Madame Angel ~ A Thomas Shelby Story

Chapter Twenty-Six

Curly and Charlie told Thomas that Aurelia wasn't at his home when they went to get her, so they went to the train station and saw her sitting on the train to London just as it took off. His brothers couldn't see how Thomas was pretending that everything was alright. Polly was too wrapped up in the fact that her son was finally in the same room as her to notice. Alfie, though, Alfie noticed. "Rule number one: The distinction between bread and rum? That is not discussed! Rule number two: Anything, right, that your superior officer says to you or any of your other fucking superior officers says to you, yeah? Not discussed! Rule number three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. I don't care for the rest of your fucking miserable, measly lives, yeah? Because I, like you, am also a complete fucking sodomite. Jewish women, you do not go anywhere near them because Jewish women for you are off the fucking menu. I think that's fair. Most importantly, if a pretty little Spanish woman comes in here with a tattoo of fucking wings on her fucking back and you even look at her and whoever she brings with her, yeah? I'll fucking shoot you between the eyes. That simple, yeah, it's that simple." Alfie says starring each of them down during his tangent. The brief mention of Aurelia brought a tightness to Thomas' chest that made him clench his jaw as if to hold back the anguished scream of a breaking heart. "All right that's it then. Oh...forgive me. I interrupted you." Alfie said to Thomas walking back where he was stood at the beginning of this little orientation. "Pick him up." Thomas requests gesturing to the man Alfie knocked unconscious before setting out the rules. He walks over to Billy Kitchen and tells them to make the arrangement work and he did so instantly everyone in the room dispersing immediately except for Thomas and Alfie.

"Heard you had my sister over in that fucking pigsty town you call home." Alfie starts as Thomas lights a cigarette. "Going to shoot me between the eyes, now?" Thomas asks almost like he's expecting Alfie to do it or at least something. "She'd fucking kill me if I tried that shit, mate. Think she might have taken a liking to you." Alfie noted unafraid to admit that Aurelia has feelings for the gypsy gangster. "I know she's married, Alfie. I know she has been for years." Thomas says trying to dismiss the thought of her all together. "You don't know everything, mate." Alfie tells him. "She lied to me that's all I need to know." Thomas retorts puffing away at his cigarette. "Is it?" Alfie asks genuinely before sauntering away leaving Thomas to his own.

Thomas had far more questions rolling in his head about Aurelia, so Thomas did what he does best. Distract himself. He went to Ada's to check on her and see if she made it home alright after the opening; for a moment he was curious if Ada knew everything but if she did or not, he didn't know if that made him feel better or not. "I don't have a bloody side." Ada groaned as Thomas stood in the plain room, he found her in. They had been discussing the protection he had set up around her new home in case anyone from Sabini's side tried to attack her again since she is on the Shelby side of the fight. "Yes, you do, Ada. You do." He told her and he walked to the door to leave and paused. The temptation to ask about Aurelia was gnawing at him but he was still stubborn. "Cheerio, then." He said walking out.

While Thomas ran around trying to distract himself Aurelia had just got home and was in her bath silently crying. She hated crying; she had done so much of it in her life she'd grown to hate the wet feeling and salty taste of her own tears. She put her head under water to wash them away, to not feel them run down her face, and stays there for a moment before lifting herself up and out of the bath deciding that tonight she was to pretend everything was alright. She made some of that special tea she long forgot the taste of and was thankful that at least when she drank it this time it wasn't after having been forced by Steven but by being loved by Thomas and that thought alone made it taste sweeter.

As the days went on, they both pretended. Pretended that they weren't itching to grab the phone and call the other. For Thomas this was far more torturous than anything he felt with Grace so instead of reaching for the phone to call Aurelia he called a new potential business partner, May Carleton. He set up an in-person meeting with her for tomorrow to speak on the possibility of training the horse he outbid her on. When she arrived the next day Thomas saw the way she looked at him and what he's built for himself and his family. He saw the look that made him ask: "Do you want to fuck me, Mrs. Carleton?" Very brazen with the question. "Perhaps because I..." he stops to think and Aurelia's voice sounds in his head 'You're handsome, powerful...' her voice rang in his mind. "Perhaps because I represent something to you? We should have this conversation now before the booze starts talking for us." He was tired of agendas, that much was obvious. "You have a horse." May said plainly. "Yes, I have a horse." Thomas repeated. "The horse is why I'm here. Purely that." She assures with attitude. "Good. Good. Well, toast then. To the horse, to the derby." He proclaims. "So, is that what you say to women?" May asks in astonishment. "Only if I don't know what they want." Thomas clarifies as he continues to sip his drink. "And what if they don't want to fuck?" May asks in curiosity with a look coming back to her eyes. "Then life is simpler." Thomas shrugs the response out without care. "You want a simple life?" She asks in disbelief and Thomas decides to keep up the façade. "Do I look like a man who wants a simple life, eh?" He retorts but he knows that he does want a simple life, he's starved for it. Once their goal for Epsom is set and small talk is over with May, she realizes she still doesn't know what he wants the horse to be called. "The horse will be called Golden Secret." Thomas decides.