‘Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the B-36 Peacemaker. We call it our “long rifle” because it will keep the peace for France and for all of Western Europe from as far away as America.’

More applause. It was hard for Léon to gaze at the Peacemaker and not feel grateful to it for the protection it offered. He could sense the conflicting emotions rampaging through the room, but no one looked ready to cause trouble. Not yet.

‘Built by Convair in San Diego in California, the Peacemaker is the largest mass-produced piston-engined aircraft ever built.’

The headmistress muttered something sharply under her breath, pressed her hands to her breasts, then twitched her head to stare at Léon to see whether he’d noticed. In her way she reminded him of the colonel, tall and commanding, accustomed to giving orders.

‘. . . with a wingspan of two hundred and thirty feet and with four bomb bays capable of delivering . . .’

Something had happened. Eloïse was sitting bolt upright, shoulders stiff. Neck taut. What the hell had occurred while his attention was on Madeleine Caron at his side?

‘. . . a phenomenal cruising altitude that puts it out of reach of most enemy interceptors and anti-aircraft guns . . .’

Léon checked the image on screen. What was there to upset Eloïse? Nothing. Just the plane. He scanned the room. Nothing out of place.

‘. . . with a range of ten thousand miles . . .’

Eloïse turned. Eyes huge. They sought him out. He threw her a what’s-gone-wrong expression but she abruptly got a grip on herself, shook her head at him and turned back to the colonel.

‘. . . can stay aloft for forty hours . . .’

Léon rose to his feet, excused himself as he made his way to the end of the row of seats, and moved quietly forward, keeping against the side wall. One of the airmen positioned at the edges of the room politely asked him to remain still until the colonel had finished.

Colonel Masson was wrapping it up. ‘But these are just pictures. No substitute for the real thing.’ He smiled at his audience, then waved a hand towards the door. ‘We will now take you outside and escort you around the base to show you the facilities and, more to the point, the aircraft up close. I’m sure you’d all enjoy . . .’

Mayor Durand stood, waiting until all eyes turned to him, then he interrupted the colonel. He ran a hand down his gold chain of office, fingering the bull’s head at the centre.

‘Colonel Masson, I speak on behalf of all the people of Serriac when I say it is the nuclear weapons that you store here that causes us greatest concern.’