“I know you think that. And maybe that’s what I was before. But I’m a woman now. You made that happen. Without you I’d still be giggling in cinemas. You treat me like something precious. Like I matter to you. You listen to what I have to say like you genuinely care. I can’t tell you what that means to a woman. That’s all I ever wanted. To be heard by the man I love.”

I was silent for a few moments after that. There’s nothing quite like a few loving words from a woman to make a man quiet.

“Look,” I said, “if anyone ever threatens me as a way of trying to get to you, then please tell them to go to hell. I’ll take my chances. In this life and the next.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m just saying. I’m not the one who’s important here. You are.”

“Yes, but why are you saying it?”

“There’s a war on. People say all kinds of strange things when there’s a war on.”

“All right. I understand all that. Look, has this got anything to do with Captain Hennig?”

“No,” I lied. “Nothing to do with him at all. As a matter of fact I don’t think I’ve seen him since that night in Spätenbrau, on the day we were married.”

“I couldn’t let anything happen to you, Bernie,” she said. “Not now. You’re such a sweet man, do you know that? You’ve given me my life.”

“Nonsense. It was yours from the beginning.”

“It’s true. No one was ever as kind to me as you’ve been. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You have to think of the baby now. Not me. Do you understand? I’m not in the least bit important beside you and the child.”

“I don’t understand. Why are you talking like this?”

“All I’m saying is that I want you to be careful, Irmela.”

“We’re surrounded by the Red Army, by Russian fighters, there’s no fuel and not much food, there are no secret weapons to rescue us, our homes are defended by the Father and Son Brigade, and you want me to be careful? You’re ridiculous, do you know that? If I didn’t love you so much I’d say you were going crazy.”

“Maybe I’m just crazy about you? Did you consider that possibility? That’s right. I’m mad about you.”

“Well, that makes two of us who are mad. It’s infectious, obviously. Give me another cigarette.”

“In my tunic.”

I hadn’t intended to give her the amber necklace but she found it when she was going through my pockets looking for cigarettes and I hadn’t the heart to tell her that it had been given to me by Erich Koch.