‘We will look forward to that, Monsieur Dubret. Please give our regards to Renée.’

The man smiled and drove off.

They hadn’t gone far down the path when a low whistle attracted them. Turning towards the direction of the sound, Sibbie felt her heart soar. ‘Paulo!’ Then shyness overcame her. Never had she been in his presence knowing of his love for her. His arms opened and her shyness dissolved as she ran towards him. ‘Sibbie, mon Sibbie – at last. I have dreamed of this moment, mon amour.’

For Sibbie, her life felt complete as Paulo held her close. The words she’d longed to say to him came naturally to her. ‘I love you, Paulo. I love you.’

Paulo looked deep into her eyes. ‘I have waited for so long to hear that. I wish things were different and we could be together, as we are meant to be. I love you so much, my Sibbie. Thoughts of you are the only thing that has kept me going.’

‘Oh, Paulo, you have been in my mind and heart forever, but from the moment I received your letter, I have done everything to be near to you.’

‘We’re together now, darling. We’ll work together to help bring this conflict to a close, and then it will be our time. But now we will have to join the others.’

Sibbie turned. ‘Oh, where’s Marjie? She was with me.’

‘It was all arranged, to give us a few moments. As soon as you joined me, Marjie was beckoned away by her father and she will be enjoying a reunion with him.’

This warmed Sibbie’s heart. ‘I’m so glad to be here, Paulo, but why go against the orders of HQ? You frightened us by contacting us, and the message not coming through them.’

‘It was your final test, darling. HQ needed to know that you were fully alert to anything that might be a trap. They instructed us that we were not to contact you for a while, and then to do so in an unconventional manner. If you simply obeyed, you would have been air-lifted out and found yourselves in a desk job somewhere in England. But you both did exactly what was expected of you. You questioned the implications of the order. Madame Bachelet was fully aware of the ruse and was instructed to further alarm you, if she could.’

This brought Sibbie such a sense of relief. ‘Oh, thank God. I’ve been worried out of my mind, even suspecting Madame Bachelet and Monsieur Siet. And Madame did alarm us. She expressed concern that she hadn’t been given a cover story.’