Page 24 of The Secret Librarian
She stared at his hand for a moment, tempted to turn on her heel and leave him standing there, but she was in a strange city withno friends, and she was inclined to at least introduce herself. Not to mention Tom still hadn’t found her, despite the fact she was one of very few women in the bar.
‘Avery Johnson,’ she said, pressing her palm into his and appreciating how gently he shook it. She couldn’t stand a man with a rough grasp. ‘Librarian,’ she said, receiving a chuckle in response.
‘You’re not even lying, are you?’ He laughed.
That made Avery laugh, too. ‘I’m truly not! When I said I was the most librarian of librarians, I was being deadly serious!’
‘Well then, Miss Avery the Librarian, who might be the only person telling the truth in this entire hotel, what do you say we have another drink and start over? I fear that I’ve spent so long away from home that I’m starting to lose my manners and expect that everyone is telling lies.’
She sighed and took another little sip of her drink.
‘So, what brings you to the Hotel Avenida? Have you been before?’ he asked.
‘I’m supposed to be meeting a—’ She stopped herself before she saidcolleague. ‘A friend. But I haven’t located him yet.’
‘Ah, well, perhaps I can keep you company until you find said friend,’ he said.
‘You’re British?’
‘Guilty as charged. American?’
Avery nodded.
‘This bar is full of Brits, Yanks, Germans and Japs,’ he said. ‘Heck, there’s probably a few Russians as well. It’s the only place in Europe that you’ll find enemies smiling politely under the same roof, which is why I’m used to finding almost every word that comes out of most people’s mouths here to be a complete and utter fabrication.’
Avery digested what he was saying, looking around and immediately trying to pick out the Nazis. She’d known before shecame that Portugal was home to the enemy as much as it was to the Allies, but actually being in a room with them was most unsettling.
It was as she was glancing around that Avery saw an elegant blonde woman holding on to the arm of an equally good-looking blond man. She recognised her as the bookstore owner, and him as the rather intimidating man who’d walked in while she was there. Avery turned, about to ask her new friend if he was acquainted with Camille, when a hand clapped over her shoulder.
‘Avery! You made it!’
Tom was standing there, a drink in hand and a big smile on his face, looking like the happiest man in the world now that he’d set eyes on her.
‘I thought I was never going to find you,’ she said. ‘I can’t believe how busy it is here.’
‘Well, I heard there was a very attractive American at the bar, so I knew where to look,’ Tom said, before turning to James, who was facing the bar now, his focus very much on his drink as he stared into it. ‘This a friend of yours?’
Avery gestured to James. ‘Just a gentleman who’s been keeping me company while I was alone,’ she said. ‘James, this is Tom. Tom, meet James.’
The two men shook hands, and she stood rather awkwardly as they made small talk.
‘I expect I’ll see you around,’ Avery said. ‘Thanks for the drink.’
‘Watch out for those Nazis,’ James murmured, and she shook her head and laughed, not sure whether he was teasing or being serious.
Avery took Tom’s arm when he offered it, happy to keep hold as they navigated their way to the far corner where his friends were waiting to meet her. She glanced around as they walked, looking for Camille, but she must have been tucked away out of sight because Avery couldn’t spot her blonde head anywhere.
‘Avery, I’m very pleased to introduce you to this raucous bunch,’ Tom said. ‘Although I caution you to forget them all after tonight and never see them again without a chaperone.’
That made all the men around the table erupt into laughter, and Avery politely shook each of their hands and sat where they made space for her, trying her absolute hardest not to look back to the bar to see if James was still sitting there staring into his drink.
‘I’m more than happy to walk the lady home,’ James said, proffering his arm a few hours later when it was almost time for the hotel bar to close.
Tom was a little unsteady on his feet, but seemed determined to make the most of his last night in Portugal, and despite not knowing James, Avery felt walking with him was preferable to making her way alone. She also had no interest in joining her group to gamble – they had supposedly arranged a car to take them to the Hotel Palácio Estoril and then the nearby casino. Portugal was proving to be an entirely different world to anything she’d ever imagined, so she was thankful James had noticed her predicament.
‘You’re certain it’s not an imposition?’ she asked.
‘I’d be grateful for the company, truly.’
