James had become more and more cloyingly attentive to her every need, passing her salt before she needed it, pouring tea when she did not want it. His face brightened when she entered the room. She might have hoped that he would be more awkward in his attentions to her and therefore less able to sustain them, but optimism seemed to have given him confidence and stamina. Her conscience told her she had to be honest with James, but she was unclear exactly how to do so without telling him about Jos.
There was no mention of visiting the Yellow Orchid again, which Evelyn found frustrating. At least it would have been a chance to glimpse Jos, perhaps to talk with her for a short while. Evelyn did not believe that Lilian would go so long without seeing Vernon or without drinking cocktails in her favourite cafe bar, so she suspected that it was rather the case that she was not invited. It was the only noticeable evidence of the new difficulty in her relationship with Lilian. She wondered if Dorothy had asked after her, and what Lilian had told her. And she was glad that, through Jos, she had friends outside of Lilian and her small circle.
About halfway through the week and finding herself with too much spare time, she decided she needed to see Jos. Although she tried to think of an excuse, she could not. In the end she resolved to simply tell Jos that she had missed her and wanted to see her. No one could object to being missed, surely? She was still unsure of the mechanics of a relationship like this one, but going to visit someone you had spent an intense night with did not seem like the wrong thing to do.
First, she tried Jos’s flat. The walk from Hays Mews was a short one and she lost nothing by taking an afternoon stroll and ringing the bell. She was not surprised to find Jos away from home. She was presumably at work. However, the sun was shining and, despite the December chill, it was pleasant walking in the fresh air. Curious as to how she would be received alone, she turned her steps toward the Yellow Orchid. It was not Lilian’s domain after all—it was a cafe open to the public. She did not need an invitation to go there, especially if her intention was to speak to the proprietor’s sister. And going there alone was an act of defiance of Lilian’s attempts to control what she did in London.
The pavements and landmarks of this part of Mayfair were becoming familiar to her now, if not entirely well-known. She found the streets of London fascinating, every building with its own majesty, its own sense of importance. Although she might not have taken the most direct route, it did not take her long to find the Yellow Orchid. Her heart beat a little faster as she pushed the door to cross the threshold. However, apart from one or two glances, her entrance attracted very little attention from the customers sipping their afternoon coffee, one or two already drinking cocktails. She paused inside the door, wondering whether to take a seat or ask for Jos at the bar. She did not recognise anyone in the room but she was certainly not the only woman on her own. The indecision was over when her eyes settled on Vernon, who had just entered from the back of the building.
Looking up, he saw her almost instantly and beckoned her over. She was pleased to see him. When she reached him, near the corner of the bar at the back of the cafe, he smiled broadly. Evie smiled back, remembering Jos’s words about him and no longer feeling wary. Today he wore a cream and brown windowpane-check suit with a green bow tie. Every element of his outfit was in place. Whatever he’d been doing at the back of the cafe, it had not been manual work, that was for certain.
“Evie!” he said. “Delighted to see you. Can I flatter myself that you’re here to suggest a private assignation with the dashing proprietor of the establishment?”
Evelyn could not help but laugh at him. Although she half suspected that, if she was willing, Vernon would proceed with such an assignation, it was now clear that he was nearly always in jest. There was a suggestion that he found everything to be verging on the ridiculous, including himself. His approach was almost modest in its own way and she found it endearing. “I’m afraid not,” she replied. “Although I don’t know how it can be that I’m resisting the temptation.”
Now Vernon smiled a more genuine, open smile. Evelyn sensed a slipping of the facade that he presented to the world, that she was seeing the real man instead. “Perhaps because your heart lies elsewhere?” he said.
Evelyn looked into his eyes, the same blue as his sister’s. Did he know? She knew Jos would tell Vernon eventually of course; Jos had said he would be there at Christmas. But did he know yet? She did not want to pre-empt Jos letting him know, nor give herself away unnecessarily. She decided to test the water first. “And where would my heart lie, if not with you?”
Vernon apparently saw the reason behind her question at once. “Evie, my dear, I know.” He emphasised the last word to give it significance. “And I can’t say I blame you. My sister is infinitely more handsome than I and considerably more trustworthy.”
Evelyn found herself lost for words. Sharing what she had with Jos in the secrecy of Jos’s flat was one thing. Suddenly being confronted with the reality in the words and eyes of someone else was rather more astonishing. She was not uncomfortable with the notion of Vernon knowing, only she was not sure how to react.
“Oh, don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone else,” he said. “Jos’s secrets are safe
