Page 25 of The Secret Librarian

Chapter Twelve

Avery

Avery had thought she was busy when she’d been working at the library, but nothing could have possibly prepared her for the hours she was spending with her eye pressed to the viewfinder of her camera in Lisbon, documenting all of the publications she’d managed to source.

She now had books and newspapers piled up around the living room and the spare bedroom – which no one had ever arrived to fill – and she was starting to see why Tom had kept the apartment in such a mess.

It was impossible to keep order when she barely had time to do anything other than work, and she kept bringing bag after bag of material home with her almost every day from not just Camille’s bookshop, but other vendors dotted around the city.

Even those books that Avery didn’t feel were important enough to microfilm were still boxed up and sent to Washington just in case, albeit without any urgency.

They might not be shipped for months, until there was space on a returning aircraft.

Avery squinted, her eyes becoming tired after so many hours hunched over, but she wanted to finish photographing the current book to add to the worn, brown leather diplomatic pouch she’d prepared to send the following day.

It still seemed almost unbelievable to her that the pouch would make its way by air back to the United States within days of her safely handing it over to her contact from the American Legation in Lisbon.

She’d had no feedback at all on her work, receiving only her weekly stipend and a note in the post instructing her to intensify the search for books on German military strategy, but she could only imagine that no news was good news.

She had sourced all sorts of books, newspapers and even maps so far, and her only worry was that she might run out of film.

And she couldn’t help but think about what Camille had seen, wondering if her own work was actually as useful to the cause as she’d thought it to be.

Or whether there was indeed more that Avery could be doing, like helping to create documents that would change the lives of those Camille tried to help.

Avery glanced at her wristwatch then and realised how late it was, and she quickly checked her reflection in her bedroom mirror before grabbing her keys and rushing down the stairs.

The news stand a few blocks away usually stocked German weekly papers on a Wednesday, and she didn’t want to miss out on the copies for the week.

But as she flung her door open, she noticed a cream envelope and quickly bent to collect it before it blew away.

She slid her nail beneath the seal, pulling out a small card in matching thick cream stock, and read the beautiful handwriting, not having any idea who it was from until her eyes flicked ahead to the last line.

Dear Avery,

I didn’t want to disturb you by knocking, so thought best to deliver a note instead.

Are you free for dinner tomorrow night? I’m staying at the Tivoli Avenida Liberdade, just up the street from the Hotel Avenida where we were both having drinks the other night, and I thought we could have dinner there.

I’ll be at your doorstep at seven if you’re kind enough to accompany me. James.

PS I just made my first mistake, telling you where I live.

Avery put the card back in the envelope, holding it against her chest for a moment as she laughed at their little joke, before slipping it into her pocket and dashing down the street in the direction of the news stand.

‘Hello,’ she said when she got there, breathless from walking so fast, before switching to Portuguese. ‘I’m sorry, I forget myself sometimes,’ Avery apologised. ‘Newspapers today?’

The man pointed towards the Portuguese paper, which was all part of the game now. He knew what she came for, and he often insisted that she buy the local newspaper before finally showing her what she really wanted.

‘I have family in Germany, so I like to keep up with the news,’ she said, giving him her sweetest smile. ‘Do you have any newspapers that might help me find out what’s happening there?’

He shrugged and she took out some money, spotting his son playing in the street as she did so.

Avery had sat one day to watch the comings and goings, to observe the owner and the many customers he had throughout the day, because it helped her to understand what might work if she ever needed to bribe him.

‘Your son likes American bubblegum?’ she asked, taking a stick from her pocket.

The man smiled then and immediately reached for the newspaper she wanted, which he kept away until she had handed over the gum.

‘I have more if you have anything else for me?’ she asked. ‘Chocolate?’

He bent down, and when he stood he passed her another paper.

Italian. Avery tried not to smile too hard as she handed over the bar in her bag.

If only I’d offered chocolate before. She often found the weekly German newspapers she was searching for, but the Italian papers were much harder to get her hands on, so this was extra special.

