‘Oh, Cyrus, how can we? What can we do? If – if Monty is the traitor . . . Oh God! What will happen to him?’

‘HQ will inform Arnie of their suspicions so that he is aware, if Monty suddenly turns up, and that is where our hope lies. Arnie may tell Marjie, but I don’t think he will tell the others. I hope he can get Marjie to do something, but what I don’t know. I only know that if there is something to be done, Arnie will do it. However, he has his hands full planning to rescue Sibbie and Paulo. He contacted HQ and needs various things, but does not want to source them locally, now that they know there is a traitor amongst them. There is to be a drop, but only he and Marjie will know about it. It will be parachuted in.’

Cyrus walked round to Flors’s side. ‘Darling, I know what you are thinking, and I did too, but I have thought again. Monty loved Paulo, almost more than he loved his own brothers and sister. I cannot believe that he would put Paulo in danger to save his own skin. And besides, he couldn’t have possibly known there was to be a pick-up that night. If he did, then he would know that it was me and Randie who were being picked up.’

Flors thought for a moment, but didn’t say what came to her mind: Cyrus had said that the Germans had been seen, once the plane was in the air. Why the delay? Why hadn’t they been waiting for the plane to arrive? If Monty was the traitor, this would be him safeguarding his father. Shaking these thoughts away, she took Cyrus’s outstretched hands and went with him to the sofa. There they sat, holding each other close. Expressing their fear for their children and, yes, of their children, because if this was the work of Monty, then they had created a monster.

‘Is this our punishment, Cyrus?’

‘Don’t, Flors, my darling. Yes, we share the same father, but we didn’t know that when we married. All we’re guilty of is loving each other so much that we couldn’t ever part and not live as man and wife.’

This did not placate Flors, because she knew this wasn’t all they had done. They had sinned and lived a lie. No matter how you tried to justify what they did, incest was wrong.

A heavy feeling settled in her stomach. What will become of us?

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

The South of France

Marjie

The mission was unusual: to assist in the safe transport of fifteen Jewish children. Taken from their school in Paris by their teacher, Marianne Gamzon, they were destined to be housed in many different homes in the South of France.

Marjie met up with Marianne in a Catholic church in Lyon.