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.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.Heidi added a few more details.‘Unfortunately for Loher, he was vilified by the public when these reports were uncovered by the press.Most people were still angry about Ludwig’s murder, so they lashed out at Loher, saying he had taken advantage of the deluded king by getting Ludwig to finance his extensive travel.Eventually, the Bavarian government pressured Loher to give up his position as director of the archives even though Loher was the person who had added the reports to the archives in the first place.He felt they were an important part of Ludwig’s legacy, but he was punished for his honesty.’Payne stared at the letters on the wall.Even though he couldn’t translate the language, he was able to read the handwritten dates on the documents.Most of the letters were sent in 1886, the year of Ludwig’s death.‘When did Loher file his final report?’Ulster grinned with delight.‘That, my boy, is why I am so excited.This wall of letters, dated years after Loher’s final report was presented to Ludwig, contradicts every scrap of evidence that has ever been collected.There have been rumours, but never this kind of proof.’‘Proof of what?’ Jones asked.‘That Loher hired a team of researchers to travel the globe for him and compile data for an unnamed client.That these researchers found a piece of land for a modern-day Camelot, and Loher’s final report - in which he claims no such place exists, so it would be a waste of time and money to keep searching - was simply a smokescreen to throw off Ludwig’s rivals.’Payne took a deep breath and tried to make sense of the claim.During the past few days, he had received a crash course on the history of Bavaria, and his head was starting to spin.Prior to his current trip, he had seen pictures of Ludwig’s castles but had been completely unfamiliar with Ludwig’s life.Now he was standing in a secret room, hidden underneath one of those castles, talking about Ludwig’s plan to abandon his country.Payne stared at Ulster.‘I think you better explain.’Ulster nodded.‘As I mentioned earlier, my colleague visited the Munich archives on a very specific quest.He wanted to find out more about the ongoing relationship between Ludwig and Loher in the months leading up to Ludwig’s death.As you know, Ludwig was a loner, and the friends he made were artistic in nature.If that’s the case, why did Ludwig and Loher continue to communicate for years after the end of their secret project? Loher was an elderly historian, not a painter or a musician.Trust me when I tell you this, most historians are painfully dull!’Payne smiled.‘Aren’t you a historian?’‘Obviously, I’m the exception to the rule.’‘I beg to differ,’ Jones teased him.Ulster laughed.‘Anyway, when Loher’s travel reports were leaked to the press in 1888, some people speculated they were the real reason Ludwig had been deposed.Not because he was insane, but because his cabinet had learned about his crazy plot to start a new country and had punished him for his disloyalty.’Payne shrugged.‘That seems reasonable to me.’Ulster shook his head.‘The problem with this theory was the timing of things.Loher’s final report was given to Ludwig several years before his murder.If the subject had been closed for that long, why did the cabinet act so viciously when they discovered Ludwig’s foiled plan? What’s more, why would they have waited so long to react? If the final report was indeed intended as misdirection, Loher would not have concealed its delivery.In fact, it would have been essential that Ludwig’s cabinet learn of the report immediately to reassure them Ludwig would not be leaving.Obviously, I’ll know more once I read through these letters, but my guess is the subject wasn’t closed.That Ludwig was still looking to leave Bavaria, and his cabinet killed him before he had a chance.’65While Ulster and Heidi focused on the letters, Payne and Jones examined the rest of the room, searching for information about Ludwig’s secret mission.Unfortunately, their inspection was hindered by a lack of electric lights, a surprising oversight considering the special effects in the grotto but one that was probably done to avoid incriminating power cables.Jones noticed ventilation shafts in two of the corners, which would have allowed Ludwig to use candles or lanterns without fear of asphyxiation.Shining his flashlight on the left-hand wall, Payne stopped in front of a series of sketches that caught his eye.None of the artwork had been signed, so he didn’t know if Ludwig had drawn them or not, but they highlighted the rocky coastline of a scenic island.Most of the sketches featured a spectacular palace, whether real or imagined, that made the Linderhof look like a shack.Built on the edge of an imposing cliff, it was designed with an assortment of whimsical details - decorative chimneys, ornamental turrets, steep gables and stone sculptures - yet the structure seemed to sprout out of the earth as if it had been there for ever.With beautiful gardens and sweeping views of the endless sea, it appeared to meet Ludwig’s definition of Camelot.A few feet to his right, Payne noticed a collection of architectural blueprints hanging from two hooks mounted on the wall.Having grown up in the offices of Payne Industries, he was familiar with a wide variety of technical drawings, but their combination of age, language and scope was unlike anything he had ever seen.Drawn in the 1880s and labelled in Bavarian, the pages showed the interior rooms of a massive palace that was larger than most cathedrals.Payne studied the floor plans and tried to imagine what the building would actually look like.When he did, he realized the designs matched the sketches to his left.Apparently, Ludwig’s scheme wasn’t just a pipe dream.They had started the planning process [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]