Borne in Blood (Saint-Germain #20)

Borne in Blood (Saint-Germain #20) Page 9

It was mid-afternoon on the twelfth day after leaving Chateau Ragoczy that Otto Gutesohnes, as dusty and sweating as his team, drew the fine new traveling carriage up in front of Ragoczy's house in Amsterdam; it was a warm, windy day, smelling of saltwater, tar, wet stone, vegetation, and humanity; the narrow streets fronting the canals were filled with traffic and the sound of busy citizens hastening about their business, for Amsterdam was a commercial center and its purpose filled it as a palpable presence, imbuing everyone in it with determined energy.

The house had been built in 1662 by a successful merchant; situated at the intersection of two canals the front was boastfully and expensively wide and there were four steps leading up to the front door. Ragoczy had acquired the building in 1729 from the merchant's grandson, and had added his own improvements. The house had recently been refaced and a third floor added to expand his laboratory; new draperies hung in the windows and the shutters were bright with fresh paint. On the narrow, canal-side street, the house stood out for its restrained elegance and advantageous location.

"The stable is behind the house, reached by the alley opposite the canal from the side of the Oude Kerk," said Ragoczy to Gutesohnes as he got out of the carriage and held out his hand to help Hero get down. "The stable-master will tell you where to put the horses and the coach. When the team has been groomed and fed, and the trunks unloaded, you may have a late dinner and the rest of the evening to yourself."

"Thank you, Comte," said Gutesohnes, rolling his shoulders to relieve them of the long strain of driving.

"Unless there is an emergency, present your report on the team and the coach to me in the morning." Ragoczy nodded to him, allowing him to pass on.

"I will. The horses have done well." He tapped his driving whip as he put it back in its holder, then lifted the reins and kissed the team to move on. "Almost done, my lads, almost done," he reassured them.

"This is a very impressive house," Hero approved when the coach was out of earshot. "Is it the first you have owned here?"

"No," said Ragoczy. "I have had others before this one." He did not add that this house had not yet been built when he first visited the island village that had become Amsterdam.

"The location is fortuitous: two stone bridges and a small square in front. It conveys a sense of prosperity," she said.

"It does, does it not?" Ragoczy asked, amusement glinting in his eyes. He escorted her up the steps and lifted the heavy brass ring-knocker. "Welcome to Amsterdam, Hero von Scharffensee," he said with a slight bow just as the door was opened.

"Comte Ragoczy!" the steward exclaimed. "We did not expect you until tomorrow."

"You may thank my coachman for our swift journey," said Ragoczy. "How do I find you, Kuyskill?"

"You find me quite well, Comte, thank you for asking," said the middle-aged steward; he stepped back to allow Hero to enter the house. "And so is the rest of the household, except for Ursula, whose eyes trouble her now and again. I shall present that in my report to Rogier when he arrives."

"Is her work making her eyes worse? Seamstresses often suffer from eye problems," said Ragoczy as if he had not noticed Kuyskill's last remark.

"She has spectacles and they help, but there is some sign of veiling, and that causes difficulty," said Kuyskill.

"I will have a look at her eyes myself, later today. Ask her if she will permit me to assess her vision before supper." He indicated Hero with a gallant half-bow to show the respect he required his household demonstrate toward her. "Madame von Scharffensee is my guest. She will want the large room overlooking the hot-house for her use: I asked the chamber be made ready in my note in July, as you recall. Her maid is traveling with Rogier, and should be here to supervise unpacking her bags in an hour or so." He favored Kuyskill with a penetrating look. "There will be no rumors spread about my guest, of course."

"Of course," said Kuyskill in a tone of such neutrality that it was obvious he suspected the worst.

"My guest and I will observe all the proprieties due a widow," said Ragoczy. "You may assure the household that any scandal attaching to her presence will begin with them, and I will know it."

"No one will talk," said Kuyskill. "I am confident of that."

