‘I shall be very sensible and calm this evening, you will be greatly pleased.’

‘I am sure that you will.’ The scissors snipped briskly, stalks scattered, she fluffed up petals. ‘You have something to wear, upstairs? Not that awful tartan thing you arrived in …’ She laughed, but there was a tremor of anxiety.

‘No. Not that. I found something suitable. If I can still get into it.’

‘You should do. Thin as a rail. God knows what they give you to eat there.’

‘I eat well. They run a restaurant after all.’

‘Jews, you said.’

‘From Vienna.’

‘Ah. The worst kind. Next to Armenian. Orthodox?’

‘No. Quite ordinary. Like you and me.’

‘Thank you. An au pair to Austrian refugees in England! One would hardly call that ordinary, and before that a Berlin bar or something. Surely unusual?’

‘Thousands of us are doing it.’

‘Us? And why did you change to that absurd name, what was it? “Leni Minx”. It was quite like writing to a stranger, Leni Minx at the something Hütte.’

‘A stage name, if you like. I could hardly use von Lamsfeld in Berlin. Supposing someone had recognized me, you’d have had a fit! Such a shock for the family.’

‘How loosely you talk. A “shock”, and “fit”. Luise, what you do to the German language is monstrous, really! No. I shouldn’t have been happy, of course. But I imagine few of our friends venture into the Berlin cellars. However, it was careful, and that shows some kind of consideration at least.’ She picked up the last bowl of flowers. ‘But “Leni Minx”! Really … and that awful hair. It is so sad.’

‘I’ll wear a hat, if you like.’

Elisabeth turned sharply at the doors, the bowl steady in her hands. ‘A ribbon would do. Perfectly. Dr Langerdorf and his partner and Klaus’s friend, the Gollrad child, have all been informed that you are studying in England. English. That’s quite suitable, isn’t it? A ribbon would be perfect.’

‘So. A ribbon will make me appear respectable? But nothing is ever quite what it seems, Mamma, is it? You have your fantasies just as much as I do, and you live them also. There is no Wall beyond the Schwarzbrücke, defeat will make you strong, I didn’t escape from you and leave this house, you are handing on the “baton” to two “splendid runners”, and you have no fear of the future. My God! How strong!’

Elisabeth was perfectly still in the doorway. ‘Quite so,’ she said. ‘The truth is often much too harsh to face. Sometimes the only way to live one’s life is to live in fantasy, in order to survive at all. I am certain that this is something which you have discovered for yourself, isn’t it? Probably you have known it all the time. However, you have omitted one particular fantasy of mine which perhaps, since you are now of age so to speak, you should be told. I even pretend to myself that I am not a widow.’ She smiled a clear unshadowed smile. ‘The difficult thing, of course, is to remain believing in your fantasies … as such. It is exceptionally hard to do because quite often, you see, they turn into nightmares.’ She nodded lightly. ‘Yes. Do … wear a ribbon.’