They arrived at Brindisi quite late that evening and Malca said that she would leave first thing in the morning.
“You must promise me,” Caterina said, “that you will let me know when you arrive and thank you for all your wonderful help. And do persuade Henriet to tell me where she will be. She knows that I will not tell anyone and I don’t want to lose touch with her.”
“Of course not, Princess, and I’m sure she won’t want to lose touch with you. After all you two have been together ever since you were babies.”
Caterina then remembered that her Nanny had been good friends with Malca.
‘I must not lose Henriet now,’ she told herself, ‘when I am going to a strange country where I will have no friends of my own.’
She tried not to let the thought depress her, equally she felt that she was skating on thin ice and at any moment might drop into dark cold misery.
But she was exceedingly relieved that the Duke was so different from what she had expected and that he had actually laughed at the situation they were in seemed to her a good omen.
She had thought he would take it very seriously, as undoubtedly her father and Prince Adolphus would do.
‘I so wish there was an easy way out of this,’ she thought to herself.
She knew what the simple answer was.
If Henriet had killed herself, as she had intended to do, there could have been no secret wedding and she would at this moment be on her way home to Theiss.
At the same time Caterina had to admit that she had enjoyed talking to the Duke over dinner.
That he had not raged or thrown her into the sea was certainly a step in the right direction.
The Battleship had by now moved slowly into the Port at Brindisi where there were only a few other ships.
“We will not stay long,” the Duke said when she went into breakfast. “If you want to do any shopping or sightseeing, I suggest you do it quickly.”
“I know, of course, that this is Italy, but also that here we are very close to Greece. I do so long one day to explore the whole of Greece and see Delos where Apollo was born.”
“Do you really believe all those legends?” the Duke enquired.
“Of course I do. We were brought up on them and I always hoped that I would come with someone I love to Greece and especially to the Greek Islands.”
She spoke in a dreamlike way that made the Duke look at her inquisitively.
Somehow he had not thought of her longing for love and now he realised that as a woman she was losing the excitement of falling in love and being wooed.
As every woman should be before she married.
It was something new for him to feel that he was a disappointment and yet he knew that was really the truth.
Caterina had sacrificed herself to save her friend from him and Austria from the Russians.
As he saw her smiling at the sunshine which was coming through the portholes, he thought that few women would have had the bravery to do what she had done and no woman of his acquaintance would ever be so optimistic about the future.
‘I wonder if she still hates me,’ he asked himself.
Looking back he realised how disagreeable he must have appeared to those two young girls.
“I tell you what we will do,” he said aloud.
Caterina turned to look at him and he thought that her eyes were shining.
“I will take you ashore, because I want to buy you some flowers. I agree with you that the Battleship looks too austere if we are to pretend when we arrive in England that we are a devoted husband and wife.”
“I hope our audience is not going to be too big too quickly,” Catering replied. “It’s a part I have never played before.”
“Neither have I,” the Duke concurred.
“Yes, but men are different. Of course you have had many beautiful ladies hanging on your word and then telling you how marvellous you are.”
“Why should you say that?” he asked.
“Because it’s very obvious that it has happened and naturally, like every other man in a top position, you have always asked yourself whether they wanted you because you are a Duke or because you are – handsome.”
She hesitated a little over the last word and then she laughed and added,
“Of course I should be polite and say that the latter was the real reason.”
“I think we promised that we would tell each other the truth,” the Duke replied, “but, having been so cleverly deceived by you, I will always be suspicious, even if you tell me it’s a fine day.”
Caterina laughed.
“Well, it is and it’s a very exciting day for me if I am to see what I know was a key town in Roman days.”
“Well, hurry up and put on your hat or whatever you think is suitable for the occasion. The Captain will be furious if we are away for long.”
“I am not afraid of the Captain,” Caterina said as she reached the door. “Only that you might well steam off without me and then I will have to walk or swim home!”
As she ran along the passage, she heard the Duke laughing and she thought that if she was clever she must keep him laughing for as long as possible.
Otherwise there might be ‘many a true word spoken in jest’.
The easiest way to be rid of her would be to put her down in some obscure place and it would take her weeks if not months to find her way home.
She had brought a little money with her, but it was only what she had expected to spend while she was in Istria with Henriet.
