Maggie turned. He had moved slightly, so that he was standing in front of the window, the autumn sun making a halo around his head.

He was holding up his hand and still listening into the receiver. His eyes were shining.

When he finally spoke, Maggie knew she’d never forget that moment, not as long as she lived.

‘We’ve found her, Miss Corbett!’ he said, his voice trembling. ‘We’ve found your mother!’

Chapter 34

A few days later, Bill, Norm and Geoff were standing at the table in the kitchen, staring at an orange.

‘Is it real, do you think?’ Bill asked. ‘Or a phoney one?’

Maggie looked up from her sewing and laughed. She was sitting at the end of the table, Mrs Mason’s unpicked overcoat spread out in front of her.

Tabby was laid out on the stone floor in front of the range. If Cook had been around, she’d have shooed the cat out, but it was her day off, so Tabby was safe.

Norm picked up the orange and held it up to his nose. ‘Smells real enough. D’you think they’ll let us have a piece?’

Mrs Mason came up from behind and snatched the orange out of Norm’s hand. ‘Oi! You should be ashamed, stealing from the mouth of babes! His Lordship’s got this for Rudi. I have no idea how he managed it but it’s certainly not meant for any of us. Now, where is the little rascal? Hiding, I expect, in case it’s time for his cod liver oil!’

She chased the chaps out of the kitchen. ‘Off with you! Find summat useful to do!’

Maggie had almost finished turning the coat. She’d unstitched it, turned it inside out and was stitching it all back together. The kitchen, with its warm range and row of windows through which the light streamed, was her favourite place to work. She’d be sorry when she’d finished.

Thanks to Lord Ashford, she now knew that Mutti was on the Isle of Man, in a women’s camp, with other internees.

‘Not some faraway colony, then,’ he’d added. ‘That’s something.’

Maggie was flooded with relief. But where exactly was the Isle of Man?

His Lordship took an atlas down from the shelf in his study, flicked through the index and then held out the map to her. ‘There. It’s a rugged little island in the middle of the Irish Sea.’ He smiled. ‘Hard to escape from a place like that, unless you’re a very good swimmer indeed. But I have it on good authority that your mother’s in good health and being well treated. Here, I’ve written down her address.’

Maggie had written to Mutti straight away and sent Violet a letter too, telling her the good news.