Page 90 of Summer of Fire
‘I wasn’t spying. I got up for a drink of water and saw you out the window—kissing.’
‘Stop saying that, please!’
‘Are you going to marry him?’ she asked, a mischievous smile on her freckled face.
‘No, of course I’m not going to marry him. He’s my boss. And you’d better not say a word to Ma and Pa.’
‘Umm, what’s it worth?’ Evie asked, hand on hip.
‘Your life, little nosy madam. If you want to stay alive, you’d better keep it a secret!’
‘You’ll have to do better than that, Liz,’ Evie said. ‘I’m not scared of you. I’m not a little girl anymore.’
Lizzie sighed. ‘Maybe not. But if you say one word about it, I’ll tell Ma and Pa about when I caught you kissing Snotty Johnny behind the bicycle shed at school.’
‘Eww. You wouldn’t dare!’
‘Try me,’ Lizzie said, glaring at her.
‘Spoilsport. I only wanted a bit of fun.’
‘Well, we’ll have a bit of fun at your expense then shall we, not mine?’
Evie flounced out the room, moaning under her breath.
Lizzie laughed out loud. Her baby sister was a handful, but she knew how to handle her.
CHAPTER 41
London, Winter 1940
Jack was waiting for Lizzie near the station when she left the new SOE HQ in Baker Street.
‘How do you do that?’ Lizzie asked, jumping when he fell into step beside her.
‘Do what?’
‘You always appear as if out of thin air.’
Jack smirked. ‘Tradecraft, darling. Tradecraft.’
‘I swear I never see you coming,’ Lizzie laughed.
‘But know that I’m never far away,’ he said, suddenly serious.
‘My raven—always watching over me.’
‘Your raven has come to ask you to join him for a drink at the Ritz.’
‘I’ve never been to the Ritz,’ Lizzie said, peering up at him, her coat collar buffering the icyNovember wind.
‘I guessed that might be the case, given that ever since you arrived in London you’ve either had your head in translations, or been training for, shall we say,unusualactivities?’
‘When do you want to go?’
‘How about right now? There’s no time like the present, Seagrove.’
Lizzie’s senses whirled. ‘A proper date this evening?’
