The Restoration Garden: A Novel - 21

Irene

My heart still raced by the time I returned to the flat. I’d been too careless at the docks. What if that awful man knew James? What if he told him I’d been there? If James suspected I was spying on him for Roger, he would be furious.

I didn’t know which man I ought to be more afraid of.

It took ages before my hands stopped shaking and even longer for my breathing to return to normal. I splashed cold water on my face, and then I waited.

Finally, I heard the lock of the door click open. I rose to greet him like I had every other day, not wanting anything to seem out of the ordinary. Except there was nothing ordinary about any of this. My husband wasn’t returning from a long day at the office. And I wasn’t the dutiful wife awaiting his return. Our entire lives were a charade.

“Hello, my love,” he said, leaning in to kiss me on the cheek. The physical affection rattled my composure, my spine stiffening ever so slightly. It didn’t escape his notice. He leaned back and regarded me with confusion. “Is everything all right?”

“Of course,” I said with false cheeriness. “It’s just that you said you wanted to go to dinner tonight, and I forgot to make a reservation like you asked. Please don’t be cross with me.”

He smirked. “What could have possibly kept you so busy that you forgot such a simple thing?”

“I was lost in a drawing,” I answered quickly.

“It must be quite the drawing if it distracted you so. I’d love to see it.”

My throat went dry. “It’s not finished yet. I hate showing my work before it’s done.”

He squeezed my shoulders with his hands. “Then I’ll just have to wait patiently until it’s ready. As it is, I’m not upset about dinner either. In fact, I think it will be nice to stay in tonight. I brought you something.”

“What is it?”

“Why don’t you change into something a little nicer first?”

“Of course,” I said with a strained smile. My skirt and blouse were pretty, but I had chosen them to blend in today, not stand out. James preferred when I wore my fanciest outfits.

I disappeared into the bedroom and selected a dress made from rich green satin, silently scolding myself for my carelessness earlier. But surely if James had any suspicions about me, he would have already acted upon them.

“Is this satisfactory?” I asked when I emerged from the bedroom, adding a twirl so that the skirt of my dress flared out. But there was nothing carefree about my actions. “Now what is this surprise you have planned?”

He took my hand and led me into the living room. I held my breath, terrified of what awaited me.

“What do you think?”

Perched on top of the coffee table were a bottle of wine and two glasses. My throat went dry. “What’s this for?”

“Do I need a reason to spend a romantic evening with my wife?” He uncorked the bottle and poured two glasses of the straw-colored liquid. “I hope you like it. It’s a Riesling. Very difficult to acquire these days, but I wanted the best for you.”

He handed me a glass before raising his. “To the unbreakable bond of our marriage. May we always be as happy as we are today.”

“To us,” I said, forcing a smile to my lips as I tapped the edge of my glass against his.

James gave no indication of suspicion in the week following that first near-disastrous day at the docks. But even if he had, I had no choice but to continue following him. There was a pattern to his days that became almost predictable after a few weeks. Most days, he did go to work for his uncle. But on Wednesday mornings, he headed to the docks. I never dared follow him inside again, but it was simple enough to figure out what he was acquiring. He enjoyed his luxuries too much not to bring some home.

In the afternoons, he visited gentlemen’s clubs and other less-reputable establishments, presumably to sell his goods. I memorized the locations of each place he visited, reciting them in my mind each night as I lay in bed, listening for the air raid sirens, praying the Luftwaffe wouldn’t set their sights on this part of town.

I counted down the days with dread until I was meant to meet with Roger again. Knowing he worked for MI5 didn’t improve my opinion of him at all. He was still a liar. I didn’t trust him. Roger was the reason I was forced to remain here with James, pretending to be infatuated with him when he repulsed me right to my very soul.

We were set to meet in Hyde Park. The location had been his choice, but it was a good one. I wouldn’t have to lie if James asked where I’d gone. The cloak-and-dagger routine didn’t come naturally to me. If James wasn’t already suspicious, it was only a matter of time before my awkward smiles and hesitant conversations gave me away.

I lingered next to a redbud tree as I waited for Roger.

I didn’t hear anyone approach, and yet I felt a presence behind me. My spine straightened instinctively. I didn’t turn around.

“That’s a beautiful tree.”

“It’s a redbud,” I responded. “It symbolizes treachery and distrust.”

“I hope that doesn’t mean you intend to betray me.”

I clenched my hands into fists at my sides. “That would be impossible, considering I owe you nothing. You are the one forcing me into this arrangement against my will. My only intention is to give you what you want so that you leave me and my family alone.”

“Well then, let’s hear what you have for me.”

“I followed him to the docks last week. He’s getting shipments of luxury goods. The first time was wine, but there’s also been fruit and clothing and even perfume.”

“We’re aware your husband has been distributing rationed and contraband goods on the black market. No one is going to convict him for that, especially when a sizable number of his customers have the means and influence to keep him in business. What I need is evidence of treason. Irrefutable proof he’s conspiring with the Germans.”

I felt like a scolded child. “There was an envelope. He gave it to one of the dock workers. There may have been more.”

“What was inside of it?”

“I have no idea. He didn’t open it in front of me.”

He let out a frustrated breath. “That doesn’t help me.”

“It’s the best I could do.”

“Try harder.”

“How?” Exasperation grated the edge of my voice.

He shrugged. “Search James’s papers. Listen in on his phone calls. Use your feminine advantage to make him reveal his secrets.”

“What are you implying?”

“James has been known to spout his mouth off around the beautiful women he beds. I don’t see why it would be different with you.”

My cheeks heated with a mixture of embarrassment and rage. A group of women approached us on the path, chatting animatedly as they walked. Their presence was the only thing that stopped me from slapping Roger across the face.

My pulse thundered in my ears as I waited for the women to disappear. I turned to Roger, forcing him to meet my hard gaze. “You are vile.”

“I’m also the only friend you have in this city.” He adjusted the brim of his hat to cover his dark eyes. “You’d do well not to forget that.”

“How can I when you remind me at every occasion?”