Читать книгу The Ice People 07 - Nemesis - Margit Sandemo - Страница 6

Chapter 1

When King Christian passed away, his children faced difficult times. That is, his children from his morganatic marriage to Kirsten Munk did, since they couldn’t inherit the privileges of royalty.

The King had, however, tried to provide for his daughters by marrying them off to the men he had relied on, the bigwigs of the realm. He had promised that his eldest daughter, Anna Christiane, would marry Frans Rantzau, whom he had promoted to Lord Chamberlain. They were never married because both passed away at a very young age.

The second daughter, the unpleasant Sofie Elisabeth, was to marry Christian von Pentz – governor and prefect. He also served as what could be called Denmark’s foreign minister – had such a title existed at the time.

Leonora Christina was given away to the most prestigious and ambitious of them all, Corfitz Ulfeldt, who was by now Lord Chamberlain and the highest civil servant in the realm, so Leonora Christina became the first lady of the realm.

Elisabeth Augusta was given away to Hans Lindenov, who, as time went by, turned out to be a mere nonentity.

Christiane was luckier. She was given away to Hannibal Sehested, who became a successful governor in Norway.

And Hedvig was given away to Ebbe Ulfeldt, vassal of the island of Bornholm.

All the sisters considered themselves amongst the finest in Denmark. But then their half-brother, Frederik III, acceded to the throne with Queen Sophie Amalie – and Frederik implemented a thorough purge. The first one to go was Christian von Pentz. He had fallen out with Frederik when the latter was a young prince, and when he became king, he sacked von Pentz and banned him from showing up at Court.

Then it was Ebbe Ulfeldt’s turn. They investigated how he had administered his task as a vassal. It turned out that he bullied the peasants severely, so he was dismissed.

On top of all these insults, none of Kirsten Munk’s daughters were allowed to call themselves Duchess anymore. They were also denied the right to drive into the castle courtyard in a carriage, because this was a privilege which was only granted to the first ladies of the realm.

The daughters fumed and so did Kirsten Munk. Leonora Christina probably suffered the biggest offence. First of all, she was married to Corfitz Ulfeldt, who was still struggling secretly with the new king as to who was the de facto ruler of the realm. Secondly, there was a ruthless dispute between Leonora Christina and the young Queen Sophie Amalie of Brunswick as to who was the first lady of the realm. That bitter struggle lasted right up until their death.

There was much change during the new King’s reign. The Council of State wanted Hannibal Sehested removed as governor of Norway. He had amassed a great wealth – one-sixteenth of all Norwegian goods – and when he was exposed for fraud, the King had no choice but to strip him of his title.

This put an end to Hannibal Sehested’s career, for the time being.

But Corfitz Ulfeldt was the one who was truly a thorn in the flesh of King Frederik.

One day in January 1649, Corfitz’s wife Leonora Christina, daughter of the late Christian IV, called on Cecilie Paladin. Leonora was pretty irritable. She was unable to sit down peacefully but was restless all the time.

“That German woman!” Leonora snapped, referring to Queen Sophie Amalie. “She does everything she can to humiliate me. But my husband has something up his sleeve. He’s leaving for the Netherlands, and his plans will show the whole of Denmark, including the new King and Queen, who has their head screwed on right. Then we’ll see who’s best suited to make decisions here!”

“I see. So the Council of State has decided that he’s to leave?”

“The Council of State? A Lord Chamberlain of Corfitz’s caliber does not need to seek the advice of anybody. Of course, I’ll accompany him, and he’ll have a magnificent entourage. This is why I’ve come here today, Margravine Paladin. You’ve always been kind and loyal towards me. My husband needs a personal man to serve him at Court. There are so few you can trust these days what with that German woman scheming all the time. So we immediately thought of your son, Tancred. He is well brought up and familiar with aspects of Court protocol and is extremely presentable ...”

Thoughts buzzed in Cecilie’s head. She did not want her son to be caught in the conflict between the King and the Lord Chamberlain – or the one between their wives. But then, on the other hand, she had taken care of Leonora Christina since she was born ...

