‘Have you heard anything from David lately?’ ‘I had a letter last week.’ ‘Anything of interest?’ ‘Not really. Quite apart from the censorship, he’s not a good letter writer. He’s frank in speech and reticent...

Torbock was a large red-faced man, in his early forties, with a generous but straggly moustache. He looked as though the heat bothered him. ‘Do come in,’ Madeleine said. ‘We had your message. I’m Madeleine...

A small noise awoke Andrew in the night. He looked towards Madeleine’s bed and saw that she was standing beside it, her body white in the moonlight that came through the net curtains. He said...

“Dearest Andy, I do wish there was time to tell you how grateful I am to you for everything, how fond I am of you, how much I’m going to miss you. I wish I...

Outside the New Moon Cabaret Café, at two o’clock in the morning, the winking neon cast regular patterns of light and shade on the ranks of parked bicycles, and on the relatively few cars that...

The waiter brought their drinks over – service was prompt here – and Andrew rattled the ice in his glass. ‘The Albert Hall, Abo,’ he said, ‘coupled with the Albert Memorial.’ Abonitu raised his glass...

‘It sounds risky.’ ‘Yes. Will you go, Andrew?’ ‘In what capacity?’ ‘An expedition needs documentation. I am quite a good camera-man. You will pass as one, with my help. And my uncle is the Minister...

Carlow and Prentice were sitting near Andrew, and he saw them exchange looks. ‘Proper bloody Karno’s mob,’ Prentice muttered. ‘Hope you can flogging well swim, china,’ Carlow said. ‘You may have to.’ ‘Black bastards,’ Prentice...

‘How many now?’ ‘I can tell you to the last one. Five hundred and forty-five. And eighteen kids expected before summer – four of them mine.’ Andrew said: ‘And the other forty-four thousand five hundred?...

‘You said he’s wily, but not intelligent. He told me about the deportation scheme. That was quite bright. Someone else’s?’ The Colonel paused. ‘Yes.’ ‘It has the flavour of a military mind. Yours?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Over...