Page 131 of The Last Night in London
“I’m so sorry. I loved him, too. From the first time I met him. I tried not to. I really did. And when I saw you with Alex, and how he gave you all those things, I knew you couldn’t love Graham as much as I did. Because how could you be with Alex if you did? But I couldn’t say anything because you were my friend, and I loved you. You’re like a sister to me, and I would never want to hurt you. But then, when Graham was wounded...”
Eva couldn’t breathe. She wanted to throw open the blackout curtains and open the window and allow the freezing air to wake her from this nightmare.
A dim memory came to her, of Precious telling her after Graham had returned that it should have been Eva who’d gone to nurse him and not her. And it finally occurred to Eva why.
She closed her eyes, trying to block out the face of the woman saying such hateful things, but she could hear each word like the falling blade of a guillotine.
“I didn’t mean for anything to happen. It wasn’t me he wanted—it’s always been you. But with you so far away, and occupied with Alex, I thought...” Precious shook her head. “It was only that one time, because he was so hurt and missing you....”
“One time?” Eva repeated as if Precious were speaking in another language.
“He was so ashamed, he could barely look at me. He never stopped loving you—it was always you, and I was a cheap substitute.” A fresh sob broke from Precious’s throat, and she had to force out the words. “It was your name he called out.Your name.” She shouted the last two words, making the baby startle.
Forgive the unforgivable.Eva stumbled to the corner of the room and collapsed in a chair. The sense of urgency still thrummed in her veins, but she couldn’t move. She thought her heart had stopped beating, yet somehow she continued to breathe, continued to hear the soft sounds of the newborn baby. Continued to hear Precious’s confession.
She looked up, saw the baby’s head. A new thought made her chest tighten. “Does Graham know?”
Precious shook her head. “No. I told no one. But I think Sophia suspects. I’m so sorry, Eva.”
Precious began to cry quietly, her energy too depleted to make much noise. The baby stopped suckling and closed his eyes to rest. The fear returned, overriding the hurt and anger. Eva jumped up and began throwing things in the valise.
“We need to leave now, whether or not David is waiting for us.” She reached for the baby, then froze as she heard the distinctive sound of a key in the front door. She tucked the baby inside the valise, then pulled up a blanket from the floor and flung it over Precious to cover her naked body before turning her gaze down the hallway to the foyer.
The approaching figure’s hair was mussed, his dinner jacket rumpled, but he smiled as he neared them. “The night porter was kind enough to loan me a key.” He held up a large brass ring. “I looked everywhere for you at the Savoy, Eva. I was worried.”
Alex stopped next to the bed and leaned down to kiss Precious on the cheek, his face showing distaste as he spotted the top of the baby’s head in the valise. “Congratulations. If I’d known, I would have brought a gift.”
“Get out,” Eva said. “Leave. You’re not welcome here.”
He smiled. “You know you don’t mean that. I heard that you were to invite me to your bedroom tonight.” He spread his arms. “Well, here I am.”
She nearly choked on her own breath.
“My darling Eva. Walls have ears, remember? You and Mr. Danek should have been more careful.”
Eva remembered the woman and her little girl at the table behind them at Horvath’s. Just a woman and her daughter. But walls had ears.
“Where’s Mr. Danek?”
“Dead. Feeding the fish in the Thames by now, I’d wager. It’s why I’m a little late. My apologies.”
Precious let out a moan behind them, but neither Eva nor Alex looked at her.
Eva kept herself from flinching as she forced herself to ask the next question. “And David and Graham?”
“Oh, what a tangled web we weave, Eva. You made it too easy for us. I suppose I should thank you. Although I’m most upset that you’d planned to run away to Bournemouth without telling me.”
“Where are Graham and David?” she asked again.
“Your friend David is safe—we can’t have too many dead bodies in one evening, can we? He’s most likely still searching for Mr. Danek with the mistaken belief that he can be saved.” Alex looked at his wristwatch. “As for St. John, at this moment he’s on his way to the boating lake in Regent’s Park, looking for you. We understand that the two of you have a particular fondness for that place.” He smiled, as if they were sitting in a café, chatting about the weather. “He’s been led to believe you’re in danger. He thinks he has a chance to save you, but instead he’ll be meeting Mr. Zeman and another one of my associates. We are everywhere, Eva. Everywhere. You should have realized that from the start.”
She shook her head, trying to understand his words, but her brain refused to accept them. “Why would Graham believe such a thing?”
He looked at her as if she were a small, ignorant child. “My dear Eva, he was trying to get rid of me. I’ve simply turned the tables. Instead of me being dispatched this evening, it will be your St. John.”
Adrenaline shot through her. She moved to walk past him, but he grabbed her arm. “You would save a man who deceived you with another woman?”
She didn’t need to ask how he knew. He knew everything, his planted ears listening and reporting back. Eva kept her gaze focused on the hallway in front of her, but it was Graham she saw, his voice she heard.We can only hope that when this is all over, we will find our way back to each other and learn how to forgive the unforgivable.
