‘Yes. Yes, he writes that he is safe and well, but I don’t understand some of what he says. Please, sir, what does CSS stand for?’

‘May I see the letter?’ Mr Freeman asked. May handed it over and he glanced through it. ‘CSS stands for Confederate States Ship, and from what I read in the papers it seems ships like that have been attacking American merchant ships and taking them as prizes.’

‘Then Gus has been mixed up with fighting?’

‘I don’t think he will have been in any danger. The Confederate raiders are armed and the vessels they attack are not. But what will happen to them, and their crews, in the long run is more problematic. I gather the southerners are losing the war.’

May frowned, remembering the grand bazaar for which Mrs Freeman had needed a new dress. ‘We are on the side of the South, aren’t we?’

Mr Freeman sighed. ‘Officially, we are neutral, according to the queen’s proclamation. Our commercial interests dictated that we should prefer a Confederate victory, but I have to admit that, as a Christian, the idea of allying ourselves with slave owners distresses me. But the best thing for everyone concerned is that the fighting should come to an end, and it seems that that cannot be long in coming.’

‘So when the war is over, Gus will be able to come home?’ May said.

Mr Freeman’s expression was grave. ‘Certain … activities … have been seen as acceptable for belligerents in time of war; but what attitudes will be when the war is over is another matter. As I understand it, what ships like the Shenandoah have been up to is tantamount to piracy. If they have to surrender to the Americans they may have to pay the price.’

‘You mean … prison, or … or …’

He laid a hand briefly on her shoulder. ‘I shouldn’t worry. Gus is only a boy and how he came to be on board is a matter of chance. I don’t see how he could be held responsible. I’m sure the Americans will see that and send him home.’

May tried to comfort herself with that thought, but instead of relieving her vague general anxiety about her brother’s whereabouts, the letter, or Mr Freeman’s comments on it, had given her a much more concrete reason to worry. She had never before taken much interest in the news of what was happening in America but now she had good reason to follow developments in the conflict.

Nan regularly bought the Liverpool Daily Post and for the first time May made a point of reading it. Only two weeks after Gus’s letter had reached her, she read that on April 9th Confederate General Robert E. Lee had surrendered to the Union General Ulysses S. Grant at somewhere called the Appomattox Courthouse. So, the war was over; but did that mean Gus would be free to come home?