A pair of mud-caked boots was visible through a parlor door, flung askew on the hearth--a good sign, he thought; Stephan must be somewhat recovered, if he were riding--and a small heap of stones, scraps of paper, pencil stubs, detached buttons, grubby bread crusts, coins, and other detritus recognizable as the contents of a man's pockets was turned out on a silver salver which elsewhere might be intended for visiting cards.
Speaking of which...
"Has the Graf entertained many visitors since his unfortunate accident?" he inquired.
Wilhelm cast a rather hunted glance back over one shoulder and shook his head, but didn't elaborate.
Not such a good sign; Stephan was normally a most sociable gentleman.
The butler paused at the foot of the staircase, as though trying to make up his mind about something.
"You are tired from your journey, mein Herr? I could show you to your room," Wilhelm offered, making no move to do so.
"Not at all," Grey replied promptly, taking up the obvious cue. "Perhaps you would have the kindness to take me to the Graf? I would like to give him my respects at once."
"Oh, yes, sir!" Palpable relief spread over Wilhelm's countenance, causing Grey to wonder afresh what the devil von Namtzen had been doing.
He had not long to wonder. Wilhelm shut the dogs in the kitchen, then escorted him, almost at the trot, through the lodge and out a door at the rear, whereupon they plunged into the forest and made their way along a pleasant, shady trail. In the distance ahead, Grey could hear shouts--he recognized Stephan von Namtzen's voice, raised in displeasure--and a remarkable thunder of hooves and...wheels?
"Was ist--" he began, but Wilhelm shook his head decidedly, and beckoned him on.
Grey rounded the next curve of the path on Wilhelm's heels and found himself on the edge of an enormous clearing, floored with sand. And rushing directly toward him, screaming like an eagle and wild-eyed as his horses, was what appeared to be one of the ancient German gods of war, driving a chariot drawn by four galloping dark horses, scarlet-mouthed and foaming.
Grey flung himself to the side, taking the butler to the ground with him, and the chariot slewed past with barely an inch to spare, a flurry of monstrous hooves spraying them with sand and droplets of saliva.
"Jesus!"
The quadriga--yes, by God, it was; the four horses ran abreast, threatening at every moment to overturn the chariot that bounced like a pebble in their wake--galloped on, held in perilous check by the one-armed maniac who stood upright behind them, a terrified groom with a whip beside him, clinging with one hand to the chariot and with the other to the Graf von Namtzen.
Grey rose slowly to his feet, staring and wiping sand from his face. They weren't going to make the turn.
"Slow down!" he bellowed, but it was much too late, even had they heard him over the thunder of the equipage. The chariot's left wheel rose, touched sand, skipped free again, and to a chorus of shouts and screams, left the ground altogether as the horses scrambled, getting in each other's way as they slewed uncontrolled and leaning into the turn.
The chariot fell sideways, spilling out its contents in a jumble of flailing limbs, and the horses, reins trailing, galloped on a few more steps before stumbling to a shuddering halt, fragments of the shattered chariot strewn behind them.
"Jesus," Grey said again, finding no better remark. The two figures were struggling in the sand. The one-armed man lost his balance and fell; the groom tried to grasp his other arm, to help, and was cursed at for his trouble.
At Grey's side, Wilhelm crossed himself.
"We are so glad you have come, mein Herr," he said, voice trembling. "We didn't know what to do."
And you think I do? Grey thought later, in silent reply. The groom had been bundled off with a broken arm, a doctor sent for, and the horses--fortunately uninjured--seen to and stabled. The erstwhile charioteer had cavalierly dismissed a large swelling over one eye and a wrenched knee and greeted Grey with the utmost warmth, embracing him and kissing him upon both cheeks before limping off toward the house, calling for food and drink, his one arm draped about Grey's shoulders.
They sat now sprawled in chairs before the fire, awaiting dinner, surrounded by a prostrate pack of heavily breathing dogs, their patience sustained by a plate of savories and a decanter of excellent brandy. A spurious sense of peace prevailed, but Grey was not fooled.
"Have you quite lost your mind, Stephan?" he inquired politely.
Von Namtzen appeared to consider the question, inhaling the aroma of his brandy.
