Juliet releases her hair from the tight pinwheel curls that she had slept in to ensure perfection in her curls for today. She clips her brassiere at the back before rolling up her stockings before beginning to do her makeup. She applies some kohl to her eyes before applying powder to her face. Then she swipes rouge on her lip, a shade to match her dress. She gently slid her red dress on, as not to mess up her curls, it had a daring neckline and a small slit on the left side which showed some of her stocking covered thigh. Juliet then clips a pearl necklace that had a ruby attached around her neck before sliding on her rings and bracelet.
She walks through the streets of Small Heath and heads inside the Garrison to wait for Tommy. When she hears the crunch of gravel, accompanied by the roar of a car engine, Juliet steps out of the pub and her eyes meet Tommy's. The man hops out of the driver's seat before opening the passenger door and offering her his hand which she takes, slipping her gloved hand into his own before getting into the car. Tommy then closes the door before sliding into the driver's seat.
"Is it just us going to the races?"
"Something like that," Tommy says.
Juliet mulls over the words and can only assume Arthur and John would be making an appearance at Cheltenham and not a pleasant one at that.
"Are you sure we're allowed in here?" Juliet asks as they weave through the jockeys who were all drinking and laughing merrily.
"Well, I prefer to come to the races the back way," Tommy says. "Keeps me out of trouble. Tracks are lawless places. Can't stand petty criminals. This way,"
"There's some irony to that," Juliet mumbles. "So what do you class yourself as if not a petty criminal?"
"An illegitimate businesman,"
"Will we get to lay a bet?"
"Nah. Gambling's for mugs. This way," Tommy takes her hand in his and continues to lead her through the back entrance. "You're lucky you're with me or you'd be wasting your money on fixed races"
"I always wondered, how do you fix a race?" Juliet asks.
"How should I know?" Tommy says and Juliet rolls her eyes. "Okay. You do the talking"
"What?"
"Tell security you are Lady Sarah. Excuse us. Excuse us. Lady Sarah Duggan of Connemara. You got lost when you went to look for the boy riding your horse. Uh, Dandy Flower. If they ask about me, say that I'm Prussian. Don't speak a word of English. Come on, posh girl. Earn your three quid,"
"Hello," Juliet says, shooting the man a soft smile which has him returning the smile and with that Tommy knew that Juliet had him under her spell. "My name is Lady Sarah Duggan of Connemara, my partner and I were looking for the boy who rides my horse. He gets bad performance jitters and then we got lost on our way. We are awfully sorry about the inconvenience"
"Why's he not speaking?"
"He's French," Juliet whispers to the man as if it's a large secret. "Fought with my brothers in France and he came back to England, an orphan from a young age you see. But he's still not very good with English yet. Come along Jacques!"
Tommy nods as the security man lets them past.
"You sure know how to tell a story,"
"I manage to write a successful book about a fantasy land and me telling a lie is what seals my story telling ability for you?" Juliet scoffs.
Tommy just offers her a smile and she shakes her head.
"I still prefer The Garrison," Tommy mutters. "Do you dance?"
"If I am asked properly,"
"Lady Sarah of Connemara, will you dance with me?"
Juliet looks at Tommy's outstretched hand with a sigh before her gloved hand takes his and he leads her to the dance floor. The pair begin to dance along to the music, Tommy clearly enjoying himself as the brunette woman's perfume invades his senses.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
After a while of dancing, Tommy looks at his pocket watch before they begin moving purposefully across the dancefloor.
"Either your left leg is stronger than your right or we're making a getaway," Juliet says.
"Neither,"
"If razor blades make an appearance I am leaving and sitting in the car,"
"I've decided to move up in the world," Tommy says. "Become a legitimate businessman"
Tommy opens a side door to reveal Arthur who had clearly been in a fight.
"We chased the Lees across the track right the way down the Devon Road," He says, clearly out of breath. "We got every penny back. Nice dress Jules. You can wear that in my pub"
"Buy the boys a drink," Tommy says, taking the bags from Arthur. "Anyone hurt?"
"Ah... A few cuts and bruises," Arthur says.
"Off we go, Lady Sarah," Tommy says.
As Tommy heads for Kimber, Juliet decides to stand at the bar.
"Gin, skip the tonic," The woman says with a smile and the bartender nods.
Juliet sips on the drink as Tommy approaches her.
"So, listen, uh... We're gonna go for dinner at Kimber's house. He has a place a couple of miles away. I have some business to settle first with his accountant, so you go on ahead with Kimber"
"Just me and him?" Juliet asks, not liking the plan at all.
"Yeah. Till I'm done here," Tommy says. "Is that all right? Look, I'll throw in an extra three quid for your extra time"
"You think I'm a whore," Juliet says. "I thought from our first conversation I made the answer to that very clear"
"Everyone's a whore, Juliet. We just sell different parts of ourselves," Tommy says. "Like how you sell your imagination for others who lack it to consume. You said you wanted to work for me. To do that you have to sharpen up. The deal is, I'll give him two hours with you. He thinks he's a ladies' man. He thinks he can seduce you. Whenever you want, just kick him in the balls"
"I'm a clause in a contract,"
"If you wanna be part of my organisation, you have to make sacrifices,"
"And how far does it go until it ends up with my life being sacrificed?" Juliet asks.