Cecilie was completely neutral in the struggle between Leonora Christina and the Queen. Leonora Christina was beautiful, charming and worldly, whereas the Queen had her youth, grace and exalted position. Members of the house of Brunswick-Lüneburg were said to be intelligent, energetic and passionate – and Sophie Amalie was no exception. Yet she could also be spiteful – and Leonora Christina could also be sharp-tongued when she wanted to be. The envy and jealousy between the two women had already escalated considerably.

If it had merely been a matter of dealing with Leonora Christina, Cecilie probably would not have had so many misgivings about sending Tancred off to the Netherlands. But he was to be the servant of Corfitz Ulfeldt – and Cecilie couldn’t stand the man. He was definitely presentable and the people’s favourite – for the time being – but he was also arrogant and terribly self-centred. Besides, he was unreliable. He would take the law into his own hands when it suited him, which could put Tancred in conflict with the Royal Family. She knew that Alexander would never allow that.

If only Alexander had been here! But he was somewhere on the estate or someplace.

Before she had had time to think it over thoroughly, she gave a quick reply and maybe somewhat rashly said:

“Oh, Your Highness,” (Leonora Christina loved being addressed as such) “this is awful. Of course we would have accepted the honour, but Tancred has other plans. Right now, he’s on his way to help my sister-in-law in Jutland. She lives on her own and has broken her leg. She’s helpless and needs Tancred’s help for a few months. She can’t cope with the estate on her own and has no other relatives she can ask for help. I’m sorry, but we can’t go back on our promise.”

Leonora Christina looked slightly sour and said briefly that she was sorry that Tancred could not join them.

Cecilie for her part hoped that the King’s daughter would not meet Alexander or Tancred as she left.

Tancred was extremely disappointed when he and his dad returned shortly afterwards.

“But Mum! You’re denying me a trip to the Netherlands and to see a bit of the world – and on such a prestigious mission!”

Cecilie looked at her young son. He was very handsome. Twenty-one years with his shining dark hair in a pageboy haircut around his noble face. The women at Court were rather taken with him, which was why Cecilie wanted to send him away for a while. She didn’t want her son getting spoiled by adventurous ladies at Court. But so far he seemed pretty ignorant about his charm. He was focussed on his dream of being like his dad and having a career as an officer.

“And now I’ve got to go to Aunt Ursula,” complained Tancred. “She’s so strict. She always bosses me around and treats me like a twelve-year old.”

“Your Mum acted quite rightly,” said Alexander curtly. “Ulfeldt is travelling without the approval of the Council of State. It would be very dangerous to get involved in the struggle of prestige between him and the King. Anyway, you don’t have to stay in Jutland for very long. Shall we say two months?”

“That’s two months out of my prime, isn’t it?”

“I suppose so,” smiled Alexander. “You’ll have the chance for other experiences later on.”

Tancred wanted to say that he would be old by then. Only he did not know how far he could go before his Dad would get angry. So he said nothing and accepted his bitter fate.

“Has Aunt Ursula really broken her leg?”

“Not as far as I know,” said Cecilie lightly. “But I had to think of something, didn’t I?”

“Then I suppose I’d better trip her up,” said Tancred. “In case Ulfeldt has sent spies out.”

“That’s hardly likely,” said Alexander. “Don’t overestimate your importance.”

“It can’t be overestimated,” smiled Tancred.

Tancred was down with a bad case of the flu, so he did not leave for Jutland until early March. The large entourage for the Netherlands had already left by then, which meant that he could relax a bit. But in order to be on the safe side, Tancred still had to go to Jutland – in case anybody asked. He was so happy when he was promised that he could make do with a fortnight’s stay instead of the two months, which was the original plan.

Ursula was very surprised to have her presentable nephew visit her.

“Oh, Tancred! How wonderful! You’ve arrived at the exact time of our annual get-together with the neighbours. Thank God you’re so tall because that means you can fasten these paper chains to the ceiling. But be careful with the chandeliers. They’re a bit loose here and there. Here’s a ladder.”

