Borne In Blood Part 23

"Truly." Kleinerhoff rocked from foot to foot. "It is very troublesome, knowing that these robbers are near at hand, but still we are unable to put a stop to what they do. Four days ago they took six sacks of oats and two sheep from Didier Foutinz in Saint-Ange, four leagues from here. Despite our best efforts, they remain at large, which raises doubts in the minds of many. I, as head-man in Sacre-Sang, know how much trouble these men have caused."

"You must hear all the complaints, and sooner than most," said Ragoczy, then indicated the chair Kleinerhoff had vacated. "Please. Sit down."

"Didier Foutinz himself came to tell me. Saint-Ange is a very small village. Most of us think little of it."

"The folk are therefore tempting targets for crime. Tell me what you have discovered about the robbers."

Kleinerhoff sat, but looked distressed. "The Magistrate instructed me to reveal as little as possible. But if there is something you would like to impart to me, I will be sure the Magistrate hears of it, so that he may allow for that in his examination."

"I think it may be best if I wait for the Magistrate, to learn what it is he is trying to find out," said Ragoczy. "Very well, then: enjoy your refreshments and excuse me until the Magistrate arrives." He inclined his head politely, turned, and left Herr Kleinerhoff alone in the reception room. It was a short distance to his study, and he covered it quickly, going to his secretary-desk. Drawing a sheet of paper from its drawer, he selected a nib and used the pen-knife to trim it before he sat down to write to Kreuzbach. When that was complete, he took a second sheet of paper and prepared some instructions for Rogier. He was just setting his seal on the envelope when the sound of horses at the front of the chateau alerted him to the arrival of the Magistrate and his escort. He closed the front of the secretary-desk, then adjusted his cuffs as he heard Balduin open the front door. Rising to his feet he went to greet his guests.

Magistrate Lindenblatt was a tall, angular man approaching fifty, dressed in a long fur cloak and carrying a leather portfolio; he was followed by four soldiers, each armed with two pistols and a breechloading Brevetee rifle and carrying ammunition boxes. Because Lindenblatt was somewhat short-sighted, he used a pince-nez to look about him. He removed his cloak, revealing a conservative coat and waistcoat of boiled Prussian-blue wool, and dark-gray unmentionables. The ride had left him in slight disarray, and he attempted to remedy this as he pulled off his gloves. "Comte Franciscus," he said, bowing just enough to be polite; he had met the Comte briefly on a number of occasions but had never had reason to exchange more than the most perfunctory greetings. "I take it Herr Kleinerhoff is here before me."

"He is, Herr Magistrate Lindenblatt." Ragoczy copied the bow.

"This is my escort." He indicated the soldiers. "I take it you have a room where they may rest and get warm?"

"Balduin will show them the way," and Ragoczy added, "The staff reception room, I think. It is not in use just now."

"I will attend to it," said Balduin as he finished hanging the Magistrate's cloak in the small closet near the door; such an important guest deserved more than a humble peg for his cloak.

"Thank you." Ragoczy indicated the direction to the parlor. "Magistrate-after you?"

Lindenblatt was used to a certain deference, but not from men of the Comte's rank, and so he hesitated before starting down the corridor, Ragoczy half a step behind him. "You do understand, Comte, that I would prefer not to have to do this, but with the talk all over the region, an effort must be made."

"I am certainly aware that this is a difficult time for Yvoire and the local villages," said Ragoczy, entering the parlor with the Magistrate.

"That it is." Lindenblatt stood in the center of the parlor, taking in its fine proportions and beautiful appointments. "Very nice, Comte. Very nice indeed."

"Thank you," said Ragoczy. "If you will have a seat? The settee is reckoned to be quite comfortable."

Lindenblatt moved behind the low table and sat down. "Most comfortable."

Ragoczy pulled up a Turkish chair upholstered in silk-and-leather, and gave the Magistrate his full attention. "What am I to do to a.s.sist you?"

When Lindenblatt spoke, it was to ask, "How large is this chateau?"

"Nineteen rooms, in the house itself. There is also a bakery and creamery, a barn, a stable, a bath-house, and a small gate-house, which is much in need of repair." He touched his palms together and added, "I employ a staff of eleven men, three boys, and four women."

"So your declarations say," Lindenblatt stated. "Your banker also informs me that you have a considerable amount on deposit, although he will not tell me how much."

"Of course," said Ragoczy.

