‘Brechtje can’t have known Maarten personally,’ I said, mentally calculating the years between them. ‘Why did she choose him? What was the significance?’

Olivia shrugged. ‘Perhaps she learned about him from a village elder? Her journal entries vary wildly. Sometimes, her observations are clear, other times they’re riddles. You could spend half your life trying to puzzle out the meaning. Believe me, I’ve tried.’

Placing the diary back inside the cabinet, Olivia showed me downstairs. As we said our goodbyes, she repeated her desire for the dress to be exhibited in Texel, promising in return to let me know if she found out anything more about Maarten Horst and his connection with Catharina van Shurman.

‘Brechtje sounds like quite the eccentric,’ Nico said. He stirred his coffee slowly, his spoon scraping against the sugary sediment in the cup. Striped tulips shivered in bright planter boxes outside the window of the café where we’d retired after my meeting with Olivia to discuss the morning’s revelations.

‘There’s been quite a few on Texel. Relatives bring their diaries and journals to the bookshop, hoping I might know someone on the mainland who’d be interested in publishing them. It’s a bit awkward having to explain that nobody outside the island is very interested in their observations. I usually pass them over to Flora. Better their reflections end up in a display at the historical society than languishing in a dusty attic somewhere.’

‘Brechtje reminds me of Marieke,’ I said. ‘My aunt back in Sydney. She can be so stubborn and overprotective, but she has a streak of crazy in her. It drives me nuts living with her. I’m always worried I’ll come home and find she’s changed the locks on me.’

‘Tess, too.’ Nico set down his spoon and frowned into his cup. ‘She was increasingly paranoid before she started on antidepressants. It used to frighten me, to be honest. She settled down eventually, but it’s been a journey. I wish Anneke felt comfortable talking about it with me. She flat out refuses to discuss it. Her recollections of Tess don’t seem to correlate with mine at all.’

‘I’ve asked Anneke to work with me,’ I said. ‘She seemed keen last night when I suggested she could come and do some work experience, once she finishes high school in a few years. Of course, that was twelve hours ago and she gave me the cold shoulder this morning so maybe she’s had a change of heart.’

Nico’s face relaxed. ‘It would be great, if you could. A good distraction from all the Tess stuff.’