𝑳𝑨 𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑼𝑺𝑬

𝑻𝑹𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑬 𝑫𝑬𝑼𝑿

♱♱

The relationship between Tommy and Salomé was kept a secret for an entire year, it was so peaceful. The only ones who knew about the two were Tommy's family and Salomé's dear cousin, Clara.
A secret kept perfectly well by countless excuses, sneaking out the house, lying about being out with Clara, and mostly of Salomé & Tommy meeting on countless nights at the DuBois home.
This was all new for the innocent church girl, lying and sneaking out the house for a boy her papa didn't approve of. Salomé was enjoying this new rebel life of hers.

It was perfectly insync between the couple, just like that one perfect song you could never get tired of.
Salomé loved Tommy and Tommy loved Salomé. The young girl believed they were the perfect couple, even though the both of them still had many secrets that they rather not rise from the dead just yet.
The couple helped each other from their past even if they never spoke about the war they came from.
Tommy loved Salomé liked a miner who loved gold. He wasn't going to pass up a girl like her, some would say he was moving too fast in falling in love with this foreign girl like what happened with Grace but he wasn't trying to hear shit from them.
Tommy was gonna protect Salomé with all his power he had, no one was gonna touch a single hair on her body. Nobody was gonna say a thing about her race or that she ain't from there, Salomé was his girl.
Tommy Shelby's fucking girl and no one could do anything about it.

"Tommy want me to bring you lunch?" Salomé walked into the room bringing him tea, it was only 4am as they were in Mr. DuBois bedroom. Tommy had a place but it was more convenient to meet here every Friday night. There were too many eyes and ears at his place for him to sneak Salomé in.
As the word around town was that Tommy Shelby only invited a few woman into the home he hardly frequents.
"Hmm?" Salomé snapped Tommy out of his train of thought. She was sitting on the side of him with the tea cup in her hand. Tommy saw how she was beautifully dressed in her rob and her unfashionable curls being half way pinned up.
"Uh yes, Finn would be happy to see you." Tommy quickly put the cigarette in his other free hand, kindly taking the tea cup from her.
"You best get going soon." Salomé learned in for a quick kiss. A quick kiss Tommy wanted to deepen, but the idea of hot tea spilling on his bare chest wasn't that pleasurable.
Salomé pulled back from the kiss, a faint smile on her face.
"Drink up now, my papa can come here anytime with his shotgun ready to blow you to pieces. "Salomé's words brought a look of enjoyment on Tommy's face, he found the Salomé's words funny.

"Now what's funny, Mr. Shelby?" Salomé's southern accent at peaked, she placed her hand on her hip.
"Nothing love." Tommy shook his head as he put out the cigarette he had just light it up.
"Well your clothes are all nice and fresh, when I come back in for the dishes you better be gone." Salomé tightened her robe, like routine she gave Tommy 2 kisses on the cheek before scurrying out of the DuBois home.

Salomé quietly snuck back into her home, everyone was still awake at this time except for one person.
"Did you finally sleep with him?" Clara sat by the window smoking a cigarette, she would always be awake at this time waiting for Salomé so she could hear of the couple's activities together.
"No, of course not." Salomé shook her head at her cousin as she kicked off her slippers. Clara had always asked that question, it was very important to her for some reason.
Salomé had already made the life long vow that she wouldn't be doing any "sleeping around" until she was a married woman. The vow she made at church and especially to her late mother.
"Just know, I and Tommy talked the whole night and then fell asleep with each other, nothing more nothing less." Salomé said content as she got into her shared bed.

Clara just laughed at her cousin, her somewhat innocent cousin.
But Clara knew her cousin had hit the jackpot, the jackpot with Tommy Shelby.
You could say Clara was proud of her young foreign cousin.
Clara just hoped her cousin felt the same. Being with a Shelby permanently came with a lot of consequences, and Clara wasn't sure if her cousin was ready for that.

𝑷𝒍𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒄𝒆 𝒋𝒐𝒖𝒓-𝒍𝒂...

Salomé dipped out the Garrison, using her newly given lunch break as an excuse to step out from the pub.
With the basket in her hand, she happily walked to the betting den.
Like Salomé said earlier, she came to give Tommy that homemade lunch she made and also to see little Finn, bringing something for him as well.
"Lovely day Miss Polly." Salomé smiled kindly as she entered the Shelby family.
"Lovely day for our Tommy." Polly eyes shifted down to the basket, making them both chuckle.
"Lovely day for the rest you bunch." Salomé learned that from the few times she came here bearing "gifts", that there better be enough for all the Shelby men.
It reminded Salomé of when she would have to buy a bunch of sweets for her little cousins, if one cousin had a sweet then the others wanted the same, the way she learned of keeping it fair.
"Sit the basket on the table, bring in there and sticky fingers would attack.

Polly lead the way to the double green doors, which was covered by a curtain. Only a little muffled sound came out to keep the betting den hidden.
Opening that curtain then the double green doors, the entire betting den was exposed for both ladies to walk into.
Business was booming around this time, as when the workers all had lunch most of them came here to place bets.
The sounds of shouting, names being thrown around, and numbers being thrown around had became familiar to Salomé now. The sounds she was actually starting to enjoy and didn't find a headache.
Her eyes roamed around the room until it landed on Tommy.

Tommy was going over a book with John, both happy with how business was going.
Legitimate and illegitimate was doing pretty good for Shelby Brothers Limited.
The family couldn't ask for better.

"Is that Salomé I see!" Arthur looked up from his books, a wide smile on his face.
Finn came running to her side, giving her a quick hug as he was also excited to see Salomé.
He finally had someone who gave him attention and new friends, even if some of the new friends didn't speak English.
"Hi Arthur and hello Finn." Tommy looked up from the book and you could almost see a smile on his face.
"When you gentlemen get a chance, I brought food for y'all." Salomé pointed back to the kitchen. "Finn and I will start for y'all." Salomé said before walking out the den with Finn and Polly.

What anyone in that betting den failed to realize was that Salomé's very distinct face was seen by the working men placing bets on race horses.
Word could easily get around Small Heath that a negro girl was being friendly with the Shelby family, even inside their place of business besides The Garrison.
The negro girl who belonged to the Blouin family that lived on French courtyard.

The negro girl who white father and uncle worked in the factories, they must know that, had to know that even.

Salomé had simply gotten too comfortable with her surroundings.

♱♱