‘You sound happy, and I’m glad. I have been, how you say, distraught? Yes, I think that iz the word. In France we would say mon coeur était malheureux – my heart waz unhappy – at zee plight you found yourself in. Susan, too, she waz very unhappy and asked me to help you.’

‘Yes, I know, thank you. David told me. I – I needed time to think. But I’m very grateful to you and Susan. It was generous of her, in the circumstances.’

‘I know it iz hard for you to believe, but Susan is a good woman. A nice woman. She iz bitten by love and cannot fight it, sadly, not even for her child.’

‘That will be more the blackmailing of Harold, than Susan wanting to leave her child for Harold. He is very manipulative. It is amazing that you have agreed to care for her child.’

‘I love her az if she iz my own. And I owe a great debt to Susan.’

Sibbie looked up at Montel. ‘Dada.’ She held a wooden toy, which she wanted Montel to take.

‘No, not Dada – Montel. Oh dear, you will think Harold was telling the truth, but he iz not. Sibbie iz not my child.’

‘One look at her tells me that.’ Changing the subject, Mags asked about Montel’s family. She was wondering why he couldn’t go back to France to be with them.

‘I only have a distant aunt alive – an aunt of my father’s. Ma mère et mon père were lost to me when zee Germans ransacked our village.’

‘Oh, Montel, I’m so sorry. I know what it feels like not to have any parents alive. I lost mine recently.’

They walked on in silence for a while. Nothing they could say to each other would heal the pain of loss, and each had to come to terms with having spoken of it.

Montel broke the silence. ‘Look, it iz that I would like you to know about me, and why I am here in your country. Can I tell you thiz?’

‘Of course.’

Mags was shocked as Montel told his story, for she’d heard of French soldiers deserting in huge numbers and thought they were reviled for it, but listening to Montel, she understood why they had done so. Montel, an officer, had taken the action to save the further needless slaughter of his men.

‘I’m very sorry. War scarred us all, but it clearly took so much from you. Maybe you could find out if you have been pardoned? The war has been over for three years.’

‘It iz possible. I read that many are being pardoned. And my friends promised that if ever they got ze chance, they would tell how it waz that I could not lead them into attack. They were too afraid to speak for me at the time, as they may have been looked upon as deserters themselves, and I can understand that. But let uz not talk of thiz any more. I have a burning desire to get to know all about you.’