Taken somewhat unawares, Tancred began to put up the paper chains and the servant girls giggled with delight. They continued their job with much more glee.

“What a pity,” shouted the aunt from down below. “I’m off to Ribe to attend to my blessed late husband’s business affairs. It turns out that the man I’d asked to attend to the matter has cheated me exceedingly.”

Tancred did not doubt for a moment that her husband was blessed – after having escaped her everlasting grumbling.

“Yes, what a pity,” he said, trying to sound upset. “That you’re compelled to leave. I hope you haven’t lost too much from it all?”

“Not too much. There’s still a sufficient amount for you to inherit,” she said dryly. It was only a joke because she knew of Tancred’s half-hearted interest in wealth. It was the kind of indifference shown by those who do not know what it is like to be poor. “But I’m thinking of you, my dear boy, who’s travelled all this way to see me in vain.”

“Not at all, Aunt Ursula. I’ve just had a bad case of the flu and have been sent here to recover. I can take care of myself and mind my own business here. I don’t get the chance to do that at home because there’s always somebody who bosses me around.”

“Now, then. Have you thought of finding a girlfriend fairly soon?” said the aunt without noticing the sting in his words.

“No. Lots of people are thinking on my behalf, so I don’t need to. Here’s a confounding little paper chain that won’t ...”

“Tancred!”shouted the aunt in falsetto. “Don’t you swear in my house!”

He looked down at her in surprise and nearly lost his balance.

“Did I swear?”

“Yes, you did! You said ...” and in a whispering voice Ursula spelled the terrible word “c-o-n-f-o-u-n-d-i-n-g.

“Is that a swearword? It’s just a confounding good word of expression ... Oh, forgive me, I said it again! I’ll try to restrain myself so that I don’t besmirch this fine house with such foul language. When will you return from your journey to Ribe?”

“I’ve no idea. It may take a while. But I’ll hurry so that I’m back before you leave for home.”

“That won’t be necessary. You just take the time you need. Such matters should be taken seriously.”

“But I’ve just replaced my domestic staff – the previous ones were getting on in years. I don’t know whether they can wait on you properly.”

“Don’t worry,” said Tancred, giving the servant girls a pleasant smile. They giggled in delight.

Ursula didn’t notice anything. “And how are your dear parents, Tancred? I’m sure they asked you to send greetings to me.”

“Of course they did, I always seem to forget that. Anyway, thank you for asking. Dad is growing grapes at the moment but without much success, and Mum is working hard on not beating Dad at least once a week. In chess, I mean. Mum is such an eternally young woman in spite of her 47 years now. Dad’s 54, isn’t he?”

“Yes, you’re right. He’s my younger brother, I always took care of him.”

She began daydreaming.

“They’re so happy,” said Tancred. “I hope I’ll be just as happily married one day.”

“Yes,” said Ursula absentmindedly. “Your mum is a remarkable woman. She’s done more for Alexander than we can imagine.”

“Mum?” he said in surprise and nearly fell off the ladder once more. “I thought it was Dad who had raised her status when he married her? She was only half-nobility.”

Ursula sighed. “Well, you don’t know the full story... Now hurry, my boy. You’ve tied two paper chains together without fastening them to the lamp. How are they to hang across the room like that?”

“You’re quite right,” laughed Tancred. “Maybe some of the gracious widows will feel an urge to skip rope?”

After breakfast, Tancred took a break and rode out on one of the horses to see the surrounding area.

He had always liked the countryside around Aunt Ursula’s estate. The beech trees were still without leaves but small buds showed that spring was on its way. As Tancred rode into the big forest behind the estate, he heard the happy spring warbling of the great titmouse and the blue anemones bent under the horse’s hooves.

Spring is certainly starting earlier here than at Grandma’s place in Norway, he thought. His twin sister, Gabriella, had settled there, something which would require a strong love, he thought to himself. Norway was wonderful, but he preferred the milder Danish climate.

He rode through the forest along twisted paths with deciduous and hardwood trees. He was happy with life but at the same time had the restlessness of youth in him. Maybe he would not have the chance to experience something before it was too late. And too late would be around 30 years of age. You were ancient by then.

