Lilian’s smile faded slightly, Evelyn noticed. “Well, that’s excellent. It’s good you’re making new friends, Evie.”
“Jos is going to show me behind the scenes at her theatre tomorrow,” Evelyn said, partly because she was excited by the prospect and partly because she was curious how Lilian would react.
“Really? That’s very kind.” Lilian was now not smiling at all. “Of course, if you want me to stay at home instead of going to see my dressmaker, I will do. I can take you to the theatre myself. We could actually see the play instead of getting our clothes filthy backstage.”
Evelyn did not like the suggestion in Lilian’s tone that her offer was far better than what Jos had suggested. “No, thank you. I know you’ve been looking forward to finally getting your dress for New Year’s. I’m curious to see behind the scenes. We can go to the theatre at any time. If you don’t mind.” She added the last in the face of Lilian’s downcast expression.
“No, I don’t mind,” Lilian said, her tone flat. Any further discussion was interupted by Vernon’s arrival at the table.
“Sister darling, good to see you.”
“I need to have a word, if you don’t mind, brother dear.” Jos got to her feet. “Dorothy, Lilian, it was good to see you. Evie, I’ll see you tomorrow.” She nodded at each of them then began to walk towards the back of the cafe.
“You mean I don’t get to spend time with this delicious coterie?” Vernon had not directly followed Jos.
“No, not if you know what’s good for you. I’m quite sure you’ll see them again soon.”
“In that case, ladies, it was brief but pleasurable.” He lingered over the syllables of the word, sensually. Again, Evelyn found herself horribly curious to know what he and Lilian had been doing upstairs, her mind full of descriptions from Lilian’s book.
“See you tomorrow, Vernon,” Dorothy said. Lilian simply grinned.
“I’ll look forward to tomorrow, Jos. Thank you again,” Evelyn said, putting her other thoughts aside as rather uncomfortable to dwell on.
Vernon and Jos departed to the private door at the back of the cafe. Evelyn watched them go with some regret. However kind Lilian had been to her, she was beginning to find spending too much time with her was disagreeable. Even Dorothy was quieter when Lilian was part of the group.
As if to confirm Evelyn’s misgivings, Lilian clearly decided it was time to turn the conversation to herself. “Have I told you about the dress I’m having made, Dorothy? Evie knows all about it, but I’m not sure I told you. It’s a really nifty design.”
Evelyn thought she saw Dorothy sigh slightly. “No, you haven’t, darling.You simply must.”
Evelyn sipped the last of her now-cold coffee as Lilian started to talk of crystal beads and ostrich feathers. But her thoughts were with Jos and what tomorrow would bring.
Chapter Twelve
Evelyn awoke early the following morning and lay in bed staring at the white-painted ceiling in the grey early morning light. The house was quite cold and she did not feel inclined to leave the comfort and warmth of her blankets, but she knew she would not sleep any longer. She was already thinking about going to the theatre and meeting Jos.
Whenever she tried to think of the enormity of the fact that she felt drawn to Jos in the way she did, Evelyn diverted her thoughts to other concerns. There was no reason to dwell on that, she reasoned, since it was not something she could act upon alone. Would Jos feel the same way? How did these things work between women? So many questions arose which she could not begin to answer that she found contemplating her feelings for Jos made her nothing but anxious. Instead she lingered over the details. She had already decided to walk to Shaftesbury Avenue, taking enough money for a cab in case she did get lost. There was a peculiar thrill in the idea of being out in London by herself for the first time since she had arrived at Paddington.
She was also very excited at the prospect of seeing backstage at the theatre. It was an experience beyond those of the ordinary tourist and it seemed to mark a step towards her being part of this group of aquaintances, part of their London life. She smiled to herself, thinking that she would write a letter to Edward in the evening, after her theatre visit, and tell him all that had happened. Maybe she would even write to her parents, in the hope that she could dazzle them with the excitements of her new life.
Evelyn could hear Grace in the kitchen below, preparing the breakfast, and she decided to begin her day with a bath. She was still astonished by the luxury of the Graingers’ bathroom, but growing quite accustomed to the convenience. She climbed out of bed, slipped a robe over her nightdress, and took her towels from the chest of drawers, already happily anticipating the warm water.
*
The warm water was so pleasant, Evelyn even decided to wash her hair with the coconut oil shampoo Lilian had given her. At home, she had been used to washing her hair only once a week, usually on a Saturday evening. Now she found she liked the feeling of it being freshly washed and certainly much preferred Lilian’s shampoo to the cake of coal-tar soap she used at home.
Her long hair was still wet when she left the bathroom, wrapped in only the thin robe, and she could feel the cool water soaking through to her skin. She was halfway along the landing between the bathroom and her bedroom when James’s bedroom door opened and he appeared, dressed only in his trousers and shirt, the shirt open to reveal his chest and torso beneath. Evelyn glimpsed the hair on James’s chest and the curve of his stomach
