‘The Imitator gripped me to the end: I devoured it.

Rebecca
Starford has created an exceptional work of historical
fiction, bringing 1940s England to life in formidable,
compelling detail and thrusting the reader into a world of
wartime spies, betrayal and surprising revelation. What a
rare treat to find a novel that offers both white-knuckled
suspense and evocative, beautiful prose. I loved it.’
HANNAH KENT, author of Burial Rites

‘A poignantly rendered narrative map of one woman’s

journey from misfit to spy—and a thought-provoking
examination of the gently human desires that lay the
groundwork for pernicious extremism. Rebecca Starford has
given us a rousing reminder of the power of our choices.’
JULIET GRAMES, New York Times bestselling author of
The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna

‘Rebecca Starford seems to be the inheritor of the cool,

narrative elegance of Graham Greene and John le Carré. Her
building of the tale to reach the critical moral apogee of this
book seems effortless, and she has found a fascinating and
unexpected World War II corner of espionage and intelligence
to exploit for a plot that runs like milk and honey.’
TOM KENEALLY, author of The Dickens Boy

‘I can’t think of a single person who wouldn’t love this novel.

Both a gripping thriller and a deep character study, it will
appeal to those who love espionage epics as well as lovers of
literary classics. Starford’s handling of her protagonist’s internal
divisions is assured and completely engrossing, the scene-
setting rich in historical detail but never overdone. You’ll
tear through The Imitator in one weekend, I guarantee it.’
BRI LEE, author of Eggshell Skull
 The
Imitator
Re be cc a S ta rf ord
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products
of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual
events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

First published in 2021

Copyright © Rebecca Starford 2021

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in

any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior
permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968
(the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or 10 per cent of this book, whichever
is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational
purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has
given a remuneration notice to the Copyright Agency (Australia) under the Act.

  

This project is supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria.

Every effort has been made to trace the holders of copyright material.
If you have any information concerning copyright material in this book
please contact the publishers at the address below.

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Phone: (61 2) 8425 0100
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book is available from the
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ISBN 978 1 76052 979 6

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 Who has not asked himself at some time or other:
am I a monster or is this what it means to be a person?

Clar ice Lispector, The Hour of the Star

MARcH 1948
 One

Evelyn spotted Stephen across the busy road. He was leaning

against the railing outside the Hotel Russell, a grand old building
on the eastern flank of the square, reading a paperback, his collar
turned high about his throat. As he pulled out his pipe and rummaged
around in his pockets for a light, Evelyn felt the sluice of anticipation;
it was like encountering him for the first time, though they had in
fact been meeting every Friday afternoon for the past year. Walking
towards him, she observed him as a stranger might, taking in his
crumpled overcoat, his loosened tie, his flushed cheeks. He whipped
off his trilby and gave her a lopsided smile.
‘Ah, there you are, Evelyn.’
He clasped the felt brim, as if uncertain about what to do with his
hands now he’d shoved the book and pipe away in his coat pocket. After
all these months, they still weren’t quite sure how to greet one another.
He finally nodded towards the hotel’s thé-au-lait terracotta entrance.
‘So, fancy that drink? I’m absolutely parched.’
He held out an arm by way of invitation, and as he followed her
up the stairs and through the hotel’s revolving doors, Evelyn caught
his familiar scent of pipe smoke, cologne and warm, damp hair.

3
 Rebecca Starford

They were seated by the dome window overlooking the square,

their usual table. Though it was nearly five o’clock, the bar was
empty apart from a man beside the piano with his head buried in
a news­paper. Once the waitress, a big-boned girl with a Lancashire
accent, had taken their orders, Stephen began to talk about his new
commission. Since the war he had worked as an Italian translator—
novels, mainly, as well as the occasional cache of documents for the
embassy—and he had been invited by a professor in Rome to visit
the university over the summer to deliver a paper and begin a new
translation of Ovid.
‘They’re putting me up at La Sapienza,’ he said, settling into his
chair. ‘In halls, which’ll be jolly. When that’s done, I thought I’d mosey
about. Travel down to Naples. Sorrento, maybe. Duck over to Capri.’
‘What about all that sunshine?’ Evelyn teased. Stephen, it had
become their joke, could burn in a blizzard.
‘Blimey, yes.’ His eyes grew wide. ‘It will be raging, won’t it, in July?’
The waitress returned, struggling under a silver serving tray laden
with a tumbler of whisky on ice for Stephen and an enormous teapot,
china cup and rock cake, beige and swollen like a deformed hand, for
Evelyn. It was good tea here at the Russell, none of the ersatz stuff she
had to buy from her local grocer’s, and fragrant with an earthy spice.
‘Well, it sounds like you’ll have a lovely time,’ she said.
‘That’s the thing. I’ll be away for a month. At least. And, yes, it
will be a fine sort of trip . . .’
Stephen paused, took a gulp of whisky, and when he set down the
glass he stared at it as if it were the receptacle of an ancient wisdom.
Evelyn saw something in his eyes she didn’t recognise—it might have
been dread. He spread his hands against the tablecloth.
‘The thing is, Evelyn, I don’t want to be away for a month. From
you. I had rather hoped you might come with me.’

