“I’ve seen him writing letters but I figured they were to Linda.”
Eve shook her head. “Audrey gets at least two letters a week from him. And she actually smiles as she writes back to him.”
“They sure look happy now.”
“Yes, Louis, my friend. They do.” And Eve decided to do something to nudge Audrey along the path of love. The train pulled into the station and they all linked arms to keep from stumbling in the dark as they walked up the road to Wellingford Hall. Inside the foyer, Robert took both of Audrey’s hands as they parted and kissed her cheek. She closed her eyes as if savoring rich, sweet chocolate. “Did you see that?” Eve whispered to Louis.
“Wow! I guess I’ve had my head in the sand. I’d better have a talk with Bob.”
“Wait.” Eve grabbed Louis’s arm to stop him. “Whose side are you going to be on when you have this talk—Audrey’s or Linda’s?”
“I’m on Bob’s side,” he said with a mischievous grin. He paused, leaving Eve in suspense. “Which means I’m rooting for Audrey.”
“Me, too.”
They all said good night and goodbye, knowing they wouldn’t see each other again before Audrey and Eve returned to their base in the morning. Eve trailed Audrey up the main staircase to her room, then followed her inside instead of continuing up to the third floor. “We need to talk,” she said, closing the door. Eve had been inside Audrey’s stately room before, but tonight she felt uncomfortable for some reason, as if the room didn’t belong to either of them and they were intruders.
“Talk about what?” Audrey still wore a dreamy, satisfied expression on her face from Robert’s kiss, like a cat that had just awakened from a long nap.
“Sit down,” Eve ordered, gesturing to the bed. Audrey obeyed, perched on the edge, her spine straight. Eve crawled onto the bed and sat cross-legged, facing her. She drew a deep breath and said, “You’re falling in love with Robert, aren’t you?”
“What? No . . . I . . .” Audrey’s pink cheeks gave her away. “We all agreed that the four of us would be friends, didn’t we?”
“Louis and I agreed because I’m in love with Alfie and he’s married to Jean. But Robert has a girlfriend, not a wife. The two of you are both free to fall in love with each other. And I think you have.”
“You’re wrong about Robert. We’re just friends.”
Eve decided to try a different approach. “What were you talking about on the way home tonight?”
Audrey brightened as if an electric light had switched on inside her. “All sorts of things. Robert talks to me the same way you and I talk, not in an artificial way like all the other men I’ve known. Tonight, we discussed our favorite poets—Elizabeth and Robert Browning in particular. Robert has some of his favorite lines memorized and he recited them.”
Eve laughed out loud. “Come on! Can’t you see it, Audrey? You two are in love.”
“I . . . I don’t think so. . . . Robert has a girlfriend—”
“How does it make you feel when you imagine him going off to war? When you think about him being in danger? Or being killed?”
“Eve, that’s horrible! Don’t talk that way!”
“How do you feel about him going back to the United States and marrying his girlfriend and never seeing you again? He won’t be able to write any more letters, you know. How will it be to live the rest of your life without him? Are you willing to say goodbye to Robert forever and settle for one of the men you used to date before the war? Or maybe you’ll become an old maid like your governess—what was her name?”
“Miss Blake. Why are you saying these horrid things?”
“Because you’re in love with Robert and he’s in love with you, and if you’re smart, you’ll melt that wall of ice that has separated you from people all your life and give him your heart! Fall in love, Audrey. Enjoy the wonder of it. It’s like nothing you’ve ever experienced in your life, isn’t it?”
Audrey seemed deep in thought for a moment. Her face glowed. “Even if you’re right and what I feel for Robert is love, I wouldn’t know what to do about it. I’ve never received anyone’s affections before or given away my own. I’ve never learned how one goes about it.”
“Oh, Audrey . . .” Eve longed to embrace her, but Audrey sat so stiffly Eve feared she might break. “There’s no right or wrong way to love someone. Just do what comes naturally. Let go of your reserve and give away your heart. Don’t keep it all locked up inside and protected.”