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

“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 to lease 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?”

Eva stared at him, waiting for him to tell her he was joking. The news was too good to be true, and her mother had always told her to take good news with a grain of salt; it was never as good as it sounded. She and Precious had found another flat, but certainly not as nice as the one David owned and definitely not anywhere near Regent’s Park.

“Are you quite sure he was serious?” she asked.

Graham laughed and placed his hands on her arms. “Of course, darling. Why wouldn’t I be? David has met you and believes you to be quite respectable and a good prospective tenant. I couldn’t agree more.”

Precious was nearly jumping with excitement, and Eva allowed some of it to roll onto her. “That would be lovely. Really lovely. I’ll write them a note of thanks this evening.” She smiled up at him, looking into his eyes, trying to be sure he wasn’t holding anything back.

“Now, ladies, my errand is done, and I must go. I look forward to seeing you both at the show.”

“I’ll walk you to the door,” Eva said.

Precious, understanding her meaning, said, “And I’ll do the washing up. Good-bye, Graham. It was so nice to meet you.” Her accent hadn’t softened in all her months in England, and Graham seemed charmed by it.

He held the door open for Eva, and they stepped out into the small hallway, where the smell of liver and onions assaulted her nose. “I’m so sorry . . . ,” she began.

Graham interrupted her. “Don’t ever apologize to me. Do you think I care that the death of your parents has left you in reduced circumstances? It doesn’t matter to me. I love your— What did you say it was? Your ‘lust for adventure and success in adversity.’ I find that more attractive than all of Croesus’s gold.” He stepped closer, his lips brushing hers. “You, Eva Harlow, are the most captivating and enigmatic woman I’ve ever known. And your circumstances now do not reflect who you are. Or where you’re headed.”

She felt light-headed, her breath coming in shallow gasps. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that this”—he indicated the dreary white paint and bare bulb above them—“is temporary. Your station in life will change because you want it to. You have ambition and drive, two attributes I find alarmingly attractive.”

His hands slid from her waist to her hips as he drew her toward him. “Alarmingly?” she asked, the word hard to find. “Shall I go fetch the fire brigade?”

He grinned against her mouth. “No, because then you wouldn’t be here for me to kiss.”

And he proceeded to do just that until a door slammed on a floor above and heavy footsteps began to descend the steps. “I’ll speak with Alex,” Graham said, reluctantly drawing away. “We’ll make plans for our trip to Kew. I’ll borrow David’s motorcar again, and we can pick you both up here.”

Eva thought of Alexander Grof seeing this place and cringed, even more appalled to imagine him here than she had been at actually seeing Graham on her sofa. “We should be in our new place by then.”

“I’ll ask Sophia and David, too, shall I?”

A loud belch accompanied the heavy footsteps from the landing directly above them, making Graham laugh silently.

Better than being horrified, Eva thought.

“Yes, that would be—” Her last word was cut off, as he was kissing her again. Abruptly, he pulled away and headed down the stairs, pausing to look up at her. “I’ll see you Saturday. I’ll be in the front row.”

“Won’t I see you before then?” She felt oddly bereft.

“Sadly, I have work obligations. I promise to make up for lost time, though.”

He smiled and was gone before she could question him about where he’d be and what he’d be doing. All she knew was that he was working in Whitehall for the Home Office, doing a job he said was too boring to talk about.

“Good-bye,” she said, but he was already gone.

A large bearded man carrying a lunch pail lumbered past her in the hallway, lifting his cap before heading down the stairs.

Eva turned to go back inside, but when the purse swung on her wrist, she felt something slide from one side to the other with a solid clunk. The purse was heavier than she remembered it being, definitely heavier than her lipstick and pressed powder compact should have been. Curious, she opened the lid and peered inside. A rectangular silver box reflected the overhead lightbulb. Eva smiled, imagining it must have been a gift from Graham and appreciating the unexpected and unassuming nature of the way he’d given it to her. Securing the strap around her wrist, she lifted the silver box from the purse.

A delicate filigree design covered the entire case, with the exclusion of an oval space on the front, in which the etched body of a bee had been placed. Eva swallowed back her initial reaction of revulsion; having been forced to live with insects and rodents throughout her childhood, she’d learned to hate them. But then she remembered the case had been a gift from Graham and made herself