"Tell me," Ragoczy went on as if he was convinced by Kuyskill's assurances; he moved down the corridor toward the stairs to the upper floors, "can you spare a footman to carry a note around to Klasse van der Boom? I want to speak with him about the press as soon as possible."

"I'll send Koenraad. Let me know when the note is ready." He swung around as a bell sounded at the rear of the house. "Your coachman will need help in moving your trunks and bags into the house."

"I should think he would," said Ragoczy. "Go supervise. I will write my note." He offered his arm to Hero. "You will want to rest from the journey."

"I am a little stiff," she said, and stretched just enough to demonstrate the truth of her assertion. "And a bit tired."

"Then you will be restored after an hour of quiet. I ask you to be punctilious until the household is accustomed to your presence, especially this afternoon, when you will be under close observation," he said. "By evening, Serilde will be here, and the luggage and baggage will be ready to carry to your room; the household will have found out about you to their satisfaction. There will be a supper laid by seven in the evening, but if you want something before then, you have only to ask Kuyskill to bespeak it for you."

"I thank you," said Hero, stifling a yawn. "You know me too well, Comte."

"If I had not known you before, I would surely do so now: I have been sharing a carriage with you for a dozen days-I can see when you are tired." He bent to kiss her hand, then indicated a door at the top of the stairs. "That is the entrance to your chamber."

"You are very kind," she said, partly as a show of good manners, partly as the truth.

"I will join you before supper, if you would like. After I tend to Ursula."

"For conversation," she said, with the hint of a question in her words.

"Yes, and to review whatever plans you may wish to make for our stay here."

"And later?" she asked, lifting her brows provocatively. "Will you join me later?"

"Not tonight. But in a day or two," he said, giving her room enough to open the door. "When the servants are less curious."

"I suppose you know best; servants are always wondering what their masters do," she said, and slipped through the door into a room filled with cool, limpid, northern light from four tall windows that overlooked a greenhouse that took up half the cobbled courtyard below. The walls were papered in a pattern of pale forget-me-nots and the shutters were wonderfully white. The bedspread was of a soft lilac satin, and the hangings were a very pale blue-green. "Oh! This is lovely, Comte."

"Thank you for saying so," said Ragoczy, taking care not to go beyond the limits of the door, and aware of the covert attention of the household staff. He bent his head. "I hope you will have reason to remember your days here with happiness."

"I'm sure I shall," she said, and tossed her reticule onto the bed, watching it fall. As she turned back, she discovered that Ragoczy had closed the door. She shook her head a little sadly, then began to unfasten the frogs on the front of her traveling coat; like it or not, she was weary and glad of a chance to recuperate from the long journey.

Descending the stairs, Ragoczy encountered Kuyskill struggling with the first of his chests. "Madame von Scharffensee is resting. I am going out."

"But your note?" Kuyskill asked.

"I will go along to see Heer van der Boom on my own; please inform Rogier where I have gone when he arrives. There is no need for you to delay the meal upon my account, although I should be back before suppertime." He moved aside, allowing Kuyskill to position the chest to be carried up two floors.

"Suppertime. Will you be dining?"

"I hardly know," said Ragoczy. "Do not wait for me, and do not save food for me. I will attend to my hunger in my own way." With a curt nod he was off into the brilliant afternoon, moving along the canals, feeling the disconcerting vertigo from the running water and the anodyne pull of his native earth in the soles of his shoes. His stride was long and clean, and in less than five minutes he had reached the square building that housed the Eclipse Press.

Klasse van der Boom himself, a square-faced man with a square body, opened the door to Eclipse Press; his leather apron was heavily stained with ink and his hands were permanently grimed with it. "Comte!" he exclaimed as he flung the door wide. "Come in, come in."

"Thank you," said Ragoczy, stepping into the front office of the press.

"It is most fortuitous that you should arrive today," van der Boom went on with emphatic exuberance. "Just two hours ago, Graf van Ravensberg arrived; he came from Austria to see the preparations for his book on the nature of blood. No doubt he will be pleased to meet the patron of Eclipse Press." He said patron with such heavy emphasis that Ragoczy had to resist the impulse to wince.

