The Oslo Affair (Shadows of War, #2) by CW Browning (read after .txt) 📗

train to connecting train, arriving ultimately on the west coast of Denmark, she had stared at the strange countryside and suddenly become very homesick. Her guide, a man by the name of Frederick, had been very friendly and had taken great pleasure in pointing out landmarks and imparting history as they went through his country, but it had done very little to alleviate her longing for home.

When Pierson, the MI6 contact who had met her off the ship in Copenhagen, told her that he’d arranged for a guide to take her across Denmark, she had protested that it was unnecessary. However, as the journey extended into days, she was very grateful for the company. Frederick was a wealth of interesting information about Denmark and her people. He was also well-versed in European politics, and they spent many hours discussing the events unfolding around them. When they reached Esbjerg, she’d said goodbye with a sense of parting from an old friend.

Evelyn turned away from the window and went to the door, returning to the hallway and going towards the back of the house. After spending two days in the coastal town of Esbjerg, she had boarded a ship at last, bound for London.

Even though it was an English ship, she still hadn’t relaxed until they docked in London. The very fact that it was an English ship made crossing the North Sea particularly dangerous. The Germans had mines in the waters, and she had been told by the captain that their U-boats were sinking a growing number of merchant ships both in the North Sea and in the Atlantic. As if realizing that perhaps he shouldn’t have told her that, the captain then hastened to assure her that he had never had any problems yet. It didn’t go very far to alleviating her discomfort, and she spent the voyage in a state of nervous anxiety.

When the ship sailed up the Thames estuary, Evelyn had never been so pleased to see the London landscape. But even as she stood on the deck to take in her first sight of England after a particularly trying journey, her joy was tempered by the knowledge that this feeling of relief at being home was just the beginning. She had the disquieting feeling that as this war continued, the likelihood of her coming home safely would become less and less.

Putting the dark thought out of her head, she made her way to the kitchen. While she had no expectation of finding an ounce of food in the house, Evelyn sincerely hoped that Rob had at least stocked the kitchen with tea the last time he was here. Stepping into the large square room, she was pleasantly surprised to find sun streaming through the windows and not a dust cover in sight. At least now she knew where Rob spent most of his time when he did come to stay.

Crossing the old tiled floor, Evelyn started opening cabinets, looking for tea. On the third try, she found it. And Rob, it seemed, had outdone himself. Not only where there two different types of tea, but there was also a can of coffee. She lifted it out and looked at it curiously. While she drank coffee extensively on the continent, it was rare for it to make an appearance at home. She set it back in the cabinet and reached for the tea. Whatever the reason, she was grateful for the foresight that had led Rob to buy the coffee. It would be a welcome treat in the next few days.

She was just filling the kettle from the faucet in the sink when the bells above the kitchen door chimed. She started, then finished filling the kettle and set it on the stove top. After lighting the burner, she turned to leave the kitchen. Someone was at the front door, and only one person knew that she was in London.

A moment later she opened the door to find Bill standing on the top step, a large paper bag in his arms.

“Welcome back,” he said.

“How on earth did you know I’d arrived?” Evelyn demanded, opening the door wider and motioning him in. “I just got here!”

“I had someone at the dock watching for the ship. I would’ve gone myself to meet you but we weren’t sure when you were coming in. Here. These are for you. I can’t imagine there’s a thing in the house to eat.”

Evelyn took the bag from him and looked inside. It was filled with groceries.

“Oh! This is wonderful! You’re right. There’s absolutely nothing in the way of food. In fact, I was just relieved to find that Robbie left some tea here the last time he stayed.” She turned to lead the way down the hallway to the back of the house. “I’ve put the kettle on, so I can offer you some tea. I’m afraid we’ll have to drink it in the kitchen, though. I haven’t had time to remove the dust covers from any of the other rooms.”

“How was your trip through Denmark?” Bill asked, following her into the kitchen. “Did Pierson take care of you?”

“Yes, he did. Thank you for arranging for him to meet me. I’ll admit I was feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the time we reached Copenhagen.” She set the bag of groceries down on the counter and began to empty it as Bill seated himself at the kitchen table. “All I could think was that I didn’t speak a word of Danish and how on earth was I going to navigate my way to the North Sea,” she added with a laugh.

“Which is precisely why I arranged for Pierson to meet you,” he said with a smile. “He can be a bit much at times, but I’ve always had the impression that he was a very kind man.”

Evelyn thought of the eccentric agent with the shocking red hair that had met her off the ship and grinned.

“He certainly isn’t what I would have expected,” she admitted. “But he