Bête noire → Peaky Blinders [Tommy Shelby] [ BOOK 1 ]

Twelve.

Chapter twelve: matrimony

"I need you."

Caroline sighed in melancholy. She wondered why she kept reminiscing about the significant small sentence Tommy spoke to her before he exited the chapel in a hurry, presumably to force John into a marriage with a woman whom he'd never met before. 

Of course, his words were in relation to the business, but she couldn't help but ponder if he could possibly mean anything more. When she was snapped back into reality, she scolded herself for even contemplating such thoughts. Yes, it was undeniable that Thomas Shelby was perhaps the best looking man she'd ever come across, but she'd only met him a few days prior and she still had Collin, but maybe, she wanted it to be the other way around. Maybe, she wanted Tommy.

Her throat produced a dry cackle. How could she possibly want him when she barely knew him? Other than the fact he was a dangerous man with vicious tendencies and a killer taste for alcohol and cigarettes, she was yet to indulge in Thomas and find out the truth about him. Maybe that's why she was fascinated by him; the utter mystery that riddled his soul invited her in, daring her to step across the boundaries he'd set up to protect himself from any more heartbreak. Maybe, she'd be the only man whose heart she wouldn't break-on purpose.

"Are you alright there, love?"

Caroline glanced to Ada from the corner of her eye; the only Shelby sister who surprisingly took an instant liking to her. Ada didn't have much time for anybody, especially now that she had a baby on the way but she saw how much Caroline adored her younger brother and nurtured him as though he were her own, despite her only being eighteen years of age. She found her motherly nature to be very heroic and aspired to hold the same level of passion towards her own child.

Caroline watched as a gypsy setting came into view, consisting of carriages and a crowd amongst the trees in the vast plains. "Of course I am."

"Not jealous, are we?" Ada jokingly pinched at her sides. "We all heard about your little love affair."

She coughed, her eyes wide in alarm. "How did you know?"

"News travels fast around here, sweetheart." Polly piped up with a small smile. "But not to worry. The last person to find out will be your little boyfriend. You have to be the one to tell him."

Caroline shrugged. "He's not exactly my boyfriend. What he doesn't know won't hurt him."

Ada sighed. "A woman who now keeps a man on the sidelines. I love the role reversal."

"It's not all rainbows and sunshine." Caroline then smirked. "But for most of the part, the sex is great."

Oscar covered his ears. "I don't need to hear about this!"

The women, the driver and Finn burst out laughing, and thankfully, it wasn't long before the car drove across the gravel ground of the gypsy campsite. Upon hearing the roaring engine that crawled through the area, Thomas excused himself from the men that surrounded him and when he saw Caroline clamber out of the sleek black vehicle, a smile played on his lips. He didn't expect her to join the gathering of close family and associates, seeing as how she and John shared a single night of passion and it would be deemed inappropriate, but nevertheless, she proved him wrong and he enjoyed being surprised by her.

 "It was awful kind of you to invite us." Caroline spoke passingly to Tommy as Oscar latched onto her arm. "I suppose Collin's invitation is still in the post?"

Tommy detected her sarcasm and gave a small chuckle. "He wasn't invited."

"And neither was Grace, I hope."