love knows no bounds | thomas shelby

the races

eveline ward woke up with anticipation on the big day. she slipped into her dark red dress with delicate sequin embellishments that accentuated her curves. her long hair cascaded in classic finger waves, framing her face with timeless elegance.

as she finished her makeup, the sound of thomas shelby's car pulling up outside filled her with excitement. stepping out of the house, eveline was greeted by thomas, who was momentarily struck speechless by her beauty. with a playful smile, she teased, "do you like what you see, mr. shelby?"

tommy, ever composed, replied with a simple, "i do."

his eyes stayed on her as he held the car door open for her.

as they drove off, eveline inquired about their plans.

"so, is it just the two of us going off to the races?"

with a small smile, thomas responded, "something like that."

as the pair arrived at the venue, they descended down stairs. 

"reckon we're allowed in 'ere, tom?" 

as they entered the room filled with racers, eveline couldn't help but feel unease. 

tom placed a reassuring hand on eveline's back, drawing her close as he replied, "i prefer to come to races the back way. it keeps me out of trouble."

navigating through the hallway, thomas leaned in close to eveline's ear, instructing her to take charge. perplexed, eveline asked, "what do you mean?"

tom clarified, "tell security you're lady sarah duggan of connemara. you got lost while looking for the boy riding your horse - dandy flower."

eveline laughed at the absurdity of the plan.

"lady sarah duggan? dandy flower? you've gone mad, my love."

shaking his head, thomas persisted, "listen, if they ask about me, say i'm prussian and don't speak a word of english."

eveline hesitated, uncertain of his elaborate scheme, but trusted him nonetheless.

"you owe me a proper shilling for this, mind you."

"come on, posh girl," thomas remarked with a smirk, before guiding eveline into the room to kick off her charade. 

after successfully navigating their way through security, thomas and eveline found themselves standing atop a balcony, overlooking the lively scene below. musicians played jaunty tunes while dancers twirled across the floor.

thomas lit a cigarette and took a drag before offering it to eveline, who accepted. she took a puff and passed it back to him.

"i still prefer the garrison," he admitted looking down on the crowd below.

"me too," eveline chuckled softly, a fond smile tugging at her lips.

turning to face her, thomas locked eyes with eveline.

"do you want to dance?"

eveline returned his gaze. "only if you ask me properly," she teased.

tommy took a moment, then restarted, "lady sarah of connemara, will you do me the honor of a dance?"

thomas extended his hand, with a hint of formality in his tone.

eveline smiled and accepted, placing her hand in his as they joined the dancers below.

as the two swayed to the music, eveline kept one hand on tom's shoulder while he held her close, their other hands intertwined. thomas's gaze drifted across the crowd. his focus was elsewhere, as if searching for someone amidst the sea of faces. eveline noticed his distraction but chose to ignore it, enjoying their dance together as thomas twirled her around the floor.