VICES AND VIRTUES | Thomas Shelby

NINETEEN

Losing Tommy seemed to be the only thing that had gone wrong in Florence's world. She had a baby on the way, a secure home and a husband who cared deeply for her. She couldn't ask for much more, and with each day that came the pain of the fractures between her and Tommy shrunk, and the love she had for Elijah slowly began to grow.

The pair existed in their perfect little bubble while they waited for the baby's arrival, Elijah would make any excuse necessary to work at home rather than at the brewery. Florence would sit in the office with him unless he had clients visiting, she'd sit on the chaise lounge opposite his desk, reading whatever book she had retrieved from the library. Elijah would find himself asking her opinion on business matters and she would eventually end up sitting on his lap at the desk, the pair using work as an excuse to live in each other's company.

"Just so you know, I'm still adamant that's a girl," Florence muttered as she sat in bed with her back resting against Elijah's bare chest, as he rested his back against the headboard of the bed.

"Do you have any ideas for names?" Elijah asked, running his hand up and down her arm.

"I have a few," Florence smiled up at him, "I know your parents will despair about a modern name, but I won't have our child being named something that belongs in the previous century."

"In their world of tradition, they'll want us to call her Margaret," Elijah told her, kissing her shoulder.

"I'm not naming our child after your mother, Elijah," Florence replied, "If there were any women for me to name this baby after, it'd be my mother or Polly."

"Polly's real name is Elizabeth isn't it?" Elijah muttered, "What about something like Eliza?"

"I'd like that," Florence nodded, but she knew deep down that the baby's name would choose itself the minute the woman would set eyes on her child, "My grandmother was called Rose, that'd be a beautiful name."

"And have you got any ideas in the event that the baby may in fact be a boy?" Elijah asked.

"I do," Florence whispered, turning to face Elijah, "But I'll be saving them for our future children."

"Our future children, huh?" Elijah smirked, unable to hide his happiness, "How many do you suppose we'll have?"

"Eight," Florence joked with a smile, pressing her lips against his, "Enough to fill every bedroom in this house."

"Eight?" Elijah grinned as his lips melted into hers, threading his hands through her hair.

As he ran his tongue over her bottom lip Florence couldn't help but smile, whispering, "Posh boys don't kiss like that."

"Yes they do." Elijah muttered against her lips.

"Do you have to work today?" Florence sighed as she rested her head against Elijah's chest, cradling her baby bump as her white nightdress clung to her skin.

"Unfortunately yes," Elijah replied, kissing the top of her head, "I can't let our child's inheritance crumble can I?"

"Indeed," Florence smiled, reaching over to the drawer of her nightstand and pulling out several small photographs as her back rested against Elijah's chest, "Ma gave me these last time I saw her, thought you'd want to see what our little lady will look like."

"You're still convinced, aren't you?" Elijah grinned, kissing the girl's shoulder.

"I know you weren't brought up around gypsy traditions, Eli, but Polly has never been wrong before," Florence assured him as she handed him the photos.

"You were a charmer from day one weren't you?" Elijah sighed, flicking through the photos with his arms around Florence, so they could see the photos together.