‘Eva was having a bad dream. I had cut myself in the bathroom and hadn’t staunched it when she called out.’

He was watching her reaction. For any hint of scepticism, she supposed, but she wasn’t going to give in that easily. She had seen something disturbing.

‘It’s curious, isn’t it, how one of two people can see the same event very differently.’

‘That’s true and one person usually sees it incorrectly.’

The iron gave a shriek and hissed. Petr crossed the room and snatched it from Laure. ‘Step back,’ he ordered and switched it off at the plug. ‘Are you all right?’ Laure nodded. He examined the iron’s cooling base. ‘I told Eva we should get a replacement.’ He replaced the iron on its rack. ‘No more ironing today.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘Let me take you out for a cold drink before my meeting.’

‘OK,’ she agreed.

He waited until they were outside before taking up their previous conversation.

‘You know…’ he said, ‘for most people here the standard of living has never been so satisfactory.’

They were seated at a wooden table outside a cafe in a square close to the church with suspiciously vivid-coloured glasses of orange juice in front of them. There were a couple of cast-iron lampposts dating from an earlier age and the red roofs of the houses flanking the square took on a brighter colour in the sun. The tree at its centre, however, appeared to be struggling to survive.

Petr followed Laure’s line of sight. ‘I’m afraid the air is not so good here,’ he said. ‘For the tree, I mean. But for people, the absence of war and division has been nothing but positive. People understand that. They want a good life with a strong family. They concentrate on domestic matters.’

She stared at the tree. Its leaves were shrivelled around the edges and the bark was spilt in several places. One of its main branches had spilt almost in two, revealing a scaly epidermis. The pollution must be terrible, she thought.

‘But…’ Petr focused on Laure. ‘We do have to be careful about those who disagree. They can endanger stability. They are not reliable workers.’

‘“We”?’

‘Those people can lose their jobs and be detained for a period. But that can be beneficial all round because not only does it teach them a lesson but also everyone else learns as well. Or, if they are performers, they might be forbidden to perform.’

She was watching an elderly man walk past pushing his shopping in a rusty pram.

‘Like your friend perhaps?’ he continued. ‘You will appreciate that he’s not considered a good worker. He neither grows food nor works in a mine. His work is superficial, and the State takes note.’ He leant back in the chair. ‘Have you ever talked politics with your new friends? If you are tempted, please don’t.’