4
 The Imitator

The top of his ears had turned red. Evelyn sat back; he had
surprised her. She picked up the blunt knife and began sawing into
the rock cake. The pianist started up a playful tune in the corner.
‘You don’t need to answer right away,’ Stephen said quietly. ‘I’ve
caught you unawares.’ He looked into his lap. ‘But will you think
about it?’
‘Yes, of course.’ Glancing at his thinning hair, the fine freckles
across his broad nose, Evelyn felt a throb deep in her chest. ‘Of course
I’ll think about it.’ She reached out, grazing her fingertips over his
knuckles. ‘I’m so pleased you asked me, Stephen, really I am.’
‘Mm.’ Colour had risen in his cheeks and he wouldn’t look at her.
Evelyn clasped her hands together. She had hurt him. Sometimes
she forgot she could still inflict pain on others.
‘Very good. Right. Well.’ With a rattle of his empty glass, Stephen
stood up. ‘I think I fancy another.’
Evelyn watched him as he made his way to the bar. He dragged
his left foot. It had been crushed by a pontoon at Dunkirk; he had
been lucky not to drown. He was shy about his disfigurement but
never ashamed. It was perhaps the first thing that drew Evelyn to
him: the ease with which he spoke about the past. That, and how he
never asked for much in return, even when she knew he must want
her to share more of herself with him.
She rubbed at her eyes. The truth was she wanted to go to Rome.
But there were so many complications—her papers, for one. How
could she explain it all to him?
While Stephen lingered at the bar, she turned her attention to the
window and the gardens outside. It was busier now, men and women
streaming from the terraces surrounding the square, batting their way
through the gaggle of children mobbing the Wall’s ice-cream man
on the corner. Evelyn’s gaze rested on a small girl and a dark-haired
woman. The girl, in a smart woollen dress, was chattering away,

5
 Rebecca Starford

while the woman—her mother, Evelyn presumed—flicked through a

picture-card stand by one of the stalls set up along the garden fence.
Evelyn watched the graceful swoop of her gloved hand until, almost
as if she sensed she was being watched, the woman turned. Her eyes
met Evelyn’s and what followed was a moment of perfect calm, just
as the air had felt before a shell dropped.
‘You do like brandy, don’t you? I can never remember.’
Setting a drink in front of her, Stephen followed Evelyn’s gaze,
one hand pressed into his back. ‘I’ve never understood how children
can eat ice-cream in the cold.’
A bus rumbled past, a few cars.
‘I say, are you all right, Evelyn? You’re awfully pale.’
Evelyn sat up straighter as Stephen, face pinched-looking, crouched
in front of her.
‘Look, you needn’t worry about the Rome trip, honestly. It was
just a mad idea.’
She scanned the square for the woman and the little girl, but they
were both gone.
‘I mean, I could ask Timmy Walker to come. You remember Tim?
Foreign Office. He’s always had a bit of a thing for the Romans . . .’
Evelyn listened to Stephen’s prattle, not wanting it to stop. As long
as he kept talking, she could convince herself that she had imagined
it. That she hadn’t seen Julia Wharton-Wells at all. But then, after
a burst of laughter from the lobby and the tail end of the pianist’s
song, came the cry: ‘Evelyn?’
Her voice still had that breathiness, as though she had just sprin-
ted across the street.
Turning, Evelyn saw the little girl first, and up close she recog-
nised the straight, almost black hair and the same watchful amber
eyes. Julia stepped forwards, arms outstretched, and before Evelyn

