Chapter 13: Oxford

Fortunately for Jane the Count returned before her next doctor’s appointment after several weeks away. The first Jane realised that someone important had arrived was hearing the ordery bellowing “Sieg heil,” and, “Jawohl Herr Obergruppenführer.” She went into the hall and in a deliberate demonstration of affection she kissed the Pfalzgraf, partly to show him her pleasure at his return and partly to show the orderly that she was close to such a high ranking officer.

They moved together into the sitting room and relaxed. However his first statement to her, close to midnight, was a bitter blow, “I want to take the baby, with or without a ‘nanny’, to Germany to be brought up as my son. You could come as the ‘nanny’ as I said before.”

“But Bernhardt has asked me to marry him, and I have more or less accepted him. I know there are legal problems, but I hope you will help us to make it possible, please?”

“I am not prepared even to think about it at this late hour. Now, where do we sleep tonight?”

That ‘we’ gave her hope and she joyfully said, “In my flat, of course,” then seeing the look on his face she added, “None of the boys has ever slept there. I always visited them in their own bedrooms. And I haven’t even done that since the baby was born.”