When Vera reached up to peck Shay on the cheek, the smile he returned was genuine and his heart was aflutter. They were pretending to be husband and wife, and doing a damn good job at it so far, but that simple gesture of affection was something Shay hadn’t enjoyed for quite some time. It almost made coughing up a nearly outrageous sum of money for a suit an easier tonic to swallow. Pulling out a few bills from his pocket, Shay counted out 30 pounds and handed it over to Matilda, who took it and joined Shay in watching Vera leave. 

“Congratulations on your marriage, Mr. Fairclough. She’s a beautiful creature, reminds me of my youngest daughter, Adelia.” She said, a genuine affection in her voice, Shay could tell she was being genuine and not just being a good sales representative. 

“Aye, she had made me the luckiest man in all the isles. Not many women would see a tramp such as I like she does, and I still wake up and wonder how I got so lucky. If my wife is anything like Adelia, I would say you are one incredibly blessed woman, Matilda.” Shay said with a smile, and the older woman was beaming. 

After the exchange was finished, Shay headed out into the street and following Vera’s instructions, started up the car and giving it a few minutes to warm up, pulled it out into the street in a u-turn and he began to drive along, slower than usual, just to spot the red door. Pulling off to park, Shay shut down the car and stepped out of the cab, lighting a cigarette, which he puffed on without hurry. Vera wouldn’t need him for a while yet, and he imagined she’d have to take a few minutes to get measurements and pick out something she liked. That was the thing about women; for some reason, when it came to clothes, they could spend hours before being satisfied with their choices enough to pick out an outfit. 

Shay thought about what Vera had said earlier, about her aunt’s 13-plus bedroom mansion and how simplistic her views of things were. Work hard, you get rewarded with your dreams. Life wasn’t like that; Shay and his family had worked hard their entire lives, and he’d never lived much above the poverty line. He didn’t expect turning to a life of crime would pay out in the end, either. Either you were born to money, or you weren’t. A man like him could work himself to the bone every day of his life and he’d never amount to anything in a society that looked at people of his descent like subhuman filth. Maybe Vera would be successful and enjoy having houses too big for her and a veritable platoon of children one day, but he suspected she’d learn the hard way that simply working hard wasn’t going to bring her the opulence she craved.

He didn’t notice how far back the smoke had burned until its embers were beginning to singe his nose somewhat. Flicking the cigarette away, the Irishman headed into Lady Evelyn’s and stepped into the double red doors. Inside, he caught sight of Vera immediately speaking to an older, greying man who looked more like a carrion bird than a man. Shay decided he disliked him instantly.

Regardless, he approached. Draping an arm around Vera’s shoulders, he said, “Hello my love, apologies for my tardiness. Traffic is abhorrent this time of day. Have you found what you’re looking for?”