It took Evelyn a moment to realise that they were bank notes. Most of them only pound notes, but she saw at least one worth twenty pounds. Her heart started to thud heavily in her chest, as the possibilities offered by the money opened to her.
Evelyn stared at him. For a moment he had almost been Edward from before the war. It had been so brief, but it was enough to confirm he was still there, somewhere.
“There must be over a hundred pounds here, Eddie.” More than enough for the train and a respectable hotel, even in London. The voice in her head told her she could do it. She gritted her teeth and tried to ignore it. “But that still doesn’t mean I can go! It’s unheard of!” Not entirely unheard of, perhaps. The Rawson family from Back Street had moved to Kent a few months ago. A girl she’d been at school with, Cathy Clarke, had visited an aunt and uncle in London every summer. London was not a foreign country. It was one simple train ride away. And now, when she was so desperate to escape, he held this in front of her. Her chance to fulfil promises for both herself and Edward, her chance to see something of the outside world.
Yet she knew there would be no going back. If she went, her engagement to Michael was in tatters. There would be no one else. Her parents would not understand her need to see the world outside of West Coombe. Besides, Edward had clearly hidden both the letter and money for years, not wanting their parents to know. Whatever his reasoning, it would be a betrayal to tell them. In the end, her loyalty was to Edward.
She thought of that hot July day, a year or two before the war. Side by side on a clifftop bench, watching the seagulls, the little brown butterflies in the meadow, they’d wondered aloud how such creatures realise they can fly. And suddenly it had seemed to represent everything in their limited, grounded lives. One day, they’d sworn to each other, they would fly.
Now Evelyn could try, for them both. There would be no further chances. Feeling drunk suddenly, as the adrenaline pulsed through her body, she knew she had to make the attempt. And if she failed, what had she really lost?
“I’ll do it, Eddie.” It was a whisper at first. “I’ll do it.”
Edward had smiled then, one of the broadest smiles she’d seen him manage since his return. She smiled back, a surge of youthful excitement filling her. She reached her hands out to Edward, clasping his face in her hands. “The only thing I’ll miss from here is you, Eddie. I love you. And I’ll write, and tell you everything. Can you believe it? I’m going to try to fly, Eddie!” She bent and kissed his forehead, then threw her arms around him and embraced him wholeheartedly.
And this morning she’d had to part from him. “I came to say goodbye, Eddie. It’s only for now of course. Who knows, I might be back in a few days, when the money runs out. I mean, I’m hoping there’ll be something useful I can do. But if not, I’ll be back really soon. I don’t know what I’ll do then, of course…” Edward was still smiling. Whatever happened, this was worth it to see that smile. “Anyway, it might be for a little while, with any luck. You make sure you give those letters to Mother and Michael, won’t you?” Edward’s eyes flickered with understanding, though he said nothing. “And I’ll write to you too, Eddie. I’ll be thinking about you the whole time. I love you.”
Evelyn had embraced her brother and felt him put his arms around her shoulders. A barely perceptible whisper: “I love you, Evie.” She squeezed him harder, then straightened up again before the tears could fall.
This was her time to fly.
Chapter Two
Lost in her thoughts, Evelyn was alert enough to be relieved to find an empty road ahead of her. There was little cause for anyone from West Coombe to head for the station, which the village shared with the nearby inland town of Markham, in time for the early train. The first train into the station was a different matter, for it brought mail, fresh fruits and vegetables, stock for her father’s shop, and all manner of items ordered by residents of the town. But the first train out of the station had overnighted here and would set off half an hour before that arrival.
There were several men in smart suits on the platform of the small station. A family waited patiently with three children in uniform, clearly returning to school. A couple stood close to each other at one end of the platform. Evelyn did not recognise any of them, to her relief. She’d caught very few trains and the man in the ticket booth had never seen her before either. His eyes registered mild surprise when she asked for a single ticket to London.
“On your own, miss?”
Evelyn found she rather resented the implication that she could not manage a train journey on her own. “Yes. I’m going to visit relatives, they’ll meet me at Paddington.”
“Right you are. Staying awhile are you then?” He was only bored and trying to liven up an early morning, but Evelyn really wished he would stop questioning her.
“Yes, probably until Christmas at least,” she said, marvelling at how easily the lie came to her.
“Ah, well, don’t fancy it myself. Air full of smoke, that’s what London is. Went there once, tail end of the century it was. Smoke and fog and nasty smells.”
“Oh, well, my family are in a suburb. It’s not so bad,” Evelyn assured him.
“If you say so. Have a good trip, miss.” He handed Evelyn her ticket.
“Thank you. And you have a good day.” She smiled and turned gratefully away from the