"No," he said mildly, exhaling. "Why do you ask?"
"For one thing, your servants are terrified. You might have killed that groom, you know. To say nothing of breaking your own neck."
Von Namtzen regarded Grey over his glass, mouth lifting a little.
"You, of course, have never fallen from a horse. And how is my dear friend Karolus?"
Grey made a sound of reluctant amusement.
"Bursting with health. And how is the Princess Louisa? Oh--I am sorry," he said, seeing von Namtzen's face change. "Be so kind as to forget I asked."
Stephan made a dismissive gesture, and reached for the decanter.
"She is also bursting," he said wryly. "With child."
"My dear fellow!" Grey was sincerely pleased, and would have wrung Stephan's hand in congratulation, had there been one to spare. As it was, he contented himself with raising his glass in salute. "To your good fortune, and the continued health of your family!"
Von Namtzen raised his own glass, looking mildly embarrassed, but pleased.
"She is the size of a tun of rum," he said modestly.
"Excellent," Grey said, hoping this was a suitable response, and refilled both their glasses.
That explained the absence of the princess and the children, then; Louisa would presumably want to remain with the ancient Dowager Princess von Lowenstein, her first husband's mother--though God knew why.
There was a bowl of flowers on the table. Chinese chrysanthemums, the color of rust, glowing in the setting sun. An odd thing to find in a hunting lodge, but von Namtzen loved flowers--or had used to. He pushed the bowl carelessly aside now, and a little water slopped on the table. Von Namtzen ignored it, reaching for a decanter on the tray. His left shoulder jerked, the missing hand reaching instinctively for his glass, and a spasm of irritation touched his face.
Grey leaned forward hastily and seized the glass, holding it for von Namtzen to pour. The smell of brandy rose sweet and stinging in his nose, a counterpoint to the clean, bitter scent of the flowers. He handed the glass to von Namtzen, and with a murmured "Salut," took a generous swallow of his own.
He eyed the level of brandy in the decanter, thinking that as things looked, they were likely to need it before the evening was out. Von Namtzen outwardly was still a large, bluntly handsome man; the injury had not diminished him, though his face was thinner and more lined. But Grey was aware that something had changed; von Namtzen's usual sense of imperturbable calm, his fastidiousness and formality had gone, leaving a rumpled stranger whose inner agitation showed clearly, a man cordial and snappish by turns.
"Don't fuss," von Namtzen said curtly to his butler, who had come in and was endeavoring to brush dirt from his clothes. "Go away, and take the dogs."
Wilhelm gave Grey a long-suffering look that said, You see?, then clicked his tongue, urging the dogs away to the kitchen again. One remained behind, though, sprawled indolently on the hearthrug. Wilhelm tried to make it follow him, as well, but von Namtzen waved him away.
"Gustav can stay."
Wilhelm rolled his eyes, and muttering something uncomplimentary in which the name "Gustav" featured, went out with the other dogs wagging at his heels.
Hearing his name, the dog lifted his head and yawned, exhibiting a delicately muscular, long pink tongue. The hound--Grey thought it was a hound, from the ears and muzzle--rolled to its feet and trotted over to von Namtzen, tail gently wagging.
"What on ear
th is that?" Grey laughed, charmed, and the strained atmosphere eased a little.
It was not, Grey supposed, more ridiculous than Doctor Rigby's pug--and at least this dog was not wearing a suit. It was impossible to regard the creature without smiling, though.
It was a hound of some sort, black and disproportionately long-bodied, with legs so stumpy that they appeared to have been amputated. With large, liquid eyes and a sturdy long tail in constant motion, it resembled nothing so much as an exceedingly amiable sausage.
"Where did you get him?" Grey asked, leaning down and offering his knuckles to the dog, who sniffed him with interest, the tail wagging faster.
"He is of my own breeding--the best I have obtained so far." Von Namtzen spoke with obvious pride, and Grey forbore to pass any remark regarding what the rest of the Graf's attempts must look like.
"He is...amazing robust, is he not?"
Von Namtzen beamed at his appreciation, irritability forgotten, and scooped the dog up awkwardly in his one arm, displaying the dog's expanse of hairless belly and a tremendous chest, deep-keeled and muscular.