He stopped all of a sudden.

A fleeting brown shadow had quickly hidden itself underneath the bushes.

An animal? A deer or what?

Tancred spurred the horse and took up the weaponless hunt. He was curious, eager to experience something new no matter what it was. He had no intention of hurting the animal.

Where had it disappeared to? It could not be far away. He stopped the horse and listened.

Not a sound. The animal was probably lying flat to the ground.

Tancred stared into a mass of grey fir trees, bushes and roots ...

There. He caught a glimpse of the brown thing again. It had a somewhat reddish glow.

He dismounted the horse and tiptoed closer.

A bit stupid, he thought with a laugh. He and the horse were an excellent eye-catcher. He was dressed in a purple jacket and jodhpurs. The sleeves were slit so that golden-coloured silk peeped through, and the lace collar covered the shoulders. He wore tall, soft animal skin boots. Of course, the horse could be seen and heard by everybody.

When he was only a few metres from the brown object, the “animal” jumped up suddenly and dashed off.

It was a girl dressed in a brown coat with a hood.

Tancred hesitated for a moment then followed her. She ran lightly in front of him – leading him further into the forest. But her skirts got caught in the shrubs and Tancred was quicker. He threw himself at her and grabbed her.

“No, no.” she moaned. “Please let me go!”

She was dirty and her hair was unkempt. It was full of pine needles and small branches and her clothes were in tatters. But she had a pretty face. Her blue eyes stared at him, shocked.

“Who are you, sir?” she said in surprise. “Are you one of them?”

He was still holding her down.

“I’m Tancred Paladin, and I’m visiting Countess Ursula Horn at her mansion. I don’t think I’m one of ‘them’.” He did not mention to her that he was of noble birth because she seemed so simple ...

As Tancred spoke to her, the girl began to shout. She managed to break loose – mostly because Tancred didn’t want to hold her too hard. She ran off, lifting her skirts high to move faster.

But now Tancred had become curious. He wanted to know more about this fleeing little creature.

The forest was thicker than he had imagined, and he had a vague idea that it might be difficult for him to find the horse again. But he did not give up.

She probably thinks that I’m a rapist, he thought with embarrassment.

At last the girl was exhausted. She collapsed in the dead leaves with a slight moan.

Tancred tried to lift her up but she could hardly stand on her legs.

“Don’t be afraid of me,” he said gently. “I don’t want to hurt you. Who are you and why are you hiding?”

She tried to collect herself. “Molly,” she gasped. “Molly, sir. I’m just an ordinary servant girl.”

“And who are ‘they’?”

Her glance looked somewhat upset. “Nobody, sir. Just the kind of men who ... Well, you know what they do to girls.”

Tancred smiled. “Well, I’m not like that. May I take you home?”

“I don’t have a home, sir.”

“But you just said that you’re a servant girl.”

The girl was very pretty. Tancred had never seen anything like it.

“Not any longer. I was fired.”

“Where do you want to go now then?”

“I’ve thought of looking for a job in the neighbouring parish, sir.”

Tancred took a coin out of his pocket. “Look. Take this – then you don’t have to go hungry.”

The expression on her face surprised him. Her eyes sparkled and her nostrils flared for a brief moment.

Then she accepted the coin and curtseyed.

“Thank you, sir. You’re much too kind.”

He did not want to let her go. “Molly ... if ever you run into difficulties, you can call on me. I’m living in the Countess’s home, but only for a few weeks. After that I’ll be going back to Zealand, and then we won’t be able to see each other any more. I’m staying in the corner room facing the church. Promise you’ll call on me if you need anything?”

She nodded. “I promise.”

“May I ... meet you again?”A frightened expression crossed her face. “I’d rather not, sir. But thank you for your kindness. And ...”

She hesitated. “Don’t say anything to anybody about having met me.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” he said somewhat surprised.

She left and hurried away through the forest.

Tancred found his horse much quicker than he had imagined and rode back to his aunt’s fine mansion, deep in his own thoughts.