Her father had promised he would come and fetch her when she was ready to return home and so she had taken just enough money to tip the servants or to buy small necessities. For anything more expensive like a dress or a coat, she would ask for a bill to be sent home to be paid.
She looked very attractive in a summer hat, which matched her dress, when she joined the Duke on deck.
He had ordered an open carriage which was waiting for them on the Quay.
“We will have to hurry,” he said, “for the simple reason that the Captain has just told me that he expects to go to the Far East as soon as he arrives back in London.”
He paused a moment before he went on,
“In fact it is where he should have gone if he had not been ordered at a moment’s notice to take me to Istria.”
“And, of course, Her Majesty Queen Victoria has to be obeyed,” Caterina said.
“Naturally,” the Duke agreed.
“Are you intimidated by her?”
“Of course I am,” the Duke replied. “Everyone is. But she has always been especially kind to me. She is my Godmother and so she looks on me as a child with a Royal relationship, who will always do as he is told.”
Caterina laughed.
“It sounds very frightening.”
“It can be and I am not looking forward to telling her about the dreadful mess I made of it in Istria.”
Now he was speaking quite seriously and Caterina said in a soft voice,
“I am sorry, really very sorry for you. Something I never expected I would feel.”
“I can see that I was a wicked ogre and the villain of the peace,” the Duke sighed.
“Well, to be honest, you did rather behave like one. As I have told you, I was very scared of what you would say or do when I revealed myself as an imposter.”
“And what do you feel now?” the Duke asked.
Caterina hesitated a moment.
“Go on, tell me the truth,” he demanded, but with a distinct twinkle in his eyes.
“I was thinking,” Caterina said, “that if I do, you might think I was sucking up to you, while, if I told you that you are still a menace, it would only be half true and one should not lie when one is thinking about Greece.”
“So Greece is saving me. I have always thought it was different from other places.”
“You have never been there?” she asked.
“I have wanted to, but, of course, I have read about the Gods and Goddesses and, although I was only young when I did, I have believed in them ever since.”
Caterina clasped her hands together.
“You really do believe in them and it is the whole truth and nothing but the truth?”
“Of course it’s the truth. There would be no use in my lying about it. I am totally certain that the Gods and Goddesses of Greece were very powerful and naturally I have always wanted to meet one.”
“Just as I have wanted to meet Apollo. I suppose you cannot take me across to Greece now and we could explore the wonderful Temples. I am sure we should be thrilled to see with our very own eyes what we have always believed.”
“I tell you what we will do,” the Duke said. “I must allow the Captain to get back quickly to England, but later, when we have straightened out the mess we are in, I will take you to Greece. You will not only go to Delos but also to Delphi.”
Caterina gave a cry of excitement.
“You promise me, you really promise me?”
“I promise on my honour.”
“Then, if we hurry to England now, the sooner we can go to Greece!”
“I thought you would express it better than anyone else could,” the Duke said.
The carriage stopped at a flower shop and the Duke climbed out.
He bought a huge amount of flowers, especially lilies, which were Caterina’s favourite.
They were all piled into the carriage and then they drove back to the Port. Caterina was looking to the right and left and spoke very little.
The Duke, watching her, thought that it was strange to be with a beautiful woman, who, for the moment, had completely forgotten him – she was thinking only of the Classical Gods.
The Duke and Caterina arrived back at the ship and Caterina realised that, almost before they could pull up the gangway, they were moving out of the Port.
She went on deck to have her last glimpse of land and, if the Duke kept his promise, which she was sure he would, at least one of her dreams would come true.
Suddenly she remembered the lovely flowers they had bought and went below to help the Steward arrange them.
She kept the white lilies for her own cabin and put them in bowls on each side of the bed.
Later, when she told the Duke where they were, she said,
“Now I feel very like a bride and I am so grateful to you for giving me such glorious flowers.”
“I suppose,” the Duke asked, “you remembered to bring the pearl and diamond necklace away with you.”
“Actually I did. I hesitated as to whether I should wear it the first night we had dinner together, but I thought the mere fact that I was wearing it instead of Henriet would annoy you.”
“It has been in my family for two hundred years. My mother always wore it and I would like you to wear it tonight.”
“Thank you,” Caterina sighed, “I shall be proud to. It’s the most beautiful necklace I have ever seen.”
“There are a lot more jewels in the safe in London which I hope you will enjoy, also some in the country.”
