Page 53 of The Lost Story of Sofia Castello
52
LISBON, 1941
I stumbled down from the stage, certain I had to be hallucinating. But no, Trafalgar was still standing there, dressed in a smart black suit, crisp white shirt and tie. He looked as stunned as I felt. I was about to ask him what he was doing there when it dawned on me – he must have been one of the agents sent to identify the British aristocrat who’d been selling secrets to the Germans. And for all I knew, Gestapo agents could be watching us right now. I needed to be discreet, so I wiped any trace of recognition from my face.
‘Good evening,’ I said politely.
‘Good evening,’ he replied, holding out his hand in greeting.
I shook it and stepped closer.
‘I feel like I must be dreaming,’ he whispered in my ear.
‘Me too. But you’re not. Room 402,’ I whispered back before releasing his hand and stepping back.
He gave me the briefest nod and strode away, and I was swept up into a sea of people wishing to congratulate me on my performance.
I was finally able to return to my room about half an hour later. As I let myself in, I was hoping Trafalgar might be there already. I even checked the wardrobe! But there was no sign of him, and I felt a growing disappointment. He was there on a work mission; he probably wouldn’t be able to come at all. So close and yet so far.
I went over to the window. A half-moon hung in the sky, partially obscured by cloud. Down below, the palm trees swayed in the breeze like a row of hula dancers, and beyond them I could just make out the dark line of the sea. On the surface, this place seemed so much safer and more beautiful than bombed-out London, but when you knew that it was crawling with Nazis and traitors, all you could see was the ugliness of humanity. I thought of Judith and how sweet and kind she was, and it made my heart break. It seemed so unfair that the good people of the world should suffer so much while evil triumphed.
I was startled from my contemplation by a soft knock on the door. I let out a soft gasp of delight. He’d come! I ran over to the door and flung it open.
‘Oh, it’s you!’ I was unable to hide my disappointment when I saw Emilio standing there.
‘Gee, thanks!’ he exclaimed. ‘Don’t sound too happy to see me.’
He walked in, and my heart sank. Now, if Trafalgar did arrive, it would be all kinds of awkward.
‘Were you expecting someone else?’ Emilio looked at me almost accusingly.
‘Possibly.’ I felt my hackles begin to rise. He had no right getting uppity about me having a visitor. He had a wife back home in Chicago for Christ’s sake. ‘How did it go? Did you catch your guy?’
‘Not yet. I just came to see how the show went and to make sure you’re OK,’ he replied huffily.
‘I’m sorry, it’s just that…’
‘What?’
I decided to go for broke. ‘The guy I wrote “Ocean Longing” about is here,’ I whispered.
Emilio instantly looked at the bathroom door. ‘Here?’ he whispered back.
‘In the hotel. He’s coming up to see me, and I haven’t seen him since London and—’ I broke off, hoping that this would be enough to send Emilio on his way, but he remained rooted to the spot.
‘Who is this person?’
‘I told you, someone I met in the Savoy when I was staying there.’ I started ushering him back over to the door.
Emilio’s expression was impossible to read. ‘And he was just another guest at the hotel?’
‘Yes! I told you all this.’
‘OK,’ he said but very reluctantly.
I opened the door, praying Trafalgar wouldn’t be standing there about to knock. Thankfully, the corridor was empty.
‘Please be careful,’ Emilio said quietly as he stepped outside. ‘You’re famous now – you don’t want people taking advantage of you.’
I let out a snort of laughter at the nerve of him saying this. ‘He’s not taking advantage of me – and he isn’t married either,’ I added for good measure.
Emilio took a step back, looking stung. ‘I – uh…’ He gave a sigh. ‘OK, Castello. I guess I’ll see you in the morning then.’
‘Maybe.’ I shut the door and sighed. I was sick of him acting as if he was my boss.
I marched over to the crystal decanters on a side table and poured myself a brandy. I’d only taken a couple of sips when there was a knock on the door. My heart skipped a beat, but I told myself not to get too excited as it could very well be Emilio returning to give me another lecture.
