Читать книгу The Ice People 12 - Yearning - Margit Sandemo - Страница 7

Chapter 2

“You’re here?” Villemo asked breathlessly.

“Yes. I wanted to get some fresh air. It often helps.”

“That’s also what I thought. Maybe I’d better go downstairs again?”

“No, wait. Surely we can talk like two civilised people without ...”

“Without touching one another you mean?”

“Yes, that was exactly what I was thinking.”

She gazed at his long, beautiful hands that touched the parapet in a wonderfully sensuous way. Then again, this was how Dominic had always been; he was sensuous by nature, but it wasn’t something you noticed immediately because he was so masculine. Villemo had been both attracted and repulsed by his strong sensuality, fighting aggressively against it by throwing childish tantrums. His erotic charm made it far too difficult to be natural. She was trembling.

“I’ve just talked to Niklas,” Dominic said slowly. “He’s worried about Irmelin. She’s prepared to give up everything.”

”What do you mean? Give up?”

Dominic looked up and gazed at her with his golden eyes through thick, black eyelashes. “Commit suicide.”

Villemo gave a start. “That would be a tragedy, but I can well understand her.”

“Have you also considered doing that?”

“Yes, many times. Only I think it’s a shame to deprive the world of such a remarkable person as me.”

He smiled and she noticed that he was looking hollow-eyed. She realised that things hadn’t been so easy for him either.

“What about yourself?” she blurted. She was so agitated that she couldn’t breathe.

Dominic watched a little bird in its flight down towards the garden. “Of course, the thought has crossed my mind. However, I share your thoughts. You need to think of the people that are closest to you. Besides, you and I and Niklas have something strange that binds us to this life, which Irmelin doesn’t. That is why she’s in a much weaker position. We must take good care of her.”

“Yes. I’ll talk to her.”

The wind blew her hair in her face, and she pushed it back. Dominic stood apart from her and watched her every movement.

“Have you ... found somebody else?” he said in a low voice.

“No. My parents are beginning, bit by bit, to drop hints about some suitable young man or other. They’re so sweet and discreet and only want the best for us, but they’re powerless.”

“Just as powerless as you and I.”

“Have you found somebody?”

It hurt to ask. The mere thought of him together with another woman. But she needed to know. She clenched her hands in anxiety.

“No, how would I be able to? Once Villemo has left an indelible impression on you, you have eyes for nobody else.”

“That was beautifully spoken,” she answered in a sad voice.

“Not that Mum doesn’t fight. Sometimes she’s so furious that she bangs her fist on the table. But what can she do? It’s also a pity for them.”

“Of course. Once, when my parents voiced a proposal, I said that I haven’t the heart to marry another man when Dominic is the only one for whom I yearn.”

He was silent as he glanced over the plains of Zealand.

“What are we to do, Villemo?” he whispered, racked with pain.

She sighed. “What will happen if we give in to the pressure from our parents and marry somebody else?” she asked provokingly.

“No!” he exclaimed so passionately that she started. He turned towards her, moving closer with a burning look in his eyes.

Villemo stepped back. “Dominic, don’t come too close. I won’t be able to resist you any longer and then things are bound to go terribly wrong!”

He changed his mind, turning once more toward the parapet.

“I won’t allow it, Villemo. You simply won’t be allowed to marry someone else. I know that it’s selfish to think along those lines, but I simply can’t bear the thought. Jealousy isn’t a noble feeling, but it’s closely tied to love!”

“I’d feel the same if you married somebody else. I just couldn’t accept it.”

“Me, too. I’ve never been allowed to touch you, Villemo, and it hurts me.”

She didn’t know what to say. She felt just like he did. She shook uncontrollably all over.

“I’d give a lot just to be able to do that,” he said quietly. “When I think of all the things we said to each other in the barn back then. All that we’ve written in our letters, then I know that it’s impossible. Because I wouldn’t be able to stop in time. Your body has changed too – which doesn’t make it any easier for me.”

