Chapter nineteen: Misty


In spite of the wedding being sprung on everyone last minute, it was a joyous occasion. The vows had gotten to Kate and she'd found herself misting up during the vows. She blamed Polly of having given her that emotional talk, now had her reevaluating where she was emotionally.

She glances to where Thomas is by the bonfire, he's currently looking at John and Esme. In spite of this being an arranged marriage, the two of them are smiling and their body language shows that they're relaxed. No sign of any nervousness towards each other, Kate's even spotted them kissing on occasion. She shakes her head. Thomas was a man with maddening ideas, but this time, he appeared to have played his cards right.

Two shots being fired cause Kate to drop her purse and cup of ale. The mug fortunately doesn't shatter, so she picks it up and places it on a table. She inhales and looks around, wanting a moment to be alone.

"Kate?"

"Ah!" she spins around to see Thomas standing beside her a hand on her shoulder. She should have known he'd be watching her and have spotted her mishap. "God, you scared me! How do you do that?"

"I don't mean to startle you Kate." He studies her face closely. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." Kate exhales. Another shot is fired, causing her to jump. "I'm sorry."

"Come with me." Kate allows him to wrap a strong arm around her waist. Thomas weaves his way through the crowd and wagons to a small bench away from the revelry. "Better?"

She nods. "Yes. Thank you." she sits down and he sits down beside her, pulling his hat off and setting it on his knee. "Gunshots at weddings make me a little nervous."

"Understandably so." Thomas places a casual hand on her far shoulder, causing her to jump slightly. "I noticed you got a little jittery around the vows, but you stayed composed."

"I tried to stay calm."

"You did good." He's silent for a moment before asking. "If you don't mind my asking, do you know the reason why your fiancée was shot? Was it a hit?"

"He was German and we were still at war when we decided to marry." Kate's silent for a moment, knowing he's a soldier and she's waiting for the temper she knows he has, to surface again. "You can imagine no one was thrilled that I chose to marry such a man. But, he was born in England and despised the war. He couldn't even fight for England because he was crippled." He's still silent, so she finally looks at him. There's no anger on his face, and he appears to be absorbing the news calmly... "Tell me, do you find me despicable or unpatriotic for being willing to marry a German?"

"How long had you known him?" he inquires.

"Since I was around six or so."

"So, you grew up with him?" she nodded. "Well, not everyone gets the chance to marry their childhood sweethearts. Besides, you can't help who you loved before the war."

"Thank you." She was silent for a moment before asking. "Do you think John and Esme will have a happy marriage?"

"You saw that first kiss." Kate nods. "Like they've known each other for years. I knew he'd fancy her and she's the kind of girl he needs."

"Mhmm, maybe you should open up a Shelby matchmaking service if you've been able to pull this off." Thomas laughs at her statement, causing her to smile. He has a nice smile and he so rarely smiles. "You Shelby lot are rare men, each of you deserve to have someone who loves you beside them." Thomas nods, the look he gives her makes her slightly uncomfortable. She shifts so she can look upwards at the sky. "It's a beautiful night."

"It is. Perfect night for a wedding." There's a comfortable silence between them until he asks her. "Do you really believe that you'll never get married Kate?"

She nods, hoping he's not going where she thinks he's directing this conversation. "Yes, I'm certain of it."

"Why?"

"Because I'm a mess Thomas," he shakes his head in disagreement. "no man's going to want to take something like me on."

"That would depend on the man and don't sell yourself short Kate."

"It would take a very strong and determined man to make me fall in love with him. Frankly, I don't really think I know anyone with that kind of patience or strength."

He reaches over and toys with a strand of her hair. "I think you need someone like me."

Kate nods without thinking. "Possibly."

"Why not me?"

Kate stills ad looks up at him. That's when she sees the unbridled affection in his eyes for the first time. "Because…you're with Grace." Kate knows this moment's about to happen, but she wants to stop it.

"No, I'm not." He cups gently her face in both of his hands, before stepping closer to her. "I think…if I play my cards right-

"Thomas." she doesn't want this. She doesn't want things to change between them. "Please. Don't-

"Kate, just stop fighting me for one minute."

And that's when his lips met hers for the first time.

Kate's world swayed and she grabbed onto his wrists. He shifted closer to her, he worked his mouth gently against hers, coaxing her into this kiss. Kate fought, forcing herself not to surrender. Thomas's right hand moved to her waist and he tugged her out of her seat and into his lap. Kate was vaguely aware that she was semi-straddling him. Her heart pounded in her throat as something, possibly the chains around her heart broke and she held onto his shoulders as she felt this rush of emotions overwhelm her. He seemed to sense it as well, for he deepened the kiss. Each one of his kisses were firm in making his intentions towards her very clear. In that moment, she knew she'd lost the fight and she wasn't going to be going anywhere.

