‘And you’re too kind to say it and I understand but don’t you see? This war is turning everything on its head! Look at me, living in a mansion and we’re friends, you and me, aren’t we, and who’d have thought it?’

Charity laughed and grasped Maggie’s hands which were flying about. She held them tight. ‘Oh, Maggie, you dear thing, shush a minute. I shouldn’t have let you have that last sherry, I do believe you’re tight. Come on, let’s get my bicycle and I’ll walk you back up to the house. And yes, of course, you’re right, in any other time, our paths would most likely never have crossed. So at least we have the war to thank for something.’

As they walked back up the drive towards the Hall, Charity glanced back at the gatehouse. ‘Funny that Geoff didn’t leave at the same time as us,’ she said.

Maggie shook her head. ‘Oh, Geoff’s nervous around women. I wasn’t surprised at all.’

‘Oh, Maggie, don’t go falling for him, will you?’ Charity said. ‘He’ll break your heart.’

But it was too late; she had fallen for him. Oh, she loved him! She knew Charity was only trying to be kind and wanted to stop her from getting hurt but she was wrong. Jack would never hurt her. Other people had seen it too; Jack liked her, he liked her a lot. He made her feel warm and happy and who knew what the future held?

Chapter 37

Lord Ashford was holding up a book as Maggie stepped into his office on Monday morning: A Skeleton German Grammar.

‘I thought it might help,’ he said, ‘but it’s actually confusing me even more. It’s preposterous!’ He flicked through the pages and tossed the book onto his desk. ‘The nouns have genders and plurals. Quite insane! My dear young lady, how on earth do you remember it all?’

‘Guten Morgen, Herr Ashford.’

‘Oh, yes … I beg your pardon. Guten Morgen,’ he mumbled.

Maggie took her seat at the fireplace, took pity on him and spoke in English. ‘I dunno, Sir. How do any of us remember words? How do you know that the plural of box is boxes? Or that goose becomes geese? That it’s two sheep, not sheeps?’

‘Good point.’

‘It’s what you get used to,’ she said with a shrug. ‘It sounds right.’

His Lordship took his seat beside her and frowned. ‘And if I don’t know if it “sounds right” because I’ve never heard it before?’

‘Dann müssen Sie es auswendig lernen.’ She smiled. ‘You have to learn it off by heart.’

They were learning words for people: mother, father, wife, colleague.

‘What’s the word for “friend”?’ Lord Ashford asked.

‘It depends. A male friend or female?’

He frowned. ‘There’s a word for each? Very good, well, let’s say female friend.’