“Please don’t say things like that to me. Dominic ... do we really have to stay away from each other? I don’t think it would be so awful to have a child that is struck, because I’d love it nevertheless. After all, it would be yours, wouldn’t it.”

He became extremely agitated. “I wouldn’t find it difficult to be a good Dad to such a child. But I can’t bear the thought of losing you, Villemo, of being the cause of your death. Our child would invariably be marked, deformed, evil and dangerous, and it would take the life of its mother at birth.”

“I’m willing to run the risk in return for being allowed to live with you for a while, even for a short while, Dominic.”

“Yes, but I don’t want that at all because I’d be the one who’d have to live on with the sorrow and the loss – and with the child who would then be my responsibility. Uncle Tarald was unable to cope, surely you know that. He never accepted Kolgrim. What’s more, he didn’t even love Sunniva, Kolgrim’s mother. How do you think it would turn out for me, who loves you so much that I’m prepared to give you up entirely if that means saving your life?”

She was touched. “But not for another woman?” she smiled with tears in her eyes.

“Not for another woman,” he smiled back. “Villemo, I-”

Somebody was shouting from the courtyard down below.

“Dominic? Villemo?”

“It’s Mum,” he whispered, even though it was impossible to hear them down below. “She’s worried. You must go down, but hurry up!”

He leaned over the parapet. “I’m here, Mum, but I haven’t seen Villemo.”

Anette looked up. Her relief showed in her face. Villemo was already on her way down the stairs.

It wasn’t that they hadn’t been warned, but all the Ice People could think of was the joy of having gathered the entire clan. So they were taken by complete surprise when war broke out.

The Danish fleet had returned triumphantly from Öland and went ashore by Ystad together with the Dutch. The town fell quickly.

Sweden’s King Carl, who stood at Malmö with his army, anticipating an attack from the Danish on the other side, was prepared to cross the strait and conquer Zealand just as his father, Carl X Gustav, had done so successfully. But he was taken by complete surprise. He sent vast numbers of troops towards Ystad to stop the Danes, without knowing that the Danish army was already preparing to sail across the Sound and disembark at Helsingborg.

Gabrielshus was practically in a state of panic. Messengers arrived to tell Tancred and Tristan that they were to ride immediately to Dyrehaven, the deer park on the northern outskirts of Copenhagen, in order to join the army there. Dominic’s situation suddenly became catastrophic. A Swedish courier in hostile territory! Anette was hysterical and couldn’t see how she and Mikael, would be able to return to Stockholm right across the battle field ... And what about her poor little boy?

Cecilie cheered up noticeably. It had been a long time since something exciting had happened. The others couldn’t help thinking that she didn’t fully understand how serious the situation was – that her son and grandson were now going to war and against Tarjei’s grandson at that!

The Norwegian branch of the clan were the ones who took things calmly. Their ship would depart from Copenhagen in a week’s time, but they couldn’t wait that long. A freight route would be leaving the following morning so they decided to take that instead. So there was a general exodus in such haste that they were spared from having to say long goodbyes.

Hilde was sensible enough to ask Anette and Mikael to travel with them to Norway. She believed that it would be easier for them to return to Sweden from there and they, in turn, were relieved to accept her offer.

At long last, Irmelin would be be going home to Graastensholm. Hilde couldn’t do without her any longer. Neither Irmelin nor Niklas were yet mature enough to live under the same roof, so both were asked to solemnly pledge not to fraternise with one another. Although everybody understood their pain, their parents didn’t want to run the risk so Irmelin would definitely be going home!

The last thing the Norwegian branch of the family saw at Gabrielshus was a pitiful picture of two women: Cecilie, old and bent waving bravely for as long as she could see them, and Jessica standing next to her, tall and lonely. The party was over, now the guests were leaving and Jessica’s daughter had left home forever. And her husband and son had gone to war.

The one who made the greatest fuss at departure, was, of course, Villemo. She who had behaved so virtuously the whole time!

