Tommy hesitated for a moment in telling Grace what he wanted to. There had only been one other in which he’d confessed such feelings too and that was long before France. He took a breath, ocean blue eyes falling upon her fair features whilst his fingers curled themselves against hers.      —     A rarity that it was that Tommy Shelby was rendered completely nervous and fearful to speak but Grace had that effect upon him.     “   I —   ”    why was he finding this so hard? perhaps it was because he felt their breaths dance with each other; their hearts finding a matching rhythm with the others. All he knew, was that with Grace, he was completely and utterly in love.     “   I love you, Grace.   —    I could not imagine a life in which you are not part of it.  ”

𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 - likely story. She had left with his horse that day and not looked back , except to TRAIN the horses of the Peaky Blinders . Business was kept through telegrams or one of the other Blinders . She never dealt with Mr. Tommy Shelby , or his woman . However , now she was delivering the horse for inspection . It turned her insides . She should have sent her apprentice - anyone else to their home . It had been long enough that her immediate anger of Thomas Shelby had turned into disappointment , but understanding . Aristocrats gossiped about everything , including The Shelby clan & their significant others . There was almost nothing secret in their world , even terrible dark secrets . 

CIGARETTE in hand , burning between her fingertips to calm he nerves , she quickly dispensed of it before stepping out of the truck and making her way to the home . The maids were quick to escort her , but where she did not know & whom. Seeing the LADY of the house , she internally bit her tongue .  ❝ Please , excuse my interruption - I’m delivering a horse for Mr. Shelby , & I must see that it’s given over to one of his kin before leaving & Inspected ,  ❞ she’s manicured and well rehearsed , POLITE & direct . 

𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 ▸ GRACE

𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝 - 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐤 . What could she be mad at her for ? There was no great love affair between she & Thomas . He had proven that when she took Grace’s Secret home & heard no word from him . No telegram , not even one of his goons to deliver a message . As far as she knew Grace was with another man - MARRIED. Thomas had held the same burning flame May held for her deceased husband , but for her. It was not her fault that she was a LIGHTHOUSE & Tommy WANTED to get burned . They both had need for one another in that moment & he had brought out something in her she thought was long dead. ❝ We met by chance , betting against each other for a horse . He’s horrible & remarkable in the same breath. There will never be another Thomas Shelby in our history or in the distant future … perhaps I was BEGGING to feel something - pick the most unattached MAN I could find .❞  She didn’t know why she was telling his wife anything. Neither probably wanted to hear her speak things out loud , that should have been kept in the depths of the dark. 

❝ We felt something for each other - I don’t delude myself to considering it love. There’s no beauty in what he does , it’s stripped and honest - he doesn’t parade around , pretending not to be who he is.  For him ENOUGH will never be enough & I can’t blame him & I hope my connections will help him become really LEGITIMATE, ❞  May had known Tommy intimately during their time together to know it was true . He had the same look in his eye as her father - you see WAR & anything , even getting yourself killed now , is better than hearing those SCREAMS in the night . ❝ but you & I both wanted the same thing - to feel alive , just as he does . He just chooses to feel alive with you & I no longer play second fiddle to GHOSTS. ❞

she could see why grace might have thought that she was- may carleton, desperate spinster, knowingly encroaches upon another woman’s well-to-do lover.  what else is there to say?  if she had believed that, then it wouldn’t have been surprising.  the fact she still seems to see some good in her, however, is.  

‘ because of what?  the epsom money? ’  she asks, slightly smiling.  maybe grace would like to thank her.  she decides she’ll stay standing where she is.  a true shelby, it seems, judges a woman’s worth based on her usefulness to them.  perhaps grace is learning the secrets of the best.