‘And speaking of trying to marry people off,’ Lotti said when seated, ‘what news is there of a girlfriend in Paul’s life? He must have one, surely? He inherited squillions when his grandfather died—and I say “his” grandfather, because Grandfather Wallace could never get along with the fact that the rest of us had German blood, and his legacies to us were only nominal. So…as squillions of cash always makes a man highly eligible, Paul must have a girlfriend. Who is she? Why do we never see her?’

‘There usually is a girl in his life, but they only ever stay the course for a year or so. After that, they fade away. Mainly, I suspect, because they want a ring on their finger and Paul never shows any signs of being interested in that kind of commitment. Roses are the love of his life—everything else comes a very poor second.’

The road out of Little Ridding had been heavily sanded, but was still icy. As her wheels began to spin, Vicky eased her foot off the accelerator. Not until the car was again completely under her control did she continue the conversation.

‘I see very little of Max these days,’ she said as they left the village behind them. ‘He’s nearly always either in Berlin or in London and, like all sons, when I do see him, he never tells me all I’d like to know about what is going on in his life.’

She looked across at Lotti as she finished speaking, but Lotti didn’t meet her gaze and, unusually for her, made no comment.

Vicky changed gear and turned into the road that hugged the left-hand bank of the river.

‘I’m not very sure of my facts here,’ she continued, trying to sound as if the subject wasn’t of much importance, ‘but I believe he’s forsaken his usual string of girlfriends and is now spending all his free time with Ilse.’

It wasn’t couched as a question, but it very obviously was one.

‘He always has spent a lot of time with Ilse,’ Lotti replied neutrally, still keeping her eyes on the glistening snow-covered banks of the Ure. ‘When Ilse was younger he took her to the Zoological Gardens and the Schöneberger Volkspark. Now that she’s older, he takes her to restaurants and nightclubs.’

As Lotti was quite obviously not going to be voluntarily forthcoming about the nature of Max and Ilse’s present relationship, Vicky was reduced to Yorkshire bluntness. ‘Are they in love? Because if they are, I’d like to know. I’d like to be prepared for it.’

Lotti finally looked towards her. ‘Because it would distress you? Because you would be disapproving, as you were disapproving of Nancy’s love affair with Claus?’

Vicky took a hand off the wheel and tucked a stray strand of gold hair back into its heavy coil. ‘No,’ she said at last. ‘I was disapproving of Nancy and Claus’s affair for reasons over and above my belief that they were not right for each other.’