"Of course," Lindenblatt echoed. "Which is what makes my purpose so very awkward. That a man in your situation should be thought capable of countenancing such amerciable activities is distressing." The admission was a difficult one, and he looked away from his host to the three framed paintings at right angles to the fireplace. "Do you collect art, Comte?"

"In a small way." He nodded to the mosaic icon next to the chimney, showing Saint Ephraem holding his book open to be read. "That is probably my most unusual piece. I found it in Constantinople." He did not add that the year had been 1448.

"Very interesting." He fidgeted and then forced himself to be still.

Taking the direction of their discussion into his own managing, Ragoczy said, "Perhaps you would like to tell me why you have come? With so much snow on the road, you have some urgency, and Herr Kleinerhoff has informed me of the general nature of your concerns, which I share. You need not soften the blow for me: I appreciate concision." His manner remained comfortably polite but there was something in his steady gaze that impressed Lindenblatt.

"I very much regret the circ.u.mstances that-" He stopped, visibly gathered his thoughts, and continued. "Due to suspicions about you and the robbers who have infested the region, I am about to a.s.sign two of my escorts to you in this house until such time as the robbers are brought before me in court, or you are exonerated of all suspicions. You are not to go beyond your property without at least one of the men accompanying you, and you are not to leave the region without permission of my court." He scowled at the table in front of him. "Any dealings you have with the robbers will be discovered and noted."

Wholly unfl.u.s.tered, Ragoczy framed his question carefully. "I have an attorney-at-law in Speicher; may I instruct him to prepare a brief to submit to you on my behalf?"

"It is somewhat irregular, but it is acceptable to me. If it comes to trial, you will need to find a Swiss advocate." Linbenblatt sat a little straighter and spoke more quickly as he went on. "Any correspondence with the attorney must be read by the guards. They are literate and have had some experience in dealing with covert exchanges."

"I will be expected to house and feed these guards?" Ragoczy asked urbanely.

"For the time they are here, yes. The court might refund a portion of the costs you incur on their behalf, a.s.suming you are found blameless." The Magistrate gave a little sigh. "It is a demand that troubles me, and if your innocence is established, it will be considered an imposition, but the court cannot be seen to accommodate crime."

"Certainly not," said Ragoczy. "I'll instruct my manservant to keep track of the costs the men incur."

"Our efforts to root out the criminals will begin in earnest as soon as the snow melts enough to allow easy pa.s.sage on the major roads. It is impossible to conduct a proper search at this time of year, but this is also the time the robbers must be receiving the most help from whomever is aiding them, and therefore, we must be on guard, to prevent the robbers' allies from providing food and supplies for the winter. We will be dispatching patrols to all the villages in the region: Sacre-Sang, Saint-Brede, Le Roche, Halle, Saint-Ange, Mervelle, Niecte, and Lederin, to make inquiries."

"Is anyone else in this region being asked to take in guards and confine his activities?" Ragoczy inquired.

"Not yet," said the Magistrate, clearly unhappy with this revelation. "I regret the necessity, but we must take action."

"Certainly you must, and promptly." Ragoczy held up one hand to stop any more explanations; he lost none of his cordial demeanor. "Then I should perhaps mention that I have planned to travel in March, a.s.suming the matter of the outlaws is not settled by then. I am bidden to Austria, to the seats of Graf von Scharffensee and Graf von Ravensberg. The times are set and it would be very awkward to renege on either engagement."

"It may be necessary to ask you to disappoint the earlier commitment. My guards would have no authority outside of Switzerland, and if you absent yourself before the matter of the robbers is settled, at least in regard to you yourself, it may be seen as flight."

"I will instruct my attorney to address that in his brief." He stopped as Balduin knocked on the door; regarding Lindenblatt he asked, "Are you placing me under arrest?"

"No, but I am giving you an Order of Detention, on the terms I have already described." His eyes flicked toward the door. "Do your servants gossip?"

"I have always a.s.sumed so," said Ragoczy, rising to answer the door.

"Then you may want to warn them that they may be questioned by the guards." This last was offered as a kind of truce. "I hope they will not have to appear in court."

"And I, as well," said Ragoczy as he went to admit his steward to the parlor. "I have ordered a light repast for you, Magistrate Lindenblatt. I hope you will enjoy it." He stood aside to allow Balduin to bring the well-laden silver tray to the low table in front of the settee. "If there is anything more you would want, you have only to tell me."