“I didn’t have the chance to say goodbye to him,” she said with a wild look in her eyes as she sat in the carriage. “He rode off before I woke up. I didn’t get to talk to him and I had so much I wanted to tell him!”

“You must calm down now, Villemo!” Gabriella said. “Dominic did this for the sake of both of you. He didn’t have the strength to say goodbye to you.”

‘I never got to feel his arms around me,’ she thought desperately. ‘I had waited for the moment of departure when I’d be allowed to be in his arms for a short moment. It was the only thing I was looking forward to. And I was deprived of it.’

“Why didn’t he journey via Norway like the others?” she asked aggressively.

“Because Sweden is at war now,” Gabriella replied patiently, as if she was talking to a child. “His job as a courier is very important and the Swedish King stands with his army right on the other side of the Sound. He has no reason to be in Norway.”

“How will he manage to get across to Sweden?”

“I’m sure it will still be possible in the normal way. Otherwise he’ll pay a fishing boat to get as close to the Swedish coast as possible and then he’ll swim the rest of the way.”

“Oh, he can’t. That would be impossible,” she moaned. “He might drown.”

“Dominic is in good shape,” Kaleb said. “A courier needs to be. Don’t be too concerned about him, he’ll manage.”

“This is absolutely crazy,” she said.

“What is?”

“The war. The Nordic countries should be friends. Just imagine splitting an entire clan like this.”

Her parents sent each other a telling glance. Villemo was always able to add a subjective perspective to things.

“I agree. It seems totally unnecessary,” said Kaleb. “It’s all about honour and respect.”

Villemo was on tenterhooks all the way to Copenhagen. A yearning and a hunger pushed her to try to persuade the horses to hurry. She tried using her own talent for psychic communication – if she even had that ability, of course. Maybe Dominic had not left yet? Maybe he was waiting at the quay – so that they could say goodbye to each other?

‘Oh, please hurry, hurry ...’

Copenhagen was like a beehive. People rushing to and fro, carrying heavy trunks or piling tall loads onto their carts, all this in order to take their most precious possessions to safety if the Swedes happened to arrive. They still had a vivid recollection of Carl X Gustav.

The soldiers, however, were calm. They knew that Denmark was on the offensive. The army was ready to go onboard and sail to Helsingborg.

There was hectic activity in the harbour. It took some time before the family reached the vessel, which was to sail them to Norway, and then began the negotiations with the skipper. They weren’t the only Norwegians who wanted to return and crossing the Kattegat in these troubled times could be risky. Besides, the waters off Bohuslän had long been known for its privateers. And such people had always been able to profit from wars when scared rich men tried to bring their fortunes in safety to another country. At such times, boarding a ship could be very lucrative.

“I’m worried about old Brand,” Gabriella said as they were waiting on the quay. “This is a big strain on him.”

“Brand will take it all in his stride,” Kaleb said. “He’s as tough as a mountain fir tree. I’m more concerned about Anette. She’s not used to travelling under such primitive conditions. The rest of us – Mikael and Andreas, Eli, Niklas, Mattias, Hilde and the three of us – we can take quite a lot. The same goes for you, Gabriella, although you seem so slight and frail.”

Villemo wasn’t listening to what they said. She was agitated and had nobody to talk to, nobody that would share her concern for Dominic. With her heart beating in her chest, she sauntered casually down the quay. Maybe she would catch sight of him behind that pile of barrels?

“Please don’t go too far away Villemo,” Kaleb shouted. “We must be ready to go onboard the minute we’re asked to.”

“No, no. I won’t go far away.”

Then she reached the barrels. The harbour labourers shouted in a Copenhagen accent that was virtually impossible for her to understand. She circled the barrels and was on the look-out along the other side of the quay. Just as many people and just as many ships. But no Dominic. An attendant stood there with a large notepad in his hand. Now and then he would jot something down. Villemo walked over to him. She was out of sight of the family now. She had to be quick.

