Ilse made no sign that she knew he was referring to her as herself, and not to Louisa. ‘He hatches a new plot,’ she continued, making no visible response as he handed her the wine glass and their fingers touched. ‘He jails my father and tells me that the only way I will see him again is if I write a fraudulent love letter to the Lord Chamberlain. He then arranges for Ferdinand to find the letter, in the belief that Ferdinand will abandon me and instead marry the lady his father wishes him to marry. This plan also goes awry and the play ends with five lives ruined—and all for the sake of one avaricious man’s political ambition.’

He grinned. ‘It sounds likes a real roller-coaster ride.’ He raised his glass. ‘Here’s hoping it’s going to be a huge success.’

‘Oh, I hope so, Nicky.’ Her voice was fervent. ‘Not only is it my first lead part, but it’s a wonderful lead part. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.’

The waiter served them with their order and when he had retreated out of earshot, Nicholas said, ‘How is Nancy? Is she enjoying life in London?’

Ilse paused before answering, looking around at the tables near to them. No one was near enough to overhear what they were saying, especially as they were dining outside and there was a constant background hum of street and traffic noise.

‘No, I don’t think so,’ she said, knowing she could trust Nicholas utterly. ‘And she’s not staying there. She’s leaving for Spain at the end of the week.’

Nicholas stared at her. ‘Dear God,’ he said, profoundly shocked. ‘Doesn’t her newspaper realize how bloody the civil war there is going to be? There are already reports of atrocities being committed by both sides. It’s no place for a woman.’

‘Her newspaper isn’t sending her there. She’s going as a British Medical Aid Association volunteer.’

‘To do what?’ he asked, his potato pancakes forgotten.

‘She’s not sure. She thinks they’ll probably use her as an ambulance driver.’

He was absolutely aghast and his feelings showed on his face.

‘It’s what she wants to do,’ Ilse said simply, not aghast at all. ‘Nancy needs a cause and, after her experience of living here, that cause is the fight against Fascism.’

There was a fierceness in her eyes he’d never seen before and utter resoluteness in her voice. With a stab of shock he realized for the first time that beneath his Botticelli angel’s gentle exterior there lay a backbone of Remer steel.

On the far side of the street workers were putting up multicoloured bunting in readiness for the forthcoming Olympic Games. Berlin was en fête. The café they were having lunch in had a splendid collection of international flags on display. Thanks to a massive public relations clean-up, the signs ‘Jews Not Welcome’ had given way to signs proclaiming ‘Welcome to Our Overseas Visitors’. For the length of time that the Games lasted there would, he knew, be no public persecution of the Jewish population. Thousands of foreign visitors would go home convinced that Hitler’s brand of Fascism was not the evil it had been rumoured to be.