read thirteen & fourteen first!
"I feel like a fucking whale," Florence muttered as she sat in the car beside Elijah as they pulled into his parents' driveway, "I look like one too, this baby's going to come out the size of a full grown human."
"You do not look like a whale, Flo," Elijah assured her as he parked up alongside the other various cars belonging to the business associates they were expecting to dine with that night, "Anyone who says otherwise is wrong."
"How long will we be staying here tonight?" Florence sighed, "I've barely been sleeping the way this baby has been playing football with my ribs, and if I have to hear one word about George and Diana's plans for their trip around Europe I'm not sure I'll make it through the night."
The events of that night were an evening meal, hosted by the Harringtons for their closest business associates, as well as the two Harrington sons and their new wives. Margaret was reluctant to extend the invitation to Florence, but Elijah was adamant that he would only attend if Florence was by his side. The pair had become quite the team since the wedding, and Florence found herself enjoying it, knowing that she was married into a family well above what society would expect for her.
"Have you met my brother's wife?" Elijah sighed, turning off the car's engine, "Last time I saw them both she would not stop talking about Rome."
"You've never been this irked by her, clearly I'm rubbing off on you," Florence grinned, appreciating Elijah's newfound confidence.
"Being around you so much these past few months has allowed me to see the world through a different lens," Elijah explained, "I think people would expect it to terrify me, but I like it."
"When you say you like it," Florence muttered, "Do you mean you like my perspective of the world, or my Peaky Blinder connections?"
"Both," Elijah whispered, "Because together I think we'd be unstoppable without the shackles of my parents to hold us back."
"What are you implying?" Florence asked, immediately fearing the one thing she had been pleading Tommy to avoid.
"We could leave this city, with my money and your connections to a family like the Shelbys, we could build an empire of our own," Elijah suggested, "Without ever having to worry about breaking the rules."
"It's a nice idea, but there are two reasons it won't happen," Florence replied, leaning closer to Elijah, "Your mother doesn't need an extra reason to dislike me, and the second is that rules have never stopped me from trying to get what I want."
"They've made a right Peaky Blinder out of you, haven't they?" Elijah smirked.
"Which is why I think our best option is to stay here, because if we left we'd risk losing our links to the city," Florence told him, "Besides, if you don't have the Peaky Blinders as allies, you best start praying to the devil."
"So we stay put for the time being?" Elijah muttered.
"Indeed," Florence nodded, "Now, we better head inside before your mother blames our lateness on me."
"Alright then," Elijah answered in agreement, stepping out of the car and making his way around to Florence's side of the car, holding the door open for her before letting her take a hold of his arm.
Florence's confidence demeanour was a facade that she knew that she needed in order to succeed in the world that she had entered. Men didn't appreciate women who knew their own minds, but Florence believed that was something that needed changing. She deduced that as long as she kept up the facade eventually she could fool herself into believing that she was that type of woman too.
"Anyone I should steer clear of tonight?" Florence whispered to Elijah as they paced up the stairs towards the grand front door of his parents' home.
"There'll be a man and his wife, the Dunbars from the distillery in Dublin, who provide whiskey to most of the country," Elijah explained, having known most of his parents' business associates since he was a child, "He likes to be overly friendly, especially with young women."
"Hopefully the baby bump provides a good enough deterrent," Florence sighed as Elijah knocked on the door.
"We can only hope," He smiled as the door promptly opened, Richard Harrington standing before them.
"Elijah, Florence, how wonderful it is to see you both," He smiled, "Do come in."
"Father," Elijah shook his father's hand, "How are you?"
"Very good, we're just so glad that you could both make it here this evening, we would've thought you'd prefer to rest given how close the baby's arrival is," Richard told them both as he closed the front door.
"Well, it's so kind of you to have us," Florence smiled, knowing that in order for the evening to go smoothly she had to immerse herself in playing the part of the doting wife, placing her hand on Elijah's arm, "Elijah and I have been so wrapped up in preparing for the baby, we've barely taken a moment for ourselves."
