The plane seemed to jolt, hanging suspended in midair. The powerful motors rumbled loudly. In the distance there was a vague impression of London, a cluster of gray and brown shapes rearing up, half concealed by a hazy violet mist. Ellie seized my hand and held it tightly as we descended, releasing it only after the wheels bumped and we touched ground. She gave a sigh of relief and began to gather up magazines, carryall bag, sunglasses and purse.
“Next time I swim across the Channel.”
“It wasn’t so bad,” I said cheerfully.
Ellie gave me a withering look.
We were frantically occupied for the next thirty minutes, getting our passports stamped, reclaiming luggage, going through customs; and it was only after this was accomplished that I began to search the noisy, bustling crowd for that familiar face. He was standing beside a bookstall, wearing a gray and black checked overcoat, a white silk muffler dangling around his neck. His black hair was as unkempt as ever, his tanned, lined face as tough. He frowned as he searched the area. Loudspeakers blared. Children cried. Hundreds of people moved through the vast room, a kaleidoscope of movement and color. He looked impatient, worried when he failed to spot us.
“There he is,” Ellie said. “Over there, by the bookstall.”
“He’ll see us in a minute or so.”
“You seem nervous, pet.”
“Why should I be nervous?”
“He’s a fascinating-looking man,” she remarked. “Not at all handsome. Ugly, in fact, but—madly attractive.”
“I suppose he is.”
“He’s in love with you, you know.”
“Don’t be absurd,” I said irritably.
“Madly in love with you,” she continued blithely. “I knew it the first time I ever saw him. I imagine you’ll be seeing quite a lot of him now that he’s going to be practicing law in London. Well, pet, I’m going to go find my gorgeous pilot. Evan will be taking you to the flat. Be a luv and carry my bags along with you. I have no idea when I’ll be getting in—”
“Ellie, don’t leave me to—”
But Ellie did leave, giving me a quick, merry hug, disappearing into the crush. In the middle of that shifting, swirling crowd I felt alone and suddenly frightened. A group of boisterous servicemen swaggered past me. A little girl with pigtails and a lollipop knocked against my legs, threw me a hateful look and hurried on to join her fretting mother. The activity was frantic. The noise was shrill. Across the room, Evan looked up, finally spotting me. His face seemed to light up. He hurried toward me, smiling a broad smile. My fear vanished completely and I smiled too. I waved. Evan crashed into a startled porter, shoved him roughly aside without even being aware of it. He was running now, his overcoat flaring behind him. I knew then that everything was going to work out. Everything was going to be just fine.
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 1975 by Tom E. Huff
Cover design by Julianna Lee
ISBN: 978-1-4976-9838-3
This edition published in 2015 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
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Room Beneath the Stairs Page 21