They stood up. Laure pushed back her beret. ‘You say you couldn’t have done what these people did here. No, nor could I. But he did. In his way. And thousands like him. I want you to think of him. I want you to understand something of what he went through. Before…’ She didn’t finish the sentence.

He didn’t have to ask who she meant.

She tapped the side of the earth shaft. ‘At least those who came here got away. They beat the system.’

Her lipstick was a beigey-mink colour which made her mouth look achingly young and tender. Even in the murky light. The way her top lip moved when she spoke and the strand of hair reminiscent of a silk skein escaping from under the beret was shamefully mesmerizing.

He brushed soil from his sleeve. ‘When it worked the system was good.’

She gave a short laugh.

‘I believed society would be better for what we did.’

That was true. For many years, it was true.

‘I accept that,’ she replied. ‘I also see it’s impossible to apologize when it goes wrong.’

The guide’s voice echoed down to them from the lip of the shaft. ‘The tunnel is two feet high and three feet wide. It had one luxury. The tunnellers had managed to string up electric lights so you weren’t forced to crawl in darkness. One escapee did get stuck and had to be pulled free.’

Beside him, Laure gave an intake of breath. ‘Even the air seems desperate,’ she murmured. ‘At least, some made it.’

‘You think of him a lot.’ It wasn’t a question.

‘Not all the time, but yes.’ She paused. ‘Less, as time goes on. Of course. But he’s never not there.’

Their guide continued. ‘You could bring nothing. Only your papers and the clothes you stood up in.’

‘He’s part of my life, Petr, whether I like it or not.’

Her eyes seemed to bore into him.

Back on the surface, the wind hit them. ‘Why did you invite me?’ he asked.

‘Because I wanted you to see what you never saw.’

Astonished, he stared at her. ‘You think I don’t know?’

‘No,’ she replied. ‘I don’t think you do.’

It was all he could do not to grab her by the arm. ‘During the war my mother was thrown into a Nazi camp where her mother, my grandmother, was beaten to death. She told me about it. All the details. She made me promise to spend my life contributing to the general good. I agreed because I agreed with the aim and I’ve tried to do that.’

She was incredulous. ‘Communism! After everything that happened.’

He shrugged. ‘No one knows how things will turn out. Not even you, Laure.’

Her voice softened. ‘Are you admitting that it went wrong and communism and fascism have things in common?’

He didn’t answer.