"Well then, I'll take your coats, then you can head through to the drawing room where your mother is entertaining the rest of the guests," Richard explained.
"Thank you, Mr Harrington," Florence smiled, slipping her coat off and handing it to him, leaving her in her plum dress that she had picked out for the occasion.
"Please, just call me Richard," He replied, "You're family now."
"Alright then," Florence smiled before turning her attention to Elijah, "Shall we?"
"We shall," Elijah nodded, taking her hand in his and leading her down the hallway towards the drawing room.
"So how do we play this?" Florence whispered, "Loved up or maintaining professionalism?"
"Somewhere between the two," Elijah answered, "The men at these events like to try their luck with young women, but they'll be less inclined if we're publicly affectionate."
"I can do that," Florence nodded just as they reached the door to the drawing room, "Can't be worse than Billy Kimber can they?"
"Remains to be seen," Elijah sighed before squeezing Florence's hand as they entered the room.
"Elijah!" George exclaimed as he approached the pair, wrapping Elijah in a hug before doing the same with Florence, "And my lovely sister in law, how are you?"
"We're alright, the baby's kicking away like a little champ," Florence sighed, observing the other eight or so people that filled the room, spotting Diana and Margaret with a couple of other women while a group of older men stood on the other side of the room.
"So a footballer in the making?" George grinned, "Uncle George will be on hand for coaching duties when the time comes."
"George, you could barely kick a ball yourself when we were kids," Elijah sighed.
"That's a lie," George remarked, smiling at Florence, "But I will be that baby's favourite uncle."
"George, you're the baby's only uncle," Elijah quipped, even though Florence knew that it wasn't entirely true.
"I suppose I am," George grinned, "You two want a drink?"
"Of course," Florence nodded as George gestured to one of the maids to bring over two glasses of whiskey.
"Are you and Diana looking forward to your trip around Europe?" Elijah asked, in turn teasing Florence, knowing that it would frustrate her.
"She is," George sighed, glancing over his shoulder at his wife, "I'm just happy to be away from all the questions about when we'll be having children."
"Are you happy though?" Florence asked, even though her belief of what marriage meant had changed since Tommy put her in an impossible position.
"Ask me that again in six months," He muttered, knowing that it probably wouldn't be long until he took a mistress, which Florence had also assumed would happen in time.
"You'll be alright," Florence assured him, "Besides, if you get bored you can keep me and the baby company when Elijah's at work."
"That'd be my honour," George nodded with a smile.
"So, tell me how these events usually pan out," Florence glanced at both of the boys.
"Well, the only reason all these people are here is to keep the market civil," Elijah explained, "Everyone in this room owns one of the biggest alcohol distributors in the country, the only types of alcohol that aren't ran by people in the room are wine which the French handle, and vodka which is dominated by the Russians."
"They like to meet up every year to remind each other what's at risk if they decided to swerve out of their lane," George continued, "The Dunbars are the most successful producers of Irish whiskey, the Taylors lead in gin and we have beer and ale."
"I had no clue it was so competitive," Florence muttered in intrigue.
"Just wait till they're several glasses of wine deep after dinner, they'll play every garden game imaginable to prove their worth," Elijah informed her.
"That's when we usually make our excuses to depart and retreat to the terrace to smoke and drink whiskey," George added.
"That sounds more like my kind of party," Florence grinned as one of the other male guests approached the group.
"Elijah, this must be your lovely new wife," The unknown man smiled, letting his gaze linger on Florence longer than Elijah was happy with.
"Yes, this is Florence Harrington, my wife," Elijah answered, the new name being something Florence was still struggling to get used to, "Florence, this is Paul Taylor, he owns all the gin distilleries in Scotland."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Harrington," Mr Taylor smiled, "Congratulations on the marriage, our invite must have got lost in the post."
"We kept it as a small ceremony," Elijah interjected, wrapping his arm around Florence's waist, "We planned the event quite spontaneously."
"And what do your family work in, Mrs Harrington?" Mr Taylor continued to pry.
"Fashion," Florence answered, prepared to be somewhat economical with the truth, "We supply a lot of women in Birmingham with bespoke dresses."
