𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐇 𝐊𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐒
❝ They're the French Kissers,
that's what they do.
They will lure you in
and then they'll kill you
with a kiss. ❞
━ in which the leader of the french kissers
...
❝ There is no way to hold something that is truly beautiful,
not without consequences.
There is a reason why roses have thorns. ❞
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31st December 1924
It was the last day of the year, and Rose never thought she'd be spending it at Thomas Shelby's manor. But alas, here she was, a Champagne flute in hand, her newly tailored dress feeling too tight on her body. Sienna had suggested she wore red, said it was "her color", but Rose had insisted on black. She thought it fitting: all she wanted was to bury the old year and start anew. But now, between all the blues and beiges and golds, she felt a little out of place. Guests were staring at her, or better said, staring at her back and legs, which the dress left exposed. When she'd asked Sienna to make her a backless long gown with a side slit, her sisters had almost passed out, but Sienna had loved the idea, and delivered it just as Rose envisioned it. She even said she'd start making more in that style, that this would revolutionize fashion and help free women from society's suffocating standards.
Rose sure hoped so, but with goosebumps running all over her skin, she wished she'd at least brought a coat. She was glad she'd brought her red stilettos though; it gave her a little bit of her identity back.
"Stop frowning," Angeline hissed, at the same time she grinned at a waiter to distract him from snatching two drinks from his tray. "You're going to ruin the family picture."
"You should be thanking her." Audrey, as always, came in her rescue. "It's only because of whatever she has going on with Thomas that we get to be invited to a New Year's Shelby Party and ogle all these dapper men."
"And women," Sienna added, interested gaze roaming over sequin dresses very clearly not for professional reasons. Most of the women glanced back.
"Please, we all know the reason why the infamous Thomas Shelby invited us is due to his unending and shameless interest in me." Nicolas smiled, and that was the one thing that made Rose's frown disappear. Things between them had been... strange. Lighter, but Rose still wasn't used to Nicolas not being around her all the time, not catching his eye in every room. He'd been more distant, but that had allowed both of them to breathe.
"And what do we 'ave here, aye?" Whiskey glass in hand, Arthur stumbled in front of them, letting his gaze linger on every woman. Finally, after tripping over himself and spilling some of his Scotch, he pointed at Rose. "I remember ya, pretty flower. But who are these other angels you brought with ya? Are they gonna take us to heaven—"
