Page 29 of The Last Library of Paris

There was a pause. Our hurried steps echoed round the empty hall.

‘Where are you going?’ I asked him. I was intrigued by what Hughes had told me about MI9. It was such a huge job, and so very important, that I was keeping my fingers crossed that I’d be put on Valentine’s team as soon as I was given the nod to get back to proper work.

‘Actually, I was going to clerical, too.’

‘Really?’ I stood up a little straighter, wondering if he had been coming to see me. Perhaps he would persuade Digby to let me go back to work sooner. ‘Why?’

Valentine smiled at me. He was, I thought, extremely handsome. He looked more like a film star than a spy. For some reason that annoyed me.

‘I’ve got someone to see.’

We’d reached the door of the department. In a very gentlemanly fashion Valentine opened the door for me. ‘After you.’

I paused. If it was me he wanted to speak to, surely it was better to talk in the silent corridor than in a busy office?

‘Who is it you’re visiting?’ I asked, my hand on the door and my conviction faltering.

‘Go ahead,’ Valentine said. ‘I just want a quick chat with Penny. We’re going for lunch.’

‘Lunch?’ I said. ‘With Penny?’

He looked at me oddly. ‘Yes.’

‘Don’t you have a lot of work to do? With, you know …’ I mouthed it: MI9?

Valentine raised one neat eyebrow and feeling a little foolish, I shrugged.

‘Are you going inside, or not?’ he asked.

‘I am,’ I said, uncharacteristically flustered. ‘Enjoy your lunch.’

I walked ahead of him and went straight to my desk.

As Valentine walked through the office, around me, the women in the department all subtly smoothed down their hair and adjusted their blouses.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Valentine go over to where Penny sat. I couldn’t hear what he said to her, but she gave a little laugh that sounded like bells ringing and put her hand on his arm. Next to me, Helen sighed. ‘Lord, he’s handsome. Penny’s so lucky.’

‘He should be working,’ I snapped. ‘Not flirting.’

‘I don’t mind what he does, as long as he does it where I can see him.’

The irony of Valentine being in clerical – where I absolutely did not want to be – when he had a proper job waiting for him in Section D, was so irritating that I couldn’t stand to watch a second longer.

‘I have to pop out,’ I said to Helen.

‘You just got here,’ she pointed out, her eyes still on Valentine, who was now perched on the edge of Penny’s desk, regaling everyone around him with a lively story that I couldn’t quite hear. Which was annoying in itself.

‘Yes,’ I muttered. ‘Woman troubles. Back soon.’

Chapter 7

Outside, the streets were beginning to wake up. People were scurrying along to work or school, and the trams were rattling by.

I wound my way up the hill, squinting against the morning sun that was reflected from the buildings. Though I knew Alves had been punished, I was still cautious about approaching the bookshop and checked I’d not been followed. The PVDE were always around and I didn’t trust them not to report anything they saw straight back to the Nazis. Even something as innocent as a woman shopping for books could pique their interest.

Again, I walked straight past the bookshop, aiming for a little café at the top of the hill where I knew they sold the flakiest, sweetest pasteis de nata; a good reason to be in this part of the city.

On the opposite side of the road from the shop, I saw someone familiar browsing the morning newspapers outside. My senses alert, I melted into a group of women who were walking past, talking fast in Portuguese about something that had happened in their office – their trabalho. Safely tucked in beside them, I studied the man who was standing outside the bookshop. It was the chap I’d seen earlier on the stairs. And I realised this was where I had seen him before – when I came to visit Lara. I kicked myself for not recognising him that first time.