‘There is something I want to tell you,’ Maggie said slowly.

‘I say, this sounds serious!’ Charity pulled her chair closer to the table and leaned in. ‘Out with it, then.’

Maggie took a deep breath. ‘Well, my mother’s not dead.’

Charity pulled her head back and frowned. ‘Isn’t she? Well, I’m jolly pleased. Good for her!’

‘No, you don’t understand. The first time we met, I think I probably gave you the impression that she was. But she’s not dead, she’s interned.’ Maggie glanced over at the bar before lowering her voice to a whisper, ‘My mother’s German. So that makes me half-German.’

Charity’s eyes lit up. ‘Gosh, how exciting. There are no dark secrets like that in my family, more’s the pity.’ She laughed.

Relief flooded through Maggie. ‘You don’t mind?’

‘I don’t care a fig! You could come from the moon and I wouldn’t mind.’ Charity twisted her mouth thoughtfully. ‘But some of the others might.’

‘That’s what I’m worried about.’

‘I’d keep Mum if I were you,’ Charity said. ‘Pardon the pun.’

It was a relief, a weight off her mind, although there were still other weights. Lord Ashford’s request, for one. Maggie still hadn’t given him her answer.

‘This morning, when Lord Ashford found out about me—’ she lowered her voice ‘—being you-know-what, he asked me to teach him Ger … the language. But I can’t! Then everyone will know I’m half an enemy, won’t they? But how can I say no?’

‘Did you say no?’ Charity asked, wide-eyed.

‘Not yet. He said, “Always buy yourself time, Miss Corbett. If someone asks you to do something you’d rather not, say, ‘I’d like some time to think about that, if I may’”.’

Her eyes met Charity’s. ‘I can’t possibly do it. But how shall I turn him down?’

Charity smiled. ‘Heavens! Do you always say no to everything? Life’s a lot more fun if you say yes occasionally!’

Maggie pulled back, surprised. ‘Do you think I should say yes to Lord Ashford? And to Ray and the tandem, too?’

Charity pursed her lips. ‘Well, it sounds as though Ray’s gone to an awful lot of trouble. He’s looked up your sister’s billet, he’s fixing a bicycle. Goodness! If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was sweet on you!’

Maggie shook her head. ‘He’s not!’

Charity raised her eyebrows. ‘Chaps don’t generally go out of their way to help a girl, you know, unless there’s something in it for them.’