6
 The Imitator

knew what she was doing she was on her feet, Julia’s smooth coat,
cigarette smoke and perfume caught up in their embrace.
‘Julia? I don’t believe it!’
She had aged. Of course she had; it had been nearly eight years.
Still, as Julia stepped back, holding her at arm’s length to look her
up and down, Evelyn was shocked by the grey in her hair and the
constellation of lines around her eyes and forehead.
‘It’s really me—ta-da!’ Julia’s grip was tight around Evelyn’s wrists.
She gave a sharp bark of laughter and let go, gesturing to Stephen.
‘And who is this?’
Evelyn introduced them, and Stephen, who had watched their
greeting with bemusement, said, ‘You must join us for tea. I’ve not
met any of Evelyn’s pals—I’d love to pick your brains.’
Evelyn glared at him. ‘Julia will surely have other plans.’
‘What do you think, Margaret, darling?’ Julia peered down at her
daughter as she removed her gloves. The young girl was eyeing up
the rock cake. ‘Daddy won’t mind if we’re a few minutes late, will he?’
Margaret shed her green coat. ‘Daddy won’t mind,’ she repeated
solemnly as she took the seat opposite Evelyn. She was missing a
front tooth.
The waitress appeared with more cups and saucers, and every-
one watched her pour the tea. After she’d gone, Julia sat down and
unwound her expensive silk scarf, eyes skating about the bar. She
wore a red box coat that matched her lipstick; Evelyn had forgotten
how striking she was.
‘Are you staying here at the hotel, Evelyn?’
‘No, we’re—’ She felt Julia’s frank gaze. ‘We were just having a drink.’
‘I see.’
‘Then we’re off to a film over on Tottenham Court Road. In fact,
we had better be going, hadn’t we, Stephen?’ Evelyn glared at him

7
 Rebecca Starford

again, desperate to communicate her agitation at this unexpected

meeting.
But Stephen wasn’t looking. His attention was on Julia, perhaps
wondering if she held the answers to his many questions about
Evelyn’s past.
‘Don’t worry about that,’ he murmured. ‘There’ll be a later showing.’
‘See?’ Julia patted the chair beside her. ‘No rush.’
Somehow, Evelyn managed to sit down and smile graciously
around the table. She still couldn’t believe it was Julia sitting across
from her. Was this what it felt like to encounter a ghost?
‘I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me when I saw you,
Evelyn. After all these years—I had to come over and make sure.’
Julia laughed again. ‘But you haven’t changed a bit. I suppose you’re
still at the same job, too?’
‘Evelyn works in a bookshop,’ Stephen said, bringing out his pipe.
‘Foy’s, on Store Street. You know it?’
‘Store Street?’ Julia glanced at Stephen, something flinty and
appraising in her expression. ‘No, I don’t think so. But I will remem-
ber to drop in sometime.’
Evelyn wanted to shriek at Stephen to shut up. She imagined
old Mrs Foy, alone in the flat above the shop, Julia prowling about
the shelves of Margery Allinghams, and she swigged a mouthful of
brandy, feeling it burn down her throat.
‘And how do you know one another?’ Stephen scraped a match
against the box and lit his pipe. ‘From Oxford, was it?’
‘The war, actually,’ Julia said.
‘Really?’ He leant forwards. ‘Evelyn’s always coy about her war
years. So you were at the hospital, too?’
Julia’s eyes slid towards Evelyn. She picked up her teacup, raised
it to her lips.
‘It wasn’t quite like that. We moved in similar circles, that’s all.’

8
 The Imitator

‘Did you?’
Stephen turned to Evelyn, gave her shoulder a light nudge with his.
He was enjoying himself; there was a smile playing over his mouth.
Evelyn gripped her knees beneath the table, nails digging into her
stockings. She had to disrupt the conversation, swerve it away from
anything that might compromise her. She focused on Margaret, who
was picking despondently at the rock cake. If Julia had a weak spot,
surely it would be this child.
‘I didn’t know you had a daughter,’ Evelyn said. ‘She looks just
like you.’
The last bit of sun had come out from behind the low grey clouds,
flooding the front bar in dazzling light. Julia set her teacup back
down in the saucer.
‘Margaret keeps us on our toes, don’t you, dear?’
The girl looked back at her mother doubtfully.
‘How old is she?’
Julia stared at Evelyn, her jaw a hard line. ‘Five next month.’ She
threaded her fingers together. ‘We’ve been lucky. I never thought . . .’
She trailed off, gave a shrug. ‘But I do like this part of town,’ she said,
sitting up straighter. ‘I don’t live in London anymore. We’re in Kent
these days and very happy there.’ She shook her head. ‘Why am I
telling you? I suppose you already know. But we do like to come up
to London, don’t we, Margaret? The children’s park over at Coram’s
Fields is marvellous.’ She paused. ‘You’re locals, I take it? You and
your . . . husband?’
‘No, we’re not . . .’
The pianist had stopped and Evelyn could see the waitress watch-
ing them from behind the counter, her curiosity plain as she toyed
with a loose apron thread. Even the man in the corner had lowered his
newspaper to peer at them. Could they sense it too? Evelyn wondered.
The disquiet in the room? It was practically crackling.

