As she entered the Orchid, she paid little heed to the fashionable patrons present, although she was aware that her hurried entrance and distressed expression attracted a few glances. She made straight for the office at the back of the room, knocking only briefly on the door before she went in.
To her relief, she found Vernon sitting behind the desk. He jumped to his feet when she appeared, his quick eyes taking in her emotional state before he uttered a greeting. “Evie! What’s wrong?” he asked, crossing the room and taking her arm. “Is it Jos?”
Evelyn was so relieved to have found a friend, that she almost started crying. However, she needed to explain. “This morning it was Jos. She sent me away, told me she didn’t love me,” she told him.
“Oh she’s an idiot, my sister. Evelyn, she doesn’t mean it. You need to—”
“I know,” Evelyn interupted. “At first I was devastated and then I was angry. I didn’t understand. But then I remembered what you said about her, what Clara said, and I started to understand. I need to talk to her. I was hoping she was here, she’s not at home.”
“I’m sorry, I’ve not seen her all day.”
“It’s not just that though, not now,” Evelyn said, feeling her chest tighten.
“What else?” Vernon was full of concern, his usual feigned insincerity entirely gone.
“James Grainger just asked me to marry him.”
“Bloody hell, Evelyn! What did you say to him?”
Evelyn looked at Vernon. “What do you think I said?”
“Well, I don’t think I hear the sound of wedding bells. I don’t mean that. I mean, did you let him down gently?”
Evelyn sighed. “Not exactly. The last thing he said to me was Get out of my house.”
“It’s been quite a day for you, then.” He smiled slightly.
She guessed he was trying to keep her calm. “Yes.”
“Can I get you a drink? In fact, I insist on getting you a drink. Stay there.” Vernon left the room to return moments later with a glass of brandy.
Evelyn sipped it, grateful for his kindness. “Do you know where Jos might be?” she asked, eventually.
“Afraid not. I have one or two ideas. There’s places she takes herself off to when she’s unhappy, places where she doesn’t have to face anyone she knows. I imagine she’s drunk far too much whisky and is currently feeling very sorry for herself. If she’s pushed you away, she’ll hate herself right now.”
“I don’t want that,” Evelyn said. “I want to make her understand that I’m not pushing her into anything, I just want to be with her. And she won’t ruin it.”
“It’ll take some convincing, Evie but, you know, I do think you might be the one to convince her, finally.”
Vernon’s vote of confidence made her feel slightly better. If only she could find Jos, there was hope. “I really hope so. I love her, Vernon.”
“I know you do, Evie. She knows it too. She’ll be back eventually, you can talk to her then. I honestly think you might have more to worry about with James.” Vernon’s serious tone was alarming. He was usually so quick to joke.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, haven’t you been rather reliant on Lilian and James? Where are your clothes and belongings? Where are you staying tonight?”
“Remarkably practical considerations, for you,” Evelyn said. “And I had already thought about them. The answer is that all of my things are still in their house and I don’t know what I’m going to do tonight.”
“Well, I don’t object to you sleeping here if you have nowhere else. I don’t think I’m a good choice to go to fetch your belongings though.”
Relief filled Evelyn. If nothing else, she was no longer alone. “Thank you, I really do appreciate it.”
“I do hope we can track my idiot sister down. She’s the one who should be helping you. She might end up here, when she finally wants to talk about her misery.”
“I hope so,” Evelyn replied.
At that moment, the door of the office swung open, slamming against the wall. Both Vernon and Evelyn looked up, startled to see Lilian in the doorway, eyes blazing with anger.
“I might have known this is where you would be, you double-crossing little bitch!”
Evelyn, who had never been called any such thing in her life, was astounded and horrified. Vernon seemed equally speechless. It was not immediately apparent what was wrong with Lilian, merely that she was extremely angry. She had spoken so loudly that a hush had fallen in the cafe, the buzz of conversation gone.
“Lilian?” Vernon said eventually. “Is something wrong, darling?”
“Don’t you call me darling! Not when you’ve been having your way with Evelyn, leading me on the whole time, you filthy excuse for a man.”
It was now apparent what Lilian’s problem was, but Evelyn was still not sure exactly how she should deal with it. “Lilian, you’re wrong,” was all she could manage. However, this seemed to make Lilian’s anger intensify.
“Don’t try to deny it. I take you into my home and share everything with you, and this is how you repay me? You rut in the same bed as me, taking my man from me, and you dare to refuse my brother when he offers you a decent marriage, better than anything else you’ll ever be offered in your dead-end little town in Devon?”
“I was never your man, Lilian,” Vernon put in, unhelpfully in Evelyn’s opinion.
She glared at him. “You said you were, to get me between your sheets,” Lilian retorted, loudly.
“I don’t think I did, actually—it sounds most unlike me,” Vernon
