A fitful sun had pushed its way between ominous dark clouds and a sharp breeze blew in from the sea as Rosalind stepped outside onto the pavement. She glanced across the street but the château looked just as uninviting by daylight. The thought of going back there on her own was so daunting that she decided to walk into town where she hoped she might meet Hester and Agathe. It was not exactly breaking her promise to Alex, it was simply stretching the limits a little. She did not know where to find the marketplace, but she went the way they had come from the harbour. The pavements were slippery and people were going about their business hunched against the cold and muffled up so that only their eyes were visible. Alex’s prediction that the town was crawling with soldiers and sailors seemed to be mere supposition, but as Rosalind approached the inn, she was aware of raised voices speaking English, and loud laughter, even though it was only mid-morning. She hesitated outside the door, tempted to go inside and ask for Colonel Munday, but wary of breaking her promise even further.

‘What you doing out here in the cold, darling?’ A voice behind her made Rosalind turn with a start to find two soldiers standing uncomfortably close to her. She tried to edge away but they pinned her to the door.

‘That’s not very friendly to the foreign visitors, is it?’ The older man grinned, breathing brandy fumes into her face. ‘Come inside, love. We’ll make sure you have a good time.’

‘No,’ Rosalind said anxiously. She would have protested more but they thrust her into the building without bothering to gain her permission. She tried to talk to them but the noise from the bar and the tables set around the large room drowned her attempts to reason with them. They were both the worse for drink, as were the rest of the rowdy customers. The landlord was busy serving, but a disturbance close to the fireplace distracted her captors for long enough to give her a chance to slip away. She pushed her way to the bar and grabbed the landlord’s arm.

‘Monsieur, I am English. I need to see Colonel Munday.’

The landlord stopped what he was doing to stare at her in astonishment, but by this time the men had realised their mistake and they barged through the crowd to reach her.

‘She’s with us, landlord.’

Rosalind shook her head. ‘No, I am not. Let go of me or I will report you to Colonel Munday.’

There was a sudden silence in the room and the men backed away. ‘She’s English, you fool,’ the younger man growled.

‘I am, and you two are a disgrace to your uniform.’ Rosalind held her head high. She turned back to the landlord. ‘Colonel Munday – is he here?’

‘Who wants to know?’