love knows no bounds | thomas shelby

a new generation begins

as thomas removed the toothpick from john's mouth, john scoffed, "she'd better be under 50."

with a nod, thomas whispered back, "go on."

as he stood at the front, eveline stood in between arthur and thomas. a hush then fell over everyone as john knelt beside his soon-to-be wife, her face veiled in mystery.

as the speaker declared, "we're here today to join in matrimony this man and this woman," polly and ada joined the ceremony. polly gracefully found a seat in the crowd, while ada stood beside thomas. eveline's attention remained fixed on the speaker, while thomas turned to face his sister.

"you look well," thomas complimented ada.

ada didn't respond, only meeting his gaze before casting her eyes downward, a quiet acknowledgment of his words.

"..which is sanctioned and honored by the presence and the power of these two families around us," the speaker continued. 

in that moment, the bride lifted up her white veil and flipped it to the other side of her head, revealing her face. john's eyes widened as he beheld his bride, and then he glanced back at thomas and eveline, nodding in satisfaction.

thomas and eveline exchanged a knowing smile, amused by john's reaction. 

"do you, john michael shelby, take esme martha lee to be your beautiful wife?"

thomas then asked ada why freddie hadn't joined her, and ada sadly replied that they weren't speaking anymore, even mentioning that her husband still refers her as a 'shelby' instead of her new last name, 'thorne.'

"there remains one more part of the ceremony. it's the mingling of bloods. where the two families become the one family."

as the speaker carefully carved a single line into john and his bride's hand, everyone watched in anticipation. eveline winced at this part, turning to thomas and murmuring that it was her least favorite part of wedding ceremonies.

with the line etched into their hands, the new couple linked their hands together.

"i now pronounce you man and wife!"

with excitement and joy, everyone rose to their feet, applauding and cheering for the newlyweds. it was a moment of celebration, marking the beginning of a new chapter in john's life and the union of the two families. 

the sun dipped below the horizon and night enveloped the gathering, the atmosphere shifted into one of exuberant celebration. music filled the air, mingling with the laughter and chatter of the guests. eveline found herself indulging in the festivities, accepting drink after drink with carefree recklessness. 

but as the alcohol flowed freely, its effects began to take hold. eveline felt a warmth spreading through her body, a pleasant buzz that dulled her senses and loosened her inhibitions. the world around her seemed to blur at the edges.

suddenly, a man from the blinders gang approached eveline, extending his hand and inviting her to dance. before she could respond, thomas intervened, slapping the man's hand away and ordering him to leave. but eveline, now defensive and emboldened by the alcohol coursing through her veins, protested.

"no, tommy, it's fine," she slurred.

above the blaring music, thomas leaned in close to eveline, his voice barely audible.

"you're proper drunk," he said, his brummie accent cutting through the noise. "you're sticking close to me for the rest of the night."

but eveline shook her head. ignoring thomas's warning, she gave her hand to the man who had asked her to dance. thomas moved to intervene, reaching out to pull her back, but eveline swatted his hands away.