Lucie walked back into the pub, to see that Grace and Tommy were no longer talking at the hatch, instead she was serving others and he was no where in sight. 
                          
"Everything okay, Lucille?" Spoke an Irish accent.
                          
"All fine, Grace." Lucie replied plainly.
                          
Grace was lent against the hatch which led into the snug, where Tommy and two other Irish men were talking about the stolen guns. Lucie was obviously going to tell Tommy the woman was listening in, but she decided to wait.
                          
Tommy left the snug after a crazy singing Irish man was being pushed towards the door. Tommy stood in front of Grace at the bar. Not Lucie, Grace. 
                          
"I thought you only allowed singing on a Saturday." Grace asked, wiping the bar down.
                          
"Whiskey is good proofing water. It tells you who's real and who isn't." Tommy replied.
                          
'Well Tommy you should fucking know Grace isn't.' Was all Lucie could think, whilst she listened into there conversation.
                          
"And what did my country men want?" Grace was prying, and Tommy could tell.
                          
"Oh, they're nobodies, they drink at the Black Swan in Sparkbrook." 
                          
Lucie served a few customers, no wanting to listen to anymore of the conversation, although she listened back in when Tommy places two pound ten shilling on the bar for Grace. 
                          
Lucie felt a sort of anger bubbling inside her, but not the type that makes you scream, the type that fills you with pain.
                          
"Buy something red, to match his handkerchief." Tommy shouted as he began to leave.
                          
"Who's handkerchief?" Grace shout back.
                          
"Kimber's." Tommy replied.
                          
"Mr. Shelby!" Lucie shouted after him, stopping him in his tracks. 
                          
"What, Lucie?" Tommys tone was not near nice at all.
                          
"Did I not tell you, I took Mr. Kimber up on his offer, I'll be accompanying him to the races." Lucie spoke as she began to clean a dirty glass. By now Tommy had moved right in front of Lucie.
                          
"You've fucking what?" Tommy questioned, seeming mad.
                          
"I suspect it shouldn't be a problem Mr. Shelby, Harry gave me the day off, can't say no to Cheltenham now, can I?" Lucie smiled sweetly.
                          
"He'll have his slimy hands all over you Lucie, tell him no." Tommy gritted his teeth.
                          
Lucie remover her apron and folded it onto the bar, her shift was over. All she wanted was to go home. Now she'd have to figure out how to contact Billy Fucking Kimber.
                          
"But Mr. Shelby, that's no concern of you, I'm just a barmaid who watched your brothers children. I'll be seeing you a Cheltenham, Grace." Lucie began to walk out of the pub with Tommy hot on her tail.
                          
Once she'd reached out the pub doors she sped up her walk, however Tommy had grasped her wrist and stopped her, spinning her to face him. 
                          
"Are you fucking kidding me, Lucie? Eh? Kimber will do whatever he wants. You can't go with him." Tommy was angry. Really angry. 
                          
"Mr. Shelby. What I do with my time has no concern to you, enjoy it with Grace, it's clear to see you want to." Lucie looked at the floor, not at Tommy.
                          
"What's that supposed to mean Luce. Eh? Tell me." Tommy had started to shout, his grip on Lucie wrist tighten.
                          
"I think you forget who she really fucking is Thomas. Now let me go." Lucie shouted back. 
                          
"Be quiet."
                          
"Let me go." 
                          
"Come on." Tommy was pulling Lucie with him, walking towards Polly's home. He knew no one was in, and he wanted to explain everything to Lucie.

                          
The pair were now sat on Polly's settee. Tommy had ahold of Lucie's hands whilst he explain it to her.
                          
"I'm giving Grace to Kimber at the end of the races, which will give us time to burn his books. He gets two hours with her."
                          
Lucie looked down at her pale hands, fidgeting with her fingers. She felt so ignorant and stupid. She'd messed everything up for herself.
                          
"It's not true." Lucie mumbled almost incoherently. 
                          
"Eh?"
                          
"It ain't true. I'm not going the races with Kimber." Lucie said louder, she was so ashamed of lying. 
                          
"Right you aren't Luce, if you want to go that bad, you can come with us then." Tommy spoke, blowing smoke out of his mouth.
                          
"Thomas, look at me, this is how I'd turn up. It's an appealing offer but I just can't." Lucie was pained to say, but she had no money to buy a nice elegant dress to wear.
                          
"Alright then, but Harry gave you the day off anyhow, go see Pol or Ada." Tommy was only saying this, he'd already planned to buy the girl a dress to wear. In fact, he'd already bought it, he was picking it up in an hour. 
                          
"Yeah, have fun at the races with her then Thomas." Lucie gave a small smile, which was returned, but only for a second.
                          
"I'll see you later then Lucie." 
                          
"No you won't Mr. Shelby. I'm off for the rest of the night." 
                          
"I'll see you later Luce." And then Tommy left.
                          
He left to go and pick up Lucie's dress. Royal blue, and sequinned accents around the neck line. He just wanted to surprise the girl. The special girl.