Loving Gwen Baker (Thomas Shelby/Peaky Blinders)

Chapter Twenty Five

Gwen chatted in the car all the way up to Cheltenham, she felt embarrassed when they got there however, for she had been talking for hours.

"I did tell you to stop me, Tommy!" She scolded the Peaky Blinder, as he gave her a hand out of the car. "I'm surprised your ears aren't bleeding."

He chuckled, "And I told you, that I don't mind." He said, offering her his arm as they walked towards the entrance. "I love hearing your voice."

"Stop it!" She nudged his shoulder with her own, as she blushed. He grinned at her reaction, and produced two tickets once they reached the booth.

"Am I not Lady Sarah Duggan, of Connemara?" Gwen asked with a giggle. Grace had told her that her and Tommy had snuck in to the races on their 'date'.

"You're Miss Gwen Baker, of Small Heath." Tommy said, "More beautiful than any lady here."

"You're full of charm today, Tommy." Gwen said as they made their way towards the bar. He ordered a whiskey and Gwen asked for an orange juice, as they stood at the edge of the room to watch the goings on around them.

The strawberry blonde's eyes were alight with curiosity and wonder, as she looked on at the dancing couples and the men at the betting stands. She could see open doors leading out onto balconies, overlooking the race track. She felt Tommy's fingers against her cheek and she turned to look at him to find that he was watching her.

"Thank you for bringing me here, Tommy." She said.

"The day has only just begun." He replied, "Come, I'll show you around."

She took the hand that he offered her, and he led her onto one of the balconies where there were several horses getting into the starting gate. "They're very small." Gwen said, referring to the gates. "It doesn't hurt them being in there, does it?"

"No." Tommy replied, "They do have some space to move around, but it's to ensure that the horses can't kick one another at the line."

Gwen watched as a bell rang and the gates opened, the seven horses immediately shooting across the starting line in unison at an incredibly fast gallop. The crowd roared and cheered for the horse that they wanted to win. About thirty seconds had passed before a grey won by one length.

Gwen gripped onto the barrier, until her fingers turned white. It was exhilarating to watch, and although she found the racing very exciting she hoped that the horses hadn't overexerted themselves.

"They're trained for this." Tommy said, "It was a short race, this is nothing compared to what they're really capable of."

She nodded her head and smiled up at him. He turned and picked up a pamphlet, letting them know which horses were competing in which race, at what time.

"Would you like to place a bet on the next race, Gwen?" Tommy asked, opening the page to the correct point.

"Can I?" She asked, her eyes moving down to the page where the horses names where listed.

"Of course." Tommy said, "The favourite for this one is called Flying King."

Gwen looked at the page, before her eyes lit up, "I like the name Emerald Beauty." She said, thinking that the name of the horse matched her dress. "Can we pick that one?"

Tommy looked at the odds, "She's an outsider."

"What does that mean?"

"She's unlikely to place." He said.

"Isn't the whole idea of racing to gamble?"

Tommy nodded, "Very well, Emerald Beauty it is." He turned to the man at the betting station behind him to place the bet, while Gwen watched the horses lining up. Emerald Beauty was number four in the race, and Gwen chuckled to herself when realising she had put Tommy's money on a fellow ginger.

"She looks like Something About Her, doesn't she, Tommy?"

"Aye, she does." He agreed.

As the horses filed into  their gates in preparation, Gwen placed a hand over her heart. "It's exciting, isn't it? I'm nervous too."

The bell rang, the horses launching themselves across the starting line. Gwen cheered for the ginger mare, as Tommy grinned at her enthusiasm. After a few moments, the race finished with Gwen's mare finishing in third place.

"You said outsiders didn't place!"

"Perhaps you're a lucky charm." Tommy replied, collecting the winnings from the betting stall. "Would you like to dance, Miss Baker?"

"Of course I would, Mister Shelby."

And dance, they did, for several songs before they sat down for a spot of lunch and another couple of drinks. Gwen looked up at Tommy, to find that he was looking at someone sitting a few tables away from them.

"Tommy? Is something wrong?"

"Billy Kimber is here." He said, annoyed.

"Do you need to speak with him?" She asked. She would like to have thought that she wouldn't mind, but she knew that if Tommy did leave her alone to speak to the man she would be really disappointed and possibly upset.

"I'm not doing business today." Tommy said, "I've promised you that today is all about dancing."

Gwen laughed, "I think if I danced again so soon, my feet would drop off!"

"I thought you wore your dancing shoes?" He teased, standing up and holding a hand out towards her. "Come on, this is a slow one."

They danced close with one another, Gwen blushing like a schoolgirl as Tommy pressed his cheek against hers and hummed along to the tune of the song in her ear, before softly pressing his lips against her skin.

After their romantic dance they returned to the balcony to watch a couple more races.

"That's a nice little tart on your arm, Shelby."

She felt Tommy tense up beside her, as Billy Kimber approached them. His hungry eyes looked Gwen up and down as though she were something to eat. She felt chilled to the bone.

"Although..." Kimber began, with an eerie smile. "She isn't dressed as though she'd go around the block. Not like that other pretty little thing that had the clap."

"Mister Kimber," Tommy addressed the man with his deep baritones voice. "I didn't know you would be here today."

"This is my business here, Shelby." Kimber said, finally taking his eyes off of the strawberry blonde. "You should know that. You pikeys do work for me."

Gwen was appalled at how this man was speaking to Thomas! Everything that came out of his mouth was an insult.

She missed most of the conversation, not wanting to converse with such an asshole. Instead, she watched the horses running the next race and smiled as a fellow ginger came in first place.

"Let's head on inside, Gwen." Tommy said, snaking his arm around her waist.

"What a repulsive man." She murmured to him, once they were out of earshot. "I've never known someone to be so rude, in all my life! How do you put up doing business with him?"

"That's going to be coming to an end soon." Was all Tommy said on the matter as he lit up a cigarette once they reached the bar. "I apologise for the way he talked about you. I should kill him for that."

"There's no need." She reassured him, believing Tommy to be joking. "I don't care what he said about me. I do care, however, about what he called you."

Tommy took another drag from his cigarette, "Well," He blew out a long breath of smoke, "He'll come to regret that, sooner or later."

She didn't want to know what he meant by that. "In any case," She smiled up at the Peaky Blinder, her dimple appearing in her left cheek. "Let's not let what he said ruin our day. Let's dance some more!"

Comments are welcome!