My stomach suddenly drops. “Itdoesn’tsay July fifth.” I swallow hard.
“Min...” Liz’s voice suddenly grows concerned. “You’ve been reading the dates like an American, backward. I thought Canadians read the date the correct way with the datefirst.”
“Ugh, we do!” I face-palm. “It’s a bad habit I adopted living in the States. Probably the worst possible mistake.” I’ve never been so angry at myself before. I fall back onto my bed and stare up at the ceiling. “What am I going to do?”
“We’ll figure something out. It’s only March. We still have time to find you a place. We just need to jump on it ASAP.”
I groan. “When am I going to have time for flat hunting? I just agreed to design Clarissa’s dressandI’m still working at the museum.”
“You’ll make time. There is no other alternative.”
Liz is right. This has to become a top priority. I just can’t fathom how big I’ve screwed up. In six weeks’ time, I may have designed a gorgeous dress, but it could come at the cost of not having a place to live.
“How about this: What if we turned your dinner into a girls’ night in? We can crack on with looking at flats.”
I sit up. “You’d be willing to help?”
“It’s payback.”
“Thanks, Liz.”
Nineteen
Early the next morning, I receive a text from Sam.
Sam
Fashion Guru, I’m afraid I have some bad news.
Min
???
Sam
Captain Yates has been sent to Bulford.
I sit up in my bed and try calling him. He picks up after two rings. “Good morning, Soldier Boy.”
“Hi, Min.” His voice is flatter than normal. I can hear the exhaustion in it.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“This news about your captain, you’ll have to help me out—I don’t fully understand what your text meant.”
“She’s been transferred off ceremonial duty and over to the light infantry, combat side of our regiment.”
“And that’s in Bulford?”
“Yeah, near Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire.”
My stomach lurches. “Does that mean you’re getting transferred too?”
“No. Not me. As far as I know, I’m not goinganywhere.” I let out a sigh of relief, thankful Sam will be staying in London. “But it does mean we have a new commanding officer due to replace her.”
“Oh, that’s rotten. You were close to Captain Yates, weren’t you.”