‘Thank you!’ she said, walking back the other way so she could wave to the small boy she’d just parted with the treats for. ‘Make sure your papa shares the bubblegum I just gave him!’

The boy stared at her, blinking, before running over to his father, and Avery found herself grinning the whole way home, newspapers tucked beneath her arm, the sun on her face, and a cool breeze against her neck that made the temperature bearable.

In her apartment it was sometimes stiflingly hot, but out here, today, the air felt magical.

She touched her pocket to feel the card there, thinking about what she possibly had in her wardrobe that was suitable to wear, and wondering what her mother would think of James.

She would likely think him very dashing, although Avery couldn’t imagine James being quite so eager to impress her mother as Michael had been.

It was almost as if Michael were a boy, whereas James was most definitely a man.

Avery forgot all about her date though when she saw the mailman at her door, and she ran all the way to see if he had anything for her.

‘Miss Avery Johnson?’

‘Yes!’ she gasped. ‘That’s me. Do you have something for me?’

He passed her three letters, and she quickly turned them over for the return address.

One from Washington, one from home and .

.. She let out a big breath. One from Jack.

She’d been starting to panic when she hadn’t heard from him in so long, always worried that something terrible might have happened to him, but a letter meant he was alive.

Or at least that he had been whenever he’d sent it, which she knew could have been some time ago.

She let herself in and ran up the stairs, temporarily forgetting all about the book she had been in the middle of photographing, and tore open the envelope as quickly as she could.

Avery was on cloud nine. She’d reread the letter from Jack as she got ready, before placing it on her bedside table, alongside a letter from home, and now she was doing one final check in the mirror before going downstairs to meet James.

She glanced at the clock again, seeing she had five more minutes before he was due to arrive and dabbing a little perfume on the spot just behind her ear, as well as on her wrist. Satisfied that she now smelt and looked good, she did a little turn to check her dress, before collecting her coat and purse and slipping her heels into her shoes.

James was much taller than her, and she loved that no matter what shoes she’d chosen, he’d still be tall enough for her to drop her head to his shoulder if she was so inclined.

She ran down the stairs and opened her door just in time to see James walking towards her, still a few lamp posts away. Avery locked the door and waited, watching the way his rather pensive expression turned to a smile when he saw her standing there.

‘On my walk here, I was convinced you wouldn’t be waiting,’ he said.

‘Well, a girl can’t say no to dinner at a swanky hotel, can she?’ Avery replied. ‘Not to mention your letter was very sweet.’

‘You look beautiful, as always,’ he said, proffering his arm.

Avery happily slipped her hand through the crook he made, feeling altogether breathless and exhilarated.

The walk to the hotel was pleasant, the temperature outside still warm as they wandered slowly enough for her to be comfortable in her heels.

She’d expected to be nervous, but instead she was just happy to be in James’s company, laughing at his jokes and listening to him talk about home and the things he missed about Britain.

‘How about you, Avery? What are you missing?’ he asked.

‘Honestly? I haven’t been away from home long enough to miss anyone, not really. I just ...’ She stopped.

‘You just what? You can’t leave me hanging wondering what it is.’

‘I know this sounds silly, but I’ve always wanted to travel. It’s not exactly a popular dream for a young unmarried woman, but I feel like I’m right where I’m supposed to be.’

‘It doesn’t sound silly at all, and in my opinion there’s nothing wrong with wanting to see the world. How do we know what we want if we haven’t seen anywhere but home?’

She was relieved from having to say any more when James slowed and gestured to the building they were approaching. ‘We’re here,’ he said.

The Tivoli Avenida Liberdade was similar from the outside to the only other hotel she’d visited in Lisbon, only this one was across the square and with steps leading up to the entrance.

She walked slightly ahead of James as he guided her past the doorman, who quickly swept the glass door back for her to walk through, into the lobby and through to the dining room.

Stiff-looking white tablecloths adorned each table, and she was surprised at how many people were already there for dinner.