CHAPTER 13
LONDON
MARCH 1939
Eva patted her hair to smooth any stray strands, catching sight of herself and Precious in the reflection of the hotel lobby door before a uniformed bellman opened it for them. She smiled without looking at him, the way she’d noticed many of the clients at Lushtak’s did when encountering anyone in a service capacity. It was their way of showing appreciation while not lowering themselves.
She felt the appreciative stares as she and Precious crossed the black-and-white marble-tiled floor, their heels making gratifying clicks. She walked as if she were modeling, using a slow, steady pace to hide her nervousness. To act as if she belonged at Claridge’s. Precious, her näiveté always misconstrued as confidence, simply moved forward as if tea at Claridge’s were her due.
Sophia was already seated beneath the fluted arch when they arrived, making Eva falter, wondering if she’d gotten the time wrong. But Sophia smiled, stood to share air-kisses on each cheek, and fluttered her hands, as if to fling away Eva’s apologies.
“I’m always dreadfully early, so I should be the one apologizing. Even Mother complains, saying I was an entire week early when I was born.” She turned to Precious, her smile growing wider. “And this must be the lovely Miss Dubose whom Eva and Graham have told me so much about.”
“I hope it was all good.” Precious returned the smile. “And please, call me Precious. All of my friends do.”
“Splendid,” Sophia said, indicating the two seats on either side of her. “Only if you call me Sophia. I daresay I’ve heard so much about you that I feel as if we’re already friends.”
Eva relaxed, calmly sitting in the chair being held by a discreet maître d’. She even remembered not to look at him.
After they’d placed their orders, Sophia regarded Eva and Precious with open admiration, which was a relief—Eva had taken nearly two hours to dress. Her room was strewn with discarded outfits she’d considered before finding the knee-length pale blue suit with the formfitting belted jacket and adorable white pointed collar. It was the perfect mix of new and modern, elegance and poise.
Precious had known precisely what she would wear, a tea dress in lemon-colored silk chiffon, and had been dressed and waiting a good half hour before Eva was ready.
“You both look absolutely stunning,” Sophia said. “I suppose I should never agree to be seen in public with either one of you because I dread the comparisons, but my guess would be that we’ll be seeing quite a lot of one another. I daresay that Graham is quite smitten with you, Eva.”
“Really?” was all Eva could think to say.
“Surely you know. And I can’t tell you how many people have asked me about the gorgeous creature that Graham’s been sporting on his arm of late. They think you’re a foreign princess or some such nonsense. Not that I disabuse them of the notion, of course. It’s much too fun to leave them guessing.”
“I’m not surprised at all,” Precious said. “She’s pretty as a peach and smart as a tree full of owls. The best thing I ever did was bump into her at the train station and ask if she needed a roommate, which I guess makes me pretty smart, too.”
Eva looked at Sophia for her reaction. Sophia laughed out loud. “And I would have to agree.”
Eva sighed silently with relief.
Their sandwiches and cakes arrived, and while the tea was poured, they were silent, waiting to speak again until the servers had quietly removed themselves.
“What do you tell them?” Eva asked, hiding her interest as she sipped from her green-and-white-striped teacup.
“Catty girls I let believe what they will. But good friends I tell the truth.”
Eva’s hand shook as she replaced her cup in its saucer, spilling a drop of tea. “The truth?”
“Yes—about your parents being killed in a tragic accident and leaving you without any family. It does you credit, you know. That you reinvented yourself and forged a new life. You’re very brave.”
“Thank you for saying that.” Eva looked into her teacup so she wouldn’t have to meet Sophia’s gaze.
“You both are,” Sophia said. “Precious came all the way across an ocean, leaving her family behind. That would have been very difficult. You must miss them.”
Precious nodded. “I do. I’m lucky to have found Eva. She’s become my family here. It helps me not miss my family back in Tennessee so much.”
She smiled across the table at Eva, and Eva smiled back, her eyes smarting.
