“She’s doing very well. I have no doubt she would love the opportunity to try to frighten some new unsuspecting visitors—especially if we tell her they are Americans!”

“But it has to be at night… after it’s dark, Papa!” added Sabina, hardly able to contain her anticipation.

“We’ll gather with Eppie then, this evening.”

“Then come on, Matthew!” said Sabina, jumping up. “Let’s go explore again!”

She was already out of the garden and running up the hill.

They were children again, and like a shot, Matthew was after her. The three parents sat, listening to them yelling and laughing all the way to the house, then sat alone together in silence a while.

In the distance, two flaming eyes squinted through their binoculars and watched the proceedings from a distance, livid to witness all too clearly that happiness and gaiety still ruled at Lebenshaus.

It was as though nothing had happened!

He could just barely hear the high-pitched squeals of delight as Sabina ran up the hill trying to outsprint Matthew up and across the courtyard to the house.

The very sound of her merriment struck into his icy heart like a knife. He vowed yet again that the day would come when he would make her pay for her folly and for making him look the fool.

He would possess her yet!

It mattered not how long it took, years if need be. He could wait. He would make them all pay dearly for being so high-and-mighty! He would bring them down, and a mighty and painful fall it would be.

Her laughter would turn to weeping! She would beg him for mercy. She would beg to be his!

Who would be laughing then?

“You have no idea what a tonic your daughter is for my Matthew,” said Thaddeus at length, still sitting in the rose garden, out of sight of distant, snooping eyes. “He has not had many quality relationships with young people his own age. It is one of the disadvantages of my work.”

“He is very mature, though, Thaddeus,” interjected the baron, “which is certainly an advantage.”

“Yes, he is. I am proud of him.”

“I have not always been convinced that having children of similar age around is a great advantage in character development. In fact, my experience tells me just the opposite is the case.”

“I see your point. And yes, Matthew is a good, solid young man. But he expects a good deal of himself—too much, I fear sometimes. Being mostly around people much older than he, and especially the diplomatic crowd where all is pretty staid and orderly and by the book, if you know what I mean, he hasn’t had many opportunities to just romp and play and run free since he was quite a bit younger. I suppose I can’t help feeling a little guilty myself, like I’ve caused him to miss some of his childhood.”