“Excuse me, my good man,” she said, lowering her eyes modestly.

The man turned round impatiently and caught sight of an absolutely charming young woman in a light-blue summer dress and with bobbing, auburn curls. And her eyes were unique! Fascinating! Had he seen them somewhere before?

He immediately became gentle and compliant and almost melted. He bowed politely, forgetting for a while the noise and bustle around them.

“Excuse me for troubling you but has a ship for Sweden departed today?”

The small eyes in his red-veined face could hardly look away from her ample bosom in her low-cut dress. Villemo had become quite buxom while at the same time keeping her trim waist. Besides, she was a fine lady.

“To Sweden? A ship left here this morning for Malmö with the last Swedes onboard.”

Villemo’s heart sank. But maybe he hadn’t reached Copenhagen by then?

“Oh. You didn’t by any chance notice whether my brother was with them? As you can hear, I’m Norwegian. We got separated as children and now we’ve established contact again only to be separated by this terrible war.”

“Your brother? Then I know where I’ve seen those golden, sparkling eyes before! I saw a man with such eyes before. But otherwise I wouldn’t say he resembles you, Miss.”

“No, he’s got dark hair.”

“Well, then it makes sense. Then it was him. Only I don’t think he’ll be going to Sweden.”

Villemo’s heart jumped. “Oh, is he still here? Where?”

The man bowed once more. “I’m sorry to have to tell you the bad news, but the guards took him.”

“Pardon me?”

“He’s a man in his prime and fit for fighting, so they asked for permission to see his papers. Well, I just saw it all from a distance so I wasn’t able to hear what was being said. But they asked him to follow them.”

“Where to?”

“Up to the Citadel, I believe. They walked in that direction. That’s where prominent prisoners of war are taken. And he appeared to be a V.I.P.”

The King’s courier ... Well, of course, they had taken him!

“Oh, my dear brother. But his heart is in Norway, you see, he poses no threat to Denmark’s security. I must see if I can settle this misunderstanding. Who can I speak to about this?”

This was the first time that Villemo had ever tried using her female charm to obtain something. She was quite shocked at herself, at how easy it was and the fact that she hadn’t had any scruples about it whatsoever.

The attendant scratched his head. His men, who were standing behind him, were beginning to get impatient. “It must be Colonel Crone. If he’s still in active service, he’s getting on in years.”

“Would he be at the Citadel?”

“Somewhere in the vicinity, yes.”

Villemo took out her wallet and placed some coins in the man’s hand. “Thank you for your assistance,” she said with her most charming smile. “Maybe I can still save my innocent brother. And that was the last ship to Sweden?”

He bent forward and whispered in her ear, “I believe another ship will be leaving – at midnight. But that’s a secret. And that will definitely be the last ship.”

She thanked him once more and hurried back, now more agitated than ever before. She had to clench her fists to prevent her hands from shaking.

She couldn’t say anything to the others. That wouldn’t do. Aunt Anette would be completely out of her mind. So Villemo would have to act on her own.

The others had begun to look for her.

“Mum,” Villemo said slowly. “I’ve thought such a lot about Grandma. Seeing her stand there – in a nation that is about to go to war - really hurt. She’s so old ... and maybe I’ll never get to see her again. And after all, Grandma asked me to stay. Won’t you please allow me, Mum? I’ve just spoken to some noblemen who will be going in the same direction with their wives. I can travel with them.”

“Back to Gabrielshus?” Gabriella exclaimed, both touched and concerned. “But, my dear child. What do you think, Kaleb?”

Her Dad bit his lip. “Couldn’t you have said something while we were still there? But she will be taken good care of there ... and her reasons for going back are good. What do you think? Should we?”

“I know that my mother would be delighted,” Gabriella said cautiously.

After they had exchanged a few words, Villemo was finally given permission. She heaved a long sigh of relief. She didn’t want her clothes, which were packed together with everyone else’s. She only took with her what was absolutely necessary – and she was shameless because she asked for money from her Dad.

