THE GREAT WAR || T. SHELBY (3)

EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: the Gray Man

THAT WOMAN...WAS EVEN MORE OF A DEVIL THAN MOSELY.

Was what Tabitha thought as the mistress retained eye contact with not just Thomas but herself. Oswald met his mistress and the bottom of the stairs, linking their arms together. They were walking towards Thomas and Tabitha, and the Shelby woman looked at the state of her outfit.

"Fuck. I look terrible," Tabitha mumbled.

"You look beautiful, Tab," Thomas disagreed. "I need to impress this woman, so I will act as if she is beautiful as well. Mosely."

The couple were then approached by Mosely and his mistress. Tabitha linked her arm with Thomas and put on her best fake smile.

"Diana, this is Tommy Shelby MP, OBE. Mr Shelby, Lady Diana Mitford," Oswald introduced.

"Oswald's most recent and last-ever mistress," Diana added, oozing confidence.

"This is my wife. Tabby Shelby," Thomas introduced his wife.

"Beautiful earrings," Diana commented Tabitha.

"Oh, I stole them from Tiffany's."

"Actually, he bought the earrings in Paris," Tabitha corrected with a slight chuckle. "We were in Paris on our honeymoon," she told Diana.

"God, I hate Paris," Diana said.

"Hmm. I hear you prefer Berlin," Thomas responded.

"Oswald and I are going to marry there, aren't we, Oswald?"

Oswald hummed in agreement to his mistress' question.

"Mosely, I have business to discuss," Thomas said, getting straight to the point. "Perhaps you and I could find somewhere a bit quieter, eh?

"Darling, Mr Shelby just made the astonishing suggestion that we men go off and discuss business while you women wait around looking glamorous," Oswald told Diana, looking over at her.

Diana chuckled with amusement. "Goodness. What year do you think this is, Mr Shelby? 1807?"

"In Birmingham, the centuries grind by quite slowly. But, Mr Shelby, if it's business, Diana is the engine of my enterprise."

"It's the modern way, Mr Shelby," Diana added.

"Yes, we know. I am company director," Tabitha said proudly. "I will join the meeting as well."

"But of course, you must come as well, Tabitha."

As they began to walk somewhere more quiet, Diana left Oswald's side. She linked her arm with Tabitha and continued to walk behind the men.

"By the way, I really don't like Tabby. I prefer Liberated She must be part of this. She's been all the way to Paris, so she is a woman of the world. Bravo. Do you know, Oswald has told me everything about you."

The four of them entered a darkened room away from the party. A room with a lit up vanity and some benches while one side of the room had several mirrors and propaganda for Oswald's campaign. Tabitha sat on the bench with Thomas standing beside her. Diana was standing opposite from them as Oswald filled three glasses of whiskey