The Last Night in London by Karen White (reading list .TXT) 📕

in surprise, the shout dying in her throat when she saw Graham’s grim profile. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?” he said through gritted teeth as he dragged her toward the stairs. He didn’t have his cane, but his irregular gait didn’t slow him as he pulled her alongside him.

“No, I . . .”

“Are you aware there’s an air raid going on?” He didn’t look at her, just practically dragged her down the stairs toward the sound of voices. But instead of turning toward the sound, he spun her down a subterranean hallway, all brick walls and concrete floors, and then into a windowless room. A single lightbulb lit the space. Shelves filled with food cans and dried meats occupied three walls, with wooden barrels stacked against them.

“Graham . . .”

He took her by the shoulders and looked at her with eyes that seemed backlit by fire. “What were you doing up there?”

“I was looking for Mr. Danek. My friend from Lushtak’s. He works here now. . . .”

“I know who he is. But why were you up there? Don’t you know it’s dangerous?”

“I was on my way to the shelter . . . ,” she began, then stopped, suddenly aware that he wasn’t referring to the air raid.

The sound of voices approached, and Graham put his finger to his lips, pulling her against him. They hid in a shadow until the voices passed. Even then he didn’t let her go, as if he were as reluctant as she to separate. As if he remembered, too, the way they felt in each other’s arms.

He spoke against her hair. “I’m saying that you shouldn’t leave your bag in the coat check. People have reported things missing from pockets.”

“I don’t . . .” Eva stopped, too stunned to think of a response that wasn’t a lie.

He looked down into her face, and it was the same Graham that she’d fallen in love with, the man who’d gifted her with the architecture of John Nash, who’d lived in a foreign land to prove to the world he was more than what it expected of him. The man who’d once told her he would love her forever. “You little fool. You beautiful little fool. You don’t know how dangerous this game you’re playing is, do you?”

“It’s not a game, is it?”

He shook his head. “No. It’s not.”

“Why were you at Chester Terrace that night? Were you following me?”

He hesitated a moment. “Yes.”

“Why?” She held his gaze.

“To keep you safe. That house on Chester Terrace is dangerous.”

“But you know who lives there.”

“Georgina Simmonds. I believe she’s a friend of Alex’s. She’s also dead.”

The distant sound of laughter got louder as a door down the passageway opened, then just as suddenly faded, leaving Eva feeling seasick. “Dead?”

“Her body was pulled from the Thames this morning.”

She swallowed back the sour taste in her mouth, wishing she had a drink. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because you need to choose which side you’re on.”

She dropped her gaze and stared at the top button of his dinner jacket. “Alex . . . knows things about me. He’s threatened to hurt people I love. . . .”

Graham put a finger on her lips. “I know. I know everything.”

“You know about my mother?”

“Yes. And I know you’re not from Devon.”

She flushed with shame. “I never meant to deceive you. I only wanted to be better than the girl I was born to be.”

Graham closed his eyes briefly. “I wish you’d known that none of it matters to me. I wish you’d trusted my love enough to tell me yourself.”

He stopped speaking as footsteps approached, then retreated.

Eva’s eyes filled. “Then Alex wouldn’t have found me useful.”

Graham raised an eyebrow. “Not necessarily. Men like him always find a way.”

“He’s dangerous. He’s working with the Germans. Lord Merton . . .”

“We know,” Graham said.

“‘We’?”

More footsteps approached, and before Graham could move himself and Eva back into the shadows, David appeared in the doorway. He gave a short nod of greeting to Eva before turning to Graham. “We’ve got to go.”

David sent Graham a serious look before returning to the hallway, his rapid footsteps echoing against the bricks. Graham turned back to Eva.

“There is so much unsaid between us, Eva. We haven’t got time now, but we will. Later, when this business with Alex is over.” His arms tightened around her. “Alex doesn’t know Georgina is dead, and we need to keep it that way. I need you to continue delivering the envelopes to Chester Terrace. Except they will be collected by one of my people first, before they reach their intended recipient.”

Her head was pounding as she moved aside the endless questions pressing against her skull, trying to get out. “They’re empty, you know. The envelopes. There’s nothing in them—I checked.”

A corner of his mouth lifted. “They’re actually not empty. They contain microdots, barely visible to the human eye, stuck inside the folds. Once they’re transferred to a slide, they can be read under a microscope.”

“What sort of information is it?”

He shook his head. “Just know that the information will be altered before being passed along.” He placed a gentle hand on either side of her face, cupping her jaw. “I will let you know when you can stop, but you can’t tell anyone. Especially not Alex. Can you do this?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“You are much braver and stronger than you believe you are, Eva. Never forget that you are both. Never forget how far you’ve come.”

“I’m not brave or strong. I’m not.” She clutched his lapels, feeling him begin to pull away from her. “Just tell me you still love me,” she whispered. “That’s all I need.”

He responded with a kiss, a hard, searing kiss that made her want to weep and shout at the same time. When he lifted his head, he simply stared at her as if memorizing her features.

“We’ve both made mistakes, haven’t we?” He didn’t wait for her to answer. “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.”

“Forgive—”

He cut her off. “Be careful, Eva. I