collect you?"
"Well that all depends on how our girl Dakota does," Elijah told him, glancing at Florence, "We might be celebrating until the sun comes up tomorrow morning."
"Very well, sir," Geoffrey nodded, "I'll be sure to listen for how she gets on, I'll be down in the worker's bar when you decide you want to return home."
"I suppose we could always book a hotel to save you the waiting," Elijah suggest, glancing at Florence as he realised what it must've sounded like he was implying, "I didn't mean-"
"It's okay, I know what you meant," Florence assured him, "Come on, I want to see our girl before they take her down to the track."
"Very well," Elijah nodded, climbing out of the car before holding his hand out to Florence, helping her step down onto the gravel as she recomposed herself, hoping that none of the earlier symptoms of pregnancy would make themselves known for the hours that followed.
"It's weird hearing people call you 'sir'," Florence laughed as the pair made their way down towards the stables, Elijah flashing their passes at a member of staff as he led the girl down the sand covered path, "I'm so used to just calling you Elijah or Eli."
"Well, you can call me whatever you like if our girl wins today," He grinned as the pair entered the stables, which was full of horses of all different colours and sizes, "Dakota's in paddock nine."
Florence felt at ease surrounded by all the horses, it reminded her of her childhood with the Shelby boys. Arthur, being the eldest, would always try to take charge, but it only ever resulted in chaos. Tommy would then assume control of whatever game it was that they had conjured up, John would then often act out marrying Florence, being the closest to her in age. She cherished those memories, she cherished those boys.
"Here she is," Florence grinned as she laid her eyes on the beautiful horse, her mane silkier than Florence had remembered, "Who's racing her?"
"One of the best equestrian riders in Warwickshire," Elijah explained as he kept his eyes on Florence, who's eyes were on Dakota as she leant against the paddock gate, "His name is Peter."
"I'm sure you'll be in safe hands, sweet girl," Florence grinned, running her hand gently along the horse's muzzle, "And once you've won us a fortune I'll treat you to a sugarcube."
"She likes you," Elijah smiled watching as Dakota nudged the girl with her nose, "Maybe you'll be her lucky charm."
"Don't say that or you'll have me at every race for the foreseeable future if she wins," Florence sighed.
"That wouldn't be such a bad thing," Elijah replied, "Besides, I was under the impression that you enjoyed it."
"Once is enough for me," She told him, "I'm convinced this dress is worth more than my house."
"I thought it was the Harrington name I saw on the lineup," The familiar voice lingered behind Florence as she turned her gaze from Elijah to look over her shoulder.
"Thomas," Florence smiled, glancing between Tommy and Grace, "What a lovely surprise."
"I could say the same to you," Tommy muttered, seeming genuinely surprised to see Florence standing before him, "You never mentioned that you were attending the race."
"Must've just slipped my mind," Florence laughed humorlessly, "I wanted to see our Dakota win her first cup."
"Shes a beautiful horse," Grace added, not exactly sure what to make of the interaction, as Elijah remained silent, knowing better than to get involved.
"We're very proud of her, aren't we Elijah?" Florence beamed, placing her hand on Elijah's forearm, knowing that it would only frustrate Tommy further.
"Indeed, she's a real star," Elijah nodded in agreement, "Drinks will be on me if she wins tonight."
"I'll hold you to that," Tommy muttered, glancing at Florence one last time before turning to Grace, "We've got business to attend to, I assume we'll see you later."
"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Florence pursed her lips, letting her eyes linger on Tommy as he huffed and led Grace down the corridor alongside the rest of the paddocks until they disappeared around another corner.
"Did you know he was going to be here?" Elijah asked Florence as she returned her attention to Dakota.
"Not a clue," Florence lied, "But it's Tommy, so it'll be about business."
"Well, they'll be taking Dakota down to the racetrack, so why don't we make our way up to the clubhouse and find ourselves a lovely little spot at the bar?" Elijah suggested, the idea sounded incredibly appealing to Florence as she wasn't entirely convinced that she could cope with the tension of watching Dakota in her race.
The clubhouse was far grander than any building Florence had seen before. Large balconies overlooked the dance floor, which was full with couples dancing. At one end was a small stage with dancers and a band, while to one side of the room was the bar.
"Florence," Elijah smiled as the pair entered the room, "Would you do me the pleasure of giving me this dance?"
"Mr Harrington, I would be honoured," Florence grinned as he took her hand in his and pulled her towards the dance floor.
"You don't have to call me that," Elijah blushed.
"Would you prefer sir?" She teased as she placed her hands on his shoulders as the speed of the song increased.
"Funny," Elijah rolled his eyes with a smile as they began spinning around the dance floor, the band playing some sort of Irish folk tune which Florence hadn't expected at an event like this.
"Have you ever danced to a song like this?" Florence laughed as Elijah spun her under his arm, pulling her into a closer hold so their chests were against each other's.
