read chapter nine before this one!!!! Florence and Elijah's outfits for this chapter!
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"Are you ready, Florence?" Margaret asked from the other side of the door as she stared at herself in the mirror, "The car's ready for you and Elijah."
"I'll be there in just a moment," Florence answered, feeling increasingly self conscious in the expensive dress that covered her body.
It was the day of the Cheltenham races, and Florence was making the final touches to her appearance in order to attend alongside Elijah. It had been suggested that Florence stay at the Harringtons' home the night beforehand, so that she wouldn't have to be picked up from Small Heath, given that it was further from Cheltenham. So she slept in one of the many guest bedrooms, hoping that her sleep wouldn't be ended prematurely by the call of morning sickness that had plagued her for the past few days.
She still hadn't found a moment to tell Tommy, even though their relationship had been the same as always, she just wasn't sure that she was ready to break it to him. She knew that he would most likely be overly protective of her and the unborn child, urging her not to overexert herself or put herself at risk.
Margaret had bought Florence a dress for the races, her justification was that it would only be a societal embarrassment for the woman on her son's arm to look anything except perfect. Since she visited with the intention of meeting Dakota, Florence had slowly found herself feeling more comfortable in Margaret's presence; she assumed that George and Elijah must have had a firm word.
Both Elijah and Florence were surprised by his parents' delight when they suggested that they represent the family at Cheltenham. Florence assumed that she was the last person Margaret would want beside her son, but the way Margaret saw it was all driven by business. She heard that the idea was Florence's and realised that the girl had more of a business brain than she had first assumed, so she decided she was willing to give her a chance to prove herself.
The dress was black, which Florence felt helped disguise her stomach, not that there was a bump to conceal yet. It was more lavish than any dress she had worn before, with delicate beads sewn into it, the top half a lace cami style top with sheer chiffon covering it.
Her hair was pinned back, letting the front sections frame her face. She had opted for red lipstick, hoping to make an impression when Tommy would lay his eyes on her. She knew that Tommy would be stunned when he saw her, he didn't have a clue that she was going to be at Cheltenham, let alone that she'd be with Elijah Harrington.
Once she was truly happy with her appearance she picked up her bag, which contained her revolver, aware from her previous run in with Billy Kimber, that there was always a chance of trouble when he was near. She knew that Tommy would be spending his time sweet talking the man, perhaps that's why he was taking Grace, as a sweetener.
She opened the bedroom door to see Margaret waiting eagerly, an overly friendly grin that unsettled Florence immediately, "Darling, you look lovely."
"Thank you, Margaret," Florence smiled awkwardly as the pair made their way down the hallway.
