Another spade coming up, she thought, open your hands, honey. ‘And the hospital for Hagel? I mean the bills?’

‘Belluno and I have agreed that we will pay for those, it is the least we can do. After all, he did fall on my foil, I did make him remove his mask. I must at least be honourable, that is right, isn’t it?’

‘Absolutely right. And plastic surgery?’

The silence again; the slow ship movement; Belluno crunched up his bonbon and swallowed it.

‘Plastic surgery?’ said Grottorosso, as if she had said they had discovered the body of Christ in a ditch. ‘What plastic surgery?’

‘From eye to nose to chin … right?’

‘I really didn’t look … so much blood.’

‘But it’ll he a hell of a scar.’

‘A duelling scar! The Prussians consider it a great mark of honour. It is very attractive to women, I am told.’

‘But shouldn’t we pay for that? He was, is, was, under contract to you. He’s lost the job … we should help to patch him up, for later.’

‘That is up to you. You are such a generous creature, but you must not take all the blame on your shoulders, Minerva. Tragically, I am afraid that you were wise all along: he just was not right. I was blinded to so many obvious faults; I should, as you said, have left him where he was, in Room Service. It was my error, my fault, I should have listened to your advice before we came to this tragic moment.’

Your pit, honey, has just become the Grand Canyon. Here’s a stick of dynamite. Catch! ‘I am crippled with guilt,’ she said. ‘Really. What was I thinking of, why couldn’t I keep my big mouth shut, for God’s sake? Poor Wolf, I wanted just to help you there, and the same with Charles Peverill: I thought it would be so marvellous for you to meet each other. I really thought he could have given you help, encouragement. Oh God, Bert… how can you ever forgive me? I’ve screwed up your production, that’s what it amounts to, doesn’t it? It’s a no-go? I’m destroyed … I shouldn’t have meddled, I should have kept away from the movies … it’s not my line, and you have managed brilliantly for years without me. Can you ever believe, from the bottom of my foolish heart, that I really only wanted to help, that’s all, help you in your greatest work.’