‘But I must! There will be Allied authorities I can speak to. British authorities. They need to know that Berthold hasn’t been behind House of Remer armament production and the building of battleships. They need to know that Josef is head of the House of Remer, not Berthold!’

‘Let Schulenburg deal with them. Let him tell them.’

‘Ernst is German, Papa. Why should they believe him? I’m the person that needs to contact British authorities.’

Arthur Hudson thrust his newspaper onto the chair behind him. ‘If you insist on going, then I am coming with you, for you’ll be walking straight into a revolution, Vicky. The streets won’t be safe and an Englishwoman with the name of Remer will most certainly not be safe.’

‘You’re trying to emotionally blackmail me, Papa, and I won’t allow you to.’

She turned away from him, walking swiftly towards the door. ‘Where are you going now?’ he asked, distressed. ‘What are you going to do?’

She didn’t pause long enough to turn and face him; she simply said over her shoulder, ‘I’m going to pack a travelling bag.’

Packing the bag was easy. Travelling anywhere with it, wasn’t. Within hours she discovered that her father was right and that crossing the Channel was an impossibility.

‘But it’s a situation that has to change,’ she said to Josephine, ‘and until it does I’m going to write ceaseless letters to Mr Lloyd George and see if he can do anything for Berthold.’

Josephine regarded her in consternation. ‘The Prime Minister? But he’s called an election. He’ll be too busy to respond to personal letters—especially personal letters about a…about a…’

‘About a German,’ Vicky finished for her. ‘Maybe so. But I have to try, Josephine. I have to try everything.’

She wrote letters to every member of the Allied High Command, the Armistice Commission and the Red Cross. Only the Red Cross responded and they were unable to be helpful.

Finally, just when she had given up on Zelda, she received a letter.

Dear Vicky,

Thanks to Allied injustices Germany is hell on earth. I shall never step foot on American or British soil again. Never. As for France I’ll go in rags in future rather than patronize a Parisian fashion house.

Josef has undergone the most terrible time. Work stopped in the steel plants and factories even before the armistice was signed. A Social Democratic Republic has been proclaimed in Berlin and all Josef’s enemies are now in power. The Socialists say they are going to nationalize the House of Remer. The Allies say they are going to destroy it. God knows who will win, but Josef will be the loser either way. In early November, he was on the point of being arrested but the Allies had second thoughts. Hundreds of other people, however, have not been so fortunate. He has plans to launch a new production programme, but Bolsheviks have occupied the factories and workers’ committees—the same as those in Russia—insist they have a say in the running of the firm. Coupled with the fact that coal is almost unobtainable it makes things well-nigh impossible. Food is short. I stand in food lines like a peasant AND I WILL NEVER FORGIVE IT.