𝐋𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐲
𝐌𝐘 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐆 . May Carleton is extremely hurt by Tommy’s actions and lack of actions. At one point in Season 4 she tells him that he ‘bites like his horse.’ This speaks volumes to May, because horses bite for numerous reasons, but Tommy seems to only fall into a few categories that could be true as far as May sees it. 1) Fear. He’s not so much afraid of her, but afraid of being with her or what being with May means, so he has to push her away. He could be afraid of changing, to her, because that’s the only thing he really knows how to do. 2) Dominance. In the heard a horse will bite to show dominance and it seems like that’s what he’s doing to May. He’s trying to re-establish a different type of relationship after he tries to tell her off. Pretend she doesn’t understand him. 3) Redirecting aggression. Tommy’s on edge during this time, because the italians are in his backyard. He’s got all of this pent up aggression & anger and he’s now re-directed it to May. He’s impatient and takes it out on her.
My May would never actually say anything about Tommy Shelby that’s relevant information. Nothing that would give away anything. She can’t pretend that she doesn’t really know him, because maids gossip and she has kissed him multiple times on her grounds and at the derby. It’s just not feasible. It’s not in her nature to seek revenge by telling Mosley anything. Could she? Absolutely, but she still cares deeply for Tommy even if he doesn’t for her and she genuinely doesn’t want the Shelby’s to get hurt.
How May knows Mosley is something I will discuss in another post. I just want to evaluate what Mosley said about May and how she knows Tommy. What’s the higher up social circle saying about her.
Mosley describes May as knowing Tommy, but barely remembering anytime that she spent with him or knowing much about him. He equates May knowing tommy as ‘after you get off a 3 day binge of drugs and alcohol’ which probably isn’t not correct? Especially in May’s case. It’s not so much that it wasn’t a cherished time in her life for a brief period, but it’s inappropriate for her to really talk about it. May has to act like she can barely remember speaking or talking to Tommy, let alone doing business with him because her reputation is at stake. She risked it earlier for him when he was just a gangster and she was willing to help him rise in the ranks as she could.
May tells Tommy at one point that he thinks his people are bad, but he should try hers on. Then I believe next season he does end up telling Polly or someone else ‘that these people are worse than theirs.’ May can never be real and any true hurt or time she enjoyed with Tommy cannot be expressed to anyone. She’s not close friends with Mosley, most likely she’s friends with his wife, Lady Mosley, at the time and not Diana Mitford. She might see him in passing or even grew up with him to a degree, but was not a close confidant of his. She would probably confide in Edith, her nanny, but not Mosley.
Acting as if he was insignificant in her life diminishes any rumors about them. It also won’t hurt Tommy’s campaign, because she’s a widow of a war hero/veteran and businessman & her father is a member of the conservative party. It would not look nice to be involved with May Carleton at that point.
Saving face would also be a big motivation, as she was left at the race tracks without word from him. It’s a large blow to her reputation. He’s a bad 3 day binge that went wrong and everyone will excuse her for it, because she’s a ‘silly’ woman and it wasn’t a serious romance. A dalliance. It doesn’t matter that inside she really began to feel something for him and she can never express it.
May Carleton is not foolish to ever say anything about the Peaky Blinders. She’s too proud to ever show the hurt or the true bitterness that she feels in regards to the relationship. She’s too prideful to be a silly girl and want something that does not want her back.