“I am longing to see your country house,” Caterina said. “Do you have really good horses?”
The Duke smiled.
“Yes, they are exceptional and I suppose you will now tell me that you are an outstanding rider.”
“I should be, because Papa owns some of the best horses in the whole of Austria.”
“I had no idea.”
“He has won a great number of races with them,” Caterina said. “He himself is said to be one of the finest horsemen in the whole country and he loves his horses so much that, when I was a little girl, I always used to wonder who came first, Mama or his favourite stallion.”
“Then I think your father will admire mine when he sees them,” the Duke said. “I will feel extremely frustrated if he says they are not as good as his!”
“Now you can understand that I have been riding almost before I left the cradle.”
“That is one thing we certainly have in common.”
Caterina did not answer and after a moment he said,
“But I did not expect that you would enjoy reading as well.”
“I cannot think why not. I am enjoying enormously the book your valet gave me, which is all about India and other countries in the East.”
The Duke looked at her.
“Are you expecting me to take you to India as well as to Greece?”
“It would be a wonderful experience for me. I have read and read about the countries of the East, but have never had a chance to leave Austria.”
“Then that is certainly something we should do in the future. I love travelling, but I have yet to meet a woman who wants to travel far and who does not complain when she does.”
“I will certainly not complain and I am prepared to ride anything you provide me with, even if it is an elephant or a dromedary!”
The Duke laughed.
“You may have to do both or perhaps end up with nothing more exciting than a rather reluctant mule.”
“If it has four legs, I will be thrilled with it!”
Then unexpectedly she sighed.
“What is worrying you?” the Duke asked.
“I am just thinking that, if the Queen is really angry at what has happened, she might make me stay in Windsor Castle as a Lady-in-Waiting or something like that, so that I will be taught the proper way to behave with someone as distinguished as you.”
The Duke thought it was a rather intelligent matter that she was raising.
“I think that is very unlikely and, as I have been a courtier for many years, the Queen will expect me to teach you all you have to know about behaviour at Court.”
He was aware that Caterina’s eyes lit up.
“That will be splendid,” she said. “I promise you that I learn quickly and we need not waste too much time curtseying, kowtowing and addressing people in the right way when we might be out riding.”
“There I agree with you, but I warn you I will be a very strict and impatient teacher.”
Caterina grinned.
“And I will be a very obedient pupil, but at times I may play truant!”
He thought this was a slightly absurd conversation, but one he found himself unexpectedly enjoying.
Caterina was rather disappointed when she learnt that Marseilles would not be on their direct route home.
“I want to stand on French soil just to say I have,” she complained.
“I am sorry, but the Captain says he will stop only at Gibraltar and you must make do with that.”
“Oh, I would love to go to Gibraltar! Papa told me they make the most beautiful embroidered shawls based on old Chinese patterns.”
“They do,” the Duke replied, “and I have seen the originals in China. I hope you will see them one day.”
“Oh, that would be very thrilling. I would love to go to China.”
“I think you would find it rather rough,” the Duke replied, “and that you would enjoy Japan more.”
Caterina drew in her breath.
“Are these just make-believe dreams or will they come true?” she asked.
“I can promise you they will come true, although you may have to wait a little. Undoubtedly we will go to these places one day and I will be interested to see if they come up to your expectations.”
“Then I will be counting the days, the hours and the minutes until we can go!” Caterina almost exploded.
“And what about the horses?” the Duke asked her. “We cannot take them with us.”
“No, but they must wait their turn. I am actually beginning to wonder if you are real or merely part of my dreams.”
The Duke did not answer this.
Then they were chattering away about the histories of China and Japan, about which, to his surprise, Caterina knew a great deal.
*
Finally they reached London, steaming both by day and by night and the Duke thought they had been quicker than he had ever imagined possible.
“What are we going to do when we arrive at the Port of London?” Caterina asked him.
“It’s not a question of ‘we’,” the Duke replied. “I will go at once to see the Queen and then I will have another suggestion to make, which I hope you will find interesting.”
“Please tell me now,” Caterina begged.
“No, because it may not come true and then you would be disappointed.”
“Now you are making me unbearably curious. It’s not fair that I will have to sit and wait patiently and count the hours and the minutes until you return from Windsor Castle.”
“I promise that I will be as quick as I can. What I do have to tell you now and what may sound surprising is that you are not to wait here on the Battleship.”