For the rest of the day he was very absentminded.

He could not get the modest Molly out of his thoughts.

‘It’s as if I am transformed,’ he thought. ‘Our family has a tendency to fall for people who are beneath our station. My dad did so. So did my sister – and my granddad, Dag Meiden.

Well, I suppose I’ll never see that girl again.

But she was pretty ... and her eyes were gentle!

It was so good to embrace her ...’

“Tancred!” Aunt Ursula’s sharp voice cut through the beautiful reverie. “The guests will be arriving shortly, and you haven’t changed yet.”

He hurried and changed into his finest clothes: A magnificent suit in moss green velvet, edged with gold lace and a white silk shirt with lace on the collar and broad cuffs. When he was ready, and looked in the mirror, he had to admit that he looked handsome. After a grimace at his self-admiration, he went down to welcome the guests together with his aunt.

What Ursula Horn meant by her “neighbours” were not the smallholders on the estate. No, the only ones allowed to mix with her were those who lived at the biggest and finest mansions in the area. That was why there weren’t so many guests. But those who did turn up were very fine. Only the great nobles, of course. Who else? Counts, barons and descendants of the Council of State. Most importantly, the family would have to be noble going back at least 300 hundred years.

Like most other elderly ladies, Ursula liked to try and marry off the younger family members. She had been most fervently against Gabriella’s marriage to “that Kaleb.”

“That is only because you’ve never met him,” Alexander had said calmly.

“He’s not of noble stock,” fumed Ursula. “May God prevent me from ever meeting him.”

“I doubt that will happen,” answered Alexander.

She had now made plans regarding Tancred. One of the guests was the young daughter of a Count, originally from Holstein, like so many Jutland noble families. She arrived with her parents, and Ursula introduced the two young people to each other with a beaming smile.

The girl was called Stella and was quite pleasant to look at. A clean, shining face and straight blond hair. Her eyebrows expressed a constant sense of surprise. Her parents were Holzenstern, which almost made Tancred laugh. Stella Holzenstern, which means Star Wooden Star. They probably had not thought of that when they baptised her. Her parents smiled at Tancred and seemed to like the idea of having him as their son-in-law. Well, this was because Ursula understood how to hint at it – in very hidden terms.

Tancred gritted his teeth as he had an awkward conversation with the family. But then a young man of his own age rescued him. They had already been introduced to each other. As Ursula had said: “Tancred, this is Dieter, who I thought of marrying off to your sister had she not chosen a miner.”

“Oh, there you are, Tancred,” said the young, blond Dieter. “I’ve been looking for you. Excuse me, but can I speak to him for a while? I need to know something about the training to become an officer. My parents are threatening to send me to the military.”

“And you don’t want that?” laughed Count Holzenstern.

“I don’t want to leave Jutland,” smiled Dieter. “Not at this beautiful time of year.”

Tancred was grateful for the interruption.

Dieter put his arms confidentially around Tancred’s shoulders and led him to another room.

“When I said this beautiful time of year, I meant that I’ve found a friend here,” he smiled openly. “But nobody’s supposed to know that.”

“Are the Holzensterns your relatives?”

“Only neighbours. They live in Askinge and are trying to link me with Stella. Only I’ve got other interests. If only they knew ...”

He laughed secretly to himself.

“But now to the career of officer: is it anything worth concentrating on?”

“I don’t know,” said Tancred hesitatingly. “It’s a tradition in my Dad’s family so I wasn’t left with any choice. But I probably have some of my mum’s wild blood in me because I just don’t like the thought of being bossed around.”

“Neither do I. Wild blood, did you say? That sounds exciting!”

“Yes, she descends from the Ice People of Norway. And they’re capable of a bit of everything – although I probably belong to the quieter ones. No, I think you ought to give it a try ...”

They had an animated discussion on the pros and cons of the life of an officer.

Of course, Ursula had arranged it so that Tancred sat next to Stella at the table. Tancred tried to entertain his neighbour at dinner but either she was shy or else she was stupid and rigid because his small jokes were lost on her. The conversation close to him was not very witty either. He began to feel bored.