Sophia cut off a bite of a custard-filled pastry, held it aloft with her fork, then replaced it on her plate. “I shouldn’t eat that. Mother says I’ll never be able to fit into my wedding dress if I’m not careful.” She looked wistfully at Eva and Precious. “Both of you can probably eat anything you want, can’t you? I’ll attempt not to be green with envy.”
Eva took a careful bite from her cucumber wedge sandwich and tried not to choke on it. She’d always been slender because she’d never had enough food as a child; she had gone to bed hungry more times than she cared to remember. She forced a smile. “I’m sure it will catch up with me one day, although I do think being so tall helps.”
Precious nodded. “That’s the thing with fashion, Sophia. Every woman can wear beautiful clothes, as long as they’re cut to flatter her figure. You’re built differently than we are, so different clothes will suit us best. You can still be the most gorgeous woman in the room.”
“Do you really think so?” Sophia said.
“Of course,” Eva said. “More important than what you’re wearing is your smile and character. I’m sure that’s what David loves most about you.”
Sophia’s cheeks flushed prettily. “Thank you for saying that. You are both such dears.” After a brief hesitation, she picked up her fork and placed the sweet pastry into her mouth.
After another sip of tea, Sophia said to Eva, “I trust you were reunited with your purse?”
“Yes, thank you. I’d been planning to send an invitation to tea to thank you for its return, and for the flat, but I received your invitation first. But I do want to thank you so much for your kindnesses. I’d like to think we’d be friends even if we hadn’t met through Graham.”
“Of course we would be. All three of us. And don’t be silly. The two of you are doing us a favor, accepting the offer to live in the flat. David’s quite fond of it—good memories of his bachelor days, I suppose. Besides, I was hoping the offer would sweeten you both up before I asked a favor.”
“A favor?” Eva said, surprised. She couldn’t imagine Sophia needing anything from them.
“Yes. You’re both models and have such wonderful taste in all matters to do with fashion, and I would like your help in selecting dresses for my two bridesmaids. I’m afraid my friends aren’t quite up to the task.”
“Of course. We’d love to help,” Precious said. “Right, Eva?”
Eva nodded. “Will we get to meet them so we can determine a flattering style?”
“Sadly, no,” Sophia said. “They’ve both recently married—breaking their mothers’ hearts by having quick weddings because their husbands have signed up for the Territorial Army.”
“Really? We’re hardly at war. Isn’t that a bit premature?” Eva looked down at her plate, where she’d just placed a large dollop of clotted cream on a scone, her appetite suddenly gone.
“Mother and Father don’t like to talk about such things in my hearing, but thankfully David doesn’t keep anything from me. He’s convinced that we are headed toward war. He works in Whitehall, so I trust his opinion. He’s actually talked about signing up himself.”
“Oh, no,” Eva said, her thoughts on Graham.
“I hope your David’s wrong,” Precious said. “For all of us.” And because she was Precious, she reached across the table and squeezed Sophia’s arm.
Sophia sent her a grateful smile, then turned to Eva. “Has Graham mentioned anything to you about signing up?”
Eva shook her head, her stomach turned sour. “No, he hasn’t. Perhaps he gets enough talk of politics and such at work and leaves it there. Should I ask him?”
“It’s all right,” Sophia said. “Maybe we shouldn’t know. I do rather resent David for telling me and spoiling some of the fun of planning our wedding.” Sophia drew her shoulders back. “But I’m prepared to reinvent myself and be brave for the first time in my life. Right now I need to ensure that my wedding goes as planned so that I have a son or daughter to keep me company if David is right and our men have to fight.”
Eva tried to offer a reassuring smile, but her lips wouldn’t obey. “They won’t, Sophia. I’m sure of it.”
“Yes, well, it’s all rather inconvenient, isn’t it?” Sophia used her fork and knife to cut into a chocolate-covered eclair, then returned her silverware to her plate without taking a bite. “David and I are looking forward to the fashion show this Saturday. We’ll be in the front row with Graham.”
