Just hearing this lifted Marjie’s heart. She’d thought all was lost, but now she knew there was hope, and for the first time she realized she had done the right thing in not trying to fight the Germans, but staying undercover. With them all captured or dead, there would have been no hope. But although this reassured her, there was one thing preying on her mind. Would Sibbie bite into her cyanide pill? Please don’t, Sibbie, please.

‘And so the obvious question now is: who betrayed us?’ Arnie looked around the group. ‘I want you to know that I don’t for a minute think it is one of you. But then did any of us ever suspect Jacques? The threat he posed is now removed, with his own and his mother’s death, so who is our second traitor? The Germans knew exactly where to find our landing strip, and that we would be there at that time, although it must have been an approximate time, as they weren’t there when we arrived. Or the traitor deliberately gave them the wrong time, in the hope of us having gone. If that was the case, then it was someone who cares about us, but cared more about what the Germans offered them. Be mindful that such a person is out there and does have knowledge of us.’

‘Gisele?’

‘I hope not, and cannot think it would be her, André, but we have to suspect everyone.’

Marjie asked, ‘Did she know about the pick-up?’

‘I don’t know. She shouldn’t have done, but we’re never guarded around Gisele. And she is a very clever young lady – always has been. If she wanted to know something, she could find it out. Can any of you remember her asking when Cyrus was leaving?’

No one answered Arnie for a moment, then André said, ‘Juan was very friendly with her. It’s possible.’

Juan was one of those whose names had been called out in the roll call of the dead. ‘He was only injured; we could have got him back, but as we were hiding, a German soldier shot all those who were injured. Whoever betrayed us has blood on their hands.’

‘It is terrible. I feel so bad that we can’t go back and bury them. But it is too dangerous. All we can do is to tell the families, but that will take time, as some come from far afield.’

‘Gisele should be made to inform them – we would normally ask her to. Maybe she will show some shame and then we will know it is her.’

‘You are right, André. If Gisele is the traitor, we need to know.’