Impulsively, she reached out and covered his hand with hers. ‘It’s not an imposition. I’m glad you told me. I was beginning to feel paranoid. But, Tadzio, that’s terrible for you. I can’t imagine how I’d feel if that happened to someone I loved.’

‘No. It’s not imaginable.’ He looked at her with a pained smile. ‘I think everyone who truly loves another person has terrible guilty fantasies about how they would feel if their lover died. I think that’s common, probably even natural. But there is nothing that prepares you for the reality. All your certainties disappear. If this can happen to you, anything can. It’s like you lose your anchor to reality.’

‘I’m so sorry,’ she said. ‘And you say I look like Katerina?’

He squeezed his eyes shut. ‘Yes. You could be her sister.’

‘No wonder you freaked out when you saw me last night,’ Carol said, her voice soft. ‘I had no idea, Tadzio. You must believe me, I had no idea.’

‘Why would you? You had no way of knowing. Colin never met Katerina, he couldn’t have told you.’ He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. ‘I’m sorry. When I suggested we get to know each other better, this wasn’t what I had in mind.’

‘No, I can see that.’

Before she could say more, the waiter arrived with their drinks. Carol wasn’t in the habit of drinking Scotch in the middle of the day, but Caroline Jackson would need a stiff pick-me-up after Tadeusz’s bombshell, so she took a healthy mouthful right away.

Tadeusz sipped his brandy and gave her a tired smile. ‘So, now you know probably the most important thing about me right now. Why don’t you tell me something about yourself?’

Carol shrugged. ‘I’ve nothing to say that comes close.’

‘I don’t want this to be some solemn, grim meeting,’ he said. ‘As I said, I think we can maybe do business, but I need to have more of a sense of you before I’m prepared to make any kind of commitment. So, tell me about yourself.’ He raised one finger. ‘But before you do, let’s order some food.’

They scrutinized the menus, Carol asking for his recommendations. She settled on a traditional German fish dish, while Tadeusz ordered steak. By the time the waiter left, he was back in total command of himself. ‘OK,’ he said. ‘Tell me about Caroline Jackson.’

She raised her glass and clinked it against the rim of his. ‘Once upon a time …’ she said, a quirky smile lifting one corner of her mouth. After all, she was telling a story. And she needed to make it very convincing indeed.

Chapter 24

24