Read Online The Color of Secrets by Lindsay Ashford - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Lindsay Ashford
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sunbather.
“Did you go to the Civic? You did, didn’t you?”
Eva could hear the envy in Dilys’s voice. “No, I didn’t actually,” she said, pulling on her nightdress.
“Well, you’ve been somewhere—I can tell.” Dilys’s eyes narrowed. “ Fee-fi-fo-fum— I smell something American!” She grabbed Eva’s bag and emptied it onto the bed. “Oh, what’s this?” she snatched up a slim, square packet wrapped in cellophane and waved it in the air.
“You little . . . !” Eva tried to grab it back, but Dilys leapt onto the bed, holding it out of reach.
“Nylons! Oh Eva! Whatever would Eddie say?”
Eva snatched the packet from Dilys, landing her a sharp slap on the arm with her other hand. “Don’t you dare come in here poking your nose into what’s none of your damn business!”
There was a whimper from the cot.
“Now look what you’ve done!” Eva reached through the bars, stroking David’s hair until he closed his eyes again.
“I’m sorry,” Dilys whispered, peering anxiously at the cot. “I’m just jealous, that’s all. I really wanted to see Anton tonight. I’m sure he was at the dance—with someone else.” Her lip wobbled and a tear splashed onto the bedspread.
“Oh Dil!” Eva slid across the bed and put her arm around her sister’s heaving shoulders. “Look, I’m sorry—I shouldn’t have lashed out at you like that. Come on, please don’t cry.”
“But it’s not fair!” Dilys wiped her streaming nose on the back of her hand. “He’s going to find someone else—I know he is!”
“Here,” Eva pulled her handkerchief from the jumble of things on the bed. “Blow your nose, cheer up, and listen.”
Bill coaxed the ancient bike up the hill to the barracks. It was after midnight and the country lane was spookily quiet, no sound apart from the odd rustle of an animal in the hedgerow on either side of him.
He almost rode straight into the Bentley. It was parked at the entrance to a field, its black bodywork blending seamlessly with the shadow of a tree.
It was the noise coming from inside that alerted him. The steady, rhythmic creaking of the leather upholstery and a low, unmistakable moaning. He stopped dead in the middle of the lane, not sure what to do. What if it was an officer? He couldn’t risk being seen sneaking past on the bike, on his way home from forbidden territory.
“Bill!”
“What in hell . . . ” The sound of his name hissed from the car window made him jump.
“It’s me—Jimmy—you mutt!”
“Jeez, man, what are you doing? Damn near scared me to death!”
Jimmy laughed, buttoning up his shirt. “What’s it look like?” He jerked his head toward the backseat. “Me and Philippa’s been getting acquainted.”
Bill heard muffled giggling and the sound of a zipper being pulled up.
“We got kinda bored of Bridgnorth,” Jimmy said, leaning out of the window. “So Philippa offered to take me for a drive. She’s a real beauty, ain’t she?”
“You talking about the lady or the car?” Bill said drily.
“You son of a . . . ” Jimmy chuckled, taking a swipe at his friend’s head and missing. He jerked his thumb at the bike. “You been all the way to Wolverhampton on that thing?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Man, you gonna have blisters on your ass the size of melons! Hope she was worth it.”
Bill’s mouth clamped shut.
“Well?” Jimmy persisted. “Was she?”
“Unlike you,” Bill hissed, “I don’t feel the need to share the details of my private life!”
“Shame,” Jimmy said. “Thought we might compare notes . . . ”
“In your dreams!” Bill turned away, pointing the handles of the bicycle back toward the road.
“Hey, man, don’t go!” Jimmy called after him. “Just give me a minute to say good-bye to Philippa and I’ll walk back up the hill with you. I want to know your secret!”
“What secret?”
“How you spent a whole night in a white town without getting seven shades of shit beat out of
“Did you go to the Civic? You did, didn’t you?”
Eva could hear the envy in Dilys’s voice. “No, I didn’t actually,” she said, pulling on her nightdress.
“Well, you’ve been somewhere—I can tell.” Dilys’s eyes narrowed. “ Fee-fi-fo-fum— I smell something American!” She grabbed Eva’s bag and emptied it onto the bed. “Oh, what’s this?” she snatched up a slim, square packet wrapped in cellophane and waved it in the air.
“You little . . . !” Eva tried to grab it back, but Dilys leapt onto the bed, holding it out of reach.
“Nylons! Oh Eva! Whatever would Eddie say?”
Eva snatched the packet from Dilys, landing her a sharp slap on the arm with her other hand. “Don’t you dare come in here poking your nose into what’s none of your damn business!”
There was a whimper from the cot.
“Now look what you’ve done!” Eva reached through the bars, stroking David’s hair until he closed his eyes again.
“I’m sorry,” Dilys whispered, peering anxiously at the cot. “I’m just jealous, that’s all. I really wanted to see Anton tonight. I’m sure he was at the dance—with someone else.” Her lip wobbled and a tear splashed onto the bedspread.
“Oh Dil!” Eva slid across the bed and put her arm around her sister’s heaving shoulders. “Look, I’m sorry—I shouldn’t have lashed out at you like that. Come on, please don’t cry.”
“But it’s not fair!” Dilys wiped her streaming nose on the back of her hand. “He’s going to find someone else—I know he is!”
“Here,” Eva pulled her handkerchief from the jumble of things on the bed. “Blow your nose, cheer up, and listen.”
Bill coaxed the ancient bike up the hill to the barracks. It was after midnight and the country lane was spookily quiet, no sound apart from the odd rustle of an animal in the hedgerow on either side of him.
He almost rode straight into the Bentley. It was parked at the entrance to a field, its black bodywork blending seamlessly with the shadow of a tree.
It was the noise coming from inside that alerted him. The steady, rhythmic creaking of the leather upholstery and a low, unmistakable moaning. He stopped dead in the middle of the lane, not sure what to do. What if it was an officer? He couldn’t risk being seen sneaking past on the bike, on his way home from forbidden territory.
“Bill!”
“What in hell . . . ” The sound of his name hissed from the car window made him jump.
“It’s me—Jimmy—you mutt!”
“Jeez, man, what are you doing? Damn near scared me to death!”
Jimmy laughed, buttoning up his shirt. “What’s it look like?” He jerked his head toward the backseat. “Me and Philippa’s been getting acquainted.”
Bill heard muffled giggling and the sound of a zipper being pulled up.
“We got kinda bored of Bridgnorth,” Jimmy said, leaning out of the window. “So Philippa offered to take me for a drive. She’s a real beauty, ain’t she?”
“You talking about the lady or the car?” Bill said drily.
“You son of a . . . ” Jimmy chuckled, taking a swipe at his friend’s head and missing. He jerked his thumb at the bike. “You been all the way to Wolverhampton on that thing?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Man, you gonna have blisters on your ass the size of melons! Hope she was worth it.”
Bill’s mouth clamped shut.
“Well?” Jimmy persisted. “Was she?”
“Unlike you,” Bill hissed, “I don’t feel the need to share the details of my private life!”
“Shame,” Jimmy said. “Thought we might compare notes . . . ”
“In your dreams!” Bill turned away, pointing the handles of the bicycle back toward the road.
“Hey, man, don’t go!” Jimmy called after him. “Just give me a minute to say good-bye to Philippa and I’ll walk back up the hill with you. I want to know your secret!”
“What secret?”
“How you spent a whole night in a white town without getting seven shades of shit beat out of
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