"Is there some difficulty?" Ragoczy inquired levelly.

"Not precisely that," van der Boom hedged. "But he will prefer to talk to another man with a title, if you don't mind?"

"Whatever suits your purpose, Heer van der Boom," he said, and smoothed the front of his black, fine-wool traveling coat.

"For which I must thank you," said van der Boom under his breath. "This Austrian is filled with self-importance."

"I will keep that in mind," said Ragoczy, and followed van der Boom back into the noise and heat of the press-room.

Amid the bustle and industry of the press-room, a tall, angular man in a high-crowned beaver hat, an elegant dark-blue claw-tail coat, white silk shirt, tapestry waist-coat over buff-colored unmentionables stood with five uncut sheets of printed paper in his hands. He was frowning, muttering in German as he peered at the sheet, paying no attention to the activity around him. As van der Boom approached him, he said in awkward Dutch, "I have corrections."

"No doubt you do," said van der Boom. "And we will attend to them directly, Graf. But for now, allow me to present Saint-Germain Ragoczy, Comte Franciscus, who is patron of Eclipse Press." He bowed between the two men and took a step back. "This is Graf von Ravensberg."

"A great pleasure," said Ragoczy with an urbane smile in impeccable German. He held out his ungloved hand as he looked up at the Austrian.

Von Ravensberg set the sheets of paper aside on a rack, clicked his heels, bowed sharply, then took Ragoczy's proffered hand, speaking German as if his wits had been restored. "Ragoczy. A name of some reputation-in Hungary."

"That it is," said Ragoczy calmly, extricating his hand from von Ravensberg's talonlike grip without visible effort.

"You are of that House?" von Ravensberg pursued.

"Another branch than the part of the family that gained such notoriety a century ago," he said.

"Very old blood, then," said von Ravensberg.

This time there was an ironic twist to his mouth as Ragoczy said, "Very."

"You could be a fascinating study," said von Ravensberg. "Most of my studies have been conducted with Austrians and Germans, but the descendant of so illustrious a line as Ragoczy must provide valuable information."

"In what regard?" Ragoczy asked politely, although inwardly taken aback.

"In regard to blood, of course," said von Ravensberg, pointing to the pages hanging on the rack. "It is the subject of my book, as I assumed you must know." His face was set in accusatory lines.

"To be candid, Graf, I have just arrived in Amsterdam and have not yet had the opportunity to review the progress of our present projects," said Ragoczy, and nodded toward van der Boom. "I came here to discuss the publishing schedule. It is an unexpected pleasure to meet you while I am on this most pedestrian task."

Von Ravensberg relented a little. "Just arrived?"

"Not two hours ago," said Ragoczy. "My trunks are not yet in my rooms."

"Then you are most punctilious, Comte; an admirable trait, no doubt one that is the legacy of your breeding."

"I would like to think so," said Ragoczy, his face revealing nothing of his long memories.

"It is important for us-the high-born-to preserve the virtues inherent in our kind. There are so many who care nothing for breeding, who are willing to disregard centuries of alliances and unity for the sake of the exotic. I hope you aren't one of those modern men who see mixed blood as a token of the times." Before Ragoczy could speak von Ravensberg took one of the sheets off the rack. "You must examine my thesis, Comte, and discuss your thoughts with me."

"I will try to do so, but I cannot give your work my full attention until the day after tomorrow. On Friday I will read your book, and, if you are still in the city, I will-"

"Friday evening I am having a reception," said von Ravensberg.

"Then, perhaps, Saturday?" Ragoczy proposed.

