“Annie, that’s not fair. I wrote letters so you’d know I was thinking about you.” Evelyn was hurt by Annie’s ongoing resentment. Part of her began to think Annie envied her newfound freedom, the experiences she’d had in London. Annie had never expressed an interest in any life other than West Coombe offered, but then she had never really considered the alternatives. And now she was married. Evelyn wondered how happy her sister’s marriage really was.
“A letter’s nothing though, not when you didn’t even say you were leaving.”
“I’ve said I’m sorry, Annie. I can’t do much else.”
“I assure you that Evelyn’s mentioned you all on many occasions, always with loving sentiments,” Jos said. Evelyn silently thanked her.
“So, who are you and how did Evelyn come to be your friend?” This was Evelyn’s father, who was looking at Vernon with barely disguised suspicion.
“Well, I run a small…dining establishment, in Mayfair. Evelyn spent an evening as one of my patrons and I was introduced through a mutual friend.” Evelyn was impressed at just how respectable and conservative Vernon contrived to make the occasion sound. “And naturally, after that, I was very drawn to her. Evelyn’s a beautiful woman, Mrs. Hopkins. That’s why I proposed marriage.”
Evelyn drew a deep breath as her family’s collective eyes widened. This had been the agreed plan, as it seemed to be what her family were most likely to accept. Introduce Vernon as the man she loved in London, claim they were engaged to be married, and then leave before too many questions could be asked.
“You’re the man she loves?” Annie asked, staring at Vernon incredulously. Evelyn almost wanted to laugh at her astonishment.
“Yes. Why do you find that so unlikely?” Vernon asked. “With respect.”
“I don’t recall you asking for my permission, young man,” Mr. Hopkins interrupted.
Vernon was caught off guard for a moment. “That’s one of the reasons I’m here now,” he said brightly, clearly pleased that he’d thought of an answer that sounded reasonable.
Evelyn listened to Vernon, realising just how ridiculous it was to pretend she was in love with him. He was giving a superb performance, but it was not the truth. The person she loved was standing to her other side. That love was pure and, whatever the consequences, her family would know about it.
“Vernon, it’s all right, thank you,” she said, pressing Vernon’s arm. “I’m going to tell them the truth.”
Vernon looked at her with a combination of surprise and approval and stepped back a pace. Evelyn took a deep breath. “You see, I’m not going to marry Vernon,” she began.
“But you have to!” Annie asked. “We won’t have a…a loose woman in the family.”
“I’ve done nothing loose with Vernon, Annie,” Evelyn replied, causing a stunned expression to overtake her sister’s face. “Although, if I had, it’d be none of your business. I’m not going to marry Vernon because it’s not Vernon that I love.”
“I assume he knows this,” her father said, still glaring at Vernon.
“Yes, Father. He was just trying to protect me. But it’s time to be honest.” Evelyn could not stop now, even if she wanted to. Every part of her was filled with the need to tell them the truth and damn the consequences. “I don’t love Vernon. The person I love is someone I can’t marry, even though I wish I could. I love Jos.” To confirm they had not misheard her, she grasped Jos’s hand in her own.
Her declaration was met with stunned silence. It was Annie who eventually broke it. “Are you implying that you love a woman in the same way as you could love a man?” she said. “Impossible! It’s unnatural.”
“Just look at the woman though,” her father said. “Hardly looks natural, does she? Not right, a woman in man’s trousers like that.” He was looking Jos up and down now, as though he’d not really noticed her before.
“I won’t stand for that, Father. Jos is the woman I love and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. I know Eddie would have been proud of me. I always said I would fly away from here and be happy. Well, he can see me and he knows that what I’m about to do now, I’m doing for him because he can’t. I love you all, as my family, but I will not stay here until I die of the misery of it all. Come on, Jos, Vernon. Take me back to London.”
“Now, young lady—” Evelyn’s father began.
But Evelyn was not listening. Her hand in Jos’s, Vernon following them, she turned and walked from the house, without looking back.
*
Evelyn lay on her side, looking at Jos, who was on her back in the bed at her side. She twined a naked leg between Jos’s, just wanting to be closer, to feel Jos’s skin on her own. She reached out a hand and placed it on Jos’s chest, near her heart, and knew she’d found real happiness.
Jos smiled. She was clearly tired from the long drive, but apparently not ready to sleep. “Are you all right, Evie?”
“Oh yes,” Evie replied. “I hope it doesn’t make me seem heartless. I do miss my family. But I don’t feel like I’m part of their world. You saw what they’re like. Eddie was the only one who understood me, really. I do miss him.”
Jos pulled her closer. “I know, Evie. And you can take all the time you need to grieve for him.”
“I’m so pleased I didn’t destroy everything,” Evelyn said. “When I was in West Coombe, I was thinking of the mess I’d made in London. I feel awful, really.”
“If you mean Lilian and James, I think they’ll recover. You know, now she knows why Lilian’s been so erratic, Dorothy’s trying to help her. Of course, I think being away from Vernon will help too. He’s not a healthy influence, really. As for James,
