Page 50 of The London Girls
‘Stop daydreaming about that fella of yours and come on down for some tea,’ Ava whispered in her ear. ‘You’ve got all night to be seeing his handsome face.’
Olivia laughed, opening her eyes and seeing her friend’s infectious smile, happy that her eyes weren’t as puffy as they’d been the day before. ‘Help me out of this, would you?’
Ava moved behind her and carefully unbuttoned the dress, helping her to step out of it and giving her an impromptu hug once she’d put her regular clothes on.
‘What is it?’ Olivia asked, seeing tears in Ava’s eyes.
‘Nothing! I’m just so happy for you.’
Olivia narrowed her gaze, not believing Ava’s words or her smile. ‘Ava, tell me. What is it?’ She studied her friend’s face. ‘Is this about what happened to you the other night, or ...’
Ava gave a quick sniff and wiped quickly at her eyes. ‘Let’s talk about it tomorrow,’ she said. ‘I just want today to be about celebrating you and Leo. Would you like to come and see my room? Grandma Ivy outdid herself making me feel at home.’
‘Ava!’ she demanded. ‘For goodness’ sake, just tell me.’
Florence walked in then, rubbing her eyes, her hair messy from bed. ‘I think I slept for nine hours,’ she mumbled. ‘And yet somehow I feel even more tired than I did yesterday.’
Olivia was still staring at Ava, both of them silent, and Florence suddenly seemed to notice what she’d walked in to.
‘Ava?’ Olivia asked again.
‘It’s Jenny,’ Ava whispered.
Olivia studied Ava’s face. ‘What’s happened to her?’
‘Jenny was hit by a lorry, the night of my crash,’ Ava whispered. ‘I stopped by to see George this morning, to let him know I had a change of home address, and he told me that she didn’t make it.’
Olivia’s eyes shut. It could have been her. She and Jenny often worked the same shift.
‘Did you know she was injured?’
Ava nodded. ‘I did. George told me when I came back all bruised and bleeding, but he didn’t want me to say anything. Notuntil he knew more about what had happened and what her condition was.’
Olivia hated that Ava had kept the news from her, but she understood. If George had given her an order, she would have obeyed and respected his wishes, too.
‘Was Jenny the other girl who was chosen that day?’ Florence asked. ‘The day we were all there?’
Olivia slowly nodded, taking a deep breath as she looked at her friends.
‘I didn’t want to tell you, not today,’ Ava said. ‘George was hopeful she was going to recover from her injuries, but in the end, they were just too severe. There’s going to be a little service for her tomorrow, so we can pay our respects.’
‘Should I still have the wedding? It seems wrong, I just—’
‘Olivia, this isyourday,’ Florence said. ‘We’re in the middle of a war, terrible things are happening all around us, but it doesn’t mean you can’t have a wonderful few hours this afternoon, all right? We all need this.’
Olivia straightened her shoulders and held her chin high. ‘Of course, you’re right. I just need a moment.’
‘Come on, let’s go downstairs and have tea and something to eat,’ Florence said gently, looping their arms together and leaning her head on Olivia’s shoulder. ‘No matter what, we’re going to make this day special. You hear me?’
‘Flo’s right,’ Ava said. ‘You deserve this, Liv. You deserve to marry your man and be happy, no matter what. And I don’t think I’m the only one who needs to be part of something joyful right now.’
Olivia nodded and smiled, letting herself be guided downstairs. They were right, she knew in her heart they were, but being happy amidst so much pain was much easier said than done. And it alsoreminded her that it wasn’t only Leo’s safety she had to worry about once he left; they’d been warned how dangerous their dispatch jobs were, but it wasn’t until today that she’d truly understood just how easily they could lose their lives.
She glanced at Ava, who was already standing beside Ivy and helping to fill the teacups. But it was her shoulder that Olivia was looking at – heavily bandaged, a reminder of how quickly her friends could be taken from her.
Ava looked up then, meeting her gaze, and her smile was a blend of warmth and sadness.
‘Grandma Ivy, are you sure you don’t have something stronger?’ Ava asked. ‘I think we need to toast our beautiful bride, and maybe help her nerves!’