I opened the door and my spirits soared as I saw Trafalgar standing there. He walked in, and I closed the door, my body fizzing with excitement.
‘Now do you believe in fate?’ he asked, his eyes gleaming. ‘I had no idea you would be here today. Then I walk into the bar and there you are, singing.’ He grabbed my hands. ‘Don’t you think it’s incredible?’
‘Yes, but…’ As much as it was incredible to see him, I also felt a little disappointed. Had he come to Portugal with no plan to see me?
‘I’m here for work,’ he said quietly, as if reading my mind. ‘One night only.’ He sighed. ‘It was torturing me, knowing that I was in the same country as you and yet not able to see you. But fate had other plans!’ He went over to the open window and flung his arms open wide to the sky. ‘Thank you!’ he cried.
I started to laugh. ‘You’re crazy!’
He laughed. ‘Yes. Crazy about you.’
‘That has to be the worst line I’ve ever heard – and, trust me, I’ve heard a few.’
‘Ow!’ He clasped his hands to his heart. ‘OK, how about this for a line? Since Thursday the eighth of May 1941, I haven’t stopped thinking about you. I could have written that song you were singing tonight about how I’ve longed for you.’
‘I actually wrote it about you,’ I murmured, looking away, suddenly embarrassed. ‘I thought you might have heard it. It sold very well in Britain.’
‘I’ve been away,’ he replied. ‘And I mean really away,’ he added enigmatically. ‘You know, work.’
I nodded, my heart racing as I wondered what kind of derring-do he might been involved in. It made me all the more relieved to see him standing in front of me, safe and sound.
Trafalgar started to laugh.
‘What’s so funny?’
‘I’d been so worried you’d forgotten all about me.’
‘Why would I forget about you?’ I stared at him, baffled.
‘You’re a famous singer. You must get men throwing themselves at you all the time. Men who take you to fancy places like this. I took you to a bombed-out library.’
‘And don’t forget our night beneath a bridge,’ I added with a grin, touched to see this vulnerable side to him. Yet more reassurance that he was genuine and could be trusted.
He laughed. ‘Exactly! I almost got you killed. Twice.’
‘And that’s why I’ll never forget you,’ I said softly. ‘And why you’re so much more interesting than all the rest.’
He looked at me for a moment before turning back to the window. ‘Thank you!’ he cried to the sky again before coming towards me. ‘Thank you,’ he whispered, taking hold of my hands. ‘So, we have a choice.’
‘Go on,’ I said, my excitement building.
‘I only have two hours before I have to leave for my flight back to England.’
My heart sank.
‘So we could spend those two hours talking about the weather.’
I looked at him, confused. ‘Since when have we ever talked about the weather?’
‘I’m British, we always talk about the weather.’
‘Fair enough.’
‘Or we could do what we are supposed to do. What we are fated to do.’
‘Which is?’
‘ Você me permite te beijar .’ He looked at me, concerned. ‘Did I say that right? I learned it specially for this moment.’
I felt a burst of excitement. ‘But you said you didn’t know you were going to see me tonight.’
‘No, but I knew I would one day. How many times do I have to tell you, Sofia? I believe in fate!’ he exclaimed. ‘And fate brought us together for a reason on Thursday the eighth of May 1941,’ he said grandly before adding, ‘So, did I get the Portuguese right?’
‘Yes, you got the Portuguese right, and yes…’
‘What?’ He looked at me hopefully.
‘Yes, I will allow you to kiss me.’
He clapped his hands gleefully, and I prepared myself for the kiss, but before I knew it, he was back over at the window exclaiming ‘Thank you!’ again.
‘ Meu deus !’ I rolled my eyes. ‘Are you going to spend your two hours shouting at the sky or kissing me?’
‘Kissing you!’ he cried, bounding back over.
And then finally, all my longing was over. And fate began hammering another nail in my coffin.