He bundled up the latest statements and headed for the bar. He’d railed against doing this task, but Elsa Bristow must have recognised something in him that he hadn’t known he’d possessed, for he seemed to have a natural ability to put people at their ease so they found it comfortable to talk to him. And in a strange sort of way, he felt rather proud to be doing such an important job.

Suspecting that Elsa had again gone without lunch, he ordered sandwiches and a pot of tea for her, and a long glass of cold beer for himself, then followed the waiter to the office. Tiffin, as Elsa called it, had become something of a ritual at the end of each day, and they both enjoyed it.

Elsa took off her glasses, pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose and smiled up at him. ‘You must have read my mind,’ she said as the waiter left the room. She glanced at her watch. ‘Gosh, is it that time already? How time flies.’

Jim placed the folders on her desk and took a long drink of his beer. ‘I can’t stay long this evening, Elsa,’ he said, watching her tuck hungrily into the sandwiches. ‘I promised Sybil I’d take her down to meet her daughters.’

‘Sybil’s perfectly capable of hailing a rickshaw,’ said Elsa. ‘You shouldn’t let her run rings around you, Jim. You’re too soft, that’s your trouble.’

‘Aye,’ he replied. ‘I probably am, but Peggy would never forgive me if I didn’t look after her and the girls.’ He took another drink of the Indian Pale Ale and waited for her to finish eating before lighting their cigarettes. ‘Anything concrete on those rumours yet?’

She shook her head. ‘Communication between here and the search teams is very hit-and-miss, but I was told this afternoon that the first planeload of men will be arriving sometime tomorrow.’

She sat forward in her chair. ‘Whatever you do, don’t tell Sybil,’ she warned. ‘I let slip about the rumours last night, and if she knows the men are beginning to come in, she’ll be here badgering me endlessly and getting in the way.’

‘She’s bound to hear about it, Elsa,’ said Jim. ‘And you can’t blame her for looking to us for answers.’

Elsa gave a weary sigh. ‘I don’t blame her, Jim. Of course I don’t. I just wish she’d find something sensible to do other than fussing over her old amah.’

‘Perhaps once the girls are here they’ll persuade her to find something,’ said Jim. ‘Sarah’s a very practical girl, and from Peggy’s letters I understand that Jane is too.’

‘Mmmm. Sarah used to work in her father’s office, so she could be a tremendous help here – but Jane was always treated like a child by Sybil and Jock, and behaved as such. I doubt she’d be of much use.’

Jim finished his beer. ‘You might be surprised,’ he said. ‘According to Peggy, she held down a very important secret post with some government office during the war, and is quite the sophisticated young woman now.’