ON HOLD - A Midsummer Night's Deal - Thomas Shelby x OFC - Peaky Blinders

12.

"Good morning, Mrs. Shelby." Mary greeted Leonor as she came downstairs, covering her mouth as she let out a yawn escape. "And happy birthday."

Leonor stopped, tilting her head, smiling softly. "Thank you, Mary. How kind of you to remember."

Mary nodded, doing her best to keep it a surprise the surprise birthday party that Mr. Shelby's planned.

Not out of endearment, but out of commodity. Like most things in his life, such as his very own marriage.

His popularity with Leonor's kind, as he liked to say, had grown but not as much as he expected to, and Thomas figured it was because he hadn't been seen with her on his arm enough. And on top of that, this party would help his own party, at the parliament.

The working man loves an example, and what better example than Thomas Shelby, a common man, war hero, not just a gangster, but now an important and respected piece on the government, married to a noble lady whose blood was as blue as the sapphire that once took everything from him?

Parading her around as a trophy was just what he needed to do. Luckily for him, his wife was in a good mood on the way to Small Heath, commenting on the view from time to time, pointing at wild horses trotting on a field.

"They look so...happy." Leonor had mused, straitening the hem of her skirt, crossing her legs as she did so. "Do you like horses?"

Thomas just nodded, keeping his eyes on what he thought was an inviting movement, looking away later on. "Made my life about them."

"Did you?" She asked, frowning when he took a longer pause than she was patient enough to wait on. "I like horses, wish I had the time to learn to drive them."

"Ride them," Thomas had corrected, chuckling. "And you have the time, why don't you?"

Leonor shrugged. "Didn't know you would allow me to." He frowned, turning around to face her. "My friend Mariela's husband didn't and he was like you."

"Like me?" Thomas scoffed. No one's like me, he secretly thought. "How so, eh?"

She just smiled, patting his hand, dismissing the subject. "Are we there yet?"

"Almost, Mrs. Shelby." The driver spoke in a hushed tone, not expecting the boss's wife to turn her attention to him.

"That's the third fucking time you ask." He turned to look out the window, half waving to an eager dirty worker by the road. "For fukes sake."
"What?" Leonor asked, putting her gloves on when she realized what he was eyeing, with a disapproving look. "What?"

"The whole part of bringing you here was to show the common man that we are not so different from them." Thomas sighed, inspecting her outfit of choice. She wore a white silk blouse, with a gold rose brooch on it, her shoes were handmade, with shiny gems incrusted on the delicate bow, matching the royal blue of her skirt, which she fixed the hem for the third time since they got in the car. "And your coat cost more than their fucking rent."

"I don't have any other type of clothes." She tried to reason, following the driver coming up to open Thomas's door.  "Here." Leonor took her brooch off and placed it inside his inner coat pocket, suddenly glad she had decided at the last minute not to wear the new emerald and diamond bracelet that she got from him for her birthday. "Better?"