Chapter 3 #3
“Are you certain it wouldn’t be too much of an imposition?
” Her mother touched her temple, where silver streaked her red hair.
Ginger could only guess at her mother’s embarrassment.
She would be loath to turn down William’s generous offer, but she still wasn’t comfortable with the appearance of accepting charity.
“I’m certain. It would be an honor.” William returned Lucy’s eager smile. “I’d be a very fortunate man indeed, with three lovely travel companions.”
“Just two.” Ginger’s eyes moved toward the clock on the mahogany buffet.
They’d need to speed dinner along if she was to make it through the entrée.
She hadn’t planned on a full-course dinner.
“I’m with the Queen Alexandra’s Nursing Corps at one of the local hospitals.
I’m afraid my work won’t allow me the ability to leave. But thank you.”
“That’s very noble of you.” William tapped his fingers on the chair’s arm. “One of my biggest regrets is being unable to serve further during the war.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, how were you injured?” Ginger eyed the sling.
William noticed the direction of her gaze. He leaned back in his seat. “I was with the First Wing of the Royal Flying Corps—shot down during the Battle of Aubers. My left arm has been quite useless since then, I’m afraid. The doctors aren’t sure if I’ll ever regain the function.”
“Oh my, how difficult that must have been,” her mother said, a sympathetic look on her face. Lucy’s lips twitched. Knowing her, Lucy was likely considering whether marriage to a cripple was something that would deter Ginger.
“I’m sorry to hear it.” Ginger forced herself not to look at his arm, curious about what exactly had left him disabled. “I’m certain it’s been quite a change for you.”
William gave a disingenuous smile. “What I miss the most, to be honest, isn’t the use of my arm.
It’s that I’ll never be in the cockpit of an aeroplane again.
I don’t quite know how to describe the experience, but it’s incredible.
Being up there”—he pointed skyward—“surrounded by the blue heavens, with the birds and the clouds beneath you. It’s breathtaking. ”
Lucy scrunched her nose. “That sounds terrifying. You should consider yourself lucky you’re still alive.”
Ginger bit her lip. But Lucy was also right, for once.
He was lucky. All the countries of Europe faced a drastic reduction in the male population of her generation and many of those who survived were scarred beyond recognition, both physically and from shell shock.
To redirect the conversation, Ginger met William’s gaze.
“I had the privilege of going on an aeroplane once last spring. You’re right, it was magical. ”
“Really? You’re one of the few people I’ve met—and perhaps the only woman—who has.
” William rested his good arm against the tabletop, seeming to relax with the topic.
“Before all this, I would have considered myself somewhat of an adventurer. I thought it might be marvelous to try to cross the Atlantic Ocean in an aeroplane. Imagine the boundless possibilities for the future with all these new inventions they keep coming up with.”
William gestured lazily toward his left arm. “Which is why I’m not entirely worried about my arm yet. I’m sure within a few years they’ll come up with something to fix me too.”
Ginger smiled. Whatever flaws William had, his optimism and enthusiasm were infectious.
After Bahiti cleared their entrée course, Ginger stood. “I regret to have to leave so quickly, but the matron asked me to return by the beginning of curfew.”
“So quickly?” Her mother fiddled with her serviette. “Can’t you stay longer?”
“I’m afraid I can’t.” Even in the European quarters of town, the threats to a young woman out alone past dark were serious. Especially after the Balfour Declaration. “Tensions with the locals have been increasing by the day.”
William and her mother stood. “I hope I can spend some more time with you, Ginger. Perhaps in the weeks to come, you’ll find some leave?”
She didn’t want to encourage him. “Maybe so.” Ginger nodded a good-bye at them. She hurried to change back into her uniform and then her mother walked her to the door.
“Cairo, then?” Ginger embraced her mother. “Are you sure it’s wise? I worry about you going there. Stephen Fisher still hasn’t been caught.”
“I understand your concerns, but I must resist the temptation to avoid the ghosts of the past,” her mother said, then kissed Ginger’s cheek. “Besides, I’m certain it would be beneficial for us in the long run. If I’m not mistaken, William appears to have come to Cairo to find a wife.”
Ginger gave her a tight smile. “Then perhaps he should look at Lucy.”
Leaving the house, she pushed her guilty feelings aside, then walked back to the tram.
The mild winter weather ensured a pleasant breeze from the nearby Mediterranean Sea.
She turned back to glance over her shoulder at the house.
William presented a problem she hadn’t been expecting.
The consequences of her father’s actions continued to hang over her like a dark cloud.
Ginger tried to tell herself—as Noah had—that the government would have executed Henry for treason.
Henry would have died even if she hadn’t shot him.
Unlike her father, who had shown some remorse for his actions and made a deal with Lord Helton, Henry had reneged on the deal when he’d tried to kill Noah.
But a part of her wondered if allowing Henry to escape wounded would have been enough to save her family.
And she missed him. Her throat was instantly thick, her eyes misting with tears at the thought of her brother. They’d been close most of their lives. His teasing smiles and ability to understand her were unmatched.
She swallowed tearfully. Damn it, Henry.
She was still angry at him too. He’d been so sure he was doing right by the family.
Doing what he could to protect them. He’d lost sight of everything, including basic morality.
She blinked her tears away. No matter how much she tried, she couldn’t forgive him for what he’d done. No more than she could forgive herself.
Turning, she continued her trek. Up ahead, a figure disappeared into the shadows around a nearby alley. Her heartbeat fluttered. She could have sworn the figure looked like the man she’d seen on the tram.
Matron’s warning about being out late rang in her head.
She quickened her steps. She’d almost reached the tram stop when she heard a voice call her name. “Lady Virginia Whitman.”
Ginger’s breath caught. A few feet from the stop, a motorcar idled at the curb. Leaning against the motorcar’s door stood the man from the tram.
She swallowed, then looked around. A few people lingered in the streets. But her experience with Stephen had made her more cautious. She gripped her handbag. “Who’s asking?”
He gave her a congenial smile. “Peter Osborne. At your service.” He tipped his hat. “Sir Reginald Wingate has sent me to speak to you. Can I trouble you for a conversation?”
The commissioner of Egypt? What on earth would he want with her? Ginger blinked at him. Could this have to do with the deserter from the train?
His words made her step back from him. “Perhaps another time? I’m expected at the hospital.” To her relief, the trolley bell rung, and she spotted it approaching down the street.
Mr. Osborne’s dark eyebrows furrowed. “I mean you no harm, Lady Virginia.”
She offered him a polite smile. “Then you’re welcome to come to the hospital to which I’m assigned tomorrow. The 15th General. Perhaps at three?”
He hesitated. “At three then.”
Ginger boarded the tram as soon as it stopped, eager to get away. When she looked back, Osborne had gone. She shivered and sat, the unease she’d carried since she left the train only increasing. If she’d attracted the commissioner’s attention, she might have crossed too far a line this time.