had held me and comforted me in a way that Uncle Mick or the boys couldn’t have, as an outsider without prejudice. I had told him what I had never told anyone else, that I believed my mother was innocent of the crime of which she had been convicted.
“What … what about her?” I managed to ask.
“It isn’t much. But there was a fellow I met in the navy. We’d had a bit too much to drink one night, or he had, at any rate, and he started telling me about his family and how his mother was arrested and spent a year at Holloway. I didn’t say anything about your mother, of course. But then he mentioned her case. He said … well … he knew it was a name I would probably recognize.”
I knew what Felix was being too kind to say. My mother’s case had the kind of notoriety that most people in Britain were familiar with.
“Anyway, he said that his mother got to be chummy with yours. And that your mother told her things.”
I felt oddly cold, numb. When I spoke, my voice sounded strange in my own ears. “What sort of things?”
“He didn’t know exactly, or was too drunk to remember. But he said that his mother told him most women in prison claimed to be innocent, but your mother was the only one she ever believed. She said there were facts that didn’t come out in court, and that she thought maybe your mother might have proved it in time…”
We both sat in silence for a long moment. My mind was reeling a bit, though I tried to tell myself I shouldn’t get excited. This was nothing new, after all. Not really. The opinion of a fellow convict wouldn’t amount to much in most people’s eyes. And the story was secondhand, from a drunk young man who might be misremembering his mother’s story. And yet …
“Is his mother still alive?” I asked.
“She is. I could write to him for her address if you want to talk to her. I didn’t like to mention your connection until I’d spoken with you.” He paused. “I didn’t even know if I should tell you, to be honest. What are the odds you might be able to learn something after all this time? But then I realized that I couldn’t keep it to myself. It’s not my information to do with as I please; it’s yours.”
I met his gaze, my heart swelling with gratitude.
“Thank you, Felix,” I said softly.
He reached out to take my hand. “I don’t think you should get your hopes up, Ellie.”
I nodded. “But it couldn’t hurt to talk to her.”
He didn’t answer.
I went to get the kettle and tea-things then. It was a lot to think about all at once, too much. Between the events of the party tonight and this newest revelation, my head was all in a muddle.
Well, one thing at a time. Focus was the key to success. Focus and prioritizing the tasks ahead. It would take time for Felix to hear back from his shipmate. While we waited, I would continue to do my bit for the government and not allow myself to be distracted.
I pushed thoughts of my mother from my head—an easy enough task after years of training—and put on a recording. We sat comfortably drinking our tea as the familiar strains of “Cinderella, Stay in My Arms” floated into the room. This song reminded me of happier days before the war, when we hadn’t known what was coming and life had seemed so full of joyful possibilities. So blissfully without complexity.
We listened for a minute, both of us transported by the music, I supposed, and then Felix turned to me, his eyes moving over me. “Were you out dancing tonight?”
“No. I was at a lecture on Chinese porcelain.”
He grinned. “The war’s put a bit of a damper on the social scene, eh?”
I laughed. “Something like that.”
“You ought to be dancing in that dress.” He set his teacup aside and stood, holding out his hand. “Dance with me.”
“But…” I couldn’t seem to help it; my eyes flickered to his leg.
“Don’t say it, Ellie,” he said softly. “Just do it.”
I put my hand into his, and he led me to the middle of the floor. I stepped into his arms, and we began to move to the music.
For a moment, I felt as though the past months had slipped away and we were both the carefree people we had