Page 46 of The Secret Librarian

Chapter Twenty-Five

Avery

Avery walked into the bookshop, trying not to think about it being the last time she’d ever do so.

She’d been overwhelmed with emotion all morning, but with only a few hours left on Portuguese soil, she was trying to tell herself to soak up every last second.

She could collapse later, when she was on the dreaded plane back to New York.

‘Avery?’

Her face broke out into a smile as Camille called her name. Avery hurried towards her, not wanting Camille to have to move. She was still slower than usual after what had happened a month ago, but one thing that had never changed was her beautiful smile that still managed to light up the shop.

‘I was worried you’d left without saying goodbye.’

‘Never,’ Avery said as she wrapped her arms around Camille. ‘I could never leave without saying goodbye to you.’

They held on for longer than usual; the kind of tight, heartfelt hug that was reserved for loved ones. When they finally let go of each other, Avery found herself brushing away tears.

‘I can’t believe they’re sending you home,’ Camille said.

‘It didn’t matter what I said, after everything that’s happened, they wanted me back. I have to go to Washington for a full debrief,’ she said. ‘But Tom is staying on for now, and he knows you’re the best little bookshop in Lisbon.’

‘It’s not going to be the same without you here, Avery.’

She knew exactly how Camille felt, because it wasn’t going to be the same for her either.

‘I don’t know when or how, but I have to believe that we’ll see each other again,’ Avery said. ‘I can’t imagine that this is the last time.’

‘Who knows, I might get passage on one of those big ships heading for New York with everyone else. America doesn’t sound so bad, you know?’

Avery’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. ‘You’ve considered it?’

‘For one fleeting moment when I saw the refugees all lined up yesterday, and again right now when I realised my dearest friend was actually leaving.’

Avery sighed and brushed away a fresh batch of tears. ‘You could, you know,’ she said, softly. ‘If you ever wanted to, if it was something you wanted to consider ...’

Camille caught her hand and squeezed it. ‘I know. But until all the refugees are gone, my work here isn’t complete. I can’t turn my back on them when someone new might still need me.’

‘Well, you put that camera to good use for me, and know that if I could have stayed to help, I would have.’

‘You’re sure you won’t be in trouble for not returning it?’

‘I intend on telling them I was robbed on the streets of Lisbon. They can’t blame me for that, can they?’

When she finally let go, Camille reached under the counter and took out a book.

‘I actually have a parting gift for you. Something to remember me by,’ Camille said, handing it to Avery. ‘It’s an old book, but I wanted to give you something French.’

‘ Madame Bovary , by Gustave Flaubert,’ Avery said out loud, and then she felt her cheeks heat. Trust Camille. ‘I know this one.’

Camille laughed. ‘It’s naughty but worth the read. I thought it might keep you occupied on your travels home.’

Avery glanced at her wristwatch then and knew she had to leave. She only had an hour before she had to be back at her apartment to collect her luggage.

‘It’s time for you to go, isn’t it?’ Camille asked.

‘It is,’ she said, tucking the book into her bag and embracing Camille one last time. ‘I’m going to miss you, so much. Just promise me you’ll stay out of trouble; I can’t stand the thought of anything happening to you without me here.’

‘I will, and I’m going to miss you, too,’ Camille whispered. ‘More than you’ll ever know.’

When Avery began to pull away, Camille placed her hands on Avery’s elbows and drew her in for a kiss on each cheek.

‘Safe travels, my friend.’

Avery took a deep, shaky breath and blew a kiss to Camille as she walked away, knowing that if she dared look back, she might never leave.

The tables at the Pastelaria Suíca were as crowded as ever, and Avery sat at one in the sunshine and opened the book Camille had given her, smiling when the note fell out.

It reminded her of the last time Camille had done that.

Avery still had her copy of Gone with the Wind , packed safely in her luggage, from that day.

Dear Avery,

Words are often easier to write than say out aloud, or at least that’s true for me. You’re the closest I’ll ever have to a sister, and I want you to know how much you’ve come to mean to me. Lisbon will not be the same without you.

Think of me every time you walk into a bookshop in New York, and know that you will never be far from my thoughts. You are the bravest and most loyal friend I’ve ever had. I owe my life to you.

Camille.

‘I thought we’d save the tears for after you left.’

Avery slipped the note back into the book and closed it, tucking it into her bag before looking up at James. It gave her a moment to stop crying.

‘It was a parting gift, from Camille,’ she said. ‘It’s made me all sorts of homesick for Lisbon, and I haven’t even left yet.’

‘I haven’t brought a gift, but I did arrange for all your favourite cakes and sweets to be brought out,’ James said, waving to the waiter.

Avery was puzzled until she saw two waiters returning with four plates of cakes and pastries. ‘James! There’s no possible way we can eat all that.’

He shrugged. ‘I remembered all the things you loved the most, and I knew you’d never find cakes as good in America. We can just have a bite of each if you like, and give the leftovers to the children playing in the square.’

‘I knew there was a reason I liked you.’ She sighed and picked up one of the little forks. ‘And thank you. This was incredibly thoughtful.’

‘I thought it might be a nice distraction from the fact you’re leaving. I’ve never been one for goodbyes.’

Suddenly the cake went dry in her mouth and Avery found it hard to swallow.

‘I don’t want to go,’ she said.

‘I don’t want you to go, either,’ he replied, quickly, as if he hadn’t even had to think about it.

‘Are you staying in Lisbon?’ she asked.

‘No. I’ll be recalled back to London soon and then perhaps posted elsewhere until the end of the war.’

She pushed her fork into a slice of cake, more for something to do than because she wanted a piece. It also meant James couldn’t see her tears with her head down.

‘Do you think we’ll ever see each other again?’ she asked, when she finally looked up, and he took her hand in his.

He opened his mouth and then closed it, his fingers still linked with hers. ‘I hope so, Avery. I certainly hope so.’

They changed the subject and made each other laugh, and Avery fed James mouthfuls of cake on her little fork, until finally she knew it was time to leave and she stood, her hands at her sides, not knowing what to do.

But James took the lead, opening his arms and engulfing her in the kind of bear hug that she would never forget, his mouth against her hair.

‘Avery, if I were to ask you to marry me, once this war is over, would you say yes?’

She grinned up at him, thinking he was teasing to begin with, but realising from the earnest way he was looking at her that he was being serious.

‘I think a girl would have to be asked first, once the war was over,’ she said, standing on tiptoe and kissing his cheek.

James took her hand then and they began the short stroll back to her apartment, through Rossio Square and on to the cobbled streets with buildings on one side and water on the other.

Past women balancing fish baskets on their heads, and foreign women with skirts short enough to show their knees, and food markets with locals shouting to each other and laughing, and boys on the street corner polishing shoes.

It wasn’t just James she was going to miss, or Camille; it was Lisbon itself. A place so vibrant that it would be etched in her mind forever. The adventure she’d always dreamed of, and the friends who’d stay in her heart until her final breath.