“May I not go to your town house?”
The Duke shook his head.
“No, because no one must know we are in London until I have told the Queen what has happened. But I have given orders for my yacht to be ready where we disembark and I want you to wait in it until I return from The Castle.”
“I don’t mind doing that, as I am sure your yacht is very smart and up to date. I always wanted Papa to buy a new one, but he was quite happy with his old one.”
“Well, my yacht is new and I hope that you will be impressed by it,” the Duke said.
*
Having arrived late at night, they slept on board the Battleship and then left immediately after breakfast.
It was, in fact, only eight o’clock when the Duke took Caterina aboard The Shooting Star.
It was moored just a short distance from where the Battleship had anchored and one glance at it told Caterina that it was even smarter than she had expected.
The Duke introduced the Captain to her without saying who she was and then he departed immediately for Windsor Castle.
He was driving a team he had bought recently and which his Head Groom had taken to the yacht for him.
Looking at them from the yacht, Caterina longed to be beside the Duke when he drove off and she was certain that he would go faster than she had ever driven before.
His horses were perfectly matched and were, she recognised, outstanding.
Then she told herself that she was seeing a life she had never seen before and must not complain.
At the same time she realised that the Duke was feeling anxious about his visit to the Queen.
She could not help sensing that he was afraid, as he had told her when she first revealed who she was, that he would be a laughing-stock for having married the wrong woman.
Being perceptive, she could understand his friends and acquaintances laughing at him in all the smart Clubs in London and the Dowagers and social beauties would all snigger about it in their grand houses.
‘It’s not his fault,’ she reflected. ‘The Queen sent him out to Istria to marry Henriet without even asking him if he was willing to have an Austrian wife.’
But now she realised that he was in a predicament that could hurt him considerably.
As she stood on deck and watched the barges and ships moving slowly up and down the Thames, she prayed that it would not be as bad as he anticipated.
She knew only too well how important the Queen was, not only in England but all over the world.
Of course her command must be obeyed, however much an individual might suffer in doing so.
‘Oh, please God let her tell him that he did the right thing and don’t let him be laughed at by all his friends let alone his enemies,’ she prayed.
The sun was shining on the river and Caterina felt as if the light that seemed for the moment to blind her eyes was an answer from Heaven.
It would not be as bad as she feared.
Yet the hours seemed to go by very slowly and she found it difficult to do anything but watch the traffic on the river.
Even the books that filled a huge bookcase in one of the cabins could not distract her from worrying over the Duke.
It suddenly struck her how very strange it was that, having both hated him and feared him, she had these last days enjoyed being with him more than she could possibly put into words.
The sea had been rough after they left Gibraltar, but
not, however, so rough that she had to stay in her cabin.
She had been thrilled with the shawl the Duke had bought her and she wore them every evening to show him how lovely they were. It was a present she had greatly appreciated, being unlike any shawl she had ever seen.
They had talked and laughed in a way that she had never expected from the Duke.
Now she was feeling half afraid that in some way the Queen might break up their marriage or get it annulled and even as she thought of it she was surprised at herself.
Then she knew, although it seemed incredible, that she had no wish to leave the Duke.
She wanted to be with him, to talk to him and have him showing her all he had promised to show her.
‘This is a real adventure,’ she now told herself, ‘an adventure that I had never expected to have. It’s very very different from anything I have known before.’
She thought that the Duke might be back early in the afternoon, but, when he did not come, she suddenly felt afraid.
Perhaps after all, the Queen was shocked and angry at the way she had taken Henriet’s place.
She might insist on her returning home and annul the marriage that should never have taken place.
It was then that Caterina admitted to herself that she not only wanted to stay but she wanted to be with the Duke and she wanted to know him far, far better than she did at the moment.
She looked down at the wedding ring on her finger and told herself that it was a fake. It had been put there under false pretences and she ought really to throw it into the river.
‘Why is he so long? What can have happened?’ she asked herself.
Then she was praying again that it would not be as bad as she and the Duke feared.
It was nearly five o’clock when, looking through the trees along the Embankment, she saw in the distance the horses the Duke was driving.
For a moment she was afraid that she might be imagining them. Then as they came nearer she knew that it was the Duke. At last he was coming back!
Her first impulse was to run to the gangway to meet him and then, because she was afraid of what he might have to tell her, she went into the Saloon.
