He looked away from her and back towards the rest of the garden, now steeped in moonlight as it emerged from behind a cloud. ‘It’s a beautiful garden. A beautiful house. You are lucky to live here.’
‘Not at the moment we aren’t,’ she said wondering why he’d changed the subject. What did he mean by his comment about Jack? He knew. He had to know. What did that mean?
He inched ever so slightly closer to her. She felt her heart start a quicker rhythm than usual. ‘Is my presence so abhorrent to you?’ He tilted his head and searched her eyes.
‘No, of course not,’ she whispered and this time she meant it. She did feel uncomfortable but for so many other reasons that she daren’t admit to herself. The garden, the moonlight, his closeness to her … She had to move away from him. ‘You were asking about Jack,’ she began.
‘You are very concerned for him,’ Stefan said. ‘Why?’
But Persey couldn’t answer. Wouldn’t answer. She wanted to trust him. Jack and his reasons for being here lay unspoken between them. Stefan knew – of course he knew – but for her to say it out loud to Stefan would be a complete betrayal of Jack who she had known as a brother for so long. She silently begged Stefan not to talk about Jack anymore.
‘You’ll be pleased to hear they have handed themselves in,’ he said suddenly.
‘Who have?’ she asked in confusion.
‘The two British spies.’
‘What?’ she spluttered.
He simply looked at her and then: ‘There have been spies on this island.’
‘Yes, I know. But …’ She gathered her wits together. ‘I read it in the newspaper.’
‘They had until tomorrow morning to hand themselves in and they have done so tonight. What is that English expression? Just in the nick of time.’
Persey became aware her mouth was open and she closed it, rubbing her finger over her lower lip in contemplation. She looked around, unable to mask the sheer confusion.
‘Who are they?’ she asked.
‘Two British servicemen who have come ashore and been left behind by the navy,’ he said kindly.
The navy had a habit of sacrificing men, she thought angrily. ‘What will happen to them?’ Persey asked. ‘Will they be …?’ But she couldn’t bring herself to say the word.
‘You were going to ask if they will be shot?’ he asked softly.
‘Yes,’ she said, and then the build-up of the last three days, the last few weeks, overcame her entirely and she clasped her hand over her mouth as she began to cry. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I don’t know why I’m doing this.’
He pulled her towards him but she remained stiff against the material of his uniform. She couldn’t have him that close to her. What if someone saw? But the feeling of enjoying his body pressed against her frightened and thrilled her, and her body slackened slowly. She looked up at him. A line of concern had formed between his eyes. If ever there was a moment of relief, a moment to be kissed, it was now. Damn everything.
Above them came the sound of a window being closed, its latch clicking noisily into place, and Persey snapped back from Stefan’s embrace. She came to her senses and the desperate need for tenderness was replaced with fear. She hoped no one had seen Stefan holding her close, but there was no one above and the blackout blind had been slotted into place. Had he felt it too? The thrill? And … something unidentifiable that she had never felt before.
‘I don’t think the spies will be shot,’ Stefan said, returning swiftly to their conversation. He stepped back and handed her a handkerchief for her eyes. He appeared to straighten his posture, then added, ‘There have been promises that there will be no reprisal, no punishment.’
‘I hope that’s true,’ Persey said into the handkerchief, forcing herself back to the matter in hand.
‘I do not know who is trustworthy,’ he said. ‘But you can trust me.’
Jack had cried with relief when she’d told him. He had raised his head, the weight on his shoulders visibly lifting. Persephone left him in his bedroom, a decidedly different man from the one he had been over the past few days, and went to inform Dido and Mrs Grant of the news. It was Dido who was the most practical, whispering in the kitchen for fear of Stefan hearing, which now seemed most ridiculous. He knew. He’d known all along and was keeping true to his word to protect them, she hoped.
‘There will be an announcement in the paper before long, I imagine,’ Dido had said.
‘I should think so. The poor men,’ Persey acknowledged.
‘They’ve given themselves up and my Jack is safe,’ was all Mrs Grant could say.
‘For now,’ Dido suggested. ‘But for how long?’
Persey cast her a look.
