Page 91 of The Last Library of Paris

‘Well,’ I began. ‘Well …’

‘We’ve been working on a little side project,’ said Archie. ‘Making the most of the marvellous team you’ve got here in the embassy.’

‘Doing what?’ asked Digby. He crossed his arms.

‘Processing visas,’ I said quickly. ‘Helping Edith Johns get through them more quickly. Finding sponsors for applicants. We wanted to help get some people to Britain.’

‘We’ve been calling in favours,’ said Archie and I felt a rush of gratitude that he’d said ‘we’.

‘My parents have got all their friends offering jobs, or sponsorship,’ I said. ‘It’s been lovely for them, actually, a real distraction.’

‘I can imagine,’ said Digby. He looked relieved, as though whatever he’d imagined I was doing had been much worse.

‘And Lara and Bea, they’ve been helping.’

‘Of course they have,’ muttered Digby.

‘Then there’s Hector. And Edith’s sister in Oxford. She’s found lots of jobs for refugees.’

‘Good,’ said Digby. ‘Very admirable.’

A gust of wind whipped the rain against the windows and we all jumped.

‘We’ve made great strides with the books,’ I said, wanting to change the subject before Digby asked any awkward questions about the job offers or the sponsors. ‘The library in Paris is going to help distribute and Peacock Books are falling over themselves to help.’

‘Excellent,’ said Digby. ‘I’ll let you all get on.’

He turned to leave, then paused. ‘Valentine,’ he said. ‘I meant to ask – there seems to be a disgruntled chap working on filing in the basement archives. I asked him to fetch me something and he was almost rude. Certainly surly.’

‘He’s been causing some issues,’ Archie said to Digby. ‘Let me walk back to your office with you and I’ll explain.’

The two men left the room, leaving Henry and me.

There was a pause. Henry loosened his collar.

‘Digby didn’t seem to mind,’ he said. ‘About the visas?’

I made a face. ‘As long as he doesn’t get wind that the sponsors and job offers might not be completely legitimate. And we’re the only ones who know that, so how would he?’

The unspoken truth that Parrish also knew hung heavily between us.

‘Right.’ Henry sounded uncertain. ‘Well, that’s a relief seeing as I’m involved now.’

‘Oh, you’re involved all right,’ I said. ‘So shall we get on?’

Digby didn’t just give us his approval for the visa project. He went even better. I came into the embassy early the next day – when it was still raining and everyone in Lisbon was rather grumpy about it – and found Edith already bashing away at a typewriter in clerical, looking quite pleased with herself.

‘You’re here very early,’ I said in astonishment.

‘I wanted to get on while it’s quiet,’ Edith said. ‘But there’s good news: Digby says we can have Penny.’

‘Really?’

‘Really. He said he thought it might help to have a proper typist.’

‘That’s rude,’ I said mildly. ‘But very helpful.’

‘This is her job for the next few weeks,’ Edith explained. ‘So she can work on visas all day. I’m going to show her what to do when she gets in.’