𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙡𝙨 𝙂𝙖𝙢𝙚....
In which Thomas Shelby finds himself beaten by Billy Kimber and a rival Romani gang. Evelyn Heron, the daughter of Birminghams new leader, has spent years on the run, living in the shadows in an effort...
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"John," Thomas said to his brother, "Before you go into that arena, there's something you're gonna need."
Unbeknownst to him, John Shelby was about to walk down the grassy aisle to marry Esme Lee, a fate that was about to be revealed in a matter of seconds. Thomas had told John that the only way Zilpha would agree to an alliance was by means of a horse race, and that since he was the lightest, he would be riding Dreamer against one of their own.
But of course, this wasn't true, and Evelyn knew that. Earlier that morning, Polly had revealed to her the plan: Arthur and Thomas would draw John out into this field to trap him, then he'd have no choice but to submit. She didn't necessarily agree with it, but her own selfish desires to get the Lee's on her side trumped any ounce of reason.
Behind Evelyn, a group of Lee girls giggled with excitement as they watched Thomas break the news.
He pulled out a white flower, one similar to the flower she had found in his caravan that first day they met. With a gentle hand, he tucked it into the breast pocket of John's suit.
"What you bloody doin' Tommy?" John gave him an incredulous look, his teeth clenching on the wooden toothpick that hung out of the corner of his mouth.
Thomas genuinely smiled as he gripped the sides of the man's face, "Smile, John, it's a wedding."
"Who's bloody wedding?" John's voice quivered slightly, his eyes darting around, though the only man who stood by was Arthur.
"Your wedding!" Arthur roared, "You're not goin' out there to race against Johnny Dogs, you're goin' out there to meet your wife."
Evelyn glanced back behind her shoulder, peering at her cousin draped head to toe in white. Esme's brown, chocolate colored hair was tucked into a complicated bun, the strands contrasting beautifully against the lace.
"This man better not be fucking ugly," Esme whined in a small voice, her fingers shaking as she adjusted the veil that covered her face, "or I swear, I'll cut ya both."
"Shelby men are known for their good looks," Zilpha teased, and she moved away from the alter to take her place amongst the crowd. From her seat, she called out, "Evy can tell you all about that."
Evelyn rolled her eyes, and she turned her attention back to the Shelby brothers, Thomas's voice carrying through the wind.
"A woman who needs a husband," he murmured calmly, his blue eyes focusing hard on his brother's face, "A man who needs a wife."
John wasn't convinced. Thomas's words did little to soothe, and anxiety was palpable even from a few yards away. She chewed on the inside of her cheek, her nerves spiking at the idea that John was about to back out. If this marriage didn't go through, the Lee's would back out of their plan, which meant they had no way to safely sneak back into Birmingham. No way to reach Danior, and no way to get to James.
