‘In fact Uncle Alf came and collected her in his chauffeur-driven supercharged Mercedes. They did the journey back at breakneck speed, for Hitler always liked to be driven fast. What a way to travel for a humble girl from the back streets of Vienna! If she was besotted with her uncle before, she was in love with him after that. That summer was idyllic for them. Geli wrote me long letters and telephoned when she could. She told me all about their picnics at Chiemsee. She would go swimming naked while he lay in a deckchair reading the newspaper, or he would stand at the edge of the lake skimming stones like a little boy. She always made sure that he got a good look at her body when she was dripping wet from a swim. They ate wonderful food and sang songs around a fire or listened to one of Hitler’s aides playing guitar.’

Vanderberg shook his head, bemused. This did not sound like the monster who was enslaving half the world.

‘She was a very earthy girl, you know. And she looked much younger than her real age. And do you know what he called her?’ She smiled at the thought. ‘Princess. Can you imagine the Führer calling anyone Princess?’

‘I confess I can’t.

‘Well, he did.’

‘When did she move into his apartment?’

‘I’ll come to that in due course. First, that autumn, he found her a tiny apartment of her own in Munich and encouraged her to enrol as a medical student at the university, something totally unsuited to her. She wasn’t stupid, don’t get me wrong, for she had passed her school certificate, but she had a very light outlook on life and didn’t really want to do anything as serious as medicine.

‘She just wanted to have fun. Hitler took her to the cinema, the theatre, the opera and all his favourite restaurants. He loved showing her off – and she loved all the attention. The trouble started when other men took an interest in her. How could they not when she flirted so much? She was the sort of girl any man would fall for.’

‘So there were other men in her life?’

Romy yawned and shook her head. ‘Herr Vanderberg, I will tell you more tomorrow. For now, I think I really have to sleep.’

‘Of course.’

*

Wilde drove, but he had little idea where he was going. In the rain, with no sun, he couldn’t tell north from south or east from west, and so he had to have Sunny’s assistance. But she was curled up in her seat, still weeping, and in no state to help. After two miles, he pulled over in a lay-by at the side of a broad, fast-flowing river.

Gently he touched her shoulder. ‘Sunny, you have to help me. I can’t do this without you.’

‘He was everything to me.’