Page 61 of The Secret Librarian
‘No, I was just ...’ She cleared her throat and leaned in, even as her mind was racing, as she tried to come up with another lie. ‘I feel very unsettled knowing that we’re surrounded by the enemy, and a Japanese man just walked past the door.’
That seemed to be enough to placate William. ‘It is unsettling, I’ll give you that.’
‘My father would have a heart attack to know I was virtually rubbing shoulders with the enemy here. I wouldn’t put it past him to demand a seat on the next plane heading to Portugal to drag me home himself.’
William laughed, and they both went back to eating their meals, although it took every inch of Avery’s willpower not to keep looking out for James, her heart racing as she tried not to panic that he was back. Because it didn’t matter what Camille had told her, she still found it hard to believe that he’d been a traitor to his country, and she was tempted to ask James outright to explain himself if she could find him before Camille did.
A commotion near the door caught her attention then, and William stood, dropping his napkin to the table as men in uniform approached their table. Avery’s breath caught in her throat.
‘What is the meaning of this interruption?’ William asked, stepping slightly in front of her to obscure her view of the men. But she immediately knew who they were, recognising the shorter, overweight man who’d been in Camille’s shop on the day of the raid.
They were from the PVDE.
‘We would like to speak to the young woman behind you, about her association with a French woman by the name of Camille, who we believe may be illegally assisting Jewish refugees and selling contraband books from her bookshop.’
‘And you have evidence of this, or are you merely on a fishing expedition?’
‘The lady behind you has been seen at the square, and frequenting the bookshop, which is why we’d like to have a word.’
‘It is now a crime to be charitable to the needy or indeed indulge in buying books?’ William laughed. ‘Because if that’s the case, then you may as well arrest me while you’re here.’
Avery’s entire body trembled, but she refused to let anyone else see how scared she was. And if ever she’d been grateful, she felt eternally so to the man protecting her in that moment. She glanced around the room and saw that everyone else dining in the restaurant was watching them.
‘No sir, neither of those things is a crime, but—’
‘I’m sorry, but as you can see, we’re in the middle of dinner, and unless you intend on arresting one of us, then I suggest that you calm down and leave us be until a more convenient time.’
The man leaned around William, dropping a card on to the table as his beady eyes met hers.
‘I suggest you make an appointment to see me at your earliest convenience,’ he said.
Avery glanced at it and saw that his name was Lourenço Santos. She reached for it, her fingers curling around the stiff card. She’d heard Camille mutter his name after the raid on her shop.
‘Yes sir,’ she said. ‘I will.’
He gave her a long, unsettling kind of stare, before turning sharply on his heel and taking his two men with him.
‘Avery?’ William asked, his brows furrowed as he reached for her hand.
She couldn’t stop thinking about the young child whose photograph she’d taken recently, watching the film come to life as she developed it; the maps she’d photographed; the documents she’d carefully forged as she sat shoulder to shoulder with Camille at the little desk in the backroom of the bookshop, black ink pens in their hands. Thankfully the other people dining had resumed their conversations and were no longer staring at them.
‘Avery?’ William repeated.
‘I think I’ve lost my appetite,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry, but I need to go home.’
Chapter Nineteen
Camille
Camille never felt so vulnerable as when she spent time with Lisbon’s refugees. They reminded her of home, of Hugo, of what she’d lost. But they also reminded her why her work was important, and why it was worth risking so much to save them. Only now she felt more nervy than usual, knowing that someone could be watching her. Kiefer had been clear in his warnings – if she was caught here, if anyone could prove she’d been doing the work, no one would be able to save her. And now he was gone.
She sat in the square, a book in hand as she pretended to read. In actual fact, her eyes were barely dancing over the words as she waited for her contact to meet her. In helping the French arrivals, she wasn’t just risking her own life, but theirs, too. Only, they didn’t have much choice if they ever wanted to escape the clutches of Europe for America.
Within minutes, a woman sat down beside her. She, too, held a book, which she opened in her lap.
‘The man in the uniform has been following you again,’ the woman said. ‘I saw him last time you tried to come.’
‘I have to be more careful than ever. This has to be my last forgery for a while. And you need to spread word that it’s too dangerous for anyone to come to my shop looking for me, for the time being.’