It seemed to her as if a century passed before the horses drew up and the Duke came aboard.
Then she heard his voice speaking to someone.
A moment later the door of the Saloon opened.
It was then, as she saw him come in through the door, which he closed behind him, that the strict control she had been keeping over herself broke.
She ran to him and threw herself against him.
“What has happened? What has gone wrong? Why have you been – so long?” she asked.
The words were falling from her as if she had no control over them.
For a moment he looked down at her.
Then, drawing her close to him, his lips were on hers.
Caterina could not believe it was happening.
Then a strange feeling she had never known before began to course through her, as the Duke drew her closer still and his lips became more demanding.
He kissed her until it was impossible for her to speak or even think.
Then he said,
“It’s all right, my darling, everything is all right. Now we are going away on our honeymoon.”
Because he had kissed her so intensely, she could hardly understand what he was saying.
As she looked up, their eyes met and there was a radiance in hers that he had not seen before.
He kissed her again.
Then, as they felt the engines beneath them begin to turn, the Duke drew her to the sofa.
He sat down with his arm still around her.
“Is it really all right?” Caterina asked in a whisper.
“Everything is fine. Now, my darling, I can tell you what I have wanted to say for the last ten days, which have seemed like a thousand years, that I love you.”
He kissed her once again so that it was impossible for Caterina to answer.
She knew, as an ecstasy swept through her body and into her lips, that she loved him as he had said he loved her.
*
It seemed a long time later, but it was actually only a short while before the yacht was heading downstream.
“Now – you must tell me – what has happened?” Caterina asked.
“All I can think about at the moment is kissing you as I have wanted to do for so long,” the Duke said. “How can you be so beautiful and so ecstatically lovely?”
“I have been so worried – and I did not realise – it was because I loved you – until you kissed me.”
The Duke smiled.
“I have so much to teach you, my darling, and it’s going to take a very long time.”
“Why are we moving?” Caterina asked him.
“I will tell you the whole story, but all I can think about at present is you and how utterly and completely perfect you are.”
“Are you really saying this to me?” Caterina asked.
“I have much more to say to you, but I suppose you must know first what has happened at Windsor Castle.”
“Was the Queen shocked and disagreeable?”
“She was marvellous,” the Duke replied, “and I respect and admire her more than I have ever done before. And that is saying a great deal.”
“But why? What has she done?”
“I went ahead and told her the whole truth about what had happened. It was the only thing I could do,”
“You mean that you told her about Henriet running away because she was in love?”
“I told her that and that she was married before I actually married you. I explained that I had no idea I was not marrying the Princess she had sent me out to marry.”
“Was she angry?”
“No. I told her you had taken your friend’s place in order to save her life,” the Duke replied.
“Was she angry about that?”
“She thought it was very brave and heroic of you and I believe when you do meet her she will congratulate you.”
Caterina stared at him in amazement.
Then he went on,
“It took a little time, but Her Majesty has thought of an explanation for me to use, which I have to admit is extremely clever.”
“Tell me! Please tell me!” Caterina pleaded.
“That is what I am trying to do, but I keep thinking how beautiful you are and how much I want to kiss you. Then I forget what I was going to say.”
“You must tell me. I have been so frightened that Her Majesty would be angry with you.”
“She was not angry, but determined that she and she alone should solve the problem and she has done so.”
“But how?”
“Her Majesty’s story is that, when I arrived at Istria I was told secretly by you and Henriet that she was already married to the man she loved. But you were prepared to take her place for the sake of Austria and, of course, of Istria, which is so coveted by the Russians because of its access to the sea.”
Caterina was listening wide-eyed.
“No one else knew what was happening and Prince Adolphus was completely and utterly in the dark.”
The yacht was by now in the centre of the river and, as it gained speed, Caterina moved nearer to the Duke.
He put his arms round her and then pulled her close against him as he continued,
“Her Majesty has already invited Prince Adolphus and your father to come to Windsor Castle.”
Caterina gave a little gasp.
“My father!” she exclaimed.
“Her Majesty is going to tell them that this is what has happened and that they must agree to her suggestion of what she considers to be the only way of dealing with the situation and make the Russians realise that Istria is under the protection of Britain.”
“What does she suggest?” Caterina asked.
