Page 62 of The Last Night in London
“I imagine that’s a good skill to have if you enjoy traveling out of your native country.”
“Indeed.” He was silent for a moment. “You know, I don’t think he remembers me, but I met Alexander Grof once in Burma. I never forget a face, and I’m quite sure it was him.”
The mention of Alexander’s name sent a chill down her spine despite the warmth of the day. “Really? And he didn’t recognize you?”
Graham shook his head. “Apparently not, and I didn’t want to call his attention to it if he didn’t, so I didn’t mention it. It was at the Pegu Club in Rangoon. Grof was visiting an uncle, a German aristocrat whose family owns one of the largest teak exporting companies in Burma. I spoke to him only briefly, so I don’t expect him to remember me.”
“But you remembered him.”
Graham was silent for a moment. “Yes, I did. It’s a special talent of mine.”
“As is selecting the perfect gift,” Eva said, eager to change the conversation away from any thought of Alexander Grof.
He squeezed her arm against his side. “I do hope you like the dolphin,” he said, sounding uncertain.
“I don’t just like it—I love it. Although it’s not the first thing you’ve given me, you know.”
“It isn’t?”
She shook her head. “Your embroidered handkerchief, remember? From the day we met. You gave it to me to protect my purse in the rain.”
“Right before you ran away.” His eyes held reproach, as if accusing Eva of finding him lacking on the night they met. As if that wasn’t as far from the truth as the sun from the earth.
“I wasn’t running away from you,” she said. “I was... nervous. I wasn’t dressed to meet...” She almost saidsomeone like youbut quickly changed it. “I wasn’t dressed to meet anyone in my bedraggled state. I didn’t want you to think I was a street beggar.”
He halted so he could look her in the face. “Do you think that would have mattered to me? From the moment I saw you, I thought you were special. Not just because you’re beautiful, Eva. That’s the obvious part that most people don’t bother looking beyond. I think it’s because I recognized a hunger in you. A hunger that I share. A hunger to be something more than what others expect from us. It’s why I went to Burma—horribly disappointing my mother in the process. But I needed to go. To test my mettle. To prove—to myself mostly—that I’m capable of being more than the life into which I was born.”
They continued to walk toward the park and the new Queen Mary’s Gardens, and Eva returned her hand to the crook of his elbow. “Why did it disappoint your mother?”
“Oh, Mother has certain ideas. She’s from an old and aristocratic family, and she married beneath her station—or so she reminds us, and our father, often. She has quite lofty ambitions for my brother. Poor William.”
“Poor William? He inherits everything, yes? The house and property? I’d say he’s quite lucky.”
“Yes—the estate will go to him upon our father’s death. But that means Mother is watching him like a hawk to make sure he marries someone suitable. She’s already chased off several girls who weren’t up to snuff. William was actually heartbroken over the last. He’s still in recovery.”
Eva’s tongue felt frozen with the ice from her heart. “It’s a good thing you’re a second son so you have the freedom to choose.”
He smiled down at her. “In many ways, yes. Except, well, William has signed up for the Royal Air Force. I think it’s partly to get over his heartbreak, but also because he’s convinced war is inevitable. And therefore our mother and father are convinced that something will happen to him.” He shrugged. “It’s the way with parents, I’m afraid.”
She tried to keep the brittleness from her voice. “So now they’re focusing their attention on you, to make sure that you’re safe.”
“Yes. They’d like me to leave my Home Office job and rusticate in the country with them, see how the war plays out.”
“But that’s not who you are, is it?” It was the part of him she loved, the adventurous man who willingly left the comforts of home to experience life in a country a world away, who befriended a Buddhist monk and recognized the charm of a smiling dolphin.
He shook his head. “No, it’s not. Still, it seems Mother has quite elaborate plans for my future. They’re very different ideas from mine. But my father is ill, which is one of the reasons I returned from abroad, and I don’t want to upset him. Especially so close to Sophia’s wedding. So I pretend to agree with Mother’s plans so as not to upset her or my father.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know your father was so ill.”
He was thoughtful for a long moment. “There is quite a lot we haven’t shared with each other. I think it’s because you’re so special to me. I don’t want the realities of the rest of our lives to intrude and spoil all of it. Does that upset you?”
She shook her head, her throat tightening. It was a moment before she could respond. “No, actually. I do understand. I don’t have any family, but I can imagine how important it is to remain close, especially in times like this.”
“I knew you would, Eva. I want to introduce you to my parents, to let them know that you’re special in my life. But I can’t right now. It will be hard enough for them. To me, it doesn’t matter that you’rea country doctor’s daughter—I love you as much as if you were the daughter of a duke. But I’m afraid they don’t see it that way. Can you be patient with me?”
“If you’re asking me to wait for you, you know I will.”
He kissed her. “Just until my father gets better. The doctors are hopeful, so that’s something.”
