they’d brought him in. “Could I have some soup, do you think? A nice split-pea.”
The exchange unnerved Elizabeth and it took her a moment to plaster a smile back on her face. The fervor in his voice was terrifying, and the sadness so haunting.
Dr. Webber, the one in charge of Evan’s care, appeared in the doorway. He leaned into the room. “I’d heard you were here. Everything go all right?”
“Yes,” Elizabeth said. “Thank you. Everything went very well.”
~~~
The ride back to the hotel was silent. They’d have to be careful what they said and where they said it, from here on out. The walls everywhere could have ears and eyes.
They started into the hotel, but Elizabeth took Simon by the hand. “How about a walk? Maybe there’s a park close by? I could use some fresh air.”
“St. James isn’t far.”
It wasn’t. After just a few blocks they were at the park’s edge.
“It’s so strange to see it without fences,” Simon said.
The park was beautiful and the fall air was crisp, but not too cold. They found a bench along a path on the edge of the lake. Ducks gathered on the near shore and half a dozen barrage balloons hung in the sky above the city in the distance.
Elizabeth told Simon everything that Evan had said and she wasn’t surprised that he was less than pleased with her promise.
“You’ve got to stop doing that,” he said. “Making promises we can’t keep.”
She’d thought long and hard about this on the way back from the hospital. Although, if she were honest with herself, she’d known from the start where she stood. No matter how shaky the ground.
“Why can’t we?”
“Elizabeth—”
“If you could have heard him. Heard the urgency in his voice. Simon, he’s willing to sacrifice himself so that we can get the Shard. Or at least so we can try.”
“Try what? To find a mythical artifact that may or may not be hidden somewhere in England?”
Elizabeth heard the frustration in Simon’s voice and tried not to echo it. “Not just somewhere. Charing Cross Road. And yesterday you seemed pretty sure it wasn’t mythical.”
“That was before we were racing Nazis to find it.” He shook his head.
She nudged closer so she could lower her voice. “Does Iona by Gaspar mean anything to you?”
“No. It could be anything. A painting, a song…”
Elizabeth noticed a young woman sitting under a tree reading. “Or a book.”
Simon frowned in thought. “Charing Cross does have quite a few antiquarian bookshops.”
Any lead was a welcome one and Elizabeth leapt at this one. “Sounds like a good place to start.”
Simon leaned away from her so he could get a good look into her eyes. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
They’d been down this road. She shook her head with resignation. “Can we really afford not to? What if it is as powerful as they think it is and it falls into the wrong hands?
Simon had no answer for that.
Elizabeth looked off into the distance. “Jack was right. War changes everything.”
Chapter Eleven
Jack was waiting for them in the hotel lobby. He stood as he saw them enter and waved them over. “Was starting to get worried. Everything go okay?”
“Yes,” Simon said. “Sorry, we went for a short walk. Thank you for the driver.”
“You’re welcome. Must have been quite a parade. You picked up a pretty long tail.”
They had a tail? “We did?” Elizabeth said far too loudly as she looked anxiously around.
Jack laughed. “Subtle.”
“Do you mean we were followed?” Simon asked.
“Yup.”
Elizabeth looked around a little more surreptitiously this time. She scanned the faces and the clothes carefully. “Are they watching us right now?”
“You two really are greenhorns, aren’t you? Come on, let’s get some grub and we’ll bring each other up to speed.”
The restaurant at St. Ermin’s was as elegant as the rest of the hotel. Silver service and white table clothes were a strange counterpoint to the
The exchange unnerved Elizabeth and it took her a moment to plaster a smile back on her face. The fervor in his voice was terrifying, and the sadness so haunting.
Dr. Webber, the one in charge of Evan’s care, appeared in the doorway. He leaned into the room. “I’d heard you were here. Everything go all right?”
“Yes,” Elizabeth said. “Thank you. Everything went very well.”
~~~
The ride back to the hotel was silent. They’d have to be careful what they said and where they said it, from here on out. The walls everywhere could have ears and eyes.
They started into the hotel, but Elizabeth took Simon by the hand. “How about a walk? Maybe there’s a park close by? I could use some fresh air.”
“St. James isn’t far.”
It wasn’t. After just a few blocks they were at the park’s edge.
“It’s so strange to see it without fences,” Simon said.
The park was beautiful and the fall air was crisp, but not too cold. They found a bench along a path on the edge of the lake. Ducks gathered on the near shore and half a dozen barrage balloons hung in the sky above the city in the distance.
Elizabeth told Simon everything that Evan had said and she wasn’t surprised that he was less than pleased with her promise.
“You’ve got to stop doing that,” he said. “Making promises we can’t keep.”
She’d thought long and hard about this on the way back from the hospital. Although, if she were honest with herself, she’d known from the start where she stood. No matter how shaky the ground.
“Why can’t we?”
“Elizabeth—”
“If you could have heard him. Heard the urgency in his voice. Simon, he’s willing to sacrifice himself so that we can get the Shard. Or at least so we can try.”
“Try what? To find a mythical artifact that may or may not be hidden somewhere in England?”
Elizabeth heard the frustration in Simon’s voice and tried not to echo it. “Not just somewhere. Charing Cross Road. And yesterday you seemed pretty sure it wasn’t mythical.”
“That was before we were racing Nazis to find it.” He shook his head.
She nudged closer so she could lower her voice. “Does Iona by Gaspar mean anything to you?”
“No. It could be anything. A painting, a song…”
Elizabeth noticed a young woman sitting under a tree reading. “Or a book.”
Simon frowned in thought. “Charing Cross does have quite a few antiquarian bookshops.”
Any lead was a welcome one and Elizabeth leapt at this one. “Sounds like a good place to start.”
Simon leaned away from her so he could get a good look into her eyes. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
They’d been down this road. She shook her head with resignation. “Can we really afford not to? What if it is as powerful as they think it is and it falls into the wrong hands?
Simon had no answer for that.
Elizabeth looked off into the distance. “Jack was right. War changes everything.”
Chapter Eleven
Jack was waiting for them in the hotel lobby. He stood as he saw them enter and waved them over. “Was starting to get worried. Everything go okay?”
“Yes,” Simon said. “Sorry, we went for a short walk. Thank you for the driver.”
“You’re welcome. Must have been quite a parade. You picked up a pretty long tail.”
They had a tail? “We did?” Elizabeth said far too loudly as she looked anxiously around.
Jack laughed. “Subtle.”
“Do you mean we were followed?” Simon asked.
“Yup.”
Elizabeth looked around a little more surreptitiously this time. She scanned the faces and the clothes carefully. “Are they watching us right now?”
“You two really are greenhorns, aren’t you? Come on, let’s get some grub and we’ll bring each other up to speed.”
The restaurant at St. Ermin’s was as elegant as the rest of the hotel. Silver service and white table clothes were a strange counterpoint to the
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