She pushed herself to her feet again. Daddy said he’d asked both Mr. Marin and Lieutenant Clarke to share Easter dinner with them, which was lovely. But she’d have to be careful to remain unseen at the office. She could always explain her presence in the building easily enough, saying she was there to see her father. She’d done so, in fact, other times when acquaintances Daddy had invited to their table had later spotted her and said hello. But on Room 40’s floor? That would be a bit trickier to excuse.

She’d have to have a story ready to tell if it happened. That Daddy had asked her to run something down to Admiral Hall for him on her way out, perhaps.

Or perhaps it would be wiser to simply let someone else deliver her finished photographs to the admiral. Keep to the basement entirely.

Lily’s shoulders sagged. If Room 40 was a family, then she was naught but a Cinderella of her own making—hard at work but self-banished to the fringes where no one could see her. A situation she had crafted rather carefully. Why was it only now beginning to chafe?

“Lily?”

She paused midway to the door and looked back at her friend, who had straightened as well. Ara’s tall form had angled toward the framed photograph on the wall, and her lips had turned again into a smile. She nodded to the photo. “I’ve been meaning to ask you if I could get another print of that. I’d like to send one to my father in Mexico.”

That, at least, was easy. Lily grinned. “Of course. I can have it for you when I come in on Monday.”

“You’re a gem. Now go, enjoy your Easter. I’ll tackle Mount Paperwork.”

With a laugh, Lily opened the door and slipped out, closing it again behind her. It wouldn’t stop the other nurses and VADs from interrupting Ara for serious matters, but perhaps it would deter those who wanted an idle chat. Because it was going to take a rather large swath of uninterrupted time for Arabelle to turn that mountain into a reasonable molehill.

A few minutes later, Lily was striding down Agar Street, aiming herself toward Mayfair. It was a lovely day, all sunshine and soft breezes and the glories of spring, so she decided to forgo the tube and walk home. Actually, she’d go the long way round and call at the school first and see if Ivy was still there. There were no classes today, of course, but her sister had said something about rearranging her classroom before the students returned from their holiday.