Aristocrats and criminals have a lot in common. They're both selfish, get bored easily, and have access to wads of cash they didn't have to work honestly to get.
Arthur Shelby x Fem Oc!,, Season 3
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
O24'
Beatrice Shelby tapped her nails against the paper and cardboard beer coasters on the bar. She had come to hate family meetings, much as she'd come to resent her husband.
In all honesty, Beatrice was shocked his mistress Alma wasn't there with him, as she always was, she would sit atop his knee and play with his beard while Beatrice worked on the bar, it infuriated her and Arthur knew it did.
He loved Beatrice, he really did. However he didn't love staying faithful to her. He knew Lizzie, Ada and Polly judged him for it but he couldn't stop himself. It wasn't as though Beatrice had let herself go, you could hardly tell she'd had three children, the only clear sign was the three children following her calling for her to attend to their every need.
Beatrice loved her children, much more than her mother had ever done her. Every school morning Arthur would wake up to Peggy's hair done in neat plaits, Winnie's short hair done in little bunches while her fringe rested upon her forehead, Nick's clothes were always ironed nicely, more often than not Beatrice would be wiping the marks of jam off of his face in between passing the girls their clothes. Arthur felt conflicted about his children, he loved them, but he couldn't help but feeling as though he had let them down their entire lives, He was in prison for Peggy's first birthday, Beatrice had lost their second child because of that, The twins were born amidst a war with the Changretta's and he'd faked his death and missed an entire week with them.
He did not want to become his father and he feared he'd already become him. He dreaded the day Beatrice would become what became of his mum. He worried that he would do what his father did, run away for them and leave them with his sister. The sad part was he could already envision himself doing it and he hated it, detested it infact. He could imagine Peggy desperately calling for her father as he walked away, tears in her eyes.
"Arthur." Tommy called out. "Yeah?" Arthur replied "Have you been listening to a word I said." Tommy scoffed.
"Course Tom." Arthur nodded. Lizzie had noticed Beatrice's dissociative state and tapped her shoulder gently. Beatrice was brought out of her thoughts and stared at Lizzie's face, studying every single cell on her face.
While Arthur spoke with his family Beatrice stared plainly at Lizzie. She was surprised no one had noticed, fearing they would she moved her attention to her nails and then she felt Lizzie move and immediately followed after her.
"Liz?" Beatrice asked. "Yeah?" Lizzie sighed. "You alright? Beatrice asked her best friend, her shoulder brushing against Lizzie's gently as she dug her heel into the mud. "I'm fine." Lizzie shook her head. "We can go somewhere if you want, just the two of us" Beatrice offered.
"Just." Lizzie scoffed in amusement. "I know they've got eyes following our every fucking move." Beatrice chuckled dryly. "It drives me nuts, I feel like I've done summat wrong." Lizzie admitted.
"The Shelby's are possessive by nature. We're just unlucky enough to love 'em." Beatrice told Lizzie as they began walking. Lizzie nodded with a sigh as they reached a patch of land, where no one could hear them.
"Arthur scares me." Beatrice admitted. "Why?" Lizzie asked. "He's.. He's Arthur isn't he. They said he was mad even when I met him but I didn't listen did I. I never fucking listen, look where it's gotten me, I've got three kids with him, he's shagging a woman who's practically a fucking lodger in my house and I'm.." Beatrice stopped herself before she could say anything else.
"You're what?" Lizzie asked. "It's nothing." Beatrice lied. "I've known you for nearly eight years, there's not much you can keep from me." Lizzie told her. "I'm having an affair." Beatrice admitted looking around to ensure there were no prying ears.
"Trixie." Lizzie began. "I know, It's dangerous but He sees me and he makes me feel wanted, for Arthur I barley scrape the sides, I'm sick of being his meek little wife." Beatrice confessed. "Do you love him?" Lizzie asked her curiously. "Who Arthur or?" Beatrice questioned.
"Your fancy man." Lizzie replied bluntly "He's not a fancy man, he works for us." Beatrice admitted "Arthur's going to cut out his eyes." Lizzie pointed out. "Arthur's not going to find out." Beatrice argued "Trix.. he will. Wether it's now or in a few months he will, everyone always finds out, you can't keep something like that a secret." Lizzie admitted honestly, it had happened with her own parents.
"He cheats on me all the time." Beatrice swore "I know, and I'm not saying it's something good or anything like that but.. he's your husband, and a Shelby one at that." Lizzie decreed "Shelby." Beatrice scoffed. "I'm sick of hearing the fucking name." She exaggerated. "Trixie, you need to end things with this man now, or tell Arthur. He'd be a hypocrite to get upset about it." Lizzie voiced, she wasn't entirely sure Arthur would be so forgiving.
"He won't see it like that, you know he won't." Beatrice lamented "Hey.. I can be there when you tell him." Lizzie assured her, taking Beatrice's hands in her own. "Liz, I can't. It's so much more complicated than it seems." Beatrice croaked, her eyes glassy.
"Who's the man?" Lizzie inquired. "Joe.. from the Garrison." Beatrice admitted "Beatrice." Lizzie groaned. "I know." Beatrice whined. "Right, I'll ask Tommy for some money for a dress and pay him to leave. Send him to America." Lizzie decided "Liz." Beatrice droned "I know how you feel Bea, but.. you and I both know. You don't divorce a Shelby." Lizzie divulged.
"I know but.. I love Joe." Beatrice sputtered "And you love Arthur, Joe's just filling in for him. They look the bleeding same." Lizzie told her. Beatrice sighed deeply. "I can get some money." Beatrice told Lizzie. "No. I know exactly what you're planning. We'll use Shelby money, none of its pure anyway." Lizzie assured her. Lizzie and Beatrice walked back to the Garrison and went through the cellar into the upstairs.
"We can't take a large sum now, we'll have to do it gradually." Beatrice whispered to Lizzie as they walked into the kitchen. "Michael's lost a lot, we can sneak it onto the papers he or I will have to make. I'll take some from the safe at the betting shop." Lizzie replied. "What if they ask?" Beatrice countered. "We can lie, say we were paying for a trip to fucking France for the children. Call it Educational." Lizzie muttered, she knew they could both get into tremendous amounts of trouble from this but at this very moment she didn't care. "I love you Liz." Beatrice admitted "I love you too you silly mare, now you act as normal. I'll sort this. You've told Tommy for me enough times, let me do the same for you." Lizzie said.
EM TALKS ty all sm for 5Ok im so grateful ily all.
also this took me fucking ages im sorry i just find the later seasons so much harder to write.
have this monstrosity i made
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
