'I have had one consolation through the years,' Amelie said, 'when I look at George. And he grows more like you every day. So I have always had a part of you, a mirror in him.' She sighed deeply. 'I would not mind dying now.'
'You must not talk of dying, Amelie. You have much to live for.'
She shook her head. 'Not now that I have seen you again. I have often thought I would give the rest of my life for one more hour together. Maybe God has been good and heard my prayer,' she whispered.
And Faro remembered the bullet that had lodged close to her heart and the odds on her survival, as she added, 'The future of Luxoria is settled. That was why I came here to Mosheim this time, to make the final arrangements. Willy is to take care of everything.'
'What of President Gustav?'
She shrugged. 'He will be helpless against the might of Imperial Germany. And I have Willy's assurance that he will take good care of my people. I trust him, for he is a man of his word. Once, when we were in Balmoral, his uncle the Prince of Wales said that William the Great, as he called him, needed to learn that he is living near the end of the nineteenth century and not in the Middle Ages. Willy never forgot that. He was determined to prove him wrong. He did not care for his uncle, a feeling that was reciprocated.'
'How will your own people react to this annexation?'
'Agreeably, I think. They love me, they hate Gustav. They will believe that anything I choose for them is the right thing. Luxoria is a poor country, bled by his indulgence and extravagance. With Willy, Luxoria will blossom and live again, share a new economy.'
She smiled. 'My people like him very much, you know, and they will learn to trust him. He has visited us many times, as my old friend, purely social visits. Willy is so popular with the people, a charming man - do you know they turned out in their thousands to watch his carriage pass by, to cheer him. How Gustav hated that!'
'And what of George's future in all this?'
'That is all decided. Willy will take care of his education until he is old enough for his official role.'
'But by then Luxoria will be part of Germany,' Faro reminded her gently. 'So it will be in name only, surely?'
‘I do not think George will mind in the least. He has never cared for being heir to the throne. He seems to have inherited other ideas of what he wants to do with his life.'
Faro let that pass as Amelie went on, 'Please tell my dear godmother when you return to Scotland that I leave my little country in her grandson's excellent keeping.'
Faro knew the chances were remote indeed that he would be able to approach Her Majesty with such a message.
'Your Queen will be pleased with our decision,' Amelie continued, 'because that was what her beloved Prince Albert, my very dear uncle, always wanted for Prussia.'
A clock struck the hour, slowly, solemnly.
Amelie sighed. 'If only... if only. Are they the cruellest words in any language? Soon it will be time for you to leave. For us to part,' she looked at him calmly, candidly. 'I think we are unlikely ever to meet again.'
She leaned forward and kissed Faro on the mouth. He held her close, briefly, wishing he could say and mean the words she longed to hear.
'This is our real parting, dearest Jeremy,' she whispered. 'Our official one will be, alas, much more formal. But there is someone else I want you to meet, if you would - ' she indicated the bell-pull.
A moment later the door opened to admit a vision of elegance: a large-eyed, large-bosomed woman, swept dramatically into the room, looking as if she had just stepped off the stage. She ran swiftly to Amelie and kissed her. Anton was close behind, their likeness immediate. this was his mother.
She had not seen Faro and, following Amelie's whisper, turned to face him.
Amelie smiled. 'This is Melissa, Karl's sister.'
And Gustav's late mistress, thought Faro, as the vision bore down upon him.
'So you are - ' her eyes widened as she turned and looked at Amelie. Then she laughed, a deep-throated laugh. 'How could anyone be mistaken?' She wagged a finger at him. 'I have heard all about you, Monsieur Faro and there is someone here dying to see you.'
She called out, 'Enter!' and the door opened to admit another woman, tall, slender, auburn-haired, green-eyed. And in Faro's eyes, the most beautiful woman in the world.
'Imogen!' he gasped. 'What on earth are you doing here?' he asked, holding her hand formally but longing to gather her into his arms.
Laughing, she indicated the woman talking to Amelie. 'That's Lisa, the opera singer friend I told you about.'
'Such a small world!'
'Sure now, isn't it just? Too small for comfort sometimes. Too small for secrets too.'
Faro ignored that arch smile, as she looked at him searchingly. 'Well now, Faro. And what have you been doing to yourself? I hear you have cracked ribs.'
'Trouble with a horse,' he murmured.
Imogen laughed. 'Life is full of surprises, isn’t it just? All this time and you never even told me you could ride a horse. Not one of your accomplishments you've ever cared to discuss with me, like some others that are now seeing the light of day.'
Ignoring her teasing smile, Faro said, 'But what are you doing in Mosheim?'
'I came with Lisa. We've been in Munich and are on our way back to Heidelberg. She wanted me to meet Amelie, who I understand loves Scotland and had a very interesting holiday there once, about thirteen years ago. That was before we met, of course,' she added primly.
If she expected a reply to that, she wasn't getting one.
'Amelie talks of nothing else to Lisa,' she went on with a
