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

but he kept moving, carrying her along with him. “That would never happen.”

“Never say never, my dear. Did you know that Precious actually comes from an old Southern family—lots of property and illustrious forebears, including a signer of the Declaration of Independence? Remarkable, really. Sadly, they had a reversal of fortune following their Civil War, but still, a much more palatable background for someone in Graham’s position, don’t you think?”

“What do you want from me?” she said through clenched teeth.

“Smile, dear. People are watching, and photographers are taking photos. You want to look your best.”

She forced her lips into a grimace.

“To answer your question, I knew you had something to hide from the day we first met, when your accent veered off course. And people with something to hide can always be useful.”

“Stop using that word. People aren’t meant to be useful.”

“Au contraire. It’s an excellent survival device. Why my exiled Czech government relies on me here in London, for instance.”

“They find you useful?” she asked, not bothering to hide her sarcasm.

“And I find them more so,” he said with a smile.

“What do you want from me?” she asked again, the fight gone from her words.

His eyes, clear and calculating, regarded her closely. “Oh, I think you’re doing nicely on your own. With St. John, I mean. He seems genuinely enamored of you. At least until he finds out you’ve been lying to him.”

His hand was warm on her naked back, but an icy chill swept through her, as if he’d just laid bare her future and it wasn’t what she wanted to see.

“And he won’t find out if you do a little something for me.”

She forced herself to breathe. “Like what?”

“Like telling me where he’s going when he travels.”

She stared at him, not understanding. “Why would you want to know that?”

His smile almost looked genuine. “That’s not anything you need to concern yourself with. Just tell me where he’s going and when, and I’ll keep your little secret. Just a simple little thing.”

He held her close as they continued to dance. Whispering in her ear, he said, “And if he asks you to marry him, say yes. You’d be even more useful if you were his wife. I’d be ever so grateful.”

She pulled back in surprise. “But then you’d have no more hold on me.”

“No, my dear. If he should find out you’d lied about your identity, he could have your marriage annulled. Even should he not want to, his parents would certainly demand it.”

Feeling suddenly ill, she jerked her head to the side, spotting David and Sophia on the dance floor, Sophia’s head resting on David’s shoulder. And right beyond them, she saw Graham and Precious, dancing closely, his hand on her back, her head thrown back in laughter at something he’d said.

Now she succeeded in wrenching away from Alex. Quickly, she made her way from the dance floor and up the stairs, not stopping until she was outside on the sidewalk, past the dwindling crowds of onlookers. She put her hand on the brick side of the building to steady herself and took deep, gulping breaths.

“Eva—darling!”

She turned at the sound of rapid footsteps and saw Graham coming toward her, the button on his dinner jacket loosened, his hair flopping against his forehead. Her heart seemed to stop and start, constricting and expanding just from looking at him.

“Are you all right?” He took her in his arms and held her head gently against his shoulder.

“I am now,” Eva whispered. “Now that you’re here.” She held on to him tightly, as if he might vanish without her to keep him earthbound. “Just . . . hold me.”

She looked up, and Graham turned his head, the streetlight making odd shadows in his eyes. The fear returned, a fistful of lead in her stomach. If she could breathe, she knew she would smell it.

He spoke softly into her ear. “I need to tell you something.”

She held her breath, knowing what he was going to say, helpless to stop the words.

“I’ve signed up, too. The Royal Air Force. I already know how to fly, and they’ll need pilots. War is coming, Eva, and I must do my duty.”

Surprise mingled with relief stole her breath. “Your duty? But you already work for the government—isn’t that duty enough?”

“No, it’s not. Please understand.”

An eerie calm settled over her. She did understand. She did. She just couldn’t stop the horrible sense of finality. He was speaking again, but she was having trouble comprehending the words, as if they were coming from too far away.

She blinked up at him, slowly grasping the intensity of his voice. “What?”

“Marry me, Eva. We don’t need to tell anyone, not yet. But I can’t wait anymore. Please, marry me.”

She was stunned; she could only stare at him and blink. And if he asks you to marry him, say yes. . . . You’d be even more useful if you were his wife. I’d be ever so grateful.

“You do love me, don’t you?” His eyes held an uncertainty that was too painful to see.

“Yes, of course, but . . .”

“Then say yes.”

I’d be ever so grateful. She wanted to scream with the unfairness of it. To have everything she’d ever dreamed of standing right in front of her yet so out of reach. But she couldn’t let Alex win. Even if it meant breaking her own heart. She looked into Graham’s eyes, needing him to see the love and the truth in them. “I promised you that I would wait for you. Isn’t that enough?”

He pulled back, his eyes narrowing as if he were trying to decipher foreign words. “Enough? Hardly. I want to go and fight knowing you’re mine.”

“I already am,” Eva said, the tears thick in her throat.

“It’s not enough. Not for me. Please, Eva. Say you’ll marry me now.”

“No.” She shook her head. “Think how awful it would be if your father found out, Graham. Could you forgive yourself—or me?” She leaned forward and kissed him, taking her time, letting him know what would be waiting for him.