9
 Rebecca Starford

‘We’re not married.’ Stephen finished the sentence for her, and
Evelyn felt him edge away, a cool space flourishing between them.
Julia nodded. ‘I always thought I might run into you. Though I
expected you to have left England years ago.’
‘I did think about it. But one thing led to another. Work, you see . . .’
‘Ah, yes. Did you stay on long, in the end, at the War Office?’ Julia
brushed at some non-existent crumbs on her dress, her eyebrows
arched. ‘Anyway, now I know where I can find you, we must get
together for a proper catch-up. I think that’s long overdue, don’t
you? Perhaps the next time we’re down. Like I said, we’re on our
way to meet Margaret’s father.’ Julia was smiling, but there was no
feeling in her eyes. ‘I don’t think you ever met him. He certainly
knows about you.’
The hairs on the back of Evelyn’s neck bristled. ‘Well, it’s been
lovely,’ she said as she stood up. ‘But we really should be going.’
She looked at Stephen; this time he understood and rose to his
feet with her.
‘What a shame! I should have liked to talk more.’ All conciliation,
Julia began fishing through her leather handbag. ‘But look, before
you go, let me give you something. I picked it up at the stall across
the street. It was such a coincidence to find it there. I’m sure you’ll
remember it.’
It was a postcard, a reproduction of Judith in the Tent of Holofernes,
and as Julia passed it across the table Evelyn felt her stomach lurch.
She didn’t know the gallery had the painting—the Randalls must
have sold it after the war. She stuffed the postcard inside her bag as
Stephen drifted off to settle the bill.
‘It reminded me of a story I heard years ago . . . Anyway, I’ve
dozens of the things in the kitchen drawer at home, but I keep buying
another every time I see one. We visit the gallery when we’re in town,
though I’m not sure why I keep returning to that ghastly place.’ Julia

10
 The Imitator

was clutching the back of the chair, her fingers as bloodless as talons.
‘You always did like art, didn’t you, Evelyn? And books. Clever as
you were. You always thought you were so much cleverer than the
rest of us. But it didn’t quite turn out that way, did it?’
Evelyn took a step back. The room seemed to tilt. Around them
the bar was starting to fill.
Stephen returned, and she felt his hand on her arm, though it
wasn’t clear if he was steering her towards Julia or away from her.
‘Turned to smoke and ashes, has it?’ Julia was staring at the half-
eaten rock cake.
Evelyn glanced at the door. Two dozen paces, maybe less. She
could make it. She took another step, conscious of the pressure build-
ing behind her eyes. The room had begun to spin and the tables
roared—wild, jabbering voices. She could hear Stephen talking, his
voice floating towards her as if she were trapped under water, the
pale light above the surface gradually dimming, and the next thing
she was aware of was his grip around her elbow as he guided her
past the bar, the off-key notes of a new prelude ringing in her ears.

-
Stephen walked her home. After the scene at the Hotel Russell, neither
of them had much desire to go to the pictures or find somewhere to
eat. They made their way in silence, Evelyn one pace behind, trying
to make sense of what had just happened and how she might explain
it to him. But when they reached her building on Flaxman Terrace,
he stood on the kerb, hands shoved deep into his coat pockets. She
couldn’t tell whether he was angry or not; he was looking at her in
the same way Margaret had as they left the bar: as if she had done
something to humiliate all of them.
‘Who was that woman?’ he asked finally. His voice was gentle,
but rounded with curiosity.

11
 Rebecca Starford

Evelyn stared at him across the pavement. ‘I told you. An old

friend. Not even a friend, really. An acquaintance.’
‘But why were you so . . .’ He blew out his cheeks. ‘I don’t know—
peculiar. I’ve never seen you like that.’
Evelyn glanced towards her flat, where the orange light of the
lamp glowed at the window.
‘It was a surprise, that’s all. I’ve not seen her in such a long time.
Years!’
‘Years?’
‘Just don’t ask me how many.’
She tried to smile, but Stephen took off his hat and said, ‘She
thought you worked at the War Office.’
‘Did she?’
‘Yes.’ He frowned. ‘You heard her, didn’t you?’
‘She must have been thinking of someone else. It was a long
time ago.’
‘But you worked at the hospital.’
‘Yes, I did. She was confused, Stephen, that’s all.’
Stephen folded his arms, giving her a hard look. Evelyn began
searching through her bag for her key. She couldn’t stand him watch-
ing her like that, incredulity in his eyes, demanding something of
her that she couldn’t give.
‘I’m sorry about tonight,’ she said. ‘I’m not myself, you’re right.
But I’m tired—that’s all. So very tired.’
Immediately his face softened. ‘Why didn’t you say?’
‘Because I wanted to see you, that’s why.’
It had taken Evelyn some time to acknowledge the depth of these
feelings to herself. That come Monday morning she would already
have started counting down the clock to when she would next
see him.