“It will be announced almost immediately that the Duchess of Dunlerton has contracted a seriously unpleasant Eastern fever, which regrettably proved fatal.”
Caterina gave a little gasp, but did not interrupt.
“She has been buried at sea and, as we were on our honeymoon when it happened, I will disappear, being in mourning, into the East where I have been before.
“It is there, quite by chance, that I meet the Princess Caterina of Theiss and fall in love with her. The people of Istria, who had deeply mourned their Princess, will be very delighted when we visit Istria later in the year.”
“Do you think that Papa and Prince Adolphus will agree to that idea?” Caterina asked a little breathlessly.
“I think actually, they have no alternative,” the Duke said. “And if you write and tell your father that you are going to stay with friends in Japan, he will, I am certain, want you to enjoy your visit to the East.”
“And when we return?” Caterina asked.
“You will be welcomed with open arms in Theiss and, because you were such a very close friend of Princess Henriet, you will also be very welcome in Istria.”
The Duke’s voice deepened before he added,
“What is more the Russians will know that both Istria and Theiss have the blessing of Queen Victoria.”
“It’s clever, very clever,” Caterina said. “In fact, it is the cleverest scheme I have ever heard and Henriet can disappear and live happily ever after with Fritz and not have a worry in the world. At the same time you are still landed with me!”
The Duke laughed and pulled her closer.
“I have exactly what I always wanted. We have all the time we want to spend on our honeymoon and I can show you the East as you have always wanted to go there.”
“Is this true or am I dreaming?” Caterina asked.
“It’s really true, my darling. But we have to keep out of sight until we can announce our marriage. Then you will see how grand and important you are as the Duchess of Dunlerton.”
“Oh, you are wonderful!” Caterina exclaimed. “I was so afraid that the Queen would insist on our marriage being annulled.”
“I would not have let her do that. I think I began to fall in love with you the moment I first saw you and was extremely angry that I was being made to marry Henriet instead of you.”
He gave her a loving smile before he went on,
“But now I have come to know and love you, I will kill any man who tries to separate us from each other.”
“Do you really feel like that?” Caterina asked him.
“I do and a great deal more. I intend, my precious, to teach you all about love, which you will find far more fascinating than learning about the protocol of the Royal Household.”
His eyes were smiling as he spoke and Caterina put her head on his shoulder.
“I did not realise until you kissed me,” she said, “that I was in love with you, but now I know it is the most marvellous thing that has ever happened to me that we are married.”
“We are married, my darling, and nothing and no one will ever part us. You made the supreme sacrifice for your friend and you have found my love instead! God does work in mysterious ways sometimes!”
Then he was kissing her once again, kissing her so wildly and demandingly that she felt as if he was carrying her up into the sky.
*
Later that night the yacht was anchored in a quiet bay so that there was no movement.
The Duke came into the Master cabin of the yacht, where Caterina was already waiting for him in the bed.
It was far more attractive than her cabin had been on the Battleship. The curtains over the portholes were of a rose-coloured chintz and there were flowers in the cabin, although only a few.
The Duke had promised that they would stop at the first Port of call and Caterina should have all the lilies he could buy.
Caterina was not at this moment thinking of lilies but of her husband.
As he came into the cabin, she thought that no one could look more handsome and masculine.
‘I love him! I adore him!’ she said to herself over and over again. ‘Everything is just how I dreamt it would be – and even better.’
The Duke came to her side of the bed and stood for the moment looking down at her.
“Are you real?” he asked. “I began to dream of this soon after we left Istria and now it has come true, just as it does in the Fairy stories.”
“This is a Fairy story,” Caterina said. “When you kissed me today, I knew that it was something I had been praying for and wanting for a long time.”
“You will never have to pray for it again.”
He then turned out the lights and pulled back the curtains so that the moonlight poured in to turn the cabin to silver.
Then, as he climbed into the bed and held Caterina close to him, he said,
“Now we can feel that we are floating on a star and are going to enjoy, as we travel the world, the perfect love we have both dreamt of. Through God’s mercy we have finally both found it and it is ours.”
“I love you, I adore you, Aden,” she whispered.
Then he was kissing her.
Kissing her at first so gently and then demandingly and possessively.
He kissed her until Caterina was certain that they were touching the stars.
When he made her his, they passed into the Heaven which God had made for lovers and which would be theirs for all Eternity and they would never ever part.