‘Who was that?’

‘A young man I knew.’

‘And what happened to him?’

Lena stopped laughing. ‘I don’t know. We don’t … We don’t keep in touch.’

‘You look sad, Lena. At the thought of this young man.’

Lena looked at Martha’s hand. ‘You’re not married, are you, Fräulein?’

‘No, I’m not. Nor is my twin sister. It seems we’re not the marrying kind, though I think she was in love with a man once.’

‘You have a twin?’

‘Yes.’

‘Does she look like you?’

‘Identical. When we were young, Daniel, our cousin, was the only one who could tell us apart. We used to wear different colour hair ribbons at the start of the day, then swap them over secretly, for fun. I think even our own parents had trouble, but Daniel was never fooled.’

Lena said nothing. She had not done marvelling at this woman before being asked to imagine there was another one of her.

‘Do you have brothers and sisters, Lena?’

‘No. Well, I think I may do, but I’ve never met them.’

‘So how do you know?’

‘Something my mother let slip once. And the children at school. What they said. I think they were sent to orphanages.’

‘But your mother kept you.’

‘Yes.’

‘That must make you feel … something?’

‘I’ve never thought about it. Not like that.’

‘It can take you all your life to see yourself as what you are. Something that was in front of your face all along suddenly comes into focus for the first time.’

Lena looked doubtful.

‘So,’ said Martha. ‘What do you like to do? Apart from work? Do you like the countryside? Walking? It’s quite hilly here, but it’s beautiful. Do you like wild flowers?’

‘I don’t know anything about the countryside. I’ve lived in a town all my life. And then in Vienna, for a bit.’

‘How old are you, Lena?’

‘I’m twenty-three. How old are you? If you don’t mind me—’

‘Thirty-two. Not that much older than you, really.’

Lena looked down. ‘No.’

‘We’ll find things for you to do. I think Daisy wants you to work in the main house, here, to begin with. Mixing with the patients … Well, you have to be tactful and it’s something to get used to slowly. I think you should definitely do some outside work. You look pale. A couple of hours a day helping with the vegetables, perhaps. I work in the kitchen gardens myself sometimes. I like growing tomatoes in the greenhouse, the wonderful smell. And potatoes, when you pile up the earth as they get bigger.’

‘I’ll do anything I’m told.’

‘And is there nothing else? Do you sing? Or play an instrument?’

Lena laughed. ‘We were very poor, my mother and me.’

‘But there was a piano at your school. There always is.’

‘I didn’t play. But I did like to draw. It was the only thing Herr Kaufmann said I was any good at.’

‘Good. There are lots of things to draw here. There’s a room where some of the patients go. You could use the paints there.’