"Now?" They'd reached the corner of Further Street and Theodor-Heuss-Brucke, where they stood beneath a tree watching a group of blackbirds fly overhead.

"Can you think of a better time?" asked Peter.

"No."

His smile faded. "No?"

"No, I can't think of a better time. Yes, I'll marry you."

He laughed. "You had me going for a minute there." He embraced her and kissed her cheek.

"Do you have a ring?" she asked.

"Oh. That's right." He stopped walking and just stood there, looking embarrassed.

"That's all right. My father will loan us the money." She gasped. "Oh, that's right! I haven't even talked to them about it yet."

"And you're afraid they might not want a blond Lutheran as a son-in-law. I understand." His words were light, but she sensed the dread of uncertainty behind them.

"It's just that I'm not sure they could ever imagine me as someone's wife. To them, I'm still just a girl."

"Well, you'll never know until you ask, will you?" He took her hand, and they began to walk back in the direction of the palace. "I'll stay right there with you the whole time."

She gave him a shy glance out of the corner of her eyes, and he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. In what seemed almost no time at all, they were back at the palace, but the Franks had yet to return from their own stroll, so Peter and Margot lingered at the entrance to await their arrival. "I'm curious," Margot began. "When was it that you first realized that you loved me?"

"I think it was the first time I saw you," Peter confessed. "You were standing with your parents and holding your suitcase, and rather than looking frightened, you just looked curious. I remember admiring your bravery."

"I wasn't so much brave as resigned," Margot replied. "When I got the order to report to the work camp, I was really frightened at first, but after awhile, I started to feel peace about it. I knew that whatever happened would be the will of God, and I was willing to accept it."

Peter was taken aback. "Surely you don't believe that it was the will of God for six million innocent people to be murdered."

"No, but I believe that whatever happens to us, He'll be there to see us through it."

"I never realized you had such strong faith." He was awed by her all over again.

"Sometimes it's the only way to survive." She smiled. "So how did you turn out to be so different from most German Christians?"

"I don't think of myself as different in particular." He shivered as a cool breeze passed over them. "I love my country, and it breaks my heart to see what's become of it, but there's no excuse for the harm that was done. I was glad to see Hitler defeated. He was the most evil man who ever lived."

By now, the Franks could be seen in the distance. Margot stepped forward to meet them. "Mama, Papa, I have something important to tell you. Peter and I want to get married."

To her surprise, Otto and Edith smiled at one another. 'I told you so,' Edith mouthed to her husband. "I'm happy for you, darling." To Margot's surprise, her mother gave her a warm embrace. "Peter is a good man, and I know you'll be happy together."

Relief swept over Margot, and tears of joy were in her eyes as she returned her mother's embrace, then reached for her father.

"When do you plan to marry?" Otto wanted to know.

"As soon as I can buy a ring," Peter replied. To his utter shock, Edith slipped her own wedding ring off her finger and handed it to him. "Use mine for now. You can buy your own later."

Overcome with joy, the young couple entered the palace once again, with Margot's family right behind them. "Mr. Jackson!" Margot called to the attorney, who was going through some paperwork.

"I'm only an attorney," the American laughed when she explained the situation to him. "I'll find someone who can help you."

A short time later, Judge Francis Biddle arrived to perform the ceremony, and Peter and Margot became husband and wife.

"I'll take everyone out to dinner to celebrate," Otto announced. They went to Der Gostenhofer Dorshulze, where Peter and Margot shared their first meal together as husband and wife.

"Tomorrow, I'll take you to Bessungen to meet your new family," Peter told his bride.

"I need to go back to Paris to pick up Pascal first." Pascal was the cocker spaniel Peter had given her on that long-ago July day.

"Oh, that's right! We'll return to Paris, then go on to Bessungen."

By the time they'd finished dinner, it was almost dark, so they all went to the Hotel Hamburg to spend the night. Alone with her new husband for the very first time, Margot could feel her heart pounding in anticipation. Peter saw how she was shaking and took both her hands into his own. "Don't be afraid. I promise you, everything will be fine."

The following morning, he awakened to find her lying beside him, her dark hair strewn over the pillow, her chest rising and falling. Transfixed, he lay propped on one elbow, just watching her, for he had no idea how long. He couldn't believe what a lucky man he was.

She shifted in her sleep, and he felt a surge of warmth go through him. As much as he adored watching her sleep, he longed to look into her eyes, to hear her voice.

She yawned and stretched, and her eyes fluttered open. "Good morning," Peter said with a gentle smile as he kissed her nose.

"Oh." She looked startled for just a minute, then smiled. "So it wasn't just a dream, after all."

"If it is, I never want to wake up."

"Peter!" She laughed with joy as she pulled him close and hugged him tight. "We're together at last, never to be parted again!" She dreaded asking, but she had to know. "Peter?"

"Yes?"

"After I had to say good-bye to you in Paris...were there any other girls?"

"None." His face was solemn as he shook his head. "Once I met you, I never wanted any other girl."

"So you were alone all that time?"

"Why do you sound so surprised?"

"Well, I suppose I just assumed...I mean...you had no way of knowing you'd ever see me again."

"Deep down inside, I knew we'd meet again some day." He smiled as he trailed a finger down the side of her face. "You've just given me your all, Gretchen, and I'm so very honored."

Her smiled disappeared. He frowned. "Please don't be sad, darling. I'm yours alone for the rest of our lives."

"It's just that I've never been separated from my parents and Anne, and I know I'm going to miss them very much."

"Oh." He chuckled. "I promise, we'll visit them just as often as you'd like."

With a sigh of contentment, she snuggled into his arms, and he held her tight. Neither of them was one bit worried about missing the train.