"No," He shook his head as the fiddle sounding music sped up, "Just go with it."
"Alright," She grinned as she rested her hands on his shoulders, Elijah's hands were tentatively resting on her waist as though he didn't want to overstep.
Florence caught sight of Tommy and Grace up on the balcony, his jaw was clenched and his hands were white knuckling the railing. His eyes were on her as Elijah spun her around the floor, the pair laughing and smiling like teenagers who had snuck out for the night. She could tell that Tommy was jealous, that he believed Florence should be on his arm rather than Elijah's, but what did he expect when he invited the barmaid?
The song ended and the band continued with a slower yet still upbeat song. Elijah, being familiar with such events, took hold of Florence's hand, resting his other hand on her waist as she rested hers on his shoulder. The pair moved along to the music, eyes locked on each other, and it was as though all of Florence's troubles had dissipated into nothing.
She had almost forgotten that there was a life growing inside of her, that she was at the races to make Tommy squirm, because that's not how it felt, it just felt as though she was having a good time with her best friend.
"I'm glad you suggested this," Elijah smiled as they swayed to the music, "Being here with you, it's the most fun I've had in a long while."
"Anytime," Florence smiled, smoothing her hand across his shoulder as she watched Tommy and Grace pass them both on the dance floor in a similar dance hold. Of course he felt the need to get one up on Florence, treating the situation like the game it was.
So Florence decided to play him at his own game, bringing herself closer to Elijah until there was barely space for air between their chests, her fingers toying with the hair at the base of his neck. Elijah used his intuition and let go of her waist, spinning her under his arm and back into hold again, a smile on both of their faces.
The song continued, as did the dancing, Florence couldn't quite tell if Elijah had noticed Tommy's presence, if he had, he was doing a great job at masking it.
"I could do with a drink," Florence sighed breathlessly as she watched Tommy lead Grace away from the dance floor.
"The usual?" Elijah asked as he took her hand and led her towards the bar.
"Perfect," Florence nodded as the pair leant against the bar. She spotted Tommy and Grace across the room, accompanied by Arthur who had two bags slung over his shoulder that he began handing to Tommy.
She had been so transfixed on what Tommy was up to that she didn't notice that Elijah had ordered her drink until the glass landed on the bar in front of her, "Thank you," she smiled, watching as Tommy began beelining across the dance floor with the bags on his shoulders, but there was no sign of Grace.
"You didn't mention that you'd be attending the races," Florence heard Grace's voice over her shoulder, "Tommy didn't mention it either."
"I imagine there's a lot of things Tommy doesn't mention, to you," Florence muttered, taking a sip of her drink.
"What do you mean?" Grace asked as Florence glanced at Elijah to see that he was already in conversation with a man from the races, no doubt discussing Dakota's fortune.
"He bought you a pretty dress, I bet he told you what colour to wear didn't he?" Florence muttered, looking over to where Tommy stood at Billy Kimber's table.
"How'd you know that?" Grace asked softly.
"I know Tommy," Florence quipped, taking another sip of his drink, "You're a smart girl, ask yourself why he invited you and not me."
"You sound bitter," Grace replied as though she was trying to one up the girl.
"Oh I'm not bitter," Florence answered, "I'm on the arm of a Harrington, people round here know that means respect, but when they see a woman on the arm of Tommy Shelby, well he's not had a woman on his arm since before the war, so there's only one thing they think of that."
"Floss," Elijah's voice grabbed her attention as she withdrew from the conversation with Grace, "Dakota won!"
"Oh, that's just brilliant!" Florence exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Elijah's neck as his arms snaked around her waist, the pair swaying from side to side.
"I believe this calls for champagne," Elijah grinned before turning to the bartender, "A bottle of your finest champagne."
As Elijah paid for the champagne Florence spotted Billy Kimber walking straight towards the bar, which could only mean trouble, "Oh shit."
"What?" Elijah looked at her in concern.
"We meet again," Billy smiled at Florence, and she could already smell the lingering scent of alcohol in his breath, "Dance?"
"No thank you," Florence replied calmly, with no desire to dance with a man like Billy Kimber.
"Did you just say 'no' to me?" Kimber retorted, clearly angered.
"That's exactly what she said," Elijah interjected, standing beside Florence, his height only adding to his power as he stood almost half a foot taller than Kimber.
This hasn't got anything to do with you, posh boy," Kimber laughed.
"I think you'll find it does, when you're talking to my wife in a tone like that," Elijah answered coyly, and Florence couldn't help but feel grateful for his quick thinking.
"Your wife?" Billy scoffed as Elijah stepped to the side, using his body to shield Florence from the man, "Are you aware of the company your wife keeps? She was only down at the Garrison the other night rubbing shoulders with Peaky Blinders."
"What my wife does in her spare time is her business, it's certainly not yours," Elijah told him firmly yet calmly, "And in future, I'd ask that you watch the way you speak to her."
