Page 112 of The Unknown Birds

“I don’t need time to think,” she gasped. “Tomorrow—can we marry tomorrow? If you still want to, I mean?”

“Tomorrow? Do you think they’ll grant a special license to just anyone these days?” he teased, withdrawing a paper from his pocket and unfolding it for her to see that they may not grant them to everyone, but they had indeed granted one to him.

“Cheeky.”

He grinned and pulled her in for a long, deep kiss, while the other men clapped and cheered with genuine joy. Ash looked around at them sheepishly as he tucked her into his side, and she realized they weren’t just any random colleagues.

Davies slapped Rook heartily on the back, while Dusty stubbed out his cigarette before picking Ash up and spinning her around, setting her down face to face with Stewart, who wore tinted glasses to shade his eyes.

A dog whimpered and licked her hand, and Ash looked down to find a border collie—her once black hair gone mostly grey around the snout and eyes of faded blue.

“Can’t be,” she whispered in shock. “Maxie?”

The collie whined again and thumped her tail against the ground as Stewart scooped Ash into his arms and squeezed her tight.

“Rook told us everything, you sly, wee devil,” he whispered.

Ash blushed all the way down to her toes, though she certainly hoped Rook hadn’t told them everything.

“Thank you for writing me. Your letters kept me going those first years back at home.”

“They were a lifeline for me too,” she whispered. “Even though it was murder not to tell you the whole truth, I felt as though you got to know the real me.”

“I always knew the real you, Ash the Flash,” he said, hugging her again.

“It’s so good to see you. And Max—but how…?”

Stew shrugged. “The whisky, I reckon.”

She laughed at the joke, but he didn’t crack a smile, and she glanced from him to Rook and Davies. “He’s teasing me, right?”

Rook raised his eyebrows as if to say, Is he?

“Right?”

The lads insisted they go round to The Old Shades, where they bought drinks for both Ashley and Rook. Though he’d explained about her alter identity, Dusty and Stewart wanted to hear the whole story from her own lips, and they roared with laughter at how she’d pulled one over on all of them for so many years.

“And you kept his identity disc all this time?” Dusty asked, incredulous. “Blimey. I haven’t even kept mine.”

To answer his question, Ash pulled out the leather cord she wore tucked inside her top.

“A. Rook,” Dusty read. “Suppose that’s him all right.”

“Sure it’s not some other Rook?” Stew teased. “Andrew? Or Aaron?”

“Abernathy?” Dusty suggested. “Augustus?”

“Quite right,” Stew agreed. “You can’t be the only one, pal. Maybe you’re just a convenient replacement.”

“A lucky replacement, more like,” Rook replied.

In spite of the events that day, they joked and laughed, and Ashley’d never felt more at ease, more at home. How had she ever doubted marrying Rook would be the next right thing? They had always been stronger together, and her mother was right, of course. She couldn’t ignore the luxury of a second chance. War may come, but even if it parted them, even if it severed their twin souls she’d rather have him for whatever time they both had left.

The raucous group quieted down when Rook took the ring from his breast pocket and held it up so it sparkled in the light. It was a slim gold band with inlaid chips of diamond and ruby, surrounded by finely etched stars. She smiled as he held out his palm for her left hand. Then he slid the lovely ring down her finger and held her tight. “No turning back now,” he whispered.

“Once more unto the breach, dear friend,” she replied, and kissed him, filling that kiss with every promise under the sun, the moon, and stars.

That evening, they traipsed tipsily back to her empty flat, and she searched through her wardrobe in dismay. “I’ve nothing at all to wear,” she observed, allowing a small twinge of girlish regret.