Wicked Deceptions - Amy Cecil Page 0,28
of the past. I swear I will never truly love again, so listening to her love story only makes me feel worse. Besides, she is shameless, so if I ask, she will tell me everything. Aaggh.
“Are you finished with the transcription?”
“I just have a few more lines to type.”
“I’ll wait for you, and we can brave the eerie London night together. Hopefully, we will make it back to our flat unscathed.” She is making light of the precarious situation, but I can tell she’s just as scared as I am to walk the streets at night.
“Thank you. I’ll just be a minute.” I finish my project and proceed to gather my things. Jenny and I make our way downstairs to the lobby and walk out the front door. It’s chilly on this fall evening and is very dark out. The fog settling in across the Thames and adds to the mystique. With the streetlights dimmed and most people adhering to the curfew, Whitehall is also eerily quiet. As I pull my coat around me to deter the cold, we begin to walk.
Jenny and I not only work together but we live rather close to each other, which is a good thing, as I would hate for one of us to be walking alone after the other reaches their flat.
Just as we are about to turn toward Trafalgar Square, we hear the sound we hoped we would not hear—air raid sirens. My brain is conditioned at this point that when I hear the sounds, my heart sinks to the pit of my stomach, and all I can feel is dread. Jenny and I look at each other, and I scream above the wailing sound, “Run!”
We both run.
“What’s the closest railway line?” I yell.
“I think it’s Piccadilly.”
“Yeah, I think you are right,” I say, breathing heavily. “If it’s not, it’s gonna have to be. Run that way.”
We run as fast as we can, although neither of us is dressed for it. Our dresses and heels do not make it easy, but we do the best we can.
We make our way to the left of Trafalgar toward Piccadilly. It’s not close, but it is the best we can do. I pray we make it in time and are able to seek cover before the explosions begin. I’ve never been outside when the Zeppelins attack, and I bloody hell don’t want tonight to be the first.
Several minutes later, we reach the railway and make our way inside. There aren’t many people around, as they are home where they should be, heeding the curfew rules, but there is a good handful with us in the station. Oh, why did I stay late? I question and then quickly answer myself. Because you wanted to impress your boss.
Finally getting inside, we make our way underground to safety. We are still running, and before I know it, I run into something solid. Looking up, I realize I have run into a man. He is not just any man but a pilot of the Royal Flying Corp. And, I know him. Lieutenant Stanley has served as a liaison between the Admiralty and the Royal Flying Corp since I started working there.
“Oh my, Lieutenant Stanley, excuse me,” I say to him, slightly embarrassed.
“Hello, ladies.” He smiles. “Allow me to help you get to safety.”
The siren continues to wail, and as we proceed down the steps, we hear the first of the explosions.
Thank God we made it. I just pray we are safe here. I’m sure they have figured out that most of the people who happen to be out when these raids happen hide in the Underground. Who’s to say they won’t aim for the station and we would all perish?
Once we get safely below, inside the railway tunnels, I notice there are roughly twenty people already here. It’s not as many as I expected, but again, people are learning to stay home at night. It really is not safe to be out and about, and I could kick myself for agreeing to work late to impress my boss. It’s not worth it.
“There is an open spot over there.” Lieutenant Stanley gestures for us to follow him. When we reach the space, he allows Jenny and me to sit, and he stands protectively with us. “Don’t you ladies know how dangerous it is for you to be out past dark?” He’s scolding us and rightly so.
“I know, but we had to work