He gently broke this kiss, his face studying her expression carefully. "I knew it." he stated as inhaled deeply. 'I knew you were the one for me." she blushes at the confidence in his voice. She wished she could be as certain as he was about this whole thing.

She bites her lip before confessing quietly. "I was supposed to be leaving Birmingham this week."

His hands stilled on her waist for a moment, absorbing her words before asking. "And now?"

"Let's just say that," she tilts her face upwards towards him and smiles faintly. "you've now given me a reason to stay."

"Good." he leans forward and gives her a peck on the mouth. She blushes and moves to get out of his lap, but, he won't let her move. "Kate…pardon me for asking this, but was that your first kiss?" Kate looked up at him, surprised that he'd been able to deduce such a thing. "I know, you've been engaged but, it just felt as if it was your first kiss."

She whispered. "It…was actually."

"What?" he's clearly surprised. "You were engaged and the man never kissed you once? I'm sorry Kate, but…the man was a fool."

She glowered at him. "Emmett was a gentleman. I wasn't brought up in Birmingham! Holding hands was scandalous enough, so, kissing was completely out of the question, especially with my father. Besides insulting my dead fiancée isn't a good move on your part."

"I don't mean it like that." he says soothingly as he places his hands on her waist. "I simply mean Kate that, if I was engaged to you…you'd have forgotten how many times I kissed you." against her will, she blushes. "Propriety be damned." She pulled free and stood up, rubbing her neck in embarrassment. He took her hands and looked up at her from his spot on the bench "However, if he never kissed you, then you must still a virgin, then."

Kate nodded as she blushed. "Yes, I am."

"And I threw you at Kimber." She nodded again. "Why didn't you tell me that?"

"It's not the sort of thing a lady announces to a man. Besides, would it have even mattered to you at the time?"

"Of course it would have." Thomas stated with a glower. "I would have told him to f**k off cause you were engaged to my brother, or something like that." he stands up from the bench. "Why did you go in there?"

She was silent for a moment before stating. "Because you asked me to help. You're not the type of man to ask for help, unless you really need it. That alone, assured me that this deal was extremely important. But I didn't do it for you; I did it for the men who needed that job."

"He could have raped you."

"And whose fault would that have been?" she asks with a faint smile. He glowers down at her. "But nothing happened, it all worked out and those men have paying jobs now. It was worth the risk."

"I'm never putting you in another situation like that again," he brushes her cheek with his thumb. "I swear it."

"I do want to know," he runs his thumb over her mouth, swiping at the pink lipstick on her mouth. "why did you come in before the agreed time?"

"Because," he exhaled as he placed his hands on her waist and pulled her towards him. "I couldn't stand the thought of his hands on you."

Kate blushes faintly. "Well, nice to know you had feelings for me back then."

"I didn't…until I had you pinned against the wall during out argument." Kate started laughing at him. "I know, it was very complicated but…that was the first time I thought about kissing you. Probably would have, had Arthur not come barging in." she rolls her eyes. "But, I knew that my feelings for you were deep that night at the restaurant when we were out on the porch."

Kate nods. "I remember. You said some man was going to be loved by me, far more than he could ever imagine."

"I was speaking for myself." He admits. "Kate, I know you're used to all that fancy wooing but, I'm not that kind of man. Do you understand me?" she nods. "If I want to touch or hold you, I will. I'm not like your fiancée and it's clear that, you're…well, an innocent." she flushes red as she begins to understand his words. "I'll go slow, but you are going to learn that there are many ways for a man to express his feelings to a woman."

"No more, please." She's now so embarrassed that she can't look him in the face anymore.

"Kate," he places his hands on her shoulders. "I just need you to know that if you start to feel uncomfortable, tell me to stop and I will. Understood?" she nods. "I'll not force you into anything until you're ready."

"I won't be." He smiles at her as if he's heard that story before, but knows it's not going to end in her favor. "Alright then…I will let you, make love to me." he leans forward, but she puts a hand on his chest. "But as Mrs. Thomas Shelby. Not before. Understood?"

Thomas nods. "Yes." He takes her hand and starts to lead her back towards the revelry. "Well, time to get back to the family." Kate nods in agreement. "In time…maybe they'll be your family."

Kate offers no comment. For now, her heart is full and she feels so happy that she's almost certain that she can heart the angels in heaven singing for joy on her behalf. She's wanted this, someone to hold onto her for so long that she can't believe that this moment is actually here. But one thing was clear to her, she was at the most important point in her life and she was with the right man and from here on out, things could only get better.


Idcam: I had to rewrite this chapter three times. Knowing Thomas, he'll make certain that she falls in love with him.