“Will your mother be joining you again?” Precious asked, and Eva sent her a quick look of thanks for putting into words the question she’d been trying to ask.
“No. Not this time.” Sophia stopped speaking as the waiter appeared with a pot of fresh tea.
Precious used the opportunity to excuse herself. “I need to go powder my nose,” she said with a wink.
After the waiter had left, Sophia leaned toward Eva. “About Mother. It’s best that she isn’t at the show. Graham and I need time to get her used to the idea of you.” Sophia sat back in her chair and looked across the table. Candidly, she said, “I like you, Eva. You’re not like those vacuous debs Mother always throws at Graham. I say, a model isn’t what most people would call suitable, but I think you’re perfect.”
Eva busied herself by putting another teaspoon of sugar into her already-too-sweet tea, unsure how to respond to a comment that was neither insult nor compliment.
Sophia continued. “Besides, you weren’t born working-class, were you? A doctor’s daughter is quite respectable. You’re obviously educated and— What did Precious say? ‘Smart as a tree full of owls.’” Sophia laughed lightly. “You’re also very beautiful. A catch, in my opinion.” She took a sip from her teacup, then replaced it on the saucer as she had undoubtedly been trained to do in the schoolroom, without making a sound of china against china. “I’m not saying this because Graham and I enjoy ruffling Mother’s carefully coiffed feathers, either.” She grinned devilishly. “Personally, I think new blood is a good thing.”
Eva returned the smile, her spoon moving back and forth in the teacup, the sugar clumping on top in the lukewarm tea. Precious rejoined them, unaware of all the heads turning as she crossed the room.
“To reinvention,” Sophia said, lifting her cup.
“To reinvention,” Precious agreed, doing the same.
“To reinvention,” Eva repeated before bringing her cup to her lips and taking a long sip. She didn’t taste a thing.
“No, thank you,” Freya said with a dismissive snort at Precious. “I’ll stick with the Bromo-Seltzer. It’s what we’ve always used before a show, and I don’t see a need to change now.”
Despite the other models’ refusal to try her preshow concoction, Precious remained cheerful. “You don’t know what you’re missing. But that’s fine. More for us. Right, Eva?”
Eva looked suspiciously at the bottles of Coca-Cola and the bowl of shelled monkey-nuts Precious had set on the dressing table. Precious referred to them as peanuts, but Eva had known them only as the food fed to elephants at the circus. She’d been to one once when she was a little girl, sneaking in through an opening in the tent.
“Maybe I should take the Bromo-Seltzer, too, just in case.”
Precious laughed as she funneled her hand and let the little nuts slide into the neck of the bottle. She’d already instructed Eva to take three sips to make room. Handing the bottle to Eva, she said, “Go ahead.”
Eva hadn’t been prepared to like it, but after she took the first salty-sweet sip, she couldn’t stop. “It’s not bad,” she admitted. “I’ll let you know if I still have energy after I’ve shown ten frocks, but it’s surprisingly drinkable.” Smiling at her friend, she asked, “Are you ever wrong?”
“I’m sure I am, but I tell myself that being wrong is just an opportunity to look for another answer. It makes decisions a whole lot easier to live with—that’s for sure.” Precious put her own bottle to her lips and tilted her head back. Eva did the same. Precious leaned toward her, her gaze scrutinizing. “The makeup on your neck has rubbed off, and you can see the little dark spot. Personally, I think it gives you an air of mystery. You shouldn’t bother covering it up.”
Eva’s hand immediately went to her neck in an attempt to cover the dark birthmark. Although it was no bigger than a sixpence, she’d been afraid that Madame Lushtak would notice it. She placed her empty Coke bottle on the table and stood. “I’ll go find Mr. Danek. I hate it, and I don’t want to have to look at it every time I see my reflection.”
“All right. I’ll save you some peanuts.”