"He is bred to dig, you see." Von Namtzen took one of the stubby front paws, broad and thick-nailed, and waggled it in illustration.
"I do see. To dig what? Worms?"
Von Namtzen and Gustav regarded each other fondly, ignoring this. Then the dog began to squirm, and von Namtzen set him gently on the floor.
"He is marvelous," the Graf said. "Completely fearless and extremely fierce in battle. But very gentle, as you see."
"Battle?" Grey bent to peer more closely at the dog, which promptly turned to him and, still wagging, gave a sudden massive heave which ended with the stumpy paws perched on his knees, the long muzzle sniffing interestedly at his face. He laughed and stroked the dog, only now noticing the healed scars that ran over the massive shoulders.
"What on earth has he been fighting? Cocks?"
"Dachse," von Namtzen said, with immense satisfaction. "Badgers. He is bred most particularly to hunt badgers."
Gustav had tired of perching on his hind legs; he collapsed onto the floor and rolled onto his back, presenting a vast pink belly to be scratched, still wagging his tail. Grey obliged, raising a brow; the hound seemed so amiable as to appear almost feeble-minded.
"Badgers, you say. Has he ever killed one?"
"More than a dozen. I will show you the skins tomorrow."
"Really?" Grey was impressed. He had met a few badgers, and knew of nothing--including human beings--willing to engage with one; the badger's reputation for ferocity was extremely well founded.
"Really." Von Namtzen poured a fresh glass, paused for no more than an instant to sniff the vapor of the brandy, then tossed it back in a manner unfitting the quality of the drink. He swallowed, coughed, and was obliged to set down the glass in order to thump himself on the chest. "He is bred to go to ground," he wheezed, eyes watering as he nodded at the dog. "He will go straight into a badger sett, and do battle with them there, in their own house."
"Must be the devil of a shock to the badgers."
That made Stephan laugh. For an instant, the tension left his face, and for the first time since his arrival, Grey caught a real glimpse of the friend he had known.
Heartened by this, he topped up Stephan's glass. He thought of suggesting a hand of cards after supper--he had found that cards usually soothed a troubled mind, provided one did not play for money--but on second thought, forbore. Stephan could doubtless manage to play well enough, but the actions involved were bound to emphasize his disability. As it was, Grey tried to avoid staring at the empty sleeve that fluttered limply whenever von Namtzen moved. The shoulder and the curve of the upper arm were still intact, he noted; the amputation seemed to have been done somewhere above the elbow.
Watching Stephan relax by degrees over their casual supper of eggs, Wurst, and toasted Brotchen, Grey found himself reluctant to bring up the true subject of his visit. Whether it were the loss of the arm, something to do with the Princess Louisa--for he noticed that von Namtzen barely mentioned her, though he spoke of his children with evident fondness--or something else, it was plain that Wilhelm had reason to be worried for his master.
Still, whatever was troubling Stephan, his own matter would have to be dealt with--and time was short. Was it better, Grey wondered, lighting a pipe for Stephan and handing it across, to wait 'til the morrow? Or would it be easier for both of them if he were to speak now, when the warmth of friendship renewed and the intimacy of oncoming night might cushion the harsh edges of the matter? That, and a fair amount of alcohol; they had shared a bottle of hock with supper, and the decanter now held a bare half inch.
He decided to wait just a bit longer, unsure whether this decision was the counsel of prudence or of cowardice. He poured the last of the excellent brandy, taking care to fill his own glass no more than halfway. Kept the conversation light, going from dogs and hunting to minor news from his cousin Olivia's last letter, and amusing stories from the field. He felt the rawness of his own emotions begin to numb, his thoughts of Percy recede to a tolerable distance, and decided that it had been prudence after all.
It was getting on for midsummer, and the sky stayed light far into the night. Through an increasing sense of muzziness, Grey heard the carriage clock strike ten. Wilhelm had come in a little while before to light the candles and refill the decanter, but he could still see von Namtzen's face by the fading light from the window.