“Yes, go back to Grandma. That’s awfully nice of you. But are you absolutely sure that the people you’ll be travelling with are decent?” Gabriella asked in a worried tone of voice.

“Yes. They’re waiting for me at Nørreport.”

Finally the ship was ready for departure. Villemo stood on the quay and waved till she couldn’t see them any longer. Then she let her arm drop.

She was alone in Copenhagen.

Not long after she was shown into Colonel Crone at the Citadel. He was an elderly man with an unhealthy colour to his face and eyes, like a cocker spaniel. He regarded her with a tired expression as she spoke of her errand.

“My dear Miss,” he drawled. “The man is the Swedish King’s courier. We can’t let him go.”

“I understand that,” Villemo replied quietly. “But won’t you make an exception this time? I’ll pay what you ask for – without implying that you can be bought. The crux of the matter is that I’m desperate, you see. I have to help him, and am willing to do whatever it takes to get him back.”

“At least you’re honest!”

He got up and walked over to the window. With his back to her, he said, “No, I can’t be blackmailed. But I understand that the young man’s well-being is paramount to you. Did you say he was your cousin?”

“Yes. He has a lot of Norwegian blood in his veins and is a decent man. Treason would be totally out of the question. So if you’ll let him go, the Swedish army won’t learn about it. Nor will he reveal anything about the Swedes to you.”

“A man of honour so to speak?”

“Absolutely.”

“And you’re willing to do anything to have him set free from captivity?”

“Most certainly, yes.”

He was silent for a while. Then he turned around and looked her up and down, which made her cheeks blush.

“Your cousin is free – on the condition that you’ll do me a favour.”

She gasped for breath. She could hardly believe it. “Whatever you wish!”

“Are you discreet?”

“You can trust me unconditionally.”

“Good.” He was silent once more.

“What will my task be?” she asked cautiously.

He found it difficult to get the words out. “I’m ... a lonely man and old as well. Female favour is no longer something I enjoy. Nevertheless, I need female company, if you see what I mean?”

“Not quite, I’m afraid.”

“I’m ... a connoisseur. I was an expert as far as female beauty is concerned, but now my frail health prevents me from courting beautiful women. You, Miss Elistrand, possess a rare beauty. Absolutely unique. Your cousin will be allowed to journey by boat at midnight if you will come to my house this evening and ... entertain me.”

Villemo’s cheeks turned red. She had expected espionage, treason or something along those lines – but not this. She hadn’t expected it to be so personal, so intimate.

She could hardly get the words out. “Sir, please. Sometime in the future, I intend to be untouched in the bridal bed.”

He waved his hand impatiently. “I’ll allow you that. I won’t touch you.”

“Then I’m not sure I’ve understood you?”

“I just told you that I’m unable to enjoy a woman’s favour. All I want is to be able to see you, and that you grant me some innocent favours.”

She was speechless. Horrified. All decency in her cried out for her to say no.

“In my younger days, women would flock around me,” he explained in a tired voice. “My pleasure, my appetite, was enormous. Now I’m old and ugly – and my body has been damaged by my frivolous life. No woman wants to have anything to do with me any more. But my yearning is as great as ever. Will you, Miss Elistrand, make me happy tonight?”

Villemo was just about to throw up. She stared at the colonel, her eyes wide from shock.

“I assure you that you won’t be harmed.”

‘What about my self-respect,’ she thought? ‘What about that? How am I to be able to look other people in the eye? And what do you mean by innocent favours?’

But then she thought of Dominic. It wasn’t difficult to imagine what would happen to him as a prisoner here. How long had Leonora Christina been held captive in the Blue Tower? Thirteen years. And Dominic? Was he to be held for just as long? Was his beautiful youth to be wasted, lost behind those walls in a foreign country?

She was the one who could save him from such a fate. Suddenly the price seemed low. She breathed deeply in order to get rid of the lump in her throat.

“It’s a deal,” she said awkwardly.