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When I was small, I was afraid of horses. Maybe it was because I once overheard my mother say horses could sense human emotion. I wasn't fond of that idea. This was probably due to the fact that as a child I felt to much. Cried too loudly. And then there was the silence. After my mother abandoned me and my brother I stopped speaking. It got so bad that Polly began to worry that the trauma of losing both my parents had caused me to go mute. Tommy was the one to convince her otherwise. One early morning the second eldest Shelby boy convinced me to go down to the stables with him. As he carefully held me up to pet one of there many horses he told me a story about learning how to control my fears. For if I didn't learn to control them they would likely consume me and I had to brilliant of a mind to let them consume me he preached. I began to go to the stables as much as I could after that never letting my voice be lost again.
I winced as Polly pulled the brush through my tangled hair again. The last few days the winds had been so out of control that my blonde locks had become one big knot of hair. I had been sitting on my bedroom floor letting her brush it for the past half hour and only now were we finally finished. After she curled it she pinned a few pieces back in hopes that her work would not be destroyed by nature again. "Are you two about ready Tommy's growing impatient!" Arthur hollard banging his fist on my bedroom door.
"Bloody hell beauty takes time you brute!" Polly scolded opening the door for her eldest nephew. Arthur's eyes were drawn to my instantly. His gaze lingered a moment taking in my days appearance. My face was subtly painted with a thin layer of makeup. My red dress shimmered when the sunlight hit it and my kitten heels made me just that bit taller where I could more properly look a man in the eye. I was a site to see or so Polly said. "Now go on you were the one complaining!" Polly ushered us out double checking I had all my things before she waved us off to Tommy's office. Sure enough Thomas shelby was pacing the length of the betting shop. Every few moments he would stare at his pocket watch and then glare at Johnn. Of course John would just shrug he had gotten used to me being late for events like this.
"Do I need to buy you a watch?" Tommy grumbled.
"Im two minutes late...I can leave and come back later if you would like," I warn walking over to John so I can pecked him on the cheek before leaving with his brother.
— Every eye turned to us when they heard my heels clicking on the floor. Normally stares would fall after seeing who walked in, but due to me being on the arm of a Shelby there eyes stayed glued to me. I could hear the higher class women whispering to each other. The word whore was dripping off there lips as if they knew me. For many women this would have made a lump grow in their throats and the feeling of sickness consume their stomachs, but it just made me smirk. The opinion of these women will never change the opinion of myself.
"So am I here to play you're whore?" I sneer at Tommy. "Because if that is the case there are things I need you to do in return."
"Oh really?" Tommy shakes his head. "What do you wish I would do for me?"
"Oh not for me Tommy. For your sister. I want you to let your sister be happy." A small grin grows on Tommy's face as he leans in to kiss my cheek.
"All goes well today and I'll make sure to lay of Freddie. Now come we have people to meet."
—
The way Billy Kimber was holding me as we danced made me physically ill his hands kept wandering lower as he pulled me close to him and inhaled my scent. If it wasn't for Tommy watching so closely I would have caused a scene. There would be a gun upside this man's head and me telling him to beg for forgiveness for treating women like objects. But this was business.
Once back at Kimbers home I held onto the promise that Tommy would be here soon. But the minutes were ticking by and Billy was getting drunker the lust in his eyes growing darker as he cornered me. "So you're one of the Shelbys whores." He slurred.
"Do you really think this is the right way to talk to women?" I questioned knowing he was not a fan of my attitude. "Please take your hands off of me Mr Kimber whatever you think we are doing here is not what's going to happen."
"No I think it is." In one quick rip he had exposed my chest. The door flew open revealing Tommy out of breath.
"I can't go through with this. My conscious got the best of me you were right Kimber she's a whore but she titled with disease this is not how I do business." Tommy pulled me out of there as fast as he could not saying a word as we drove back home.