The broad planes of it were calm now, though harsh lines that hadn't been there the year before cut deep from nose to mouth. The mouth itself had gone from its normal sweet firmness to a line whose grimness relaxed only when Grey succeeded in making him laugh. Grey had a sudden impulse to reach across, cup Stephan's beard-bristled cheek in his hand, and try to smooth those lines away with a thumb. He resisted the impulse, and let Stephan fill his glass again. Soon. He would have to speak soon--while he could still talk.
"The moon is nearly dark," Stephan remarked, nodding toward the window, where the faint sickle of the waning moon shone in a lavender sky above the wood. "The badgers come more often from their setts at the dark of the moon. We will take Gustav out tomorrow night, perhaps. You will stay some days, ja?"
Grey shook his head, preparing himself.
"Only a day or two, alas. I have actually come on an unpleasant errand, I fear."
Stephan's gray eyes were slightly unfocused by this time, but he lifted his head from a contemplation of his own newly filled glass and turned a face of curiosity and owlish sympathy on Grey.
"Oh, ja? Was denn?"
"Ober-Lieutenant Weber," Grey said, hoping that he sounded casual. "Michael Weber." The name felt strange, repellent on his tongue, and he fought back the unwelcome recollections that struck him when he heard or spoke Weber's name: the vision of Weber's muscular, pumping, pale backside, the rumpled fawn breeches on the floor--and the usual hot surge of anger that accompanied that vision. "I wished to speak with him--if you have no objection."
Von Namtzen frowned. Shook his head, swallowing, and grimaced as though the liquor hurt his throat.
"You do object?" Grey raised a brow.
Stephan shook his head again and set down his glass, wiping the back of his hand across his lips.
"He's dead." The words came out hoarsely, and he shook his head again and cleared his throat explosively, repeating more clearly, "er ist tot."
Grey had heard him the first time.
"What happened?" he asked. His heart had seized up at von Namtzen's words, and started again with a painful lurch.
Von Namtzen reached for the decanter, though his glass was still nearly full.
"I shot him," he said, very quietly.
"You--" Grey choked off his exclamation, and took a deep breath. "How?" he asked, as evenly as he could. "I mean--you executed him? Personally?"
"No." It was not overwarm in the room, but a dew of sweat had formed along Stephan's jaw; Grey saw the sheen of it as he turned his head away,
groping for the decanter.
"You must understand. He would have been executed--hanged, had he been court-martialed. The family would have been disgraced, utterly, and there are other sons in the army--they would be ruined. I...have known the family for a long time. His father is my friend. Michael..." He rubbed his hand fiercely over his lips. "I knew this boy, knew him from the day of his birth."
Gustav, sensing distress in his master, got up and padded over to sit by von Namtzen's foot, leaning heavily against his leg in an attempt to give comfort. Grey wished momentarily that he could act in such a straightforwardly sympathetic manner, but the best he could do at the moment was to keep silence.
Von Namtzen met his eyes directly for the first time, the depths of his wretchedness apparent in the bloodshot whites and swollen rims.
"I could not let such a thing happen to him--to his family." He took a deep breath, his hand clutching his glass as though for support. "And so I took him from the gaol where he was, saying that I would bring him to his village. On the way, we met with a company of French foragers--I knew where they were; my scouts had told me. There was a skirmish; I had given Michael back his pistol and sword--I ordered him to take his men and fall upon the enemy."
Stephan fell silent, all too clearly reliving the event.
"He knew, do you think?" Grey asked, quietly. "What you intended?"
Stephan nodded, slowly.
"He knew he was to die. I saw the thought kindle in his mind as we rode. He seized it then, let it burn in him. I saw, when it took him. You know it--that moment when a man throws everything away and there is nothing left but der Kriegswahn?" It was not a term with an exact English equivalent; "the madness of battle," perhaps. Not waiting for Grey's nod, he went on.
"The men knew, too. They had treated him with contempt, but at this order, they came together at once behind him, the picture of loyalty. Michael was a good soldier always--very brave. But this...He lifted his sword and charged toward the French, standing in his stirrups, screaming, all his men pouring after him. I have not before seen such ferocity, such courage, and I have seen much of such things. Er war...ein Prachtkerl," he ended, so softly that Grey barely made out the final word.