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‘What was that?’ Payne asked.

‘Bavaria.’

Heidi clarified Ulster’s statement. ‘More accurately, Ludwig hated the politics of Bavaria and the pressure of being its king, not the country itself. According to his journals, he loved the woods and the mountains of his homeland but was never fully able to enjoy them because someone was always looking over his shoulder – whether that was his advisors, his cabinet or his rivals. During his early twenties, he had to deal with the Seven Weeks’ War between Austria and Prussia, the war with France in 1870 and the foundation of the German Empire, which took away Bavaria’s status as an independent kingdom. That would be a lot for anyone to handle.’

Ulster nodded. ‘That last event in particular had a profound effect on Ludwig’s psyche. The kings he admired the most, both historical and mythological, were sovereign rulers who answered to no one. They had the autonomous authority to build their kingdoms as they saw fit, which was a power Ludwig never enjoyed. He always had to answer to someone.’

Payne shone his flashlight on the rear wall and stared at the letters addressed to Loher. They had been mailed from all over the world. ‘Where do those fit in?’

Ulster explained. ‘Remember that crazy story I told you about Ludwig’s staff? How he sent his butler and cooks to rob a bank in Frankfurt when he was turned down for a loan?’

Payne laughed. ‘How could I possibly forget?’

‘Well, robbing a bank is nothing compared to his task for Franz von Loher, who was the director of the state archives in Munich.’

‘What did Ludwig ask him to do? Forge some paperwork?’

Ulster shook his head. ‘Ludwig asked him to start a new country.’

64

Payne stared at Ulster in the semi-darkness of the room, trying to decide if he was serious. Based on their years of friendship, he knew Ulster didn’t joke about historical data. Yet there was something so ludicrous about Ulster’s statement Payne found himself doubting what he had heard. ‘Loher was supposed to start a new country?’

Ulster grinned. ‘I thought that would get your attention.’

Jones chirped in. ‘How does someone do that? Because I would love to start one. It would be like the Playboy Mansion, but with even less clothes.’

Payne ignored the joke and focused on Ulster. ‘Back in Ludwig’s day, was something like that possible? Or was this just another pipe dream?’

Ulster shrugged. ‘Historians have been debating that for years. Obviously, it would have been preposterous for a normal citizen to plant a flag in the ground and start a new country because no one would have recognized his autonomy, but someone with Ludwig’s clout might have made it work. After all, he was beloved in Europe and known round the globe. That gave him a reasonable chance to pull it off.’

Payne pointed at the letters on the wall. ‘And Loher was his ambassador?’

Ulster nodded. ‘Ludwig had always been enamoured of the concept of building the perfect kingdom on the perfect tract of land. He thought if he couldn’t make Bavaria live up to his high ideals, then he would start again somewhere new. It would give him the chance to rule a country as he saw fit – even if there were no citizens except his servants.’

‘Did Loher take him seriously?’ Payne asked.

‘As a matter of fact, he did. Unlike the amateurs who went to Frankfurt with no intention of robbing a bank, Loher approached his mission with verve. Ludwig had given him a specific list of requirements for his new kingdom, and Loher travelled the globe searching for land that would meet his needs. Keep in mind, this was during the 1870s, long before air travel and cars. Loher was forced to travel by horse, train, boat and everything in between.’

Heidi picked up from there. ‘Amazingly, Loher did all this in total secrecy. If word of his mission had leaked, think of the damage it would have done. The King of Bavaria, a ruler who was loved by his countrymen, was looking to abandon them? There would have been riots.’

‘How did they keep it quiet?’ Jones asked.

Ulster explained. ‘Loher, who had travelled extensively in his younger years, posed as a travel writer or a wealthy foreigner looking for land. When he arrived in a new country, he would talk to the locals and work out who owned the most scenic real estate. Then he would tour the properties and determine if they suited his needs. Not surprisingly, Ludwig was more concerned with pastoral beauty than anything else. He wanted breathtaking views and crystal-clear water, the utopian world he had dreamt about for years. But Loher was level headed. Although beauty was an important factor, he viewed the land through the eyes of a bureaucrat. He made sure the soil was fertile and ready for crops. He enquired about fish, wildlife and other sources of food because Ludwig and his servants needed to eat. He asked about droughts, storms, and the weather in all four seasons. He studied the local history and made sure the land was defensible from invading forces. In other words, he made sure the kingdom would be sustainable for the long haul.’

Payne was impressed. It sounded like Loher was the perfect accomplice for the crazy king. One was a dreamer, the other a realist. ‘What did he determine?’

Heidi answered. ‘After his first journey in 1873 – a trip that took him to Spain, Africa, Greece and the Turkish isles – he presented Ludwig with a detailed report on a number of locations. No one knows how the king reacted because their conversation was private, but it’s assumed he told Loher to keep looking.’

Payne asked, ‘If their talk was private, how do you know about the report?’

‘Loher’s reports eventually turned up in the Geheimes Hausarchiv, the secret archives of the Royal House, two years after Ludwig’s death. The reports are still there today.’

Jones glanced at Ulster. ‘I thought you said your friend searched through the archives and didn’t find what he needed.’

Ulster smiled. ‘He wasn’t looking for Loher’s reports. Those have been scrutinized for decades. My friend was searching for documentation on what happened next.’

Payne furrowed his brow. ‘What do you mean?’

‘According to the Munich archives, Loher made a second journey abroad in 1875. He visited Cyprus and Crete and enquired about Crimea, an autonomous republic on the Black Sea. Unfortunately, nothing seemed suitable for their needs. By this time, Ludwig was getting antsy and Loher was getting too old to be traipsing round the globe. Understanding the importance of secrecy, Ludwig trusted no one except Loher to work on this sensitive project, which forced Loher to refine his approach. Instead of travelling himself, he collected journals from travellers, read books on foreign lands, even interviewed tourists from different countries – all in the hopes of finding a kingdom for his king. Despite these efforts, he reached a regrettable conclusion. The perfect spot for Camelot did not exist.’

Loher explained his verdict in his final report to Ludwig:

I have myself visited a large part of the inhabited world and have read and researched in countless books. Yet I could find only very few places which might be remotely suitable, and in not a single case would I like to guarantee that the enterprise could really succeed … On the whole earth, there is not a single spot which totally fulfils the conditions for a satisfactory outcome. The goal can be only partly attained and certainly not without great sacrifice and trouble.