“Oh, I shall be on my guard.” Evelyn wondered if Lilian noted the irony in her words.
“Excellent. Well, I shall be out for most of the day, and possibly into the evening too. So I’ll see you in the morning, if not before.”
“You won’t be back this evening?”
“No. I’m going early to my dressmaker and I made an appointment to have my hair cut too. This evening I’ve been invited to drinks with an old friend from school, in Kensington, so I’m just not sure when I’ll be home. Looks like it’ll just be you and my darling brother.” Lilian smiled and Evelyn was sure there was something implied by that smile that made her uncomfortable.
“I hope Grace isn’t expecting me at a certain time,” Evelyn said. “I’m not sure when I’ll be home.” The idea of an evening alone in the house with James was suddenly uncomfortable to her. If nothing else, it was possible she could claim to have eaten elsewhere and avoid sitting at the dining table with him.
“I think she’s just planning to prepare some salad and cold cuts, so you needn’t worry about the time. Although, really, how long can you possibly spend poking around in a theatre?” Lilian laughed but Evelyn did not join her.
“I don’t know, but I expect it will be very interesting,” she replied.
Lilian’s smile faded. “Hmm, wouldn’t be for me. But I suppose it’s horses for courses, isn’t it? I hope you have a lovely afternoon, darling.” She gave Evelyn a quick pat on the arm and then made her way up the stairs.
“Thank you, you too,” Evelyn called after her, before retreating into the sitting room where she sought the newspaper to help occupy the time until she needed to leave the house.
*
Evelyn enjoyed the walk through the London streets. Already there were familiar landmarks, and already the sounds and smells of the sprawling city were nothing surprising. Walking a short distance along these streets did not feel at all adventurous now. Though she loved London, the pavements were a means to an end, taking her to meet Jos.
As she walked, Evelyn paid little attention to her surroundings. Although she had planned to absorb and remember every detail of her first independent day in London, the motor buses and shopfronts seemed to simply drift by in a blur. Beyond checking the street names to be sure she was still walking in the right direction, Evelyn barely noticed the shapes and colours around her. She thought of Jos, with some apprehension. Outside of the rareified world of the Yellow Orchid, how would it be to meet with Jos? What would they talk about? Would she still feel so compelled by her? And if she did, what did it mean? Was it possible for someone like her to act on such feelings? If Jos did not return them, how would she feel? The thoughts, not clearly articulated, occupied the whole of Evelyn’s consciousness. She was at the theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue a full fifteen minutes early, scarce able to remember the route she’d taken to get there.
Uncomfortable at the idea of trying to get into the theatre and disturbing Jos before the appointed time, Evelyn contented herself with examining the facade of the red-brick building, probably built midway through the last century. A flight of broad steps led to the row of dark wood doors, with flawless glass panels and brass fixtures. Above each door was an ornate wrought-iron framework, supporting a stained glass canopy, which sent a rainbow of colour onto the top steps. Framed posters advertised Dick Whittington with a coloured picture of a woman in a long waistcoat and high boots, a cat at her side.
In the wide street, a motor car sounded its horn as a dray horse passed, heaving its cargo of beer barrels. Evelyn turned to watch the traffic. One of those fabulous open-topped buses sped along the other side of the road, a child waving from the top deck to anyone who might see. A baker’s boy cycled past, clearly on his way home from a morning of deliveries, his basket now empty. Once again Evelyn marvelled at the bustle of London. Everyone was doing something, going somewhere important. She would admit that it was less friendly than West Coombe, less of a community, but it was far more fascinating. And people formed their own communities, even in this vast city. She had already found one, of sorts, with Lilian and her friends. Although Jos seemed a little outside of that community. Did Jos have friends of her own, away from the Yellow Orchid? Evelyn wondered if she would ever have the chance to meet them. She liked the idea of finding out more about Jos, of being considered part of Jos’s world.
“Evie!” Jos’s voice came from behind her. She turned to see Jos standing in one of the doorways into the theatre, propping it open with her foot. “Come inside, you’ll catch your death out here.”
Evelyn smiled and hurried towards Jos. “Hello! I was a little early and I wasn’t sure if it was all right to come inside.”
“Of course it would have been. But anyway, I’m here now.”
“Yes, you are.” Evelyn’s eyes made contact with Jos’s, and there it was again, that warmth, that sense of expectation of something, although she did not know quite what. Jos’s expression seemed more open here, in her own territory, than it ever had when she’d encountered her before. Evelyn was glad Jos seemed relaxed.
“So, do you want the full tour?”
“That would be lovely, thank you. If you’re sure you have time.”
“Oh, I’m not really needed at this point, now the performances are under way. It’s during those I have to be here. I’m only here today because
