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

same amount of space on the sofa. “My parents never spoke of him, except to tell me he’d been lost in the war. Mother always grew quite sad, as I believe they’d been close. Eventually, I stopped asking.”

Penelope nodded. “Well, Hyacinth is still digging. She’s like a dog with a bone—and I mean that in a good way.” She turned to Precious. “Do you remember seeing Graham after August of nineteen forty?”

“I don’t . . . ,” Precious began, her hand still in mine. “I might have. But that was during the Blitz, remember. There was so much confusion. He came back on leave at some point. I do remember that. To see Eva. And then after he’d recovered from his injuries and returned to London.” She shook her head. “But I have no idea when that was—sometime during the Blitz.”

“Which ended in May of nineteen forty-one,” Colin said. “But there should be some record of his death—whether he died during the war or after. Have you asked at our local parish, Mother?”

“I went down myself to check not only the church graveyard but the records, too, since Hyacinth told me that they don’t always match. I found the death records and the graves for both of his parents and his brother, but there are no such records for Graham. Just his baptismal record, so at least we know he existed.”

“Of course he did. And so did Eva.” Precious turned her head toward the fire, away from me, and watched the flames twist and twine like lovers. “I remember them dancing in this very house. They were so very happy.” She pulled her hand from mine and took a deep breath. “I’d like to leave it at that. And now”—she pressed her hand into the arm of the sofa—“I think I will go to bed. I’m plumb wore out.”

Colin stepped toward her, taking her elbow and helping her stand. “Of course, Nana. I’ll take you to your room.” She looked into his face, and her smile transformed her, giving me a glimpse of the young woman she’d once been. The woman she might still believe herself to be.

Penelope stood. “Allow me. I have your medications, and I can help you get dressed for bed.”

Precious sent her a grateful glance. “Thank you, dear. It was a lovely evening. Good night, everyone.” She allowed Penelope to take her arm and lead her from the room. But she paused in the doorway and looked back, her eyes focused on James. “Sweet dreams.”

We listened to their footsteps slowly fade, the sentiment reminding me of the mother who’d uttered the same wish each night of my childhood, leaving me to wonder when it had happened that I’d stopped dreaming at all.

CHAPTER 18

LONDON

JUNE 1939

Eva took great care with her appearance, selecting a green cotton day frock with a large white linen bow at the neckline. The belt cinched her small waist, the narrow skirt emphasizing her height and slender build. It was from this year’s line at Lushtak’s, but Madame had let her buy it for a reasonable price; she said that Eva wore it better than any of their well-heeled customers.

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Eva quickly pinned on her hat, then left the room, walking down the long hallway to the foyer. Precious had begun lining the walls with photographs of the two of them that had appeared in Lushtak’s advertisements. She’d become friendly with the photographer, who had been charmed into giving Precious the photographs she requested. Ever since Sophia had announced that Eva and Precious would be attendants at her society wedding, photographers appeared at every social engagement and even at Lushtak’s. It had been very good for business, and Madame showed her gratitude with increased salaries and deeper discounts on clothes.

Eva followed the sound of voices into the front parlor and found Graham and Precious at the large front window. They were standing very close, and Graham pointed out the architectural details of St. Marylebone Parish Church across the road. “You really missed your calling,” Eva said to announce herself. “Is it too late to change careers and become an architect?”

Graham walked toward her with a grin. “I’m of the firm belief that it’s never too late to try something new.” He kissed her gently on the lips, his eyes warm. Turning to Precious, he said, “Are you quite sure you don’t want to come with us?”

Eva held her breath, willing Precious to say she was. She was desperate to be alone with Graham. Between his traveling for work and Sophia’s social invitations, it had proven nearly impossible.

“I know you’re just being kind, and I thank you. But I think I’ll stay in and catch up on some letter writing. My daddy can’t read or write, but my sister can, and she tells me that it does Daddy a world of good to get a letter from me. So you two go have fun. If the mood hits, I might watch a film later with some of the girls from Lushtak’s, so don’t worry about me.”

Eva tried to hide the relief in her voice. “All right, then. I’ll see you later.” She tucked her hand into Graham’s proffered elbow and allowed him to escort her downstairs and out into the early Sunday afternoon sunlight.

“Aren’t you going to ask me where we’re going?” Graham said.

“You said it was a surprise, and if I ask and you tell me, then it’s not a surprise anymore.”

“So if I put a blindfold on you now and didn’t remove it until we reached our destination, you’d be all right with that?” His lips twisted up in a half smile.

“Absolutely. I like holding off on surprises until the very last moment. Because once it’s revealed, it’s over. Like unwrapping a birthday present. I always found the anticipation of opening the present much more rewarding than the present itself.” She recalled her mother’s intermittent attempts at birthday and Christmas