Page 84 of The Last Library of Paris

We chinked our glasses again.

Archie looked at me over the top of his drink. ‘I’m sorry about your brother.’

I nodded. ‘Thank you.’

‘The way my family fell apart after Don died, well, sometimes I think about that happening all over Europe,’ said Archie, swilling his drink around the glass. ‘Tiny ripples on the pond but breaking the surface over and over. The aftermath of this war. Of all wars. Well, it’s enormous, isn’t it?’

I felt tearful suddenly. I pinched my lips together as I nodded. ‘It’s been …’ I began.

‘Awful?’

‘Completely.’

He put his hand on my arm and squeezed gently, letting me know he understood. I felt the weight I’d been carrying, the tight, burning knot in my chest, that had been there since Jamie’s death, lessen. Just a little bit.

‘How did you end up in Lisbon?’ Archie said.

‘I have an ear for languages,’ I said. ‘An excellent memory – photographic. I went to Cambridge because that’s where my father had gone. Though I had to go to a women’s college of course. My father – actually both my parents – were always supportive and encouraging. I never once considered not going to university because I’m female. It didn’t cross my mind.’

‘But?’ said Archie.

‘But when I got there, I realised that outside of my little family cocoon, the world was a different place for women.’

‘You studied at Cambridge,’ said Archie. ‘That’s an achievement for anyone, man or woman.’

‘I studied at Cambridge,’ I told him through gritted teeth. ‘I went to lectures, I wrote essays, I attended seminars. But I do not have a Cambridge degree, because women are not allowed them.’

‘Should have gone to Edinburgh,’ said Archie. ‘It’s a much more civilised institution.’

I rolled my eyes. ‘That’s not really the point.’

‘I suppose not.’

‘I was recruited when I was still a student,’ I went on. ‘And I discovered that Section D treats women exactly the same as men. It was like a breath of fresh air after my years at Cambridge.’

‘Glad to hear it,’ said Archie. ‘As are the men you got out of Dunkirk, I’m sure.’

‘Dunkirk was a team, it wasn’t just me,’ I said, but I was flattered both by his praise and that he knew what I’d worked on.

‘Tell me about the visas,’ he said. ‘But tell the truth this time.’

‘I can’t,’ I said. ‘People could get into trouble.’

‘Oh, for heaven’s sake, Watkins, I’m on your side,’ Archie said.

‘Promise?’

‘It’s not just you, is it?’

‘My friends Lara and Bea have been helping when they can.’

‘Bea from the bookshop?’

‘That’s her. Lara works there too, and she works in the British Bar.’

Archie nodded. ‘And I’m guessing they’re the ones who were helping Alves.’

‘You’re guessing right.’