C h a p t e r S e v e n
Despite Tommy's request for her to wear a red dress to the Cheltenham Races, Lynette could not see herself wearing the bold colour. She knew from experience that her auburn hair already made her stand out, adding more red to the equation would make her look tacky. She needed to fit in with the type of people that would be at the races, as well as leave Kimber in awe.
She had lay in the steaming bathtub for several minutes, just admiring the dress that hung on the door of her wardrobe. She smiled at the idea of feeling glamorous for the day. She had been unable to dress up for any occasion during her time in Birmingham, her job at The Garrison required her to wear simple and comfortable clothing to make the job easy for her. That often meant a simple blouse and skirt, with no makeup and hair tied back.
Lynette forced her gaze away from the garment to look at the clock on the wall, she saw that she had just over an hour before she was due to be at the Shelby's shop. Making the decision to exit the bath before it became too late to allow her hair to dry fully, she stood and wrapped her body in the warm towel that had hung near the burning fireplace.
After patting away the water droplets on her skin, she pulled on her underwear and stockings. Pulling on her robe to cover herself, she sat on the floor close to the fire, allowing her hair to steadily dry in the heat. Occasionally she would run her fingers through it, twirling thicker section info ringlets to allow her hair to form into loose waves.
She found herself lost in a trance as she sat herself in front of the mirror, now happy with how her hair turned out as she worked on her make up. Her mind was distracted by the thought of Tommy, and their conversation in the early hours of the morning. She could still picture that look in his eyes when he had mistaken her invitation to sleep on the couch as an offer to spend the night with her. She couldn't deny that the idea did something to her, Thomas Shelby was a very attractive man.
She despised the idea of sounding like a young girl with a hopeless crush, but she could not stop the feelings that had begun to develop for the infamous man. She enjoyed his company, she treasured being able to see a side of him that only few could understand. But being with a man like Tommy, included attention that she didn't want. Her name would spread faster than rumours did in The Garrison, it wouldn't take much for it to reach Glasgow. Even with a different surname, she could not be so sure that people would continue to believe her death.
And on the flip side, she couldn't say for definite that Tommy shared those feelings. She could only conclude that he found her attractive based on the flirtatious comments he had made on few occasions, and the teasing she had witnessed him received from John the night Kimber had made a surprise visit.
The auburn haired woman shook the thoughts away hastily, before focusing on the final step of her make up. She picked up the small metal container in front of her on the vanity, opening it to reveal a creamy substance inside. She used her index finger to neatly apply the product to her lips. She rubbed them together before smiling at her own image, satisfied with her work.
Lynette began to style her hair into a braided design, using far more effort than she ever would on the daily. After finishing, she used her hair clip to hold the edges of the braid together. She felt almost complete with the concealed weapon now in place, in case anything went wrong today. Looking over her shoulder towards the expensive garment she had fallen in love with, she knew that there was only one more step.
..............................
Polly Shelby was confused at the sound of high heels that had followed with the arrival of someone entering the Betting shop. As she sat at the desk in Tommy's office, she listened closely as the men outside the small room suddenly quietened. Her suspicions rose causing her to abandon her work and venture out to see what had occurred.
Her frown shifted into a grin as she spotted the reason for the abrupt silence. In the centre of the room stood Lynette, looking more beautiful than Polly had ever seen her. The younger woman was clearly uncomfortable with so many pairs of eyes on her, Polly's motherly instincts stepped in.
"Lynn," she called across the room causing the redhead to look over in surprise. Polly gestured for her to follow her into the small office, stepping aside to hold the door open.
Lynette looked up to the Shelby aunt with gratitude. "Thanks, I was about to turn and go to the pub for a pint to escape the stares while I waited. You put some effort in and people think you've gone mad."
Polly laughed lightly as she gestured for the girl to take a seat in the chair next to the door, while she sat herself at the desk. "You'll get used to it here, it's not that much different from The Garrison."
Lynette shrugged off her jacket before sitting down. "It'll be fine once today is over, then I can return to pulling pints."
Polly admired the woman's outfit now that she could see it properly without the being obscure by the beige trench coat. The dress itself was ivory, made with a satin-like material. The low v-neckline and the length were very flattering to the woman's figure, as well as the dainty silver jewellery on her fingers and hung around her neck.
"Well, you do look bloody lovely. Tommy will be pleased," Polly teased before starting to rummage in the cabinet under Tommy's desk. "Drink while you wait?"
"I wouldn't say no to that," Lynette grinned as she watched the woman pull out a bottle of Irish whiskey and two glasses. "I'm assuming this is your private stash?"
"Actually, it's Tommy's office. But we woman are good at hiding things so it'll be our little secret."
Lynette accepted the glass as she chuckled. "That is true indeed," she agreed as they both took a sip of their drinks. "I haven't seen you at The Garrison in a while, how is Ada?"
Polly hummed softly under her breath. "She's really showing now. The stress isn't good for her or the baby, I tried to offer them a chance to start a new life in America. But Freddie is a stubborn man, and so is Tommy."
The redhead leaned forward to place a comforting hand on Polly's knee. "I'm sure things will work. If you ever need to talk or need a drinking buddy, then my door - as well as my alcohol cabinet - is always open."
Polly thanked the girl for her offer, before declaring that another drink was required. As the older Shelby woman poured two more refills, the door to the office opened to reveal Tommy. He took in the sight of the two women, both with proud smiles on their faces and an open bottle of whiskey on the desk.
"I see you two have helped yourselves," he remarked, his expression blank as he turned to look to Lynette, looking over her outfit. "Are you ready?"