Ursula called to Countess Holzenstern across the table: “What a pity that your sister, the Duchess, had to return so early. I had been looking forward to seeing her.”

‘Confounded snob,’ thought Tancred, ‘making up titles like that!’ He took after his relatives among the Ice People more than he realised himself.

“She only stayed for one week,” the Countess called back across the buzz of the other voices.

A tipsy major barked at Tancred: “You’re a Paladin, aren’t you, young man?”

“Yes,” admitted Tancred.

“That’s something to be proud of,” said the elderly man, slapping him on the shoulder behind Stella’s back. “The first Paladin fought on Frederik Barbarossa’s side at Jerusalem.”

Wrong, thought Tancred. It was with Frederik II during the fifth crusade. But he did not have the energy to argue in the middle of all that noise.

When they finally left the table he sauntered dejectedly through the parlours with a fake smile. A couple of old hags were gossiping in a sofa.

“Of course, it’s young Jessica once more,” said one of them. “I heard that she’d run away.”

“Yes, and it’s the third time she’s done so,” said the other old hag. “They’re doing everything for that girl and this is her way of thanking them. It’s so embarrassing for them. We all know how people like to talk.”

‘And that comes from you,’ thought Tancred.

The first gossiper said: “It’s the impossible Molly who’s leading her astray. That servant has a lot to account for. Only God the Almighty knows what those sluts are up to when they’re on their own!”

Tancred’s heart missed a beat when he heard what she said. He pretended to stop to fasten his shoe. He was just about to say something about Molly but he did not want these old hags to have more to gossip about. Besides, he remembered her request that he keep quiet and not say anything.

But where was young Jessica, her mistress? Probably deeper into the forest.

This was when Tancred lost all interest in the party. He waited impatiently for the guests to leave, but they were taking their time. However, in a moment’s peace and quiet, Tancred managed to talk to his aunt one-to-one in the butler’s pantry.

“Who’s Jessica, Aunt Ursula?”

The aunt’s thoughts moved away from the noise of the party to his question.

“Jessica? Who’s Jessica? Oh, now I remember. That hopeless girl! She’s not at all your cup of tea.”

“I don’t think so either. But why has she run away?”

“Love of adventure. They took her into their home when they took over the estate a few years ago. Jessica’s parents owned it and when they came down with smallpox they left the estate to them, provided they would take care of Jessica Cross until she came of age and could manage it herself. But the girl is quite unruly because Molly incites her. Molly worked there while Jessica’s parents were alive and she fills her ears with the wildest stories. However, there are bad genes in Jessica’s family,” said the aunt with a lowered voice. “I could tell you a thing or two ...”

There was too much “they” and “them,” thought Tancred. He could not make head or tail of Aunt Ursula’s confused talk.

“Where does Jessica live?”

“Tancred, do you have to ask about so much when my mind is occupied with more important matters? Have you seen the sauce spoon? The cook has been unable to find it after the dinner. By the way: What do you think of Stella?”

Wax doll, he thought. On a more cautious note, he said: “I don’t think she has a good sense of humour. She didn’t catch my subtle jokes but was in stitches at the poor waiter, who tripped on the Baroness’s train.”

“I agree, he was clumsy,” mumbled Ursula, who had just as much sense of humour as a doornail. “Sorry, I really don’t have the time for this. Why are you so interested in Jessica Cross?”

‘Because she can take me to Molly,’ thought Tancred.

“No particular reason,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders. “She sounds strange, I thought. And I just wanted to know whether she’s one of Stella’s friends. I hope not.”

Aunt Ursula smiled immediately, misunderstanding him completely. “That was sweet of you. Now go in to Stella ...”

“No, Aunt Ursula, I have a splitting headache so it would be best if I could retire now. I haven’t had a rest since I arrived this morning.”

“Oh, how thoughtless of me. Of course. You just go to bed. Then we’ll soon pay a visit to Askinge, won’t we?”

“Certainly,” lied Tancred.