“I’ve reached the end of the road, Eve. I’m not going any further. I belong here, not you.”
Eve stood as her fear of losing everything made her desperate. “Listen, the war taught us a lot of things, most of all, how to live day to day. We never knew during those long, endless months and years what would happen tomorrow, whether we’d be dead or alive by morning, so we both tried to grab a little happiness wherever we could find it and—”
“I tried to warn you about the poor choices you were making, but—”
“Don’t lecture me, Audrey! I’m not your servant anymore!” She was shouting now. “The war did away with all the barriers between us and made us equals. I’m sorry your father sold Wellingford Hall. But you threw away your chance to have this life when it was offered to you four years ago. It’s too late to change your mind!”
“It’s your fault for—”
“Don’t you dare blame me for the way things turned out! If you’re going to blame anyone, blame Hitler. He ruined our lives the day he invaded Poland. Or blame the Americans for not coming to help us until it was nearly too late. We did the best we could, Audrey, making the best decisions we could, trying to survive the bombs and the rockets, living on a pound of meat a week and a few ounces of sugar and a pinch of tea, if we could get them. Remember?”
“Of course I remember. How could I ever forget?” The determination Eve saw in Audrey’s eyes, the strong tilt of her chin, startled her. “But Bobby and I are not going anywhere. We’re staying here.” Audrey had found her courage at last.
Eve closed her eyes as she faced the reality of what she was about to lose. She pictured Granny Maud standing in front of her, wagging her finger the way she always did when Eve misbehaved. “The Good Book says that when you sin against the Lord, you may be sure that your sin will find you out.” Were the losses she now faced God’s punishment for her sins?
There had to be another way out. But Eve had no idea what it was.
12
WELLINGFORD HALL, JUNE 1940
Audrey opened the French doors that led from Wellingford Hall’s drawing room to the garden and searched the gray sky for the airplanes thrumming overhead. The sound interrupted the serenity of her peaceful estate as planes took off and landed at the new airfield nearby. The Royal Air Force had built dozens of airfields, radar stations, and repair sheds all over the once-peaceful countryside, making it commonplace to hear their activity. Audrey always looked up to see if they were RAF, having learned to tell British Hurricanes and Spitfires from German Junkers and Messerschmitts. Not that she’d seen a Luftwaffe plane flying above Wellingford—yet. But after what she and Eve had witnessed in Dover a few days ago, she feared it was only a matter of time.
The jangling telephone echoed through the foyer. She closed the drawing room doors and hurried to answer it before Robbins did. She lifted the receiver with hope and dread. “Wellingford Hall. Miss Clarkson speaking.”
Her brother’s laughter greeted her on the other end. “Are things that bad at home, Sis, that you have to answer the phone yourself? Has our butler joined the Army, too?”
“Oh, Alfie! Thank God you’re alive!” Her vision blurred as she sank onto the hall bench, weak with relief. “I’ve been waiting for days to hear from you!”
“Yes, I’m alive. And grateful to be off that hellish French beach.”
“Where are you? Are you coming home? Shall I fetch you at the village station?”
“I’m not at the station—”
“Then I’ll drive to London straightaway. I need to see for myself that you’re all in one piece.”
“I’m not in London, either. I’m not supposed to say where I am, but I’m back on British soil and digging in to defend us from the Hun.”
“Oh, it’s so wonderful to hear your voice! I’ve been frantic with worry ever since driving home from Dover—”
“What were you doing in Dover? Do you have a driver again? Is Williams back?”
“They put out a call for ships of all sizes for the rescue operation, so I went to London and got Eve Dawson. She and I drove down to Folkestone to offer the Rosamunde. We sailed it to Dover ourselves and loaned it to the Royal Navy. Then we stayed and helped serve tea to all the soldiers. We searched and searched for you, but there were so many men!”
Alfie whistled in admiration. “I’m proud of you, Sis.”
“I got word from the marina yesterday that the Rosamunde made it back safely.”