Page 35 of The Last Night in London
“Just some people.”
I turned away, watching George’s bushy tail sway to and fro as we walked in silence, and considered all the reasons I never said good-bye, ignoring the niggling thought knocking at my conscience, telling me maybe I’d been wrong.
CHAPTER 11
LONDON
MARCH 1939
As Eva stepped off the bus on Marylebone Road and hurried along the sidewalk, she smelled spring, a ripe green scent of new grass that reminded her of home. Except here in London, it was mixed with the acrid tinge of wet pavement and burning petrol from the ever-present motorcars and red buses lining the roads and carriageways. She wondered if she’d miss the scent of London when she returned to Yorkshire, and if she’d become homesick for the city. But of course she wouldn’t. Because she would never go home. Not now, when she’d managed to shed Ethel Maltby like an old coat, one she would never wear again.
Eva ran up the stairs and paused outside the door to catch her breath, eager to finish packing up the kitchen area. They were moving to the new flat right after the big fashion show. And she wanted Precious to see the gorgeous yellow frock she’d paid five shillings for from the back room at Lushtak’s. It was from last season’s show and had a huge hole in the front, which Mrs. Williams had cleverly disguised by adding pockets. She and Precious would get a lot of wear out of it, Eva thought, which justified her paying so much for it. Her mother would have been appalled at her spendthrift ways, but shedid her best not to think about her mother, except when she sent her money from every paycheck.
She put the key into the lock, then paused, hearing voices—one decidedly male—on the other side of the door. Pushing it open, she stopped and stared with surprise at Graham, sitting on the tattered sofa, his elegant form a contrast to his surroundings but still managing to look at ease as he smoked a cigarette. Precious sat on the armchair next to him, thankfully hiding the large hole in the middle of the seat cushion, which belched goose feathers when one sat on it too heavily.
“Graham,” Eva said, the excitement at seeing him at odds with her disquiet at seeing him inside her flat. He’d been out of town for his work—something he’d explained only in vague terms—and she hadn’t seen him since the dinner at Sophia’s three nights before.
But why was hehere? She pulled off her gloves, then hung up the dress she’d been carrying. Putting her hat on the rack by the door, her hands unsteady, she was acutely aware of their shabby surroundings and horribly embarrassed that he’d been given a glimpse beyond the carefully curated world she’d allowed him to see.
“Darling.” Graham stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray on the battered side table next to a half-empty teacup and stood to greet her. “I’ve missed you,” he said, and kissed her gently on the cheek. Her lips burned with wanting, and she turned her face to his. Always the gentleman, and aware of the presence of another person, he pulled back, but the bright light in his eyes let her know that he wanted more, too.
“I’ve missed you, too,” she said, glancing over his shoulder at Precious, who’d stood but remained by her chair. Precious grinned and nodded her head rapidly to show her approval. She hadn’t met Graham yet, mostly due to his traveling but also because of Eva’s insistence that she meet Graham outside the flat.
“I’m very happy to have finally met the wonderful Miss Dubose you’ve been telling me about,” Graham said. “May I say that she’s every bit as charming and lovely as you made her out to be?” Graham turned to Precious and gave her a mock bow.
“Likewise,” Precious said, blushing prettily. “And please, call me Precious. All my friends do.”
“Precious it is, then,” Graham said, his eyes wrinkling at the corners. He returned his attention to Eva. “I have something for you.”
“You do?” He’d brought flowers to her at Lushtak’s and taken her to dinner dozens of times, but he’d never given her a gift.
He helped her out of her coat and hung it beneath her hat. Then he moved gracefully back to the sofa, where he’d been sitting, and lifted something from the floor. The gold embroidered leaves shone against the dark green velvet background of Precious’s purse, the one Eva had left behind at Sophia’s party. The careful stitching she’d done to repair it was hardly noticeable, but she felt mortified at the thought that Sophia or Graham might have noticed the mending.
“I was at my club yesterday and ran into that fellow Alexander Grof, David’s friend from Harrow. He said you’d left behind your purse and he’d taken it, hoping to run into you again.” His brow furrowed. “I must say, he seemed reluctant to part with it, saying he’d be happy to give it to you in person. He even asked for your address. I insisted, however, and since we were so close to his hotel, I waited in the lobby while he fetched it for me.” He smiled thinly, making Eva wonder what “insisting” might have involved.
“It’s the reason we met,” he said. “So I knew it was special to you, and I didn’t want a delay in getting it back to you.”
Precious rose and moved to stand next to her. “Wasn’t he sweet to do that, Eva?” She smiled, and Eva sent her a grateful look for not letting on that the purse was hers.
“Yes, he is,” Eva said. She turned to Graham. “Thank you for bringing this to me.” Slowly she slipped the strap from his fingers, making sure her bare hand brushed his, reveling in the spark that moved between them. Sliding the purse over her wrist, she said, “That was very kind of you both. Please thank Alexander for me if you see him at your club again.”
“I expect I will—he’s apparently a new member. I’m not sure of his credentials, but David said he’d vouch for him. He’s living at the Savoy because of all this German business going on in his homecountry. Apparently he’s waiting to see what else happens before he returns.” Graham’s eyes moved to Precious. “He said he’d already met you—quite by happenstance, I believe.”
“He has?” She looked genuinely surprised.
“He accidentally bumped into you on the sidewalk in front of Lushtak’s last week. He said he thought it was Eva, until you started to speak and he heard your charming accent. When he mentioned it, I assumed it had to be Eva’s American friend and roommate. Eva’s always telling me how the two of you are known as the tall blond models and are often mistaken for each other because of it. And of course, you were in front of Lushtak’s, where Alexander knows Eva works.”
Precious’s eyes widened. “Oh, yes, I do recall. He apologized and walked on without an introduction. How funny that he’d remember that.”
“He’s suggested an outing for the four of us—to go to Kew and see the cherry blossoms. I said it would have to be after the fashion show, since that’s occupying so much of your spare time now, and he was most agreeable.”
“I would love to,” Precious said. “I love getting to know people. Don’t I, Eva? My daddy always said I’ve never met a stranger.”
“I will pass on the good news to Mr. Grof. I know that he and I will be the envy of every gentleman at Kew.” Turning back to Eva, Graham said, “I also have more news for you—good news, I hope. And since this involves both of you, this is a good opportunity to tell you together.”
Eva held her breath while Precious clapped her hands like a little girl. “I love surprises,” Precious said. “What is it?”
“Well, the other night while we were dining with my sister, Sophia overheard you mention, Eva, that you were planning on moving from this flat to a bigger one. It just so happens that David owns a flat not far from here, near the park. It’s quite large and very nice and in a good location. He hadn’t quite decided what to do with it after he and Sophia marry in July and move into the town house on Berkeley Square, so Sophia suggested they should allow you two tolease it for a nominal rate. He’ll leave all the furnishings, and he’s already found bachelor accommodations for before the wedding—I told him you were planning to move right after the show and wouldn’t want to wait. It seems like the perfect solution, don’t you think?”
