‘Come on, give me a hug. You’re such a lovely girl – I’m so pleased I’ve met you.’

Klara accepted the offer tentatively, but then relaxed and allowed herself to be folded into Lydia’s embrace.

There was a knock at the door.

‘That’ll be Tom. He’s been an awfully long time. Come on, let’s go and see if he’s found any ice cream!’

*

Wilde had turned away from Cornflowers and walked to the end of the street, then turned the corner. He had stopped and waited. Ten minutes later, when the man he had met on the doorstep didn’t appear, either on foot or in a car, he returned to their home. There was no sign of Mr Young, nor the Bentley.

Wilde opened the front door of Cornflowers, turning the key as quietly as possible. There was no sound inside, only darkness. His finger was on the trigger of his pistol and the safety catch was off. Lydia had put up the blackouts before coming out to meet him at Harkham. There was an electric flashlight on the hall stand. He switched it on and proceeded through the house.

Someone had doubtless been here. A ground floor window at the rear had been broken and opened. But there was no evidence of him now. He hadn’t stayed long, nor had he ransacked the house. All that Wilde could find to be missing was a photograph of him, Lydia and Johnny, which had stood on the mantelpiece in the sitting room.

Wilde checked again. No, that was it. But it was enough. An unnerving discovery to know that someone could now identify Lydia and Johnny. He went to the kitchen and filled a couple of shopping bags full of food and some spare clothes, then exited as discreetly as he had entered, uncovered his motorbike and placed the bags in the saddlebags.

The bike was a Rudge Special 500cc. He’d had her over five years now and loved her. As usual, she started easily and he was pleased to see that the fuel gauge showed that the petrol tank was full.

*

‘Food!’ he said as Lydia opened the door. ‘And soap and more clothes.’

‘No blankets, I suppose?’

‘Sorry, I didn’t think.’

‘Don’t worry, I’m sure Harry will have plenty of bedding.’

‘But – and this is a very big but – I did find some chocolate.’ He dug a bar of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk from his pocket and handed it to Klara. ‘English chocolate, Klara! What do you think of that?’

‘I don’t know – I’ve never had it.’

‘There’s a first time for everything. Now, where’s Johnny? He’ll want some, too.’

‘He’s asleep, darling. Needs his nap, you know.’

‘Of course he does.’ He kissed Lydia.

‘I was saving that chocolate for Christmas, by the way,’ Lydia said, wagging her finger. ‘Very hard to come by these days.’