Page 59 of The Secret Librarian
‘Avery, about what happened the other night, about what I said ...’
She folded her arms and waited for him to finish.
‘I wanted to say that I’m sorry. I was out of line, threatening you like that, but I am worried about you,’ he said. ‘I would hate for something to happen to you, that’s all, and I felt like I owed it to you to keep you safe. To preserve the integrity of what we were sent here to do.’
‘I appreciate your concern, but I know what I’m doing,’ Avery said. ‘All I’ve ever wanted was to do this job to the very best of my ability – to prove that it wasn’t a mistake, my being chosen to come here.’
‘That letter confirms that for you?’ he asked.
She nodded, not able to resist a small smile. ‘As a matter of fact, it does.’
‘Well, then I’m pleased for you. Whatever you’re doing, it must be worth the risk,’ he said.
Avery slipped the letter back into the envelope and placed it in her purse, deciding she didn’t want to leave it on the table for any prying eyes, despite the contents being so glowing.
‘Avery?’
She glanced back at Tom.
‘I want you to know that I’m here for you. Whatever was said between us, we’re on the same side. You can always come to me if you need me, no questions asked.’
‘Thanks, Tom,’ she said, smiling as she walked past him and heading down the stairs and out the door to where Camille was waiting. It would certainly be nice not to have so much tension between them, and she knew it couldn’t have been easy for him to back down like that.
‘Nothing you couldn’t handle?’ Camille asked, offering her arm.
Avery slipped her arm through Camille’s as they set off down the road. ‘Nothing I couldn’t handle,’ she repeated.
And she meant it. When she’d been picked for the job and sent to Lisbon, she’d wavered between being excited and wondering how anyone could possibly think she had the right skills for the job. But she no longer felt like that. Avery knew she was the right woman for the job now, and so long as she could keep finding exclusive material to send back to Washington, she knew that she’d never doubt herself again. Or at least she hoped so.
‘I have to say, I was surprised when you agreed to see me tonight.’
Avery glanced up, her hand on the stem of her wine glass. William had been nothing other than charming and sweet so far, and she was pleased she’d come, although it was abundantly obvious that he was interested in being more than just friends.
‘Why were you surprised? I’m fairly certain you don’t have a problem with ladies agreeing to dates.’
He grazed her hand with his knuckles, and she fought to hold his gaze. He was bold, and she wasn’t used to bold. She slowly pulled her hand away to put some distance between them.
‘Let’s just say that I thought your interests might be elsewhere,’ he said. ‘Either way I’m very pleased to be spending the evening in your company.’
Avery had already had a glass of wine, and she was being careful not to take more than tiny sips of her second, but she feared that if their dinner didn’t come soon, she would start to feel light-headed. Certainly she was going to wait until she’d had her first course before she attempted to stand and walk to the bathroom. William was well through his second drink and had already waved the waiter over for another.
‘My sources tell me you’re rather good at acquiring newspapers and the like,’ William said, as their dinner finally arrived.
The plate of food in front of her smelt amazing, and Avery stalled by taking a small mouthful as she tried to figure out how to reply. He was certainly very direct, but she was used to telling her cover story and he wasn’t going to rattle her so easily.
‘Your source is correct,’ she said. ‘I’m here to acquire books of interest from all countries, as well as relevant newspapers, to ensure that our central library at home has a full record of the war.’
‘Our government has a similar initiative, although I do wonder if it’s slightly more clandestine than they care to admit.’
‘Really?’ She purposely let her eyebrows shoot up in surprise. ‘That’s interesting, because my instructions are very clear, and I’m to ensure zero involvement in anything covert, so to speak. It’s all very much above board and transparent.’
‘I take it you’ve heard about the Allied operative arrested in Spain?’
Avery swallowed, her food suddenly very dry in her mouth. ‘When you sayoperative...’
‘Sorry, my terminology was too loose. She may well have had a job similar to yours. I believe she did something called microphotography, although I may have the terminology wrong. Anyway, she was arrested just last month on suspicion of being a spy for some of the materials she’d managed to acquire. I thought you would have heard?’
William spoke as if he were talking about the weather or some other trivia, and she had the distinct feeling that he’d told her to see how she would react.