"And if I don't?" Billy retorted.
"Harrington Breweries will cease their business with all of your racetracks, and seeing as we're the only ale you stock, I wouldn't take that chance," Elijah smirked, watching as Billy finally pieced together his identity, "Elijah Harrington, Chief Operations Officer of Harrington Breweries."
Elijah held his hand out for Billy to shake, but he didn't take it out of embarrassment, instead he brushed past Elijah and Florence, and headed straight for Grace.
"That was really impressive," Florence beamed as Elijah turned to face her, "Thank you for saving me from him."
"I wouldn't have let him lay a hand on you," Elijah assured her as the pair of them watched him lead Grace onto the dance floor, "But it seems Tommy Shelby doesn't share the same thoughts."
"It'll be about business, it's always about business," Florence told him as Elijah handed her a champagne glass, "He's trying to swing a deal to get Kimber to use the Peaky boys for security."
"He's got balls, I'll give him that," Elijah sighed, sipping his champagne, "Kimber's particular when it comes to who he does business with."
"So it seems," Florence muttered as she watched Billy spin Grace around the dance floor.
"Are you alright?" Elijah asked, "You seem tired."
"I'm just not used to being so on form all day, it's like people are watching waiting for a slip up," Florence told him.
"No one here cares, they're all too wrapped up in their own lives to care," Elijah assured her as she watched Kimber return to his table where Tommy was sitting.
"Sounds a lot like home," She answered as Tommy made his way to the bar, looking at Florence but then heading for Grace.
"The best parts of home," Elijah muttered, "Do you reckon Geoffrey's having a good time?"
"He's probably wasting that money you gave him on fast women and slow horses," Florence smirked, a phrase she had heard the Shelby men use a number of times.
"That sounds like Geoffrey," Elijah laughed as Tommy made his way over to Kimber, the pair sharing small talk before Tommy approached Florence and Elijah and Kimber headed for Grace.
"I hear congratulations are in order," Tommy sighed as he reached the pair.
"Our girl did well," Florence replied, cheersing her glass with Elijah before taking a sip, "Did you want a glass?"
"I'm alright, thank you," Tommy replied, "But I wouldn't mind seeing that winning horse of yours again."
"Who am I to say no to Thomas Shelby?" Florence answered coyly, handing her glass to Elijah, "Why don't you find Geoffrey and then meet us down at the paddock?"
"I'll see you down there," Elijah nodded before Florence led the way out of the ballroom, walking down the path that led to the stables, Tommy trailing behind as he did his best to keep up with her brisk pace.
"Your husband seems happy," Tommy probed, suggesting that Kimber had been running his mouth.
"Kimber likes to talk," Florence huffed as she continued to walk, Tommy just a few paces behind.
"That he does," Tommy nodded as they reached a quieter area of the grounds, "But not as much as you like to play games."
"Excuse me?" Florence scoffed, turning to face Tommy in the middle of the path.
"You're telling me that whole performance wasn't for my benefit?" Tommy remarked, leading the girl away from other people and down a perfectly placed alleyway, bringing her to a stop once they were away from prying eyes.
"Not everything is about you, Thomas," Florence answered, even though she knew deep down that he was the catalyst of her plan, "I was here to support Elijah."
"So, you're saying that you didn't do this to toy with me?" Tommy asked.
"If I did, then it's clearly working," Florence smirked, "You need to work on your poker face."
Normally in a situation where he'd been backed into a corner like that Tommy Shelby would walk away. He would find a different dark corner to lick his wounds and come to terms with the defeat. But he didn't, because as much as it got under his skin to know that Florence would toy with him in that way, he didn't hate it.
Florence looked up at Tommy, her eyes lingering on his, "You don't have anything you want to-"
He cut her off with a kiss, a hungry and demanding kiss as he threaded his hands through her hair. He'd been unable to take his eyes off of her the entire day, in that expensive dress she looked like one of them, she looked like she belonged. In an odd way he was proud, proud that she was making a name for herself, proud that she was so confident in the way she held herself.
Tommy let his lips trail down to Florence's neck, the way he knew she liked, peppering the exposed skin with gentler kisses.
"Tommy," Florence muttered, arching her head back to give him better access to the skin, "You can't leave marks, someone might see."
"I don't care," He muttered against her skin before letting his lips meet hers again, his hands roaming her body freely.
"Tommy," Florence pushed against his shoulders, thinking better than to give in, "I have to go, Elijah will be looking for me."
"Alright," Tommy whispered, resting his forehead against hers, "Go back to the Harringtons' with Elijah, I'll come by to pick you up this evening."
"And why would you do that?" Florence muttered, interlocking her hand with his.
"Because," Tommy answered, "I won't have you sleeping under their roof, when you should be sleeping under mine."
author's note: this might be my favourite chapter i've written so far! i also adore the dynamic between elijah and florence <3
tiktok: sweetfreakrry