12
 The Imitator

Stephen blew out his cheeks again.

‘Can I at least fix you something upstairs? You’ve had no supper.’
‘No, I . . .’ Evelyn pressed her lips together, afraid she might cry.
‘I think I’ll just turn in for the night. But will you telephone tomor-
row? We can make new plans.’
‘All right.’
Evelyn could hear the disappointment in his voice, but she was
desperate to get inside; she needed to be on her own to think. From
the main road came the trill of the bus, the sound of a man shouting
nearer to King’s Cross station, the drift of a saxophone from the jazz
club down the street. London was only now waking up for the night,
but giving Stephen’s arm a squeeze Evelyn headed to the front door
without looking back.

-
Later, Evelyn sat on the edge of her windowsill and smoked. From
here she had a good view of the narrow street pocketed behind Euston
Road. She wasn’t sure what she was waiting for. She finished her
cigarette and pulled down the window, trying as always to close
the gap where the frame didn’t quite meet the ledge. Wrapping a
shawl around her shoulders, she slumped into the armchair next to
the fireplace, which was a grim thing with a low mantelpiece and
a blackened grate smelling of old coke. She glanced at her watch. It
was late, nearly midnight, but she knew he’d still be awake.
She went to the bureau by her bed and pulled out the small leather
address book from the drawer. Then she crept downstairs to the tele-
phone in the hall and dialled. The call rang for so long she thought
he wasn’t home until she heard the faint click of connection and that
low, scratchy voice.
‘Stepney Green 1484.’

13
 Rebecca Starford

‘I’m telephoning for the weather report.’

There was a pause and a muffled sound on the other end of the
line, like a sigh.
‘What have you observed?’
‘I believe summer has arrived.’
‘And the seed?’
Evelyn screwed her eyes shut. ‘It’s growing.’
The line went silent. Evelyn gripped the receiver. She didn’t know
what she would do if he couldn’t help. But after several excruciating
moments she heard his breathing resume.
‘Well, well. If it isn’t Chameleon.’ He let out a low whistle.
‘Bugger me.’
She slumped against the cool wall, almost faint with relief.
‘Hello, Vincent. I’m sorry to call so late.’
‘It’s no bother. I don’t sleep much these days, anyway.’ There was
more clatter and another deep, puckered inhale—he must still be
smoking those awful cigars. ‘You’re not in trouble, are you?’
‘I’m not sure. Maybe.’ Evelyn swallowed. ‘Something happened
tonight. I’m not sure what to make of it. I know it’s been a while,
but could we meet? I’m in Bloomsbury.’
‘I know where you are, darling.’ She could hear the shape of
Vincent’s smile. ‘All right. Tomorrow morning. Zafer’s, Lavender
Hill. Ten o’clock.’ And he hung up.
Back inside her flat, Evelyn returned to the window. The night
outside was blotchy like spilt ink. Among the shadows she could just
make out the cat belonging to the lady at number twenty scavenging
through a dustbin and, further along the street, in the direction of
Mabel’s Tavern, Old Jim the street sweeper bent over his broom and
shovel.
She glanced back at her bed, at the slim pillow resting against the
headboard, and felt her chest ache. How long was she prepared to live

14
 The Imitator

like this, to be always furtive and afraid? What if Stephen didn’t call
her in the morning? What if her reticence that evening—a reticence
they both recognised but had never brought out into the clear air—
spelt the beginning of the end between them? In some ways, it would
make things easier. To always wonder. To never test the strength of
her feelings. Because she had told herself that if it ever came to this
she would run. Pack a bag and catch the first train to meet the ferry.
She still had contacts in Belgium; Christine might help her. She still
knew how to become another person.
But it was too late. She couldn’t leave—she didn’t know how to
anymore. Flight was part of the past, the old days. It sounded almost
quaint how people spoke about the war now, as if they were only
cracking open an old biscuit tin and not the lid of an ancient sarco-
phagus. Yet that was how it felt to Evelyn as she sat in the gloom,
head pressed against the cool glass: as though she had been woken
from a curse.

15