That one gesture – when Hanne had wiped the tear from his face – had a disarming effect on Richard Prince. Until that moment he’d have described their relationship as businesslike. She was not unfriendly, nor was she cold, but she could appear brusque and somewhat distant. He was not unfamiliar with such behaviour, where someone was very focused on a serious task in hand and had little time to devote to those around them, not least because he knew he was often guilty of it himself. He was sure that was how he must have come across to Jane, when he put his work before her feelings and needs.

But that gesture, which he assumed was meant innocently, seemed to signal a relaxation in tension between them. He sensed a growing closeness and managed to convince himself the feeling was mutual, though it was never more than a comforting hand on an arm, or sitting closer together on the sofa, and once or twice when she’d visited there’d been a fleeting kiss on the cheek, followed by a warm smile.

After a week of checking the growth of his beard almost every hour, Hanne agreed it was looking good. ‘Maybe another two weeks rather than three. What do you think?’

‘It has to look like a proper beard, though.’

‘Let’s see. In the meantime, we have a problem.’

‘Go on.’

‘London weren’t satisfied with the message about a delay. They’ve told Weston he has to find out the reason for it. They are angry we’ve not contacted Horatio yet.’

‘How do you know this?’

‘I picked up a message this evening on the way here.’

‘You saw someone?’

‘No, it’s a dead letter drop system. I burn the messages once I’ve read them.’

‘And what did this message say?’

‘I’ve told you, don’t you listen? They want to know the reason for the delay.’

‘Maybe we should tell them.’

‘Tell them what – that you were arrested by the Gestapo, by some miracle we managed to effect an escape, and by the way, you probably ought to know there’s a traitor over there who’s not only told the Germans what you look like but has also given them details of the Jesper Holm identity? Once they hear that, they’ll order us to abort the mission.’

‘But surely we ought to tell London. If there’s a traitor there, they need to know, don’t they?’

‘Can you think of anyone?’

‘Not really, no.’

‘Exactly. I say let’s keep them in the dark and rely on our own judgement. In the meantime, think carefully about everyone you met in England who knew about Jesper Holm. It’s not as if you haven’t got plenty of time, after all.’