Red On Her Hands | Tommy Shelby

Chapter Ten

C h a p t e r T e n

It was not as difficult for Lynette to find the location of John's wedding reception as she had assumed it would be. As she followed Tommy's directions, she could hear music in the distance and see the faint glow of a bonfire in the distance. The celebration were already in full swing, she had been told by Tommy that Gypsies loved a party.

He had even explained that the Shelby brothers were part Romani Gypsy from their mother's side, and that this had allowed him to make peace with the Lee family. She was concerned when she heard that the deal for a cooperation to end the war between them included an arranged marriage. But from the sound of things, the surprise wedding had gone well.

As she entered the clearing that was inhabited by the Gypsies and also the venue for the reception, she couldn't help but stop to admire the scene before her. She smiled at the sight of the men she knew from the Blinders drunkenly dancing along with the music played on the fiddle and the accordion.

The area was covered in bold flowers, even the colourful wagons were coated in them. Benches with platters of food and an impressive amount of alcohol lined the outer edge of the open area, as well as tables for the guests to sit.

"Red!" someone exclaimed, drawing out the nickname.

Lynette looked to her right to see a ragged looking Arthur staggering towards her, an open bottle of rum in hand and a childish grin on his face. She laughed as the man enveloped her in his arms, the smell of the alcohol overwhelming her senses as he started to rock her.

"It's good to see you, Lass," he murmured.

She pushed him away gently so he was stood in front of her, an amused smirk remained on her face as she watched him stumble in his place. "Enjoying yourself?" she teased.

"Of course I am, it's a fucking wedding!" he laughed.

"Lynn!" John cheered as he joined them, his arm wrapped around the shoulders of a pretty brunette. "This is my beautiful wife, Esme."

Lynette smiled to the girl as she stepped forward to shake her hand. "Congratulations, you look gorgeous."

Esme thanked her, before they spoke for a few minutes about the wedding. John explained that Lynn worked in The Garrison and that the two women would get to see a lot of each other once Esme moved in. Then a mischievous smile appeared on his face.

"We are going to get back to celebrating," he began gesturing to he and his wife, Arthur having already vanished. "But you should go join our Tommy, he's been expecting you."

Lynette's gaze followed the direction that John had pointed in, across the lot she saw Tommy sat at one of the tables with Polly. She left the newlyweds to join the dancing couples as she headed in the direction of the table.

"You two seem to be far more sober than the rest," she teased as she seated herself on the closest chair, which was next to Polly.

Polly turned to greet the woman with enthusiasm, Lynn complimented her outfit as she examined the expensive hat on Polly's head. She then looked across the table to Tommy, who watched the pair with a small smile on his lips.

"How are you?" he asked, before taking a draw of his cigarette.

"Good," she nodded.

She attempted to hide any shyness in her voice and body language, but she knew that she had failed once she noticed both of the Shelby's smirk. Tommy cleared his throat as he dropped his cigarette in an ashtray on the centre of the table. He stood from his chair, straightening his suit as he did so.