‘He wasn’t planning to form a company here in Milan?’
Again she shook her head. ‘No. We were to have a holiday here, and then we were going to England.’ Her voice sounded puzzled. ‘Why all these questions?’
Reece gave her the gist of what I’d told him. When he had finished she turned to me. ‘You will go and see this Sismondi?’ I think she knew at once that I didn’t want to. ‘Please,’ she added. ‘He may know where my father is.’ She reached out and caught hold of my hand. Her fingers were cold and their grip was hard and urgent. ‘This is our last hope, I think.’ Her eyes were fixed on my face. ‘Can you imagine what it has been like for him in Czechoslovakia all these months since they take over? It has been terrible — always living on the edge of catastrophe. And it had happened before, you see — with the Germans. My mother was murdered. And his father. To have to leave Czechoslovakia twice — that is very hard, I think. We plan to build a new life in England. And now—’ She shrugged her shoulders. I thought, if she breaks down now it will be horrible. But she didn’t. Somehow she kept control of herself and in a small, tight voice, she said, ‘So you must help me, please.’
‘I’ll do anything I can,’ I said. I was completely under the spell of her urgency.
‘And you will go to speak with this Sismondi?’
‘Yes.’
S7 ‘Thank you. As soon as I hear you are the Dick Farrell who is a friend of my father’s I know you will help.’ She leaned suddenly closer. ‘Where do you think he is? What do you think has happened?’
I didn’t say anything and when she saw I had nothing to tell her she bit her lip. Then she got quickly to her feet. ‘I would like a drink please, Alec.’
They went through into the bar. She didn’t say anything to me as she left. She kept her face turned away. I think she didn’t want me to see how near she was to breaking point.