"Marvellous," Mr Taylor nodded, "And congratulations are in order for a new generation of Harrington on the way."
"We couldn't be happier," Elijah replied, adding to the facade of their romance.
"I imagine you must be hoping for a boy to continue the family name." Mr Taylor smiled, which only boiled Florence's blood, knowing that male children are prioritised over female children as heirs.
"As long as our baby is healthy, we'll be happy." Elijah responded, promptly shutting him down.
"Would you excuse me?" Florence's voice trailed off as she noticed Diana in conversation with a man who she assumed is the one Elijah warned her about. While Florence had no desire to become friends with the girl, she knew that she would want someone to free her from that conversation if the roles were reversed, "I'll be back in a moment."
"And I told them that I was a friend of the prime minister, I mean can you imagine it?" The man spoke as Florence approached.
"Diana, it's so lovely to see you again," Florence beamed before turning to Mr Dunbar, placing a hand on her baby bump, "I am truly so sorry sir, would you mind if I steal this lovely lady away from you, I just need some assistance with a womanly matter."
"We were just discussing my business ties to the current prime minister," Mr Dunbar explained, only irking Florence.
"Well, I just really need her assistance, woman to woman," Florence continued.
"I should really help her, she is my husband's sister in law," Diana explained, "It was lovely talking with you, Mr Dunbar."
Before the man could get another word in edgeways Florence took Diana's hand and led her out of the room. She didn't know where exactly to go, but she knew that she wasn't suited to be in a room like that with people looking down their noses at her.
"You didn't have to do that, I'm used to men like him," Diana sighed as Florence let go of her hand.
"You shouldn't have to be," Florence remarked, "I've spent my entire life avoiding men like that, but the rooms in houses like this are always riddled with them."
"My mother always told me that I should smile and laugh at all their unfunny jokes," Diana answered as they continue walking along the hallway towards the staff quarters, "Where are we going?"
"Somewhere we can avoid overfriendly men and somewhere I can rest my feet without being asked questions about my baby by people who don't know me," Florence answered, leading Diana down the spiral staircase.
"How are you finding pregnancy?" Diana asked, "It's not even been a month since I married George and my parents are already pestering me about grandchildren."
"I'm just looking forward to holding the baby, I'm so tired and hungry all the time," Florence explained as they reached the staff quarters, the kitchen being manned by two members of staff, "I thought you were leaving for Europe soon, you can't possibly have time to think about children."
"Well, I've reached the conclusion that my parents and George's parents will see the trip as a waste of money if I am not with child on our return," Diana sighed, "And, you didn't hear it from me, but they said they want a grandchild of complete noble blood."
"You don't need to tiptoe around it," Florence answered as the girls reached the small dining room consisting of just a long wooden table surrounded by chairs, "I know what Richard and Margaret think of me, and I know what that means they think of my child."
"I don't think any less of you, despite the difference in our upbringings," Diana assured her, and while Florence found little comfort in the statement she knew that Diana meant well, "I've always respected you, you're not like the rest of us."
"How'd you mean?" Florence replied.
"You've got a backbone, you fight for yourself." Diana smiled.
"So, how are you finding it?" Florence asked, "Being George Harrington's wife?"
"It's not what I imagined, he's not like most men I know," Diana sighed, "He's lovely, but I don't know him as well as I once imagined knowing the man I would marry."
"It comes with time," Florence assured her, feeling comfortable in her closeness to Elijah compared to where she was four months ago, "Elijah and I, that was unexpected, but he means a lot to me."
"How did it happen?" Diana asked, prompting Florence to remember that she knew nothing about the true nature of the relationship, "How did you end up as more than just friends?"
Florence knew that she couldn't tell Diana the truth, so instead she thought of simply relaying how she had wound up with Tommy, slotting Elijah into the story instead.
"It was just after the war had ended, and we were all celebrating together, I think we just realised that after living through that for four years, we cared too much about each other to be apart for the sake of others," Florence explained briefly.
"For others?" Diana frowned.
