‘Indeed, I have, Tom. She is a most unusual case. Our refugees come mostly from Germany itself or from the East. I know that other DP camps have been looking after liberated French slave labourers, but she is the first French person we have had, of any age or sex. What exactly do you want with her?’

‘She is looking for the same man as us. It’s just possible that he might try to make contact with her here. I want her watched.’

‘I hope you’re going to give me a better clue than that. What man are we talking about?’

‘He’s an SS officer.’ Wilde gave her the story about Boden’s escape from Dachau and his significance in their own quest. ‘The fact is, we have reason to believe Hitler is hiding out in this part of Bavaria or the Tyrol, and we have cause to think that Boden might know where he is. Problem is, we can’t find Boden.’

‘So that’s what this is all about? Well, then, of course I will do everything in my power to assist you.’

‘Thank you.’

‘Just keep Mr Heck under control. As to Lilly Marais, I can tell you that she has talked to me about this man Boden, her so-called fiancé. She was asking me what she should do – how she might find him. I suggested that if he was an SS officer, he might be at Dachau. And then it all came gushing out – her love affair, the promise of a fine wedding. A few days ago, I actually drove her to Dachau.’

‘I must say I had wondered how she got there.’

‘Well, it was a pleasant day out for me, but a terrible disappointment for Lilly.’

‘What more do you know about her?’

‘I know that her affair with Julius Boden has had a tragic outcome.’ Angie Gray’s face fell. ‘She had his baby, and it is now dead.’

‘I’m sorry to hear that.’

‘Last winter, a few months after the liberation of her region, her village – even her own father – turned against her. They shaved her head, threw her out of the community and, worst of all, killed the baby, probably by throwing it down a well. A terrible story, which I fear has been repeated many times over throughout the Continent. Hundreds of thousands of babies have been born to German soldiers in the occupied territories, and many of the mothers and children have faced retribution.’

Wilde nodded. From what he knew about the events in Berlin, it occurred to him that the shoe was now very much on the other foot; there would be many Russian babies born to German women. Perhaps the same would happen with the millions of British, French and American soldiers stationed here. Non-fraternisation might be the order of the day, but the reality would always be very different. How would this all end? How would the wounds ever heal?