Painting The Races Red | Tommy Shelby

Chapter Fifteen ✔

C h a p t e r F i f t e e n
A  D r a m  A  D a y K e e p s T h e
D o c t o r A w a y

There was a new sense of joy whenever Lynette sat at her vanity desk. Previously, there had never been any excitement to sit and do her make-up or hair, but now she had a reason to want to spend long periods of time there. Since Tommy's proposal, she had found herself spending more time in front of the mirror - more specifically as she sat and admired the ring, while reminiscing on what had been a wonderful night.

She couldn't help but stare at her left hand as she became lost in thought. Her mind spun over many different aspects of business and stressful matters. The two most prominent faces that appeared in her thoughts were of Michael and much to her dismay, May Carleton.

Currently, Tommy was over at the Shelby home trying to convince Polly to allow Michael to accept the job as the new accountant. After some discussions with her fiancé, they had agreed that the positives outweighed the negatives in terms of Michael being employed under them. She hoped that Tommy was successful, but at the same time her thoughts were also intwined with a bitterness.

Lynette was intimidated by May Carleton, but she had spent her whole life learning to hide any physical signs of anxiety in front of those she felt threatened by. She had almost mastered this skill when she worked the streets and pubs back in Glasgow as the woman who loured men to their deaths, she was practically a siren back then.

It was not specifically the woman that scared her, but the part of her mind that held her darkest insecurities feared what May was capable of. If she wanted to, there was a good chance that she could try and seduce her future husband away from her. She knew without a doubt that Tommy loved her very dearly, but every man could be weakened by a pretty face and the right words. Lynette was a prime example of that talent having effect.

The woman was brought out of her thoughts at the sound of the bedroom door opening. Her eyes flickered from her from her hand to the mirror, allowing her to watch as the man of the hour himself walked in. She failed to smile at him as a result of the annoyance she still felt due to his actions that day. Even though bringing May to the shop was just a part of his attempts to tease or slightly irritate her, she still had her grudges.

Tommy didn't know she was going to the shop, meaning he either planned on bringing May to the office next or not let Lynette know at all that he had called May to come take their new racehorse away for training. A cigarette was hung between his lips as he entered the room, dressed in one of his finest suits. He had yet to notice the blank expression on her face as he neared her.

"You ready?" he asked, his voice booming in comparison to the silent room.

"Yeah," Lynette nodded as she stood from her chair. "Where's Polly?"

Tommy had picked up the coat that had been laid out for the night and helped her put it on one arm at a time. As always, his fiancé looked stunning. He had convinced her to buy a new dress for the occasion, which he was thankful for as the navy dress she wore was undeniably flattering on her. The dark colour made her auburn locks pop even more.

"Gone to get Michael," he answered as he watched her untuck her hair from inside the jacket collar. "She made a deal. Four bob a month and we have a new accountant."

Lynette responded numbly as she continued to think about when she saw Tommy earlier that day. "That's good."

It finally clicked in Tommy's mind that something was wrong, there was a detachment in her voice that was rarely there. It was only ever present when they had had a fight or if she was trying to pretend that she was not bothered by something.