‘Oh, that is exciting news,’ Elena clapped her hands. ‘The joy of children is a gift like no other. I am sure you will be an excellent father, Mr Swallow. Your wife is keeping well, I trust?’

‘Yes, thank you. She is in good health, and everything appears to be going well. Her doctor is very happy about that.’

Pfaus poured more of the Riesling.

‘I recall reading somewhere that Dublin has one of the most advanced maternity hospitals in the world,’ Pfaus observed. ‘Our maternity services here in Berlin are good, but I believe that Dublin’s reputation is unmatched. Curious in a relatively small city.’

‘That’s true,’ Swallow acknowledged. ‘The Rotunda Lying-In Hospital is perhaps 150 years old. I’m told that women who give birth there are more likely to be healthy along with their babies than in any other institution in the United Kingdom. Dublin is, as you say, a small city, but it has a strong tradition in medical discovery. I studied medicine myself for a number of years before becoming a policeman.’

His thoughts went momentarily to Maria. Grant’s would be starting to get busy with its night-time trade by now. He hoped that she was being prudent, as she promised, resting at this time in the parlour or in the bedroom rather than spending long hours supervising in the bar downstairs.

‘That’s a rather unusual career path,’ Pfaus said. ‘Why did you not complete your studies?’

‘It’s a long story,’ Swallow said ruefully. ‘Let’s just say that I didn’t concentrate on them as I should have.’

‘Would you have been happy as a doctor?’

‘The best answer I can give you is that I don’t know,’ Swallow said. ‘I sometimes regret that I didn’t qualify.’

Pfaus did not press the issue. Swallow sensed his understanding that it was best not to probe further.

Elena Pfaus’s Wiener Schnitzel was as good as her husband had promised it would be. The veal was thick and tender and the breadcrumb coating was crisp and golden.

‘And so, Mr Swallow,’ Elena asked, ‘what are the fashions in Dublin this year? It must be an elegant city. I am always interested to know about other cities and other countries. Berlin is rather a dull place, you know, especially after New York. And the wife of a police captain is rather constrained in her social life.’

‘I’m afraid you’re asking the wrong man about fashion,’ Swallow laughed. ‘As I told you, I’m only recently married myself, so I haven’t had much experience with that kind of thing. And the social life of a police inspector in Dublin isn’t exactly adventurous either.’

‘Dublin is a troubled city, is it not, Inspector?’ Pfaus said, slicing into his veal.