"This is most gracious of you, Comte," said Lindenblatt as Balduin bowed and withdrew, pausing in his departure to quietly inform Ragoczy that Madame von Scharffensee had returned and was in the music room.

"Tell her I will join her in a little while," said Ragoczy, then returned to the Turkish chair, drew up the ottoman, and prepared to answer all questions Magistrate Egmond Talbot Lindenblatt might put to him.

Text of a letter from Reinhart Olivier Kreuzbach, attorney-at-law and factor, at Speicher near the Kyll River, Rhenish Prussia, to Saint-Germain Ragoczy, Comte Franciscus at Chateau Ragoczy near Lake Geneva, Yvoire, Switzerland; carried by professional courier and delivered twelve days after it was written.

To Saint-Germain Ragoczy, Comte Franciscus, the greetings of Reinhart Olivier Kreuzbach in Speicher, on this, the 20thday of January, 1818, My dear Comte, I have in hand your request for a brief to be prepared regarding your situation. First, let me tell you how shocked I am that a man of such probity as you possess should ever be regarded as a supporter of desperate criminals. Second, I a.s.sure you that I will attend to this with all due haste, and see that all information I can ethically release is provided to the Magistrate Lindenblatt in an amicus curiae presentation as speedily as may be. In addition, I will present a.s.surances of your determination not to become a fugitive, and will attempt to have the soldiers removed from your chateau. I will, as you suggest, provide records of your trading company activities in order to demonstrate your own losses to robbers as well as providing some notion of the extent of your resources.

Because of the severity of this accusation, I have taken the liberty of contacting Gunther Jaccobus Schreiner of Bern, to ask if he would be willing to represent you in your appearances, if any are required, before the Magistrates' Court. I gave my letter to the courier this morning and will not receive an answer, I would reckon, until the second week in February, barring any more severe storms. I am sure Herr Schreiner will be not only able but willing to act on your behalf. He has such credentials as must be acceptable to the Magistrates of Yvoire.

I am pleased to tell you that the road to your castle above Zemmer is almost finished in its resurfacing. By summer the place should be quite habitable, and I hope I will have the honor of calling on you there before the year is out. I am informed that work on the roof will resume as soon as the weather permits, that the stable is complete, that the creamery is restored and the bakery will be so in another month. Work on the bath-house will begin as soon as the trunks of earth you have stipulated be used in the foundation actually arrive. I have your plans in hand and will deliver them promptly to the workers as soon as the ground may be dug up.

Regarding your travels, I am confident that I can secure time away for you, although it may not be possible to gain you the five to six weeks you requested. My bona fides should make some accommodation possible, and so I believe that you may plan on at least three weeks for your journey to Austria. You may be required to supply a bond, but that, I a.s.sume, will not be a hardship for you.

In the continuing pledge of my dedication to your interests, I am, Most sincerely at your service,

Reinhart Olivier Kreuzbach.

Attorney-at-law and factor.

Speicher, Rhenish Prussia.

PART III.

HYACINTHIE THERESA KATERINA SIEFFERT VON RAVENSBERG.

Text of a letter from Saint-Germain Ragoczy, Comte Franciscus, at Chateau Ragoczy near Lake Geneva, Yvoire, Switzerland, to Helmust Fredrich Lambert Ahrent Ritterslandt, Graf von Scharffensee; carried by coachman Otto Gutesohnes and Hero Ioacasta Ariadne Corvosaggio von Scharffensee.

To Helmut Fredrich, Graf von Scharffensee, the greetings of Saint-Germain, Comte Franciscus, on this, the 17thday of February, 1818.

My dear Graf, I am devastated to be unable to join you and your grandchildren for the occasion of the visit of your daughter-in-law. It is unfortunate that I should at this time be detained by pressing legal matters which demand an expeditious response. I ask that you excuse me, and I trust that you will understand my predicament and not judge me too harshly for circ.u.mstances that are beyond my control. I am confident you will receive her respectfully for her children's sake.

Your daughter-in-law has with her not only the coachman, but her maid and an escort of two armed men whose purpose it is to protect her from any harm that may threaten her. They will all bring her to Ravensberg, where I will once again meet her at the conclusion of her visit with you. She is carrying a small box of uncut gems that are my present to you, as well as a pair of etchings from the last century showing two perspectives of Salzburg, which is her gift to her children. She herself brings a case of brandy for you.

I hope that this finds you well; may this year bring you good health, good harvests, the good-will of our neighbors, and contentment for all who dwell under your roof, Most sincerely,

Saint-Germain Ragoczy.

