She gave him a weak smile. ‘That’s very kind, Mr Stonebridge, but we’ve already phoned a company who specialise in getting rid of this sort of blasphemy.’ She threw a disdainful look at her once beautiful cottage. ‘They wreck my beautiful garden, then they pollute the very bricks and mortar of my home. I’m speechless.’

They accompanied her inside and watched while she pulled clothes from an old oak wardrobe, ready to pack. ‘I cannot stay and look at that . . . that filth! It will never come off, and even if it does, my home has been indelibly stained. Who is doing this, Mr Ballard? Mr Stonebridge? My God, you have no idea how much my family hated the Nazis. My dear father worked for British intelligence, for God’s sake! Now it feels like history is repeating itself and they are attacking Jews again!’

Angrily, she threw open drawers and snatched at odd items of underwear and stuffed them into a case.

‘Mrs Swain, can you think of anyone who may have a grudge towards you? Forget the Jewish element for a moment. Have you or your family ever had enemies for any other reason?’ Will asked.

She gave a short, hard laugh. ‘We were German and Jewish. We always had enemies. But no, after the war my parents worked hard at fitting in, being part of the community. It was tough, very tough, but they succeeded.’ She sighed at the memory, ‘Except that my poor mother struggled with the English language, I was brought up bilingual, and I still blame her for my never losing her accent.’ Now her tone softened. ‘My husband was a well-respected — indeed, well-loved — man, and as his wife, I was accepted too, in time. No, Mr Stonebridge, I have no enemies here.’

‘I know we’ve asked this before, but are you sure no one has ever offered you money to move? I keep thinking about property developers. There are housing estates springing up everywhere these days,’ Matt said.

‘No, and I am certain that the farmer who owns the land surrounding the cottage would not let it go for building. Henry Porter is a man of the countryside. He hates the way the towns are spilling over into the rural areas. He’s vehement about it. No, no one has approached me, and I wouldn’t have sold if they had.’ She frowned. ‘Now, of course, I’m not quite so sure.’

Matt hated to think of her being ejected from the home she loved through no fault of her own. ‘Look, don’t make any decisions just yet. Have a break, get the cleaners to sort out the graffiti, and then think again. Will you leave me a contact address? I can let you know when the work is finished, and Will and I will keep an eye on your post, if you like?’