'Yeah. Have you heard from Luke?'
She was taken aback. 'Luke Lucas? Lately? No - is something wrong?'
'I don't know, maybe.'
Bern and Luke shared the intimacy of rivals. When they were young they had argued endlessly. Their discussions often seemed acrimonious, yet they had remained close at college and all through the war. 'What's happened?' Billie said.
'He called me on Monday. I was kind of surprised. I don't hear from him often.'
'Nor do I.' Billie struggled to remember. 'Last time I saw him was a couple of years ago, I think.' Realizing how long it was, she wondered why she had let their friendship lapse. She was just busy all the time, she guessed. She regretted that.
'I got a note from him last summer,' Bern said. 'He'd been reading my books to his sister's kid.' Bern was the author of The Terrible Twins, a successful series of children's books. 'He said they made him laugh. It was a nice letter.'
'So why did he call you on Monday?'
'Said he was coming to Washington and wanted to see me. Something had happened.'
'Did he tell you what?'
'Not really. He just said: 'It's like the stuff we used to do in the war'.'
Billie frowned anxiously. Luke and Bern had been in OSS during the war, working behind enemy lines, helping the French resistance. But they had been out of that world since 1946 - hadn't they? 'What do you think he meant?'
'I don't know. He said he would call me when he reached Washington. He checked into the Carlton Hotel on Monday night Now it's Wednesday, and he hasn't called. And his bed wasn't slept in last night.'
'How did you find that out''
Bern made an impatient noise. 'Billie, you were in OSS too, what would you have done?'
'I guess I would have given a chambermaid a couple of bucks.'
'Right. So he was out all night and he hasn't come back.'
'Maybe he was cattin' around.'
'And maybe Billy Graham smokes reefer, but I don't think so, do you?' -
Bern was right. Luke had a powerful sex drive, but he craved intensity, not variety, Billie knew. 'No, I don't think so,' she said.
'Call me if you hear from him, okay?'
'Sure, of course.'
'Be seeing you.'
'Bye.' Billie hung up.
Then she sat at the kitchen table, her chores forgotten, thinking about Luke.
.
1941
Route 138 meandered south through Massachusetts towards Rhode Island. There was no cloud, and the moon shone on the country roads. The old Ford had no heater. Billie was wrapped up in coat, scarf and gloves, but her feet were numb. However, she did not really mind. It was no great hardship to spend a couple of hours in a car alone with Luke Lucas, even if he was someone else's boyfriend. In her experience beautiful men were tediously vain, but this one seemed to be an exception.
It was taking for ever to drive to Newport, but Luke seemed to be enjoying the long journey. Some Harvard men were nervous with attractive women, and chain-smoked, or drank from hip flasks, smoothed their hair all the time and kept straightening their ties. Luke was relaxed, driving without apparent effort and chatting. There was little traffic, and he looked at her as much as at the road.
They talked about the war in Europe. That morning in Radcliffe Yard, rival student groups had set up stalls and handed out leaflets, the Interventionists passionately advocating that America should enter the war, the America Firsters arguing the opposite with equal fervour. A crowd had gathered, men and women, students and professors. The knowledge that Harvard boys would be among the first to die made the discussions highly emotional.
'I have cousins in Paris,' Luke said. 'I'd like us to go over there and rescue them. But that's kind of a personal reason.'
'I have a personal reason too, I'm Jewish,' Billie said. 'But rather than send Americans to die in Europe, I'd open our doors to refugees. Save lives instead of killing people.'
'That's what Anthony believes.'
Billie was still fuming about the night's fiasco. 'I can't tell you how mad I am at Anthony,' she said. 'He should have made sure we could stay at his friends' apartment.'
She was hoping for sympathy from Luke, but he disappointed her. 'I guess you both were a little too casual about the whole thing.' He said it with a friendly smile, but there was no mistaking the note of censure.
Billie was stung. However, she was indebted to him for this ride, so she swallowed the retort that sprang to her lips. 'You're defending your friend, which is fine,' she said gently. 'But I think he had a duty to protect my reputation.'
'Yes, but so did you.'
She was surprised he was so critical. Until now he had been all charm. 'You seem to think it was my fault!'
'It was bad luck, mainly,' he said. 'But Anthony put you in a position where a little bad luck could do you a lot of damage.'
'That's the truth.'
'And you let him.'
She found herself dismayed by his disapproval. She wanted him to think well of her - though she did not know why she cared. 'Anyway, I'll never do that again, with any man,' she said vehemently.
'Anthony's a great guy, very smart, kind of eccentric.'
'He makes girls want, to take care of him, brush his hair and press his suit and make him chicken soup.'
Luke laughed. 'Could I ask you a personal question?'
You can try.'
He met her eyes for a moment. 'Are you in love with him?'
That was sudden - but she liked men who could surprise her, so she answered candidly. 'No. I'm fond of him, I enjoy his company, but I don't love him.' She thought about Luke's girlfriend. Elspeth was the most striking beauty on campus, a tall woman with long coppery hair and the pale, resolute face of a Nordic queen. 'What about you? Are you in love with Elspeth?'
He returned his gaze to the road. 'I don't think I know what love is.'
'Evasive answer.'
'You're right.' He threw a speculative look at her, then seemed to decide that she could be trusted. 'Well, to be honest, this is as close to love as I've ever come, but I still don't know if it's the real thing.'
She felt a pang of guilt. 'I wonder what Anthony and Elspeth would think of us having this conversation,' she said.
He coughed, embarrassed, and changed the subject. 'Damn shame you ran into those men at the House.'
'I hope Anthony won't be found out He could be expelled.'
'He's not the only one. You might be in trouble, too.'
She had been trying not to think about that. 'I don't believe anyone knew who I was. I heard one of them say 'tart'.'
He shot a surprised glance at her.
She guessed that Elspeth would not have used the word 'tart', and she wished she had not repeated it. 'I suppose I deserved it,' she added. 'I was in a men's House at midnight.'
He said: 'I don't think there's ever any real excuse for bad manners.'
It was a reproach to her as much as to the man who had insulted her, she thought with annoyance. Luke had a sharp edge. He was angering her - but that made him interesting. She decided to take the gloves off. 'What about
