Chapter 2

Despite her title the Honourable Lady Eloise Halsbury was neither very honourable nor much of a lady. An ill-advised, and mercifully short-lived, first marriage to a painter – a foreign one, at that! – had ruined her prospects of a respectable match amongst her own class, although she found it hard to care. Her father, who doted on her, had had a very profitable war and made an absolute fortune in munitions; she would never want for anything.

She now ran with a very fast set indeed – the idle children of the newly wealthy, the indulged younger children of the aristocracy, and, occasionally, a movie star or two. She took her pleasures when and where she fancied and to the devil with the gossip. That said it did you good to leave London occasionally. The men there could be so exhausting with their petty jealousies… and as for the women. My god, there were some she'd like to take a horsewhip to! And even the wildest parties, jazz clubs, and opium dens could become dull from constant exposure. Seeking to avoid a particularly persistent Italian racing driver she had rashly accepted an invitation from friends of her father's, which was why she now found herself part of an achingly dull shooting party in Warwickshire, throwing back gin cobblers as if her life depended on it.

She needed some excitement… preferably something risky and outrageous. If Sebastian had come up as he'd promised then she could have asked him to take her for a spin in his plane but he was still cooling his heels down in the wilds of Cornwall after an unfortunate incident with an Earl's (formerly) virgin daughter. One of the Edmund brothers might be persuaded to take her into town later though. There was bound to be something to do there even if it was far from the demi-monde in which she usually circulated. She'd heard that the Birmingham Palais was worth a trip. Who knew what kind of trouble she might be able to find there. In the meantime she had spotted a rather attractive groom in the stables behind the house and wondered whether he might be persuaded to take her for a ride somewhere secluded.

'I don't know why we have to come to this place', Arthur growled cracking his knuckles in irritation. 'I fucking hate this music.'

Tommy relaxed in his seat, stretching his long legs in front of him, and then responded with a sigh. 'We come to be seen, Arthur, you know that. So shut your fucking mouth and drink your fucking drink.'

By contrast, Eloise was thoroughly enjoying herself. The Palais was everything that she had been led to believe and more. There was music, dancing, drugs, and more willing and unsuitable men than even she could handle. Oh yes, her trip to the sticks had been well worth it. Dumping the dull Dickie Edmund on an unsuspecting shop girl she had begun to tour the room, coolly sizing up likely candidates. Finally she spotted a man around whom a sense of danger hung like smoke. He was surrounded by people, fetching this and that, handing him drinks, whispering in his ear yet he seemed quite alone and all the while his watchful eyes scanned the room coldly. He reminded her of a gangster she had once met in a speakeasy in New York. Her stomach roiled at the memory and she felt a pleasurable rush of moisture between her legs. Now that, she thought, had been a good night.

She grabbed a nearby dancer by the arm and asked her who the man was. The flapper peered over at the booth drunkenly and then reared back in shock.

'That's Thomas fucking Shelby, boss of the Peaky Blinders,' she slurred. 'Jesus, he's looking this way!' The woman shook off Eloise's restraining hand frantically, grabbed her partner, and they staggered off. Unafraid Eloise simply raised her chin arrogantly and met his gaze straight on. With a slight quirk of her lips and a tilt of her glass she toasted him then turned on her heels and walked off swaying her hips. That should get his attention!

Tommy watched her go, intrigued. Very few people ever dared return one of his cold stares. Men were usually frightened that he would explode in to violence. Even in the firm there were those who rarely looked him in the eye. As for women… well who knew what went on in their heads? Only Alice, with her gentle sweetness, had ever really learned to see behind the grim façade and still he kept a lot hidden from her. This woman was something different, something new. It was as if she wanted the violence and danger. She glittered like a diamond under the electric lights: cold, hard, and perfect. He would love to see her composure shatter as he took her. He hadn't been so instantly aroused by a woman since he was a lad. With a brief nod to Arthur he rose and followed her, the crowd of merry makers parting instinctively before him then surging together again once he had passed by.

She was stood close to the bar with a slight smile on her face, watching as he approached.

'A woman like you could get in to trouble around here', Tommy said mockingly.

'Well I should damn well hope so,' Eloise drawled back. 'Otherwise what's the point?'

He moved up to her, indecently close. She could feel his hard body pressing against her through the thin silk of her dress. His excitement was plain. Reaching down she brushed her fingers delicately along the length of his erection, smiling at the hitch in his breath.

'Well I don't have all night', she said sharply, pulling back. 'If we're going to fuck, let's get on with it.' She turned and strutted towards the exit, confident that he would follow.

Momentarily nonplussed, Tommy stared at her retreating back. That was definitely new! Desire tugging at him he strode after her.