beautiful mourning // t.shelby 3.

•prologue•

••••••

••••••

Warwick chapel, Warwickshire, 1924:

T H E bells of a chapel rang louder than any bomb could ever ring. A mere man stood inside of that chapel with his back turned to the altar. One look to the right, one suspicious glance to the left.

The man's best man stood a level below him, smiling around as the indistinct chatter filled the usually stoic and silent chapel.

It wasn't a funeral, that was for certain.

It was a wedding day of a man and a woman.

People continued to converse loudly, everyone waiting for the bride to finally show up. On the right to the groom, there sat his family, loud and obnoxious. His friends, his men, some random invited people all continued to enjoy this day, everyone relieved the groom was finally getting married to the girl of his dreams.

One of the pastors was moving along the line of the groom's family, passing down a paper with psalms they'd have to sing later on. Everyone took it willingly, everyone except for one, simply in a mood to celebrate something they had begun to think wouldn't even happen.

The groom watched his family members sit all together, chat and laugh, children crying or laughing before he glanced to his left to see the bride's family, which was also full. They stared in front of them with judgmental looks, way more silent than his family had been.

Unable to look at the upturned noses of the bride's family, the groom looked ahead of himself eventually and waited, any second now, he knew.

Outside the chapel, there was a single carriage being driven by a beautiful stallion. Inside that open carriage there sat a man, leading the horse to push the carriage. Next to him, there sat the bride, her dress as white as the clouds in the sky. A fair veil covered her face, but the excitement and the nerves were evident even with it covering her beautiful features.

The silence between the man and the woman was calming, lullabying even before they passed the gates and were finally in front of the chapel.

Inside, a boy chorus psalmed with their beautiful young voices and a priest was first to enter, carrying the Bible in his hand. His skin color surprised the bride's family, but it made the groom even wish to smile.

The bride was met with three men outside, all helping her get out of the carriage and not dirty her white dress. The man who had driven the bride smiled at her and offered her his arm to take. With shaking fingers, the bride embraced the man's wish and linked her arm with his before they entered, one of the men carrying the veil just so it wouldn't hit the dusty floor.

She could hear the singing. She could hear her heartbeat. She could swear she heard her soon-to-be husband's heartbeat and when the singing stopped and music began to play, she knew this was the moment she had been waiting for.

The groom tensed when she appeared in the doorway with a man who would lead her to the altar. He couldn't see her face and for one fraction of a second wondered whether it wasn't her underneath that veil. But it was her, from the glimpse he could catch as she walked closer and closer to him, he could see her, could feel her.

And suddenly everything went silent, just her walking towards him.

The man led the bride to the altar and handed her to the groom, the groom taking her hand, which was so soft and familiar, into his own, before the man who had led the bride to the altar went to the right side of the family, not the left.

The bride and groom turned to each other and with slow movements the groom began to take off the veil off of the bride's face.

And when Tommy Shelby saw Eleanor Jackson's bright and yet nervous face underneath that veil, music began to play in his heart. She offered him the merest of the smiles, staring right into his blue eyes the same way he looked right into her own soul.

Tommy smiled at Elle, making her blush before they both turned to look at Jeremiah Jesus, a loyal friend. "Dearly beloved," Jeremiah began loudly, Eleanor feeling her hand itch towards Tommy's, their little fingers eagerly touching. "We are gathered here today to join together in holy matrimony Thomas Michael Shelby and Eleanor Lucille Jackson."

Eleanor and Tommy didn't listen to anything else before Jeremiah finally asked them the question they have waited presumably since the first time they have met. "Do you, Thomas Michael Shelby, take Eleanor Lucille Jackson to be your lawful wedded wife?"

"I do," he answered confidently, their little fingers still touching discretely.

"Do you, Eleanor Lucille Jackson, solemnly swear to love, honor, and obey till death do your part?"

"I do," she answered confidently, smiling to herself the way she always smiled lately.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife."

Grinning widely, Eleanor turned to Tommy and he didn't waste another second when he grabbed onto her face gently and kissed her, cheering erupting from the groom's side of the family. Laughing, Eleanor gave Tommy another soft kiss before she grabbed onto his arms and turned to stand straight, not even glancing at her side of the family as she smiled at a loudly cheering Pius, Polly, Ada, John, Esme, Michael and the rest of their family.

Outside, Eleanor threw a bouquet, leaving many unmarried women fighting as Arthur tried to push them out of the family picture. Eleanor continued to stand next to Tommy as Arthur rejoined the family and exclaimed loudly to finally take the photo.

The camera shutter clicked and the deed was done. Eleanor breathed out and felt cold all of a sudden before feeling a coat be placed around her shoulders, turning to smile at her now husband. He began to lead his wife to the carriage, ready to go home to celebrate their wedding. She got in first before he joined her, Eleanor slipping into his coat's sleeves before she sat down and he sat down next to her.

Tommy took the reins of the horse and clicked his tongue for the horse to go before Eleanor turned to look at everyone and smiled, waving before they finally drove away. Wrapping her arm around his, Eleanor placed her head on Tommy's shoulder and closed her eyes momentarily with a small smile dancing on her face.

Tommy glanced at Eleanor and smiled himself, placing a soft kiss on her forehead before they continued to drive. She reopened her eyes and met his own blue ones, the two of them finally coming into realization.

Realization that just like that Eleanor Jackson became Eleanor Shelby. And just like that Eleanor and Tommy were finally married.

Vote, read, comment.