"Nearly seven thirty," David said when he, Maria and Bethia had finished cleaning and sanitising the equipment and had rinsed the empty barrels and fumigated them with sulphur candles.

"We'll do another sulphur treatment before we use them in October," Bethia said as she tapped the final bung into place. "It's easy for wine to be tainted, but so simple to prevent it. Come, let's see if Rachel and Greta have dinner ready."

As they walked toward the house, David asked, "How long will the labelling take us tomorrow?"

"There's no need to do it now. It can be done in slow time; there's no rush at all for it." Bethia laughed. "Besides, there's no confusing them. They're the only unlabelled ones – one red and one white. You two just enjoy yourselves tomorrow."

They sat for a while talking in the parlour after dinner before David said, "We have things to do before I leave." He stood and took Maria's hand to help her up. "We'll see you in the morning."

Upstairs, they lay under the light duvet, slowly shifting their hips, caressing each other and talking. "Strange, that. Greta finding the routine relaxing and soothing," David said. "Our minds differ so much. Simple things please her. Franz likely saw that from the beginning and gradually found ways to use it to his advantage. I wonder if he ever had any love for her."

"They had two children, so they must have done this."

"He likely didn't want children, just the fucking. Did it for his own gratification, leaving Greta with the burden. But we're doing this to share our love, not to create children. Children can be created with loveless fucking. Probably often are, and the children suffer."

"He abused the children, and he abused her. Doesn't sound like love to me. More selfishness. Speaking of selfishness, I'm getting close again, and I want to concentrate on another."

"Let's do this one together. It must be past midnight, and we need some sleep." He reached down and pulled his skin.

"Hurry ... Almost there ..." She stiffened, then shuddered as the waves overtook her body, then she sighed as she enjoyed him pulsating deep inside. "Oh, God! Better each time."

They lay caressing for a long while before he said, "I should pull out and clean. We need some sleep."

"You feel so wonderful in here. Could we remain connected as we sleep?"

"We could do that." They entwined their limbs and were soon asleep.

The sun through the sheers woke him, and he smiled when he felt her around him as she rocked her hips and murmured, "Did you know you swell and stiffen and throb while you sleep?"

"How do you mean?"

She rocked her hips again. "This. It's not just your morning pee hard. You woke me five times through the night as you swelled and throbbed inside me. My God, you throb so deeply in your sleep, and it felt so delightful. You were probably dreaming of all the beautiful girls you'll meet while you're in England." She giggled.

"I have no need to dream of others. You're far beyond dreams. So I was up five times?"

"This is the sixth. I'd really love to use it. You kept arousing me through the night, and I'm still hot – but more desperate for a pee."

After they had peed and cleaned themselves with the bidet, they went back to the bed and reconnected. "So six times? I wonder if that's normal."

She laughed. "Maybe it is with you. But from what we've seen, you're very far from normal in so many ways." She shifted her hips and shuddered. "I love your abnormality."

It was twenty past eleven when they made their way downstairs to the kitchen and greeted Bethia. She lifted the cloth from a basket. "There are fresh scones here – or they were fresh a couple of hours ago." She chuckled as she pulled the kettle to the hot side of the stove. "You've had a good long sleep."

"I found the bottling so tedious. No variation, no creativity."

"Bottling and labelling are the only boring things with winemaking. Pruning, which takes much longer, is filled with many decisions and interpretations, working with the living vines and sensing which cuts will be best for each one."

"And harvesting," Maria said, "That's also filled with decisions and gratification. Long, hard hours for days, but so fulfilling – particularly with an excellent crop."

After their very late breakfast, David and Maria walked through the vineyards and out into the middle of the new pasture. They looked around to gain an appreciation of it, then sat in the tall grass. "Tante could sell this for hay. Probably two crops. That'll make it easier to work the soil for the new vines."

"I'm amazed. You're still thinking of here rather than the adventures ahead of you."

"Here is reality. Here, we are. Elsewhere and in the future – those are imaginary. Here and now are where we are. Let's enjoy the time we have." He pulled her into his chest and lay with her in the grass. "Thinking of my being away from you does nothing but sadden the both of us. But being here, we can think of such things as stripping and making love in the grass."

She giggled and looked around. "We're out of sight. Could we?"

He began undoing the lacing of her bodice. "Why not?" He reached a finger in the top and caressed a nubbin, then laughed. "That first night in the gasthaus. Did you intentionally loosen your laces before you served my second beer? I saw your nubbins as you nearly spilt out when you leaned down."

She blushed and sniggered. "I could sense you were interested in me, and I wanted to show you I was interested in you."

"I smelt your intimate perfume, so I knew you were. You made it so hard." He laughed. "Made that very hard also, but made it difficult because I was risking compromising my cover." He finished undoing her bodice, lifted her chemise to uncover her breasts, then took a nubbin gently between his teeth and teased it with flicks of his tongue.

"Oh, God! Sends shivers. There must be a direct line between there and my button."

He alternated breasts as he undid his trousers and slid them to his ankles, then he lifted the hem of her skirt to her waist. She bent her knees up and out to receive him.

They lay in the grass, caressing and talking for a long while before he lifted onto an elbow and said, "We've blessed this piece of land with our love. It will bless us in return. We should go find out what we can do to help."

Maria sat and rearranged her clothing. "First, let's wander through the vineyards so I can explain pruning and training to you. We can examine the bud set and see how close they are to flowering. Tante's expecting it to begin next week."

"Bud set. What does that mean?"

"How many buds there are. Each one becomes a grape bunch, so we can assess the size of the crop early. After the last risks of frost are well past, Mama removes extra nascent bunches to improve the quality of those remaining."

Maria led him up the slope, showing him the gradual change as they rose in elevation. "I've always been fascinated by the effect of the small temperature variation. Our top terraces in Gottenheim would flower three or four days after the bottom ones, and they'd be ready for harvest more than a week after the bottom."

He looked at his watch. "We should go lend a hand in the kitchen. From what I've perceived, they're going to be very busy."

"It's supposed to be a surprise, David, and I'm to keep you away from there. Let's not spoil it for them." She took his hand. "Come, let's wander up the ridge and enjoy the view for a while. After that, we can sneak in and relax in our room before we dress for dinner."

A few minutes before seven, after David had finished assisting in arranging her curls, Maria rose and did a slow turn to show off her hair and gown. "How's it look?"

"More beautiful every day." He shuddered lightly, then put on his lounge suit jacket and motioned to the door. "Come, let's go down and be surprised."

Rachel greeted them at the bottom of the stairs with glasses of wine, then led them into the drawing room to join Jacob, Maddie and Bethia. Greta arrived two minutes later, and the seven of them stood chatting and enjoying their wine while two young women made alternating visits with trays of hot hors d'oeuvres.

They moved into the dining room, where, through the evening, they were served a splendid multi-course farewell banquet that had been orchestrated by Bethia and prepared by a chef and three assistants.

There was a sombre mood around the table as they began the cheese platter. David raised his glass. "Here's to my return. These past weeks, you've made it so difficult for me to think of leaving, but we all know I must be away for a while. Let's not dwell on the sadness of my leaving. Let's live each day as it is presented, knowing the force compelling me back to Sonnenhang is much stronger than the one leading me away." He leaned and kissed Maria, then sighed.