Page 4 of The Secret Librarian
He tore a piece of paper from the back of his notebook and scribbled something down, before standing and passing it to her. She stood, too, taking the paper and unfolding it to read an address in black ink.
He held out his hand. ‘It was my absolute pleasure to meet you today, Avery. I don’t doubt that we’ll cross paths again soon.’
Avery placed her palm in his and he shook it, more firmly than he had when they’d first met.
‘The address—’ she began.
‘Be there at twelve noon tomorrow,’ he said, already gathering up his notebook and papers. She couldn’t help but see her name with the words Ivy League underlined. ‘Don’t be late.’
‘But I have to work tomorrow, and that’s on the other side of—’
‘It’s all arranged. You’re to be there by midday, and if all goes well, I doubt you’ll be returning to work. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere else to be.’
‘Sir, before you go,’ she said. ‘Are we talking about me possibly working for my country here, or ...’ Avery swallowed. ‘Abroad?’
He smiled. ‘Just last week I sent a librarian to Stockholm, Sweden. Ivy League graduates such as yourself can be highly useful to our war effort, believe it or not.’
Avery had to force herself not to ask any more questions as Miller nodded and walked quickly past her, his briefcase in hand.
He strode through the door and out into the library, leaving her alone in Fred’s office.
Instead of going straight back to work though, she lowered herself into her chair, taking out the piece of paper again and staring at the address.
Never in a million years had she imagined that a librarian like her would have anything meaningful to offer the war effort, and to be posted overseas?
She had no idea what all this was about, but deep down inside she had the strangest feeling that everything about her life as she knew it was about to change.
Avery took a plate of supper to her father and curled up on the sofa beside the wireless radio.
Her father had made dinner almost unbearable, having spoken to a pilot he knew to ask whether Avery’s information on women flying planes was correct, which had made her wish she’d never brought it up in the first place.
It also didn’t help that she couldn’t stop thinking about what she might be asked to do, and just how she was going to broach that with her father if it eventuated.
She couldn’t stand the thought that she might do something he’d never forgive.
‘Avery, are you alright? You’re awfully quiet tonight.’
She looked up to see her mother standing by the door.
‘I’m fine,’ she said. ‘Just pensive I suppose. I’ve been thinking a lot about Jack and where he might be.’
It wasn’t a lie, she thought about Jack often, she just hadn’t been thinking of him in that exact moment. If she had, she’d be feeling far more positive, because he would have been the first to encourage her to go.
‘He’ll be fine, darling,’ her mother said, coming to drop a kiss on to the top of her head before sitting beside Avery’s father and repeating one of her husband’s favourite phrases. ‘Those boys will all be home before you know it, just you wait and see.’
Avery reached over and turned the radio up when the announcer’s voice rang clear through the speaker, eager to hear what news there was to report on the war. Her parents were both silent too, as they all listened.
‘All Jews in France have now been ordered to wear yellow stars pinned to their chests, an order that has also been implemented in occupied Belgium and the Netherlands, a move that intensifies and extends Hitler’s mandate for all Jewish people in Germany and occupied countries.’
Avery closed her eyes, not wanting to imagine what those people were going through. She still didn’t understand why the Nazis hated the Jews so much. The Nazi Party seemed as intent on erasing Jews as they were books that were written by Jews.
She pushed the thoughts out of her head and turned her attention back to the broadcast.
‘Although it will come as no surprise to many Americans, it has been confirmed by the President that our great country has officially declared war on Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania.’
‘They won’t know what’s hit them,’ her father muttered. ‘The Axis don’t stand a chance now that we’re in the war.’
She gave her father a small smile, tucking back further into her armchair as she listened to the rest of the broadcast. Avery wanted to be as optimistic as he was, but she wasn’t certain that it was going to be as easy, or as straightforward, for the Allies to win the war as her father seemed to think.
Thankfully the news of the day was over, and because it was Tuesday the familiar jingle of The Pepsodent Show with Bob Hope began, and Avery found herself laughing so hard at his ridiculous jokes and monologues that her cheeks hurt.
Her parents laughed along too, and when the show was over, Avery rose and kissed each of them on the cheek.
‘Goodnight,’ she said.
‘Goodnight, darling,’ her mother said, at the same time as her father blew her a kiss, his ruddy cheeks stretching into a smile.
Avery walked slowly down the hall, trailing her fingers along the wallpaper as she imagined not living in the house she’d always called home.
They’d moved there when she was a baby, so she knew no other home and also knew how much she’d miss it, just as she’d miss sitting with her family and listening to the wireless at night, but she also knew that she couldn’t live the rest of her life wondering what else there was in the world if she was given the opportunity to explore it.
An hour later, Charlotte came tiptoeing into the room. Avery lay there and listened to her get changed.
‘How was your night?’ Avery whispered.
‘Sorry, I was trying to be quiet,’ Charlotte said. ‘We had fun, you should have come. Michael was there.’
Avery sighed. ‘Maybe next time.’
The covers rustled then and she listened to Charlotte getting into bed, fluffing her pillows as she had since they were children before going still. Avery was so used to hearing her sister breathing next to her in the night that she suddenly couldn’t imagine sleeping in a room alone.
‘Charlotte,’ she whispered. ‘Are you still awake?’
Her sister didn’t answer, and Avery lifted her head and heard the soft sound of her snoring. Trust her to fall asleep the moment her head hits the pillow.
‘I think I might be asked to travel overseas,’ Avery said in a low voice, deciding she was probably better off telling her sister when she wasn’t awake. ‘And if they do, I think I’ll say yes.’
She closed her eyes tight and imagined how it would feel to tell her parents if she was asked, or how she’d break the news to Michael.
‘And the best part is, I’ll have a reason to call off the wedding.’
Avery turned over on to her stomach and buried her face in the pillow, wishing upon wishing that everything about her life hadn’t suddenly become so complicated.