Again, Jane relived those painful moments, relating them with as disinterested an account as she could. When she had finished, she added a piece of information she had told no other save Vincent. ‘We believe that my maid, Anne-Marie, has been acting as a spy and sharing information with a Lieutenant Segal. She certainly has an attachment to him, and has had ample opportunity to have access to Vincent’s papers.’

‘That is bad news.’ Mr. Gilman slid his fork across his plate, as if compelled to some form of action, even a purposeless one.

‘Vincent did say that none of his correspondence with you should be suspect, as it all pertains to lambs. He believed that Napoleon was more interested in his technique for quickly rendering things invisible.’

‘Possible.’ He let go of the fork and grimaced. ‘I am sorry to hear this, and I thank you for letting me know. We will arrange passage back to England for you, of course.’

How could all these people assume that she would leave while her husband was in danger? ‘Thank you, but I will not return to England until Vincent is safe.’

Mr. Gilman became quite still. ‘You do understand that there is a war coming? Napoleon is on the march and could cross into Belgium as early as next week. Mr. Vincent will not be safe until after he passes, and, forgive me, but a woman in your situation should not be here.’

‘My situation does not signify. It is still quite early, and my confinement is not for several months. Pardon me for the imposition, but I must ask your help in arranging a ransom.’

‘A ransom!’ Mr. Gilman shook his head. ‘But that is not possible.’

Pushing away the shame of asking for aid from someone so little known to her, Jane swallowed. ‘I know I have insufficient funds, but thought that surely you could draw from the Crown.’

‘It is not the funds that are at issue, I assure you. It is not possible to ransom your husband.’

Appalled, Jane could only stare at him. ‘But I know officers who were ransomed back after capture. Why not my husband?’

‘Because he is not an officer. If he were a nobleman or even a gentleman, then we might consider it, but he is – forgive me – only an artist. If I were to offer a ransom it would be so far beyond the pale as to draw unwanted attention to him. The ransom would surely be denied, at best. At worst, it would make them question our relationship and put the whole of our circle here at risk. No.’ He shook his head firmly. ‘Though I esteem your husband most highly, it is impossible for me to ransom him with any degree of impunity.’