“Something has, yes.” He got up restlessly and felt about his pockets. “You haven’t got any cigarettes in here, have you?”
She got up and went to her purse, pulling out a case and tossing it to him.
“Cheers.” He pulled out a cigarette. “There was a break-in last month.”
Evelyn stared at him, a surge of shock going through her. “What?!”
He nodded glumly and looked around. “Any matches? I seem to have left my lighter somewhere.”
She shook her head and crossed to the desk, opening the drawer and extracting a box of matches.
“When? What happened?” she demanded, handing him the matches.
“Someone forced the window in the study. Thomas saw a light in the middle of night and went to turn it off. The next day he saw the window had been forced.”
Evelyn dropped into her seat, staring at him.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” she asked. “When did this happen? What was taken?”
“I suppose Mum didn’t want to worry you,” he said, lighting his cigarette. He shook out the match and walked over to open the bedroom window. He tossed it out and blew smoke outside. “I didn’t think to write you about it, to be honest. It happened in the beginning of November. Nothing was taken. In fact, Thomas and the servants couldn’t find anything out of place anywhere.”
“Is he sure the window wasn’t just left off the latch?” she asked after a moment of silence.
“Oh, it was definitely forced. He had to call a locksmith to come out and replace the lock. While he was at it, he replaced all the locks on the ground floor.” Rob leaned against the window sill and looked at her. “Everything seemed fine and the local police put it down to kids. But it did get me thinking that perhaps Mum shouldn’t be here all alone.”
“She’s not all alone, though. She has the servants.”
“But for how long? Thomas won’t go anywhere. He’s too old to join up, bless him, and so is his wife. And I suppose Jones will stay on with the horses, and Samuel to take care of the cars and drive her. But the others will probably go, and then Mum will be in this old house alone, with only the older servants.”
Evelyn pressed her lips together thoughtfully. “Auntie Agatha is coming in January,” she said slowly. “She’s going to stay indefinitely. Mum said that she doesn’t want to stay in London while there’s a war on. Can’t say I blame her. If Hitler does attack, London will be hit hard. So Mum will at least have her.”
“That’s true.” Rob brightened. “And I defy anyone to try to break in while she’s around. The woman’s terrifying.”
Evelyn was surprised into a laugh. “She’s hardly terrifying. She’s just rather blunt.”
They were both quiet for a moment, Rob smoking at the window and Evelyn staring at the wall, lost in thought.
“It was the study, you said?” she asked suddenly, turning her eyes back to him.
He nodded and leaned out the window to put out the cigarettes on the bricks before tossing the butt away.
“Yes, why?”
“I don’t know. I suppose it’s just disconcerting. I mean, that was Dad’s domain. The thought of a stranger breaking in there...”
He nodded and closed the window again.
“I know what you mean. That’s how I felt when I heard. It’s almost like a desecration somehow.” He looked down at her. “I wish you weren’t stuck up in Scotland. I’d feel better if you were stationed somewhere closer. Not that you could be of any help from an air field, but at least you wouldn’t be hours away.”
“Actually, I’m being reassigned after Christmas,” she told him. “I don’t know where yet, but I think it will be closer to London.”
His face lit up. “Really? That’s fantastic news! Why didn’t you say anything last night?”
“I didn’t think of it,” she said with a shrug. “But being closer to London won’t help Mum at all. It’s a four-hour drive.”
“Still better than Scotland,” he said, turning to go towards the door. “That makes me feel heaps better. And we can meet in London once in a while!”
Evelyn grinned. “Yes, so I’ve been told,” she murmured. “Don’t get your hopes up, though. I don’t know where I’ll be yet.”
“Doesn’t matter where you are if you’re closer to London.” He reached for the door handle. “And I’m sure I’m just making a mountain out of a mole hill with the study window. It was probably just some kids on a dare, as the police said. Nothing’s happened since, and Thomas has been vigilant about ensuring all the windows are secured every night. With Auntie Agatha here, I’m sure everything will be just fine. I’m going to hunt out Miles and see if he fancies a game of billiards before luncheon. Care to join us?”
“I’m going to finish writing this letter, but I may join you later,” she said absently.
“Right-o.”
And with that, he went out the door. Evelyn stared at it for a long moment, deep in thought, then her eyes slowly shifted to look at the wardrobe consideringly. Getting up, she crossed the room and opened the doors, pushing dresses and skirts out of the way to reveal shelves built into the back. She reached up to the top shelf and pulled down a wooden box, turning to carry it over to the desk. Setting it down, she stared at it thoughtfully.
The smallish box was made out of smooth wood with several panels connecting together seamlessly. It was a Chinese puzzle box, and ever since their stint in Hong Kong, her father had delighted in giving her a new one every year on her birthday. Each year they got progressively more difficult, and this one she hadn’t figured out yet.
Evelyn sat down and stared at the box. Instead of giving it to her on her birthday, her father had surprised her with it in August, a week before he left on that fateful trip. He’d called her to his study to give it to her. When
