Chapter 3

Tommy had met many hedonists in his time - indeed his business relied upon them – but Eloise was in a different class entirely. Her desires were so wide-ranging and her appetites so large, that he was both attracted and repelled. There was no act of debasement that she was unwilling to perform nor vice in which she would not engage, or if there was he had yet to identify it. Even the behaviour of the Grand Duchess paled by comparison. She was utterly different to Alice.

Sex was a case in point. With Alice, their couplings had always been intense but tender, an endless source of comfort. In contrast that first night with Eloise had been exquisite but vicious. She scratched, she bit, she punched… at one point she had even wrapped her slender hands around his throat and squeezed until his vision began to blur. Everything she did seemed calculated to cause as much pain as it did pleasure and she goaded him in to treating her just as cruelly.

Disturbed, Tommy recognised something in her that also lurked deep within himself, something which had fought to take control of him ever since his time in France. It was the bit of him that marked him as his father's son and now it was free. Tommy was disgusted with himself, with his weakness, but Elise had burrowed into his soul like a canker, rotting it from the inside out.

Within a month, Eloise was firmly ensconced at Arrow House and living openly as Thomas Shelby's mistress. For his part Tommy seemed mesmerised by her and, as the weeks went by, he fell more and more under her control: he neglected the business; he neglected his family; he even kept his distance from Alice. Everything was focused on keeping Eloise happy and deadening the pain inside.

Finally pushed beyond endurance by the scandal of his daughter publically taking a gangster for a lover, Viscount Halsbury issued Eloise with an ultimatum: return to the family home and remain there, or be disinherited. When none of her usual ploys to bring him round managed to shake his determination Eloise demanded that Tommy marry her. Her fury when he hesitated led to unparalleled levels of cruelty and spite on her part followed by hysterical tears, and, eventually, subtle suggestions that she might be pregnant. Worn down with self-loathing and feeling that he had no other option, Tommy eventually capitulated. Decision made he refused to listen to reason.

'You abided by my decision with Grace, and you'll abide by this one' he said firmly to his aunt. 'I'm marrying Eloise next month and that's an end to it.'

And how well did the last marriage go? Polly thought sourly, although she was wise enough to keep her lips buttoned on that particular issue.

'Her father's as rich as god', he continued. 'When we have our hands on his money we won't have to worry ever again. We could go legit. Hell, we could all retire!'

'You know that he's said he'll cut her off', Polly responded scornfully.

'She'll still have access to her annual income – that's from her mother's family and her father can't touch it. Anyway he'll come round when she's married.'

Who is it you're trying to convince, Polly wondered, me or yourself? 'Even if he does come round his money is so soaked in blood it makes ours look fresh-minted. He was a war profiteer for god's sake. Him and his kind did more damage to us and ours than the Huns', she hissed. 'By god but you'll live to regret this Tommy Shelby'.

'That had better not be a threat, Pol', he responded tightly. She could see a muscle ticking in his jaw, never a good sign.

'Of course it's not a damn threat. It's a foretelling.'

Fists clenching in anger, Tommy stalked from the room.

Lowering herself wearily into the chair nearest the fire, Polly began to rub gently at her temples. She definitely had a headache brewing. In some ways she knew that she should have been happy with Tommy's news. It was what she and Alice had planned for after all: a wife for Tommy who could bring the family money and connections whilst Alice raised little Jack in relative safety. Eloise certainly had the money and connections even if her father did disinherit her. Unfortunately she also had all the warmth and personality of a pit viper. She treated Tommy's brothers and the rest of the men with open contempt and in return they despised her. They seldom came to the house now and all business was completed in the company offices where they knew they would not have to encounter her. Even the servants, who were schooled to overlook the bad behaviour of their 'betters' were beginning to make their displeasure known. It was hard to conceive of Tommy making a worse choice of bride and she really was not looking forward to telling Alice.

With a humourless laugh she realised that she actually missed Grace.