She looked intently at him, as if the answer was of immense importance. "How did you find us?"

"We can talk about that in Oxford," Polly said. "We need to go before the raids get any worse."

"You're right," Eileen said. "Of course,"

But neither Colin nor Mr. Dunworthy moved. All three of them stood there looking at one another, as if waiting for something.

"What-?" Polly asked, bewildered.

"You said you needed to tell them you're leaving, Polly," Colin said.

"Yes, and change out of my costume. Do the three of you want to go on ahead, and I'll meet you at St. Paul's?"

"No." Colin was looking at Eileen. "We'll wait for you."

"I'll be back straightaway," Polly said, and ran down the aisle, up onto the stage, and into the wings.

Mrs. Brightford was there, attempting to repair the damage Alf and Binnie had inflicted on the bramble branches. "Have you seen Sir Godfrey?" Polly asked.

Mrs. Brightford shook her head. "I think he went to find a carpenter."

Oh, no. She couldn't leave without telling him goodbye. "You don't know where, do you?"

Mrs. Brightford shook her head again.

"If he comes back, tell him I need to speak with him," Polly said, and ran down to the dressing room. She'd change and then, if he still wasn't back, see if anyone knew where he'd gone and go look for him.

And when and if she found him, what could she say? I'm a time traveler? I was trapped here, but now my retrieval team's come, and I must go home? I don't have a choice-I'll die if I stay?

Perhaps it would be just as well if she couldn't find him. She stepped out of her leggings and pulled on her stockings, but in her haste she snagged one of them and it ran.

It doesn't matter, she thought, yanking her doublet off and putting on her frock. I never need to worry about runs again, or ration books, or bombs.

She buttoned her frock. "I won't ever have to wrap another parcel," she said, and found herself suddenly, inexplicably, in tears.

Which is ridiculous, she thought. You hate wrapping parcels. And this is a happy ending, exactly like in Trot's fairy tales.

She pulled on her shoes, caught up her coat and hat, and went out, putting them on as she went, and then hesitated. In another six months, Mrs. Brightford or Viv would be desperate for those stockings, even with a ladder in them. She went back into the dressing room, took off her shoes, stripped off the stockings, and draped them over the makeup mirror. Then she grabbed up her bag and opened the door.

Sir Godfrey was standing there in his Hitler uniform and mustache. He took in Polly's clothes, her coat. "There's no need for that, the carpenter's on his way," he told her, and then stopped.

"You're leaving us," he said, and it wasn't a question. "It's your young man. He's come."

"Yes. I thought he couldn't, that he-"

"-was dead," Sir Godfrey said. "But he's arrived, 'despite all obstacles, true love triumphant.' "

"Yes," she said, "but I-"

He shook his head to silence her. "The times were out of joint," he said. "It would not have been suitable, Lady Mary."

"No," she said, wishing she could tell him why it wouldn't have been, that she could tell him who she really was.

Like Viola, she thought. Sir Godfrey had named her well. She couldn't tell him why she'd been here or why she had to leave, couldn't tell him how he'd saved her life as much as she'd saved his, couldn't tell him how much he meant to her.

She had to let him think she was abandoning him for a wartime romance. "I'd stay till after the pantomime if I could-" she began.

"And spoil the ending? Don't be a fool. Half of acting is knowing when to make one's exit. And no tears," he said sternly. "This is a comedy, not a tragedy."

She nodded, wiping at her cheeks.

"Good," he said, and smiled at her. "Fair Viola-"

"Polly!" Binnie called from the top of the stairs. "Eileen says to hurry!"

"Coming!" she said. "Sir Godfrey, I-"

"Polly!" Binnie bellowed.

She darted forward, kissed Sir Godfrey on the cheek, and ran for the stairs, calling to Binnie, who was leaning over the railing, looking down at her, "Go tell Eileen I'm coming now!"

Binnie raced off, and Polly ran up the stairs. "Viola!" Sir Godfrey called to her as she reached the top. "Three questions more before we part."

She turned to look back down over the railing at him. " 'What is your will, my lord?' "

"Did we win the war?"

She had thought she couldn't be amazed by anything after Colin, but she had been wrong.

He knows, she thought wonderingly. He's known since that first night in St. George's. "Yes," she said. "We won it."

"And did I play a part?"

"Yes," she said with absolute certainty.

"I didn't have to do Barrie, did I? No, don't tell me, or my courage will fail me altogether."

Polly's laugh caught. "Was that your third question?" she managed to ask.

"No, Polly," he said. "Something of more import." And she knew it must be. He had never, except for that one scene in The Admirable Crichton, called her by her real name.

"What is it?" she asked. Will I ever see you again?

No.

Do I love you?

Yes, for all time.

He stepped forward and grasped the staircase's railing, looked up at her earnestly. "Is it a comedy or a tragedy?"

He doesn't mean the war, she thought. He's talking about all of it-our lives and history and Shakespeare. And the continuum.

