Page 100 of The Last Night in London
She also needed to forget why she went to the London Library once a week to check out a new book. How she’d find an empty envelope between the pages and slip it through the mail slot of the house in Chester Terrace under cover of darkness.
The only way to make her self-loathing go away was to drink the endless supply of fine Scottish whisky Alex presented her with. She neither knew nor cared where or how it had been procured. When drunk, she could speak without slurring her words and could even manage walking in a relatively straight line. As could her father—up to a point. She supposed that was the one useful thing she’d inherited from him.
The opulent Palm Court, with its glass ceiling, enormous Corinthian columns, and full-grown potted palm trees, bustled and thrummed. Waiters sped to and from full tables as if a war weren’t being waged on the other side of the Channel.
Sophia stood to greet Precious and Eva, kissing them each on thecheek. She smiled warmly, pretended that she didn’t smell the whisky on Eva’s breath, and chattered through tea. But she kept rattling her cup in its saucer and adding sugar to a cup already oversweetened.
Eva caught her arm as Sophia reached for the sugar bowl for the third time. “What’s wrong? Is it David?” He’d applied for active duty more than once, but he’d failed his medical examinations twice on account of a minor heart condition that wouldn’t affect day-to-day life but exempted him from active duty. He’d been permanently assigned a desk in the War Office, which he took as an affront to his manhood. He’d already applied for yet another medical examination, just to be sure.
Sophia shook her head. “No. It’s not David.”
Eva’s blood froze. She’d been at Horvath’s just that morning with Mr. Danek. Again he’d shown her the map of Europe, the defensive Maginot Line on the French–German border that many were calling impenetrable. But with Germany’s invasion of Belgium on the tenth of May, it was entirely conceivable that the German armies could bypass the line completely by cutting through Belgium. And once they got through Belgium, France and the English Channel would be the only things standing between England and the Germans.
Despite the early hour, Eva had gone back to the flat and poured a healthy serving of whisky. She remembered what it had been like when Graham had been missing before, and that was for only a short time. She couldn’t imagine a lifetime of missing him. Of knowing she’d be given no more chances to tell him she loved him. To tell him the truth. To ask his forgiveness.
She’d fallen asleep on the couch and woken hours later to Precious telling her she needed to get ready for tea. Precious had fixed Eva’s hair and makeup and helped her dress, her hands gentle, her words consoling and free of any criticism about the empty glass on the table or the stale stench of whisky on her breath. And now, staring across the table at Graham’s sister, Eva was grateful for the alcoholic haze. “It’s Graham, then.”
A waiter appeared, bringing more tea, fussing over setting out the cakes and sandwiches, making Eva want to scream at him to stop.
Sophia waited until he left, keeping her gaze down, her voice quiet. “You’re not to know this—I heard it from David. The RAF is sending fifteen squadrons to France. It’s all a disaster, and our boys are trapped on the coast. They’ve started an evacuation.”
“But those are the foot soldiers,” Eva said quietly.
Precious put a hand on her arm. “They need air cover. To protect the men being evacuated. It’s what Graham’s been trained for. He’s ready.”
Eva turned to Precious. “How do you know that?”
Precious shared a look with Sophia before taking Eva’s hand. “Graham was on leave, a week ago.”
“Graham was here—in London?” The joy of knowing he’d been safe a week ago was quickly tempered by the fact that he’d been so close to her and hadn’t let her know.
“Yes,” Sophia said quietly. “It was only for two days. He stayed with David and me.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me?”
“I’m sorry, Eva. I don’t know what happened between you two, but I know he’s hurt, too. I begged him to let me tell you, but he wouldn’t allow it.”
“I see,” Eva said, and did a remarkable job of sipping her tea and replacing the cup without rattling it in the saucer. “Did he...?”
“I could tell that he wanted to ask about you,” Precious said. She chewed on her lower lip. “I went to Sophia’s to pick up a pair of her old drapes for my bedroom, and he was there. He—”
“He thought it was you,” Sophia interrupted. “Precious walked into the drawing room, and the light from the window altered the shade of her hair, and she looked so much like you. He thought itwasyou until she spoke. He seemed happy at first. And then...” She stopped, looked at Precious as if for encouragement. “He became despondent, although he didn’t tell us why.”
“And you didn’t tell me.” Eva carefully replaced her teacup on the saucer; the smell of the delicious cakes was making her nauseous.
“He asked us not to,” Precious said, her large blue eyes filling with tears. “He said he couldn’t afford to be distracted.”
“He didn’t want to... ,” Eva started, wishing she had the choice not to see Graham’s face every time she closed her eyes. “And he’s flying over France. Right now.”
Sophia nodded. “Somewhere over the Channel, at least. Many of the British Expeditionary Force and their allies are stranded on the coast in a place called Dunkirk. Graham’s been there for two days already to protect the British ships.” She stared at her cup of tea, grown cold, the curdling milk floating at the top. She glanced around the table, ensuring nobody could eavesdrop, before adding, “David said that the navy has requisitioned private vessels to help rescue as many men as they can. It’s all quite... bewildering.”
Sophia’s eyes glistened, and Eva looked away, unwilling to share that particular weakness. She stared at her empty teacup, wishing it were full of numbing whisky.
“Don’t, Eva. Drinking is not going to help.”
Eva looked into Precious’s wide, innocent eyes. “It’s all I’ve got.” The last word ended on a sob.
“We’ll get through this together. Just like we have since we first met.”
