I looked at Maud to see if she was blushing. She was still staring at Freddie, but not with an embarrassed expression. As I watched, she opened her mouth to speak, then Sylvie swore loudly and dropped her cigarette. I pushed my chair back to stand but she waved me down again.

‘What’s wrong, darling?’ Freddie asked.

‘I burned my wrist on your candle,’ she said. She brought her hand up to her mouth and blew delicately at a small red spot on her skin. ‘It’s not my day.’

‘This is your fault, Byrne, of course,’ Freddie said. ‘My mother always said it was bad luck to have an Irishman at the table.’

Everyone laughed loudly this time. Byrne held up his hands in mock surrender.

‘Freddie,’ someone called from my end of the table. ‘We want to hear your thoughts on the new German Chancellor.’

Freddie raised his wine glass. ‘I’ve got nothing against the Germans,’ he said. ‘I met Ribbentrop a few times back in London – seemed very decent – and they say he’s a good friend of the Chancellor’s.’

‘Hitler’s an ex-con,’ one of the officials said. ‘That would never happen in a British government.’

‘Only because they’ve never caught us.’

There was more laughter.

Maud leaned forwards until she was directly in Freddie’s line of sight. The determined expression on her face reminded me of the one she’d worn at five years old when I’d taught her to swim. ‘But surely you don’t agree with his principles,’ she said.

‘I’m not opposed to Fascism,’ he said. ‘In fact, Protectionism is probably the only way to reassert the primacy of Britain and our Empire.’

‘You don’t really mean that,’ Byrne said.

‘I might do.’

‘Hitler’s established himself as a dictator,’ Maud said. Two spots of high colour had appeared on her cheeks.

‘She’s right,’ Byrne said.

‘Then the Germans shouldn’t have elected him,’ one of the government wives said.

‘They were frightened about the economy and he promised to revive it,’ Maud said. ‘But now he’s made sure they can’t change their minds when it’s getting better.’ She looked around the table, as if for support, but most guests were shrugging.

Freddie signalled for more wine. ‘I’m not for dictatorships, but I don’t think we need to worry about Hitler.’

‘It’ll be a cold day in hell before Lord Hamilton is ruffled,’ Byrne said, raising his glass.

Freddie laughed. Maud blinked quickly, as if trying to hold back tears. Sylvie leaned across Soames and squeezed her arm, and a look passed between them that I couldn’t quite read.

Two totos appeared and started clearing away our empty plates.

The party continued for another few hours after the meal. Maud stuck close to me, looking tired. Eventually I took her to a corner and held her hand.