Page 121 of The Last Library of Paris

‘That’s true, it does,’ Lara said. ‘Bea talks about it. It’s operated by the Nazis now, so refugees can’t travel that way anymore. It’s too risky.’

‘Can you remember how often it comes?’

Lara thought about it. ‘Maybe about once a month. I remember it last came before the storm.’

‘So hopefully there’s one due soon?’ I said, gesturing with crossed fingers. ‘If there’s one in the next couple of days, we can get to Paris much faster than if we try to go another way.’

‘What about Archie? Where is he? Is he coming?’

I’d half-hoped she wouldn’t ask about Archie, and half-hoped she would. I was desperate to talk about him and also didn’t want to mention his name.

Now I made a face. ‘Digby says he’s on his way back to Lisbon, but if he’s not back before we go, we can’t hang about.’

I allowed myself a tiny daydream about coming back from Paris, having triumphantly rescued Frances Reed, and found Marcus’s books …

‘Are we going to need to travel on false papers?’ Lara asked, bringing me back down to earth.

‘We are.’

‘So shall we get cracking on the plans, then?’ said Lara. Her eyes gleamed. ‘Is it like the casino?’

I opened my mouth to reply and she jumped in: ‘Do not say “yes and no”.’

I laughed. ‘It’s a bit like the casino,’ I said. ‘But then we had the whole department behind us. This time it’s just us.’

‘And we definitely need false papers?’

‘Yes, because the people who travel on the SudExpress – especially now when it only runs occasionally – are the sort of people who can buy themselves safe passage across occupied Europe.’

Lara nodded. ‘So we need to become people like that?’

‘Exactly.’

‘And how will we get these papers?’

‘I’m hoping Edith will help us.’ I sighed. ‘But we can’t really ask her until we know if there’s a train.’

‘Did Henry say how long he’d be?’

‘I’m not absolutely sure where he’s gone, to be honest,’ I admitted. ‘He said he knew people at the railway station.’

‘Bless him,’ said Lara. ‘Henry’s such a sweetheart.’

The man himself appeared in the doorway. ‘Are my ears burning?’

Lara laughed. ‘We were wondering where you’d got to.’

‘Any luck?’ I asked.

‘I’ve had a lot of luck,’ said Henry. He looked a little dishevelled and sweaty but he was grinning proudly. ‘There’s a train leaving Lisbon tonight.’

‘Tonight?’ I was pleased but also daunted. ‘What time?’

‘Departing Lisbon at nine o’clock.’

‘Oh god, that only gives us about ten hours to get sorted,’ I said, checking my watch.

‘No one knows when the next train after that will be,’ Henry warned. ‘If we want to go by train then we go tonight or not at all.’