“And the rest of your day?”
“Spent stopping my girls from sneaking out to the pub with pilots,” she returned promptly, drawing a laugh from both of them. “I must go and get changed before Rob wastes away to nothing. You know he’s always starving.”
“Go, my dear. We’ll see you downstairs,” Marguerite said, waving her away.
With a final smile at both of them, Evelyn hurried down the carpeted hallway to her room. It was lovely to see Marguerite again, but trying to keep a straight face while pretending not to have seen Bill in months was a challenge. He hadn’t shown by even the slightest flicker that he had just seen her last week in London following the completion of a short, weekend training course in the city. Shaking her head, she reached for the handle of her bedroom door. It was easy to lie to strangers, but something entirely different to act a part in your own house. That might end up being her biggest challenge.
Evelyn went into her room quickly, startling the maid who was in the process of unpacking her bag. As she entered, the young woman turned in surprise.
“Oh, hello miss!”
“Hello, Fran,” Evelyn said, crossing over to the wardrobe. “How are you?”
“Doing well, miss, thank you,” she answered, flushing slightly in pleasure. “It’s nice to have you back.”
“Thank you! It’s nice to be back, even if it’s only for a few hours.” Evelyn threw open the wardrobe door and examined the evening gowns hanging there. “How’s your family? Everyone well?”
“Yes, thank you for asking, miss.” Fran watched as Evelyn selected a gown of mauve silk. “Would you like me to help you dress?”
“No, that’s all right, Fran,” Evelyn said, carrying the gown over to lay it across the coverlet on the bed. “I can manage. When I’ve finished, could you take this uniform and clean it? I’m afraid it has soot all down it from the train. I’ll need it again to travel on Boxing Day.”
“Of course, miss. I’ll just take this case away and store it for you.”
Fran closed the empty suitcase and lifted it off the chair, turning to go quietly out of the room. Evelyn watched her go, wondering how long the maid would remain at Ainsworth Manor. She’d been with them for a few years, but Evelyn knew that many servants were joining up to do their part in the war. It was inevitable that Fran would want to do the same. While she would miss her attention to detail, Evelyn wouldn’t be surprised to see her go.
She changed quickly, stepping into the elegant evening dress and pulling it up over her shoulders before reaching behind to do up the zipper. The dress was one she had purchased in Paris over the summer. She’d only worn it twice, but it was one of her favorites. On both occasions, Evelyn had received multiple compliments, which is precisely why she’d chosen it tonight. She wanted to look her best for Miles. If she only had a short time to make an impression, she had to start immediately.
Turning to look at herself critically in the full length mirror, Evelyn smoothed the shimmering fabric over her hips and tilted her head. The dress fell to the floor in graceful lines, clinging to her figure and transforming her from a WAAF into the wealthy heiress that she was. In an instant, she went from the intelligence agent posing as an Assistant Section Officer to a socialite about to join her family for dinner. Once she added her jewels and ran a brush through her hair, the image would be complete.
Her lips twisted as she surveyed herself for a moment. Which one was the real Evelyn Ainsworth? The woman in a false uniform? Or the heiress in a gown?
Turning away from the glass, she went over to the tall chest that held her jewelry. The question a silly one. She was both, but tonight she would embrace the heiress. That was what was expected of her, and it was who she was as soon as she stepped into her family home. As she selected a necklace, a brief and unusual flash of clarity sharpened that thought and made her pause.
She had to separate the two, the intelligence agent and the heiress, and keep them separate if she were to survive this war without losing herself completely. It really was that simple.
Evelyn lifted a diamond necklace from the jewelry chest and turned to cross over to her dressing table. She seated herself before the mirror and fastened the glittering strand around her neck. When she was in England, she would cling to the life she’d always known and set aside the stranger she’d become overseas. Perhaps then she would remember why she’d embarked on this road to begin with. For, though she couldn’t pretend to know what the future held for her, Evelyn was sure of one thing: it wasn’t going to be easy, and she knew without a doubt that she would need something to hold onto in the months to come.
And that something was going to have to be herself.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
––––––––
Evelyn sipped her tea in the bright sunlight, squinting as she looked out over the south lawn. It was brisk and cold, but the sun was beginning to share its warmth across the countryside as the new day stirred. Rob wasn’t down yet, and neither was her mother, leaving her to enjoy the start of Christmas in quiet solitude.
She shivered and burrowed deeper into her coat. The wind blew and whisked at her hair, pulling strands from her pins and causing her ears and nose to turn red with cold. She didn’t mind. She needed to feel the crisp cold air and listen to the wonderful silence. No sound of military trucks heading out to airfields, or chatter of enlisted men and women hurrying to the mess for breakfast, marred the peace as she sipped her tea. No