"Oh, no, no. You must come to the reception. A little dancing for the youngsters, cards and conversation for their seniors. Supper at midnight, and wine throughout the evening-mostly Italian wine, since many of the French vineyards have had poor harvests these last two years. No matter. Many of the Dutch prefer beer in any case, though it isn't suitable for such a reception; champagne will be offered at midnight, of course. The hotel has managed all for me. My ward and I will be receiving fifty guests, all from families of stature and merit; I insist you must be among their number." He waved one arm as if to banish the press-room. "It is a chance to step out in society, to make new acquaintances and renew old friendships. I suspect you may have the same problem I do: I have so little time to spend here that I am determined to make the most of the occasion, as you must be. So you have to come, or I will not have the opportunity to entertain you in a manner appropriate to your rank for the remainder of my visit. Let me have your direction and I will have an invitation carried around to you tomorrow morning."

"I thank you for your offer," said Ragoczy, taking a half-step back from the Graf. "I do not yet know what my guest will want to undertake, but if you will permit me to wait until tomorrow, no doubt I will be able to tell you if I will be able to attend."

"Bring your guest. Of course, you must bring him." Von Ravensberg gestured emphatically.

"My guest is a widow, Graf." Ragoczy could see the surprise von Ravensberg felt before he was able to conceal it. "She is the daughter of a distinguished Italian scholar, whose husband died during the wars."

"Such is the fate of women who marry soldiers," said von Ravensberg.

"Her husband was an engineer," said Ragoczy.

Van der Boom came up to Ragoczy, his posture self-deprecatory and his tone uncharacteristically subservient. "If I may have a word with you, Comte?"

"Certainly, Heer van der Boom," he said, and looked up at von Ravensberg. "If you will excuse us?"

With an expression that showed his disdain for van der Boom, von Ravensberg picked up another sheet of paper. "I have my work to do."

Ragoczy and van der Boom moved away from the tall Austrian to the corner of the room where the bindery was set up, about as far from von Ravensberg as it was possible to be and remain in the same room. "I don't know how you want to deal with his changes. I fear he intends to make a great many of them."

"A problem, to be sure, but a reasonable expectation for a man in his position." Ragoczy considered this briefly. "I will do what I can to discourage too many alterations. Perhaps I should attend his reception; it would be a useful place to encourage him not to rewrite his book at this stage. But you may want to be very observant of any corrections, as opposed to interpolations."

"I will do my best to keep that in mind," said van der Boom. "And I will try to accommodate the man when his demands are not too outrageous."

"Most sensible of you," said Ragoczy, and then waited while van der Boom brought the business ledgers for him to inspect. "I will take this to the front office, if you do not mind."

"Away from the Graf?" van der Boom said with a knowing wink.

"And the noise, and the heat," said Ragoczy, aware that in such an environment, his inability to sweat might draw unwanted attention.

"I'm used to both," said van der Boom. "I'll come in an hour to see how you are faring."

Ragoczy took the ledger and slipped it under his arm. "You keep excellent records, Heer van der Boom, for which I am most grateful."

"May you say the same thing when you are through perusing them," said van der Boom.

Von Ravensberg was glaring at the page in his hand as Ragoczy passed by him on his way to the outer office; noticing the ledger Ragoczy carried, von Ravensberg transferred his disapproval to that volume. "The demands of tradesmen! Do you not have factors to do that for you?" He waited for a suitable answer.

"I have been cheated by factors before, Graf, so I am now inclined to trust myself in such matters." He patted the side of the ledger.

"You assume that the figures entered are correct," said von Ravensberg.

"Yes. That much I do expect, and if they are incorrect, I should see the pattern of it in the pages." He had caught more than one factor shifting the sums in the records in years past, and had learned how to recognize such manipulations. He kept on walking until he reached the front office and found a work-table with two tall stools set in front of it. He perched on the stool, laid out the ledger, and began to read.

More than an hour later, van der Boom joined him, saying, "The Graf has corrected ten sheets of four pages, each side."

"That must be a relief for you," said Ragoczy, slipping a sheet of paper into the ledger to mark his progress; he closed the book, saying, "It all appears correct thus far."

"It should be. I try to keep full records of everything. No matter what von Ravensberg may suspect, I conduct my trade honestly."

"I have never thought otherwise," said Ragoczy quietly.

Van der Boom was quiet for a short while, then asked, "Will you go to his reception?"

