‘It is a terrible burden, Marjie, my dear. But you must look at what you will have achieved, not at what you had to do. You have stopped someone who informed on our comrades and caused their deaths, and the capture of Sibbie and Paulo – and Monty may yet have killed Paulo. Monty is someone who would have sacrificed André, and who killed Ethan. Someone who wouldn’t have been allowed to stop there, as the Germans wouldn’t have let go of such an asset. They would have wanted more, and Monty would be able to give it, or could have done. He might eventually have forced Gisele to give information about our supplies, our positions, everything; and that wouldn’t only be disastrous for us, but for France, too. At the moment we are the only hope for the French people, and we have much work to do to disrupt the Germans’ ability to transport armoury, tanks, military men and, not least, the poor Jews to the extermination camps.’

‘I know. Thanks, Uncle. I just wish it made me feel better.’

‘Nothing can do that, my dear. It is a terrible burden for you to shoulder. But listen to me. I love Monty like a son, and this is breaking my heart, too, but your decision is the one I would have taken. I am sanctioning it, and therefore I am taking responsibility for it.’

Marjie couldn’t speak. Some easing of her conscience settled in her, at these last words of Arnie’s, and she knew that with him by her side, there might be a chance to make her family understand, although there wasn’t anything in the world that could really help her. How could there be?

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

London

Ella, Flors and Sibbie

Flors screamed with joy as she opened the letter that had dropped through the letter box of their apartment. Seeing the War Office stamp, she’d picked it up tentatively, wondering if the news was good or bad. She now worked alongside Cyrus in the Baker Street offices of the Special Operations Executive headquarters and knew most of what was happening, but not all that the War Office was party to.

Her mind had been centred of late on messages coming in that the Hérault faction of the Resistance had moved camp, due to being compromised by a traitor whom they were seeking. And she’d been full of anguish about Sibbie and Paulo, especially Paulo. Anticipating their arrival today, she and Cyrus had been getting ready to go to the hospital to greet them. But now her heart didn’t know which emotion to follow as part of her world came right, for the letter was from her darling eldest son, Freddy.

‘Cyrus. Cyrus!’