Laure sat down. The room was very tidy and, when she considered the effort that must have been made, she admired Eva’s determination. Neatly arranged on the bedside table were Eva’s medications and a pile of books, the top one being – from what she could gather – a political tract.

Eva opened her eyes and requested a glass of water. Laure poured it out and propped Eva up. She sat back down again while Eva sipped at it.

Her gaze drifted to the window and her thoughts to Tomas.

‘What does he tell you?’

She snapped back to attention. ‘I don’t know who you’re talking about.’ She took Eva’s glass and set it down on the bedside table.

‘Let’s not pretend, Laure.’

‘If you mean Tomas, he doesn’t say anything.’

‘Really?’

‘Really.’

Eva may have been ill but her mind was sharp enough. ‘You have it bad, I think.’

‘Bad?’

‘Your love affair.’

‘Oh.’

‘He’ll be using you.’ There was a small note of malice. ‘Whatever sweet things he says.’ Laure frowned. ‘You don’t believe me, and I suppose that’s right. But don’t forget.’ Having said her piece, Eva tired of the subject and concentrated on her discomfort. She shifted painfully in the bed. ‘If I was in Paris…’ The tone was wistful.

‘Isn’t it possible for you to get there?’

‘It’s possible. But Petr has to be very careful not to annoy the authorities while he is negotiating. All of us in the family have to be careful.’ She shifted position and uttered a subdued groan. ‘If I was in Paris, I’d be getting better.’

‘You are getting better,’ said Laure. ‘The doctors say so. Petr says so. You must believe it.’

Eva laughed. ‘I’ve spent my life believing.’ She pointed to the framed photograph on the wall of Petr receiving a certificate of merit from President Gustáv Husák. ‘Belief is an art.’ She closed her eyes. ‘Loyalty is an art.’

Her elegiac tone frightened Laure and she cast about for a diversion. ‘Did you grow up in Prague?’

A hint of animation crept into the drained features. ‘No, in the country. To the north of the city. A beautiful village. Or it was. The air was pure. Not like here where it’s so awful. I’m frightened for the children breathing it. The Party should do something about it.’

‘How did you meet Petr?’

‘A delegation came to the village for a summer holiday. He was one of them,’ said Eva. ‘He was younger than me but I took one look and decided he was my future. It was as simple as that.’

Laure couldn’t resist saying, ‘That was some belief.’