Thinking her secret was discovered, Evelyn flushed, her eyes open wide at the notion of being discovered.
Dorothy’s quick eyes noticed at once and realisation dawned on her a moment later. Surprise was followed by a broad smile. “Oh, Evie, attagirl,” she said in a quick whisper. “You have impeccable taste. And you’ll hate me for what I’m about to do.” She raised her eyes back to Jos. “Come and join us, Jos. Lilian is demonstrating a new song for Vernon, and I don’t expect they want disturbing for now.”
“Afternoon, Dorothy. And Evie, lovely to see you in better circumstances.” Jos slid into the seat next to Dorothy, not quite making eye contact with Evelyn. She shrugged her outdoor coat off and sat with an easy slouch. Today, she wore a long-sleeved knitted cardigan, the same shape as a formal man’s jacket, with a white shirt and brown bow tie.
Evelyn tried not to stare, but once again, she found something extraordinarily compelling about Jos. “Good afternoon, Jos. It’s lovely to see you again,” she managed to say. Her mouth felt dry. She was at once terribly excited at this unexpected opportunity to spend time with Jos and entirely unprepared for the way it made her feel. Suddenly she felt as though she’d actually been drinking gin again, not coffee. Her head spun a little and her heart thudded faster. This was Jos, here, just a couple of feet away from her. A living, breathing woman, towards whom she had dared to admit her own sensual attraction. It was so ludicrous to be almost impossible and yet, as she faced Jos, she could not deny it.
“We were just discussing Evie’s time in London so far,” Dorothy told Jos, apparently trying to force a conversation from the awkward silence.
“And are you enjoying London?” Jos asked.
Evelyn had a impression of Jos as sure of herself but not entirely sure how she would be received. Evelyn wondered if Jos was sometimes greeted with hostility, which seemed awfully unfair. “Oh, very much. It’s a wonderful place. So very different from anything I’ve ever known before.”
“I can see why it would be. Mayfair especially. Vernon and I grew up in Greenwich. It’s only across the river, of course, but I have to admit that Mayfair still makes me open my eyes a little wider.” Jos looked briefly to Dorothy, as if for confirmation that she spoke the truth.
“I find it terribly exciting. I discover something new every day.” Evelyn was relieved to talk to someone who seemed to understand how she was feeling, even if their experiences were really not the same. No one else she’d encountered so far had seemed to offer her any empathy at all.
“There’s nothing like it, is there,” Dorothy interjected. “Something to make the heart race at every turn.”
Evelyn marvelled how, once again, Dorothy managed to describe her excitement with such a deadpan expression.
“Dorothy, my dear, you make it sound so very dry and quite the opposite.” Evelyn smiled as Jos expressed just what she was thinking. “I know it’s fashionable to be cynical, but really, you might smile occasionally.”
This drew a smile from Dorothy. “It’s not that I don’t know how. It just doesn’t always occur to me to deploy those particular muscles.”
“You really are a marvel, Dorothy Bettany.”
“I try my best. But let’s not focus on me. How’s the theatre?”
“Oh, just wonderful. It’s pantomime season, of course. So everything is glistening and sparkling and merry.”
“The theatre?” Evelyn enquired, intrigued.
“I work in the Royale, on Shaftesbury Aveune. I design the scenery and help with the props. I sometimes manage the stage too,” Jos said.
“How wonderful!” Evelyn’s image of the theatre was of a mysterious, glamourous world she did not fully understand. She’d been to several plays at the West Coombe town hall and once had been to see a pantomime at the bigger theatre in Plymouth. But the idea of a theatre here, in London, where everyone seemed to be performing in their day-to-day lives, was fascinating.
“It’s not so exciting when you’re there every day.” Jos shrugged and looked down at the table briefly.
Evelyn found her modesty compelling. “I think it is,” she said, pleased when Jos looked up and smiled. She held Jos’s gaze for a long moment before losing her nerve and looking away, hoping her blush wasn’t obvious. Jos seemed to see right into her thoughts and feelings. Could Jos possibly understand that something about her had kindled such emotions in Evelyn? Once again she felt herself growing warm, wanting to let Jos know that, if nothing else, she liked her and would like to spend more time with her. But how did one go about such things with a complete stranger, a woman, in this maddening London reality?
“Well, Evie, you have a lot of time on your hands at the moment and I imagine you’re tiring a little of Lilian’s company. Why don’t you let Jos show you her theatre one day?” Dorothy winked at Evelyn, much to her consternation. She looked to Jos, who looked puzzled briefly but then smiled.
“I’d be very happy to show you behind the scenes. Any day you like really, although we have matinees on Saturday afternoons, so in the week would be best.”
“I would like that very much.” Evelyn found she did not feel shy about accepting the offer. “Would tomorrow suit you? I think Lilian is going out on her own in the afternoon and I’m a little tired of reading alone in my room now.”
“That would be perfect. Do you know how to get to the theatre?”
“I think we might’ve gone along Shaftesbury Avenue one day. I’m not sure I can remember though.”
Jos gave her directions. “Of course, it’s a good mile, so you might want to take a