Eva nodded distractedly as she knotted her belt over her dressing gown and left. The show wasn’t scheduled to start for another hour, but Mr. Danek had already finished painting the faces of the six models and was having a rare break before the mayhem began. He sat, leaning back in his chair, the front legs off the floor. He was reading the newspaper and smoking a cigarette, a scowl on his face.
“Mr. Danek?” The scowl remained as he looked up, but when he saw it was Eva, he smiled. “I need a little touch-up, if you have a moment.”
“For you, always.” He stood, took her chin between his thumb and forefinger, and turned her face from side to side. “I only see perfection.”
“Then you need glasses. Just a little more makeup on my neck, please,” she said as she sat and lifted her chin to show him.
“It is invisible already, but if you insist, I will do my best.” He sat down on a stool next to her and began searching through the piles of cosmetics on the table.
She scrutinized the jars as he searched. “Why were you scowling? The birds are singing and the flowers are blooming, and I can’t imagine there’s anything that would make me frown right now with spring going on right outside my window.”
He picked up a small jar and gave Eva an exasperated look. “You should try to be more informed, Eva. There is a lot going on in this world that you should know about. Poland is continuing to refuse to capitulate to Germany’s demand to annex Danzig and the Polish Corridor. Herr Hitler does not like to hear the word ‘no.’”
“But that’s so far away,” Eva said, tilting her head so he could apply the makeup. “I’d rather wait to worry about it when—or if—I have to.”
His dark eyes bored into hers. “That’s what the sleeping fly said before the newspaper hit it. Has your Graham said nothing to you about what’s going on? He works in Whitehall, yes?”
She smiled softly. “We don’t talk about things like that. He takes me to lovely buildings in the city and tells me about their history and design. We go on long walks and talk about things we like and the people we know and sometimes nothing at all. And we’re going to Kew tomorrow to see the cherry blossoms. You see? There’s so much more to life than worrying about Hitler. I say, thank goodness for the English Channel separating us from Europe.”
“I’m afraid Mr. Hitler views the Channel as a mere pond he can wade through to get what he wants.” Mr. Danek pulled out a powder puff and dabbed it on Eva’s nose and neck. “Sometimes I wish I had the ignorance of youth. How much happier I’d be.”
The sharp edge of his voice made Eva regard him warily. “I’m not ignorant, Mr. Danek. I’m just trying to be happy.” She winced, realizing how that sounded. “I’m not frivolous—I know there is real suffering and danger in the world. But I lived in misery for the first eighteen years of my life, and I finally have real happiness within my grasp. I don’t want to let it go.”
His eyes were sad when he spoke, and Eva remembered his dead wife and how little she really knew about Mr. Danek. “I have found that happiness is simply the absence of all other emotions. Remember, it’s best to always keep one eye open. Bad things usually happen when we’re not paying attention.”
“Is that why you had to leave Prague? Because you weren’t paying attention?”
He straightened. “It’s one of the reasons.”
“And your friend from the café, Mr. Zeman. What does he say?”
“Jiri thinks we should work with the Germans, that our economies will prosper if we all go along with their demands.”
“Wouldn’t going along with the Germans be more peaceful, then?”
Mr. Danek smiled at her, lifting just a corner of his mouth. “Ah, the näiveté of youth. You are like a cat, I think. You will always land on your feet no matter what happens.”
She wasn’t sure if that was a compliment, so she didn’t say anything. Instead, she reached into the pocket of her dressing robe and pulled out her new cigarette case. “Do you have a minute to look at something? I’m trying to find out what this means.”
He took the case, raising an eyebrow as he felt its heft. “This is very nice. Expensive. Did your young man give it to you?”
Eva couldn’t meet his eyes, knowing she’d see disappointment in them. “No. It was given to me by another gentleman—someone I met at a dinner party.”
He was silent. When she didn’t look up, he continued to examine the silver case. “It’s very beautiful. But I hope you are planning on returning it to him.”
“Why?” But she already knew. She’d been hearing the words in her mother’s voice ever since Alex had given it to her.
“Because only a certain type of gentleman gives an expensive gift to a woman who is not his.”
