‘Goodness. Well, that’s frightfully clever. You’re wasted here, Miss Corbett, I should think the Intelligence Service could use your skills! Ah, but I can see you’re worried. Mightn’t she have simply forgotten? How old is your sister?’

Maggie bit her lip. ‘She’s twelve.’

She wouldn’t put it past Vi to forget. Especially if she was having a nice time. The code would’ve gone clean out of her head. But there was another alternative, perhaps her billet was so bad, it didn’t even merit one kiss.

‘Twenty miles, did you say? That’s not too far. Couldn’t you visit? Petrol’s rationed, of course, otherwise …’ He shook his head. ‘Or perhaps you could bicycle there?’

‘Perhaps,’ she said politely.

His Lordship turned away to whistle for his dogs, who were nowhere to be seen. After a few seconds, they emerged – bedraggled – from bushes on the other side of the lawn and bounded back towards them.

‘Rabbits,’ he said. ‘Oh, don’t worry, they never catch them. Now, how are the rest of your family? Are they coping with the raids?’

Maggie wrinkled her nose. ‘I … dunno. I’m not … I haven’t heard from my dad and my mother’s … not there. She was taken away, Sir. By the police.’

Now she’d started, it seemed like she couldn’t stop.

Lord Ashford frowned. ‘Is she …?’

He had kind eyes, he’d be sympathetic – and she couldn’t hold it in any more in any case. ‘She’s German, yes, Sir,’ Maggie said. She held her breath, waiting for his reaction but his face didn’t change. ‘I suppose I should have mentioned it before.’

He smiled. ‘Why? Is your mother a member of the National Socialist Party?’

Maggie frowned. ‘Is she …?’

‘Is she a Nazi?’

‘Gosh, no!’

‘Good! And where is she now? Has she been interned? As an enemy alien?’ he asked.

‘Yes.’ That was it, that was the horrid expression. ‘And I don’t know where they’ve taken her. But it’s not true. She’s not an enemy. She’s lived in this country for years and … it’s all been a terrible mistake.’

Lord Ashford sighed. ‘There have been a lot of terrible mistakes made. Try not to worry, Miss Corbett. She’s not an enemy of this country; she won’t come to any harm.’

That was the first time anyone had said anything remotely reassuring. A flicker of hope lit in Maggie’s chest.

He looked as though he was about to call his dogs and walk away but something made him stop. ‘I expect you speak the language, do you?’

‘Yes, Sir.’ Mutti had spoken German to her and Vi since they were little. Dad flew into a rage if they spoke it when he was around but between themselves, they often did. She hoped that wasn’t a bad thing or that she wasn’t going to be in trouble.