"Probably," said Ragoczy. "It would seem odd that I, a participant publisher, did not accept his hospitality."

"That's plausible," said van der Boom as he thought about the possibilities.

"For the sake of Eclipse Press, I will make an appearance," said Ragoczy, making up his mind.

"On behalf of Eclipse Press, I thank you." He chuckled. "Strange, what business may demand of us."

"Strange, indeed," said Ragoczy.

"He'll be back tomorrow, to find more errors."

"No doubt," said Ragoczy.

Van der Boom leaned on the table. "It is good that he takes so much care, given that his text is so ... technical, and the topic is such a daring one. The work is bound to generate discussion, which should mean good sales. But he is also going to be criticized, and not just by the Church, but by physicians and students of anatomy." He looked toward the hazy window. "It's getting on to evening. He will have to wait until morning if he wants to read carefully."

"You will be closing the press-room shortly," said Ragoczy.

"And you may want to be gone before the Graf can offer to take you to your house. You will have him with you all evening if you permit him that courtesy." Van der Boom righted himself. "I'll tell him that you have departed, if you like."

Ragoczy rose from the stool. "Very well. I will call again at mid-day tomorrow, if that suits you."

"It should do," said van der Boom. He tapped his nose. "The Graf has a ward. You heard him say it."

"A ward is a child," said Ragoczy.

"Child or no, he may be looking to find her a husband," van der Boom cautioned Ragoczy. "You have a fortune and a title. He may hope you will be something more than a dance partner for her."

"Since I never dance, I think I will be safe," said Ragoczy. "But your timely reminder is appreciated," he said as he made for the front door and went out into the long, angular shadows that spread along the narrow streets, under a sky that lit the canals with sunset fires.

Text of a letter from Helmut Frederich Lambert Ahrent Ritterslandt, Graf von Scharffensee at Scharffensee in Austria, to Hero Iocasta Ariadne Corvosaggio von Scharffensee at Chateau Ragoczy near Lake Geneva, Yvoire, Switzerland; carried by private messenger and delivered in four days, but was not read until Hero's return on September 9th.

Graf von Scharffensee sends his greetings and condolences to his daughter-in-law, on this, the 16thday of August, 1817, with the assurance that her daughter received the finest medical care possible.

It is my sad duty to inform you that your daughter, Annamaria, took a fever in late July. At first it seemed nothing more than the usual summer fevers that one endures, but in your daughter's case, the fever spread to her lungs and they became putrid. When the usual remedies failed, a physician from Salzburg was called, Herr Doktor Schalter, whose reputation is of the highest order. He prescribed purging and a course of poultices to draw out the putrescence, but in spite of all that was done, she could not rally, and last night passed into that deadly lethargy that indicated the end was near. The priest from Scharffensee was sent for to administer Last Rites, and she died at two in the morning. I have arranged for her to be interred in the family chapel at Scharffensee, and will place an appropriate plaque on her tomb.

Her brothers are much shocked by her death, and so I have promised them a special entertainment at Christmas, which must, perforce, delay your visit until next summer. I am sure you can see the wisdom in this, and will not embarrass them, or me, or yourself in emotional protests at this most difficult time. I have no doubt that you will want your sons to put their grief behind them as quickly as possible, and you must see that your presence, with the loss of their sister so new in their lives, can only aggravate their sorrow. Better to give them time before visiting them.

With Annamaria dead, I will discharge her teacher, Frau Linderlein, with three months' pay and a letter of commendation. She, I must tell you, is most distressed by the loss of her pupil, and has spent the morning in weeping. This unseemly display of copious tears has caused Berend great anguish, and I feel the sooner Frau Linderlein is gone from Scharffensee, the better for all of us.

Know that my sympathies are with you, and that your daughter is in the care of God's Angels. It is no easy thing to part with a child-as I have cause to know-but it is what has been sent for us to endure. I pray you have fortitude enough to weather this sorrow.

Your father-in-law,

Helmut Frederich Lambert Ahrent Ritterslandt

Graf von Scharffensee