Comte Franciscus.

(his sigil, the eclipse).

1.

"Nutzen is falling asleep," Rogier said to Ragoczy as he came into the laboratory shortly after midnight; most of the household had retired three hours ago, and it was not surprising that Romolo Nutzen was inclined to join them, though he had vowed to Magistrate Lindenblatt that he would watch Ragoczy from sunset to sunrise.

"At the top of the stair, or the foot?" Ragoczy asked, not taking his eyes off of the alembic before him. "And Ilel?" He was fairly certain that the daytime guard, Hermann Ilel, was not up.

"He retired with the rest," said Rogier. "I think he is growing accustomed to life in this household. His curiosity is diminishing. Nutzen, whose name must be ironic, is at the foot of the stairs on the second floor, between the guest rooms, your own quarters, and mine."

"It has been most inconvenient, having those two determined to find us at a disadvantage." He moved back on his stool and looked over at Rogier. "At least Hero is bound for Scharffensee. She was more troubled by the Magistrate's guards than I am. She said they were intrusive. It made her uncomfortable when I spent time alone with her, knowing we might be observed."

"Do you think we will have to accommodate them much longer?" Rogier asked.

"I hope not." Ragoczy adjusted the little flame under the almebic. "This should finish distilling in an hour or so."

"Will you remain here, or are you going to retire?"

"I thought I might go to the library and look at what van der Boom has sent."

"The new chest that came yesterday, or the chest that Gutesohnes brought?" Rogier c.o.c.ked his head toward the dying fire. "Shall I build that back up?"

"No reason to," said Ragoczy a bit distractedly as he studied the alembic and finally adjusted the flame again. "Have you sent off the household accounts to the Magisrate yet?"

"No, not yet. I have to ask Uchtred for his kitchen records-how much of the food came from local farms and how much from your property. And how much from your trading resources."

"The fruits we had from Italy last summer, for example?" said Ragoczy. "Yes. They will want to know if our supplies exceed our uses, and if they do, what we do with the dispensables."

"They will also want to verify our purchases and costs," said Ragoczy, feeling very tired. "If I had some proof regarding the robbers, I would gladly provide all I know to the Magistrate, but, alas, I do not have any dependable information, not that would demonstrate that the rumors are nothing more than malice and worry."

"Do you have suspicion as to whom the culprit might be?" Rogier looked toward the door and continued in the language of Persia fifteen hundred years ago.

"Nothing that is defensible, or legally convincing; I am not fully convinced of it myself," said Ragoczy, also in the Persian tongue. "I would like to find a clue that would direct the Magistrate's inquiry toward those who might bear some responsibility in this situation; it would probably require more guards posted in private homes, but it might stop the outlaws."

"Would you actually make such an accusation toward anyone in the region?" Rogier asked.

"If I had verifiable evidence, I would," said Ragoczy. "This atmosphere of misgiving is becoming hard to bear."

"Then you do think they are being helped," said Rogier.

"I do. At first I doubted it, but no longer." He went to his chair by the fireplace and turned it to face the other chair in the laboratory. "Consider what has happened. Two merchants have lost their goods to highwaymen in the last month-this, in spite of the added patrols of Magistrates' soldiers a.s.signed to those routes kept open in winter. These are men who have braved the elements to deliver their merchandise to market ahead of many others, when the roads are dangerous because of the weather; many of the most frequented roads are not safe for any traveler. Yet they were stopped by the robbers, who had good information on these merchants, and were prepared to attack them in the most precarious parts of the snow-clogged roads. That might be luck once, but twice? I cannot believe that the robbers keep men posted on two different roads all through the winter on the chance they might happen upon a prize." He shook his head. "So I must conclude that they were told of the merchants, what they carried, and what roads they traveled."

"It is a curious coincidence," said Rogier.

Ragoczy made a sound between a laugh and a snort. "Curious indeed. You and I have faced greater dangers over much longer time and have rarely had to deal with highwaymen sent specifically to ambush us. In more than nineteen centuries that has happened-what?-three times? The Baghdad road was the worst."

"Not that we haven't been ambushed in the ordinary way occasionally," said Rogier.

"Alas," Ragoczy agreed wryly.

The two were silent, then Rogier said, "I take it you are planning to go out tonight."

"For an hour or two, perhaps," said Ragoczy. "To walk the northwest end of the grounds, and to observe the road. I may go as far as the horse-pasture. I would rather we not lose any more sheep."