The church’s religious iconography had been stripped back and the walls painted a deep navy. Clear glass cabinets arranged around the room held framed photographs, old shipping ledgers and laminated letters from soldiers stationed on the mainland during the Second World War. I was studying an intricately carved wooden ship inside a glass bottle when a woman’s voice called out from downstairs. Olivia appeared moments later. A slim woman in her late forties, her hands were encased in white gloves and she was wearing a woollen cardigan secured by giant tortoiseshell buttons.

‘It’s so cold down there,’ she said, peeling off a glove to shake my hand. ‘We keep the basement cool so the papers don’t go mouldy. A man came out from Leiden University last year – a professor, would you believe. He gave a presentation to the society and showed us how to preserve things properly. I had to convince the other board members to let me invest in an industrial humidifier. It was expensive, but Professor Eckert says it will be worth it in the long run.’

I was impressed and told her so. Most historical societies didn’t understand the value of ensuring documents and artefacts were kept in a temperature-controlled environment. I wished Bram had been there for Professor Eckert’s presentation, although maybe it wouldn’t have made any difference. The divers had their own way of doing things.

Olivia must have read my mind for she grasped my arm suddenly, her gaze flicking between Nico and myself.

‘I heard about the dress,’ she whispered loudly. ‘Mum and Dad told me last night. I think they were both a bit shaken by what happened. Thank God everyone got back safely. I can’t believe it, though. A dress that old being found on our island? It must have belonged to one of the ladies-in-waiting who sailed with Queen Henrietta Maria from England, hoping to pawn the family jewels and save King Charles I’s neck. One of her baggage ships went down nearby, you know. All the crew escaped, but the women’s clothes were lost. We have a copy of a letter she sent her daughter; the original is at the university in Leiden. Imagine if we could confirm that the dress belonged to one of her attendants.’

Her eyes danced with possibilities. I glanced at Nico who shrugged as if to confirm that it was inevitable that the news would leak into the community sooner or later. At least we had the Defence divers on our side now.