She smiled down at him. "A comedy, my lord."

There was an ungodly crash from the stage. "Alf! I told you not to touch nothin'!" Binnie shouted.

"I never! The scrim just fell down."

"The scrim!" Sir Godfrey bellowed. "Alf Hodbin, I told you not to mess about with those ropes!"

"Don't try to pick it up," Binnie's voice warned. "You'll tear it!"

"Touch nothing!" Sir Godfrey roared, galloping up the stairs past Polly and out onto the stage, where she could hear Alf and Binnie both insisting, "I didn't do nothin'! I swear!"

" 'They have all rushed down to the beach,' " Polly murmured, looking after him, and then turned and ran down into the theater and up the aisle to where Eileen and Mr. Dunworthy and Colin stood.

The three of them were standing very near one another, their heads bent, talking, and Polly thought of that first night when she and Mike and Eileen had sat in the emergency stairwell, catching one another up, making plans. "I'm going to get you both out of this, I promise," Mike had said, and he had.

He'd died, and because he had, she'd wanted to do something, anything, to make her life matter and had gone to St. Paul's to ask Mr. Humphreys to help her get a job as an ambulance driver. And because she'd done that, she'd found Mr. Dunworthy and despaired. And if she hadn't despaired, she would never have been at the Alhambra when the Phoenix was hit, would never have rescued Sir Godfrey, and the drop would never have opened.

You did save us, Mike, she thought. Just as you promised.

She reached the group. Eileen had been crying. She wiped clumsily at her cheeks as Polly joined them, and then smiled at her. "Are you ready?" Eileen asked.

No, Polly thought. "Yes."

"Are you certain?" Colin said. "I know how hard this must be for you. We haven't a lot of time, but we've enough for you to say goodbye, if there's anyone else you need to-"

I love you, Polly thought.

"No, I'm ready." She looked back at the stage, where the children, Sir Godfrey, Mr. Dorming, and Nelson were struggling with the collapsed scrim.

"Should we help them?" Colin asked her.

"No, we'll never get away if we do. Let's go," she said, and turned to start up the aisle, and oh, no, here came Miss Laburnum.

"It's all right, you needn't go for the carpenter, Polly," she said. "I found him at last, and he'll be here shortly. Is the scrim still stuck?"

"No," Polly said dryly.

"No, no, no!" Sir Godfrey bellowed and Miss Laburnum looked down at the stage.

"Oh, good heavens! What happened?" She started down the aisle.

"We need to go," Colin said quietly to Polly. "We haven't got much time."

She nodded. "I'm ready," she said.

"Go?" Binnie, who'd been on the stage only a moment ago, said at Polly's elbow. "Where are you all going?" and Miss Laburnum immediately turned and hurried back up the aisle toward them.

Alf jumped off the stage and tore up the aisle after her, with Trot-and Nelson, barking wildly-in his wake. "Are you goin' someplace?" he called.

And now how are we going to get out of here? Polly thought.

"Has something happened?" Miss Laburnum asked, seeming to take in Colin's ARP uniform for the first time.

"Yes," Polly said. "I'm sorry to let you all down, but-"

"This is Polly's fiance," Eileen cut in.

"Are you going to marry Polly?" Trot asked him.

"Yes," he said. "If she hasn't fallen in love with someone else in the meantime."

"He's unexpectedly come home on leave, Miss Laburnum," Eileen was explaining.

And has gone to work for the ARP? Polly thought, but Miss Laburnum apparently hadn't noticed the oddness of that, or the sudden appearance of a fiance Polly had never mentioned before.

"Oh, my, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr.-" She looked expectantly at Polly.

"Lieutenant Templer," Eileen volunteered.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Laburnum," Colin said. "Polly's told me about all your kindnesses to her."

"Ain't we gonna get to meet 'im?" Alf demanded.

"This is Alf, Trot, and Binnie," Polly said, indicating each in turn.

"Vivien," Binnie corrected. "Like Vivien Leigh."

"Alf, Trot, and Vivien," Polly said resignedly, and Colin shook hands with Alf and then Trot.

"Did you look for Polly for a hundred years?" Trot asked.

"Nearly," he replied, and turned to Binnie. "It's an honor to meet you, Vivien," he said solemnly, and Binnie shot Polly a triumphant glance.

"Why can't you be in the pantomime?" Alf asked Polly.

"Can't be in the pantomime?" Miss Laburnum said, alarmed. "Oh, but Miss Sebastian, you can't desert us now. Whom shall we find to play the part of principal boy?"

"I'll do it," Binnie said. "I know all the lines."

"Don't be a noddlehead," Alf said. "You ain't old enough."

"I am so."

"You're already a fairy," Eileen said, "and a bramblebush. You're too important to the pantomime to play any other parts," and before Alf could put in his twopence worth, "Alf, go and tell Sir Godfrey that the carpenter will be here in just a moment. And help him put the scrim back up in the meantime. Take Trot with you. And Nelson."