VICES AND VIRTUES | Thomas Shelby

FIFTEEN

read thirteen & fourteen first!

"I feel like a fucking whale," Florence muttered as she sat in the car beside Elijah as they pulled into his parents' driveway, "I look like one too, this baby's going to come out the size of a full grown human."

"You do not look like a whale, Flo," Elijah assured her as he parked up alongside the other various cars belonging to the business associates they were expecting to dine with that night, "Anyone who says otherwise is wrong."

"How long will we be staying here tonight?" Florence sighed, "I've barely been sleeping the way this baby has been playing football with my ribs, and if I have to hear one word about George and Diana's plans for their trip around Europe I'm not sure I'll make it through the night."

The events of that night were an evening meal, hosted by the Harringtons for their closest business associates, as well as the two Harrington sons and their new wives. Margaret was reluctant to extend the invitation to Florence, but Elijah was adamant that he would only attend if Florence was by his side. The pair had become quite the team since the wedding, and Florence found herself enjoying it, knowing that she was married into a family well above what society would expect for her.

"Have you met my brother's wife?" Elijah sighed, turning off the car's engine, "Last time I saw them both she would not stop talking about Rome."

"You've never been this irked by her, clearly I'm rubbing off on you," Florence grinned, appreciating Elijah's newfound confidence.

"Being around you so much these past few months has allowed me to see the world through a different lens," Elijah explained, "I think people would expect it to terrify me, but I like it."

"When you say you like it," Florence muttered, "Do you mean you like my perspective of the world, or my Peaky Blinder connections?"

"Both," Elijah whispered, "Because together I think we'd be unstoppable without the shackles of my parents to hold us back."

"What are you implying?" Florence asked, immediately fearing the one thing she had been pleading Tommy to avoid.

"We could leave this city, with my money and your connections to a family like the Shelbys, we could build an empire of our own," Elijah suggested, "Without ever having to worry about breaking the rules."

"It's a nice idea, but there are two reasons it won't happen," Florence replied, leaning closer to Elijah, "Your mother doesn't need an extra reason to dislike me, and the second is that rules have never stopped me from trying to get what I want."

"They've made a right Peaky Blinder out of you, haven't they?" Elijah smirked.

"Which is why I think our best option is to stay here, because if we left we'd risk losing our links to the city," Florence told him, "Besides, if you don't have the Peaky Blinders as allies, you best start praying to the devil."

"So we stay put for the time being?" Elijah muttered.

"Indeed," Florence nodded, "Now, we better head inside before your mother blames our lateness on me."

"Alright then," Elijah answered in agreement, stepping out of the car and making his way around to Florence's side of the car, holding the door open for her before letting her take a hold of his arm.

Florence's confidence demeanour was a facade that she knew that she needed in order to succeed in the world that she had entered. Men didn't appreciate women who knew their own minds, but Florence believed that was something that needed changing. She deduced that as long as she kept up the facade eventually she could fool herself into believing that she was that type of woman too.