Louis gazed at her for a long moment through tear-filled eyes, then cupped her face in his hands. He kissed her. A dam burst inside Eve and she kissed him in return with all of the love and longing that her barricaded heart had stored away. All that mattered was the touch of his lips on hers, the warmth of his arms surrounding her.
At last Louis pulled back and whispered, “I love you, Eve.” She looked into his eyes, into his soul, and saw his heart. He was telling the truth. He loved her. “I never meant to fall in love with you, but it happened. I think about you all the time, and I ask Bob if he knows when you’re coming to Wellingford again so I can see you. All those hours we spent together, dancing, laughing . . . I’ve fallen in love with you.”
“And I love you,” she whispered. His handsome smile, the sound of his laughter, his ginger hair. Love had all but disappeared from her war-scarred world, and she hungered for its healing power. “I’ve tried to deny it and convince myself that we’re just friends, but it isn’t true. I love you, Louis. I thought I would never love anyone except Alfie, but I feel closer to you after these months we’ve spent together than I ever did to Alfie. I could never be sure of him.” And Alfie had been right—he was shallow. Louis had substance and depth.
“How did this happen to us?” he asked in wonder.
“I don’t know. But kiss me again, Louis. Maybe we can forget that we may not be alive tomorrow.” He pulled her close, and Eve offered all her grief and passion to him, surrendering all her pain and fear to his love.
They fell asleep in each other’s arms.
Eve awoke during the night and Louis was still beside her, strong and warm and alive. She watched his chest move with each breath he took, and the sound of his breathing soothed her back to sleep. She awoke again when he kissed her softly. He stood over her, dressed in his uniform. Before she could say anything, he slipped from the room.
Loneliness engulfed her. Her arms felt empty, the room cold and bare. Mum was gone. The splendor of Wellingford Hall was gone. And now Louis was gone, too.
She climbed out of bed and moved the blackout curtain to peer outside. Light from the dawning sun flooded the room, blinding her. A tidal wave of guilt slammed into her. What have I done? Louis is another woman’s husband!
Granny Maud had made her memorize the Ten Commandments. “Thou shalt not commit adultery” was one of them. But Granny had also insisted that the Good Shepherd would always be near Eve, watching over her—and He wasn’t. Innocent people died by the thousands and hundreds of thousands, and He didn’t care. Audrey had almost been one of them. None of what Granny Maud had taught her was true. None of it.
Eve wanted to forget that her night with Louis had ever happened, but she knew she never would. Because for one night, she had finally felt alive again.
21
Audrey opened her eyes to blinding pain. Her head throbbed. She couldn’t move. Everything around her was white. A hospital? She tried to speak, but her mouth was dry, her throat raw. She heard a faint rustle, and then Robert stood over her. “Audrey! I thought I was going to lose you.” His muffled voice sounded far away.
“What happened?” Her throat felt as if she’d swallowed gravel.
Robert offered her a sip of water. “You were injured by a V-1 rocket. You’re in the hospital.”
“I don’t remember. Eve and I were driving . . . I was so tired I couldn’t stay awake . . . then . . . nothing.”
“It happened two days ago. They gave you sedatives to keep you asleep so your brain could heal.”
“Two days? . . . Eve! Where’s Eve?” Panic made it hard to breathe.
“She’s fine. Just cuts and scrapes and a dislocated elbow. She saved your life, Audrey. Your leg was fractured and she stopped the bleeding and drove you here.”
“Where is she? I need to thank her.” Audrey tried to turn her head to look for Eve, then cried out as pain shot through her skull.
“Shh . . . shh . . . Just lie still, my love. . . . Louis took Eve home to Wellingford. She’s supposed to rest for the next few days, too.”
“Hold me, Robert.” He kissed her and lay down on the bed beside her, ignoring the other people in the crowded ward and the scowling nurses. Audrey tried to hug him, but her arms were too weak. “I’m so glad you’re here,” she breathed before everything went dark again.
She awoke to find a doctor bending over her. “Can you hear me, Miss Clarkson?” She nodded. His voice sounded muffled, but she could hear him. “Your recovery is proceeding nicely. I’m very pleased.”