Now their eyes did meet. “I’m not married or even engaged, Mr. Danek. Therefore I didn’t feel as if I should refuse.”
His eyes remained on hers for a long moment. Finally looking down, he flipped over the case. “Are these the words you need translated?”
She nodded. “Do you know what language it is?”
“Latin—from an old proverb.” He studied the case, then read the words out loud. “‘Nil credam et omnia cavebo.’”
She repeated the words, loving how the rounded vowels felt on her tongue.
“You really have an excellent ear, Eva. Your pronunciation is perfect.”
She blushed at the compliment. “But what does it mean?”
“Betray before you are betrayed. It’s not an exact translation, but that’s what it means more or less.” He lifted his gaze to her face. “An odd gift to a young woman from a virtual stranger, don’t you think?”
Eva agreed, but she didn’t want to admit it. “Maybe it was already engraved when he bought it. I doubt he knew what it meant. But the bee on the front is so lovely. He said it was exquisite and unique and that’s why he thought of me when he saw it.”
“Did he?” Mr. Danek pressed the button, and the case popped open, exposing Eva’s Matinée cigarettes.
“Yes. I found it charming,” she said, sounding defensive.
“As I’m sure was his intention.” He snapped the case shut. “Be careful, Eva. It is sometimes hard to recognize wolves because they are wearing sheep’s clothing.”
“Thank you for the warning, Mr. Danek, but I’m too old for fairy tales. I’m quite capable of taking care of myself.”
“Yes, you are, my dear. But you have a fondness for beautiful things. Some might see it as a weakness and use it to their advantage. That is all I am saying.”
He placed the case in her hand, and she closed her fingers over it, then stood. “It’s only a cigarette case. He meant no harm.”
“Is that so? And what did your Graham say about it?”
Eva shook her head, flustered. “I haven’t had a chance to tell him yet, but he’ll understand.”
Mr. Danek stood, too, his face unsmiling. “I am sure he will.”
Eva nodded. “Thank you for fixing my makeup. You’re a genius.”
“Thank you, Eva, for giving me such a beautiful canvas upon which to work.” He gave her a mock bow.
She said good-bye, then walked hurriedly back to the models’ room, which had erupted into a volcano of silk stockings, garters, and step-ins as the girls began dressing in their first outfits. She dressed, too, and chatted with Precious and the other models, their voices shriller and higher than usual because of nerves and excitement. Madame Lushtak had sent in champagne, and the atmosphere was almost festive as the girls sipped and offered one another encouragement. Even Freya had kind words for Eva, making Precious raise her brows.
“Graham will be in the first row, remember,” Precious said to Eva. “So look there first. He’ll give you all the confidence you need. You’ll walk on air for the rest of the show.”
Mrs. Ratcliffe entered. “All right, ladies. Settle down, please. Eva, you’re first, in the beaded evening gown. Girls, you know the order, so please line up behind Eva and follow me.”
Eva trailed her through the hallways to the showroom door, the other models close behind, waiting in anticipation for the door to open. They’d rehearsed everything—when to turn; when to drop a wrap to highlight a neckline; when to stick hands in pockets to show them off. Eva pressed her hands to the beaded bodice of her gown, amazed that she wasn’t nervous.
She could hear the murmur of voices quieting as Madame Lushtak greeted the guests. Staring at the closed door in front of her, she thought of Graham, in the front row, next to Sophia and her fiancé, David. The door began to open, and she took a step forward, her gaze trained on the spot where she knew he’d be.
The bright lights glinted off Graham’s light hair, giving his head an aura like a halo. He smiled at her as she walked in the direction of the front row, taking in Sophia and David sitting in the two seats next to him. She stifled an inexplicable and unexpected pang of disappointment, her smile slipping slightly as she tried to figure out why. She’d made it around the room once and was in the middle of her second pivot before she realized she’d been hoping to see another face in the crowd, one with silver eyes and a mocking mouth, one belonging to a stranger who thought her exquisite and unique.