"I didn't want it to impact my friendship with George, being romantically involved with his brother," Florence answered, "They're two of my closest friends, so I didn't want to complicate things, but George will be a great uncle, I'm sure."
"You're right," Diana sighed as Florence's eyes lingered on the coats hanging on hooks behind her, on one of the hooks was a hat, just like what the Shelby boys wore, in fact it was a peaky blinder's cap, given the classic razor blade that was sewn into it, "I hope this meal doesn't drag on for too long, my mother's planned for us to go on a hunt with Margaret, Richard and George first thing."
"Why don't you go back up to the party?" Florence smiled at the girl, knowing that the familiar cap meant that one of her boys was close by, "I'll join you in a moment."
"Alright," Diana answered, knowing better than to ask questions as she left the room.
Florence grabbed the cap, the familiar scent of cologne and smoke lingering as she took in her surroundings. The kitchen was busy with staff and he wouldn't dare wait in one of the bedrooms, so Florence concluded he must be out in the yard. She slipped out into the hallway, heading out of the side door into the yard that was full of crates, old furniture and a couple of service vehicles.
But most importantly stood a man with his back to her, a man she immediately recognised without a need to see his face.
"You seemed to have misplaced something," Florence called out as she approached him, nothing but the light from the windows behind her lighting the courtyard.
"I was wondering when you'd come down here," Tommy answered as he turned to face her, "You've never been one for those fancy events, even when we were kids you hated playing dress up."
"I hated playing the housewife in Polly's old dresses while you boys got to play kings and soldiers," Florence answered, tossing him his cap as he quickly caught it with one hand, "How did you know I was here?"
"I have my ways," Tommy answered as Florence recalled his statement about having men watch her house for security.
"Well then, why are you here?" Florence asked, folding her arms across her chest for warmth as she stepped closer to him, "I don't have long."
"I've got an invitation for you," Tommy told her as he slipped his coat off of his body, stepping towards her and covering her shoulders with it, "For an event tomorrow."
"I thought you preferred barmaids on your arms at fancy events," Florence answered with a smirk.
"It's a family event," Tommy continued, "You've always been family to us."
"So, what is it?" Florence asked, "I'd like to know, if I'll be travelling all the way to Small Heath for it."
"A wedding," Tommy replied, "John's wedding."
"The things that happen the minute I leave never cease to amaze me," Florence muttered under her breath, "Who's the lucky woman? Lizzie?"
"He's betrothed to a girl from the Lee family, by way of forging a peaceful union between the two families," Tommy explained, and immediately Florence could see right through it.
"He doesn't know, does he?" Florence scoffed, "You've set your own brother up to be married and he hasn't got a fucking clue."
"He'll know tomorrow," Tommy replied calmly.
"What, when he's at the altar?" Florence laughed in disbelief, "I know you're not a fan of marriage yourself, but why would you do that to John?"
"He wants a woman to be a mother figure to the kids, they're running rings round him apparently," Tommy explained, "And I want you there, I know John would want you there, he trusts you,"
"You mean you want me there because I know what it's like to be encouraged into marriage by Tommy Shelby so I'll be able to soften the blow?" Florence remarked, knowing Tommy better than anyone else beyond his family ever had.
Don't make it sound sordid, Floss," Tommy sighed.
"But that's exactly what this is," Florence answered, "You are effectively doing to him what you did to me, what next? You gonna have Arthur marry that pretty barmaid of yours? Oh but you wouldn't, you want her for yourself."
"What are you talking about?" Tommy groaned in frustration.
"I know you Tommy," Florence muttered as she approached the man, "And I think that scares you."
"Will you be there tomorrow?" Tommy interjected, fearing the direction of conversation.
"I'll be there," Florence nodded, "For John, not for you."
"Very well, I shan't keep you from your evening and your husband, no doubt he'll be looking for you," Tommy sighed, letting his eyes linger on her baby bump.
"Goodnight, Thomas."
authors note: hope you enjoyed the triple update! i've had a lot of spare time recently and i've just been loving writing this story!
florence protecting diana is so personal to me>>>
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