She took a moment to examine his own appearance. The new three-piece suit fitted perfectly, just like the others she had seen him wear. Though the small knit material was a pale grey colour, which she preferred on him as it brought out the colour in his eyes. And of course, the infamous cap of a Peaky Blinder.
"Yeah I'm ready," she nodded as she stood to pull on her coat once again. "It was nice to see you again, Polly."
Lynette followed Tommy through the shop and outside to his waiting car. She whispered a 'thank you' to him as he opened the passenger seat door for her, offering his hand to help her up. She knew that his help was not required but she accepted it with a smile.
Tommy rounded the car to the opposite door after the small door behind her. It was not until after the car had started, and they had driven away from Watery Lane, that he spoke to her.
"I thought I told you to wear red," Tommy criticised.
Lynette turned her head to look at him, but his eyes remained focused on the road as she tried to tell if he was truly upset that she denied his one request. "If I were to wear red today, we wouldn't be taken seriously at the races. The idea is to fit in."
"The point of wearing red was to stand out to Kimber, he's already shown an interest in you. It's your job today to keep him interested."
Lynette sent a raised eyebrow his way as she scoffed, a humoured smirk on her painted lips. "Are you trying to imply that I don't look pretty enough in this?" she demanded.
She felt proud of her accomplishment to stub the great Thomas Shelby from his words as he turned his head to look at her, scanning over her figure from head to toe before averting his eyes back to the road silently. Her stomach fluttered as she saw the same look in his eyes that she had been so floored by the night before, but she masked it with a devilish smirk as she turned to look at the clutch bag in her lap.
"You just let me worry about distracting Kimber, and you worry about buying me a drink when we get home. Because tonight we will be celebrating the success of our first job together."
..............................
It took just under two hours to drive to Cheltenham from Small Heath, a majority of the car ride had remained in a comfortable silence but Lynette had successfully managed to discover the story behind Tommy's business with Kimber. Although, she had quickly become confused when he mentioned a rival group called the Less, who they planned to attack but also make unity with. When they arrived at the races, Lynette had questioned Tommy's decision about sneaking in through the side entrance to which he had assured her that everything was under control.
"Are you sure we won't get caught through here?" Lynette questioned quietly as she and Tommy made their way along many short corridors, passing some jockeys as they did.
Tommy ignored her question, instead gently taking her jacket-clad elbow to guide her around another corner. "This way," he announced.
Her eyes continued to instinctively scan the area for any potential security that could remove them from the building as they tried to find their way to the VIP area of the races. There, they would find Kimber.
"Should I chance my money on a horse or have you fixed the race again?" she mumbled sarcastically to Tommy before pure confusion appeared on her face. "Actually, how do you fix a horse race?"
"How should I know?" Tommy responded, only leaving her more baffled, and with more questions than answers.
A red door appeared in front of them, which Tommy held open for her. Instantly, she could hear soft jazz music in the distance, as well as see the glamorously dressed individuals socialising.
She looked over to the man beside her questioningly as he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to mutter instructions into her ear. "Okay, you do the talking. Tell security you are Lady Elizabeth Boyce of Dumfries. You got lost when you went to look for the boy riding your horse - Dandy Flower. If they ask about me, say I'm Prussian and don't speak a word of English."
Lynette came to a holt along the corridor, before they would be noticed by the doorman outside the private lounge. Her struggled to hind the amusement on her face as she looked up at him.
"Elizabeth Boyce? Dandy Flower?" she repeated with a giggle. "Is that the best you can do?"
Tommy shook his head at her, his lips curling into the corners as as stared at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Alright then, you show me that you can think of something better," he challenged. "Come on, Glasgow girl. Earn your five quid."
Lynette grinned confidently before pushing through the double doors to be met by an older man before her dressed in all black. She greeted him with a bright smile as Tommy appeared at her side, also smiling to the doorman.
"Hello, I'm Lady Charlotte McLaughlin from the Highlands. I'm looking for the lad riding my horse today. He apparently came through here, is it possible to come in to look for him?" Lynette inquired, her tone now proper and with the utmost politeness.
"What horse is yours, ma'am?" The doorman asked, although his smile already told them that it would be easy to pass off any lie to this gentleman.
"It's called Wee Ness, she isn't running until three o'clock. But I don't want my jockey to be drinking before a race. Wouldn't want to ruin my chances after all that hard work to get her here," she laughed lightly to add to the charade which the gullible man continued to fall for.
In the corner of her eye, she could see Tommy smirking at her improvised name of the imaginary horse. What other reference would for a Scottish woman than to use her nations very own mythical beast, Nessie from Loch Ness.
The older gentleman nodded along with her words, before looking over to scan Tommy who stood at her side silently. "I just need to know who this is," he explained.
"Oh, sorry how rude of me!" Lynette exclaimed in faux embarrassment as she placed a hand on Tommy's shoulder to introduce him. "This is Douglas, my horse trainer. I'm sorry he can't introduce himself, he only knows how to speak Scottish Gaelic."
The doorman examined them both for a short moment before he stepped aside, gesturing for them to pass into the room. "Have a lovely day, Miss."
"Thank you," Lynette chimed as they entered. She looked over her shoulder to look at Tommy with a prideful grin. She was quick to sent him a playful wink, laughing as he struggled to hide him own smirk while shaking his head softly.
The redhead was pleased with herself for managing to impress the man, she was ready to show him that she was good at what she did. She would prove to him that she was useful to him, especially when it came to maintaining this business relationship.
"I'll tell you something Douglas, this Glasgow girl can't wait for that drink tonight."