Castle of the Wolf (10 page)

Fenris smothered a laugh. “Yes, you can.” He turned his head to look over his shoulder at his valet. “There’s no need for all of it any longer, is there?”

~*~

The firewood reappeared mysteriously, and no rats could be found in the upstairs rooms ever again. In addition, Fran Häberle apparently managed to convince Cissy’s new maid that, except for the demon wolf, no beasts lurked in the corners of the Castle of Wolfenbach. As a result, young Marie stayed on despite any initial misgivings she might have had. Cissy was glad, for she missed Evie, her maid at home in England, and their intimate chats in the privacy of her bedroom. She had always loved to giggle over the latest gossip and scandal with Evie, and she was delighted to find that Marie was not adverse to doing the same, albeit with the latest Kirchwalden talk. Furthermore, she introduced Cissy to the intricacies of the Badener dialect, and soon Cissy knew how to say “thank you”—
vergelt’s Gott
; “goodbye”—
adee
; “would you please”—
dädsch
; and, most importantly, “moron”—
dummi Nuss
.

The latter was certainly an apt description for von Wolfenbach, who turned into even more of a bugbear than before: he usually wore the most thunderous expression, his brows drawn together in a perpetual frown. His moodiness soured the atmosphere during meals and his contribution to conversation consisted of monosyllabic snarls.

No, Cissy did not want to see the castle fall to the Altertumsverein and the horrid Geheimrat Haldner, but on the other hand, she most certainly had no wish to marry a snarling demon wolf without even the hint of basic good manners.

She started to pray for a miracle.

And then the miracle happened.

Chapter 7

One morning in early November, when Cissy came to the dining room to have breakfast, she found him sitting—no,
lounging
—on one of the chairs in all his golden glory, one leg thrown nonchalantly over its arm. His teeth flashed white in a broad smile when he turned and caught sight of her. Green eyes, like von Wolfenbach’s, but sparkling with life and laughter, regarded her from under tousled blond curls. “
Ma chère
.” Lithe and graceful, he swung his leg to the ground and stood, his fashionable clothes slightly rumpled, his necktie loosened, and a faint golden stubble covering his jaw. And still, he looked so beautiful Cissy’s breath caught in her throat.

Like a golden Greek god, deliciously mussed up…

Mussed up?

Heat spread over Cissy’s face.

“
Ma chère
.” He came toward her and bent over her hand to kiss it, while he flashed a mischievous smile up at her. Hot tingles raced up her arm. “You see me thoroughly enchanted. You must be the daughter of our dear father’s old friend.”

“Miss Celia Fussell.” Automatically, she bobbed a small curtsy, then became aware that he was still holding her hand.

Her blush deepened.

What did a rumpled golden god want with the likes of her? Next to him with his stylish jacket and the gaily colored waistcoat, she felt drab and uncomfortable in her old dress of bleakest black.

As if he could read her thoughts, a small smile flickered across his face, and he released her hand to throw his arms wide. “I am truly enchanted.” Then he executed an exact, formal bow. “Leopold von Wolfenbach, your servant.”

Leopold? Cissy frowned. After Fenris, she would have expected something more…exotic.

This time, ruefulness tinged his smile. “Actually, it is Loki Leopold von Wolfenbach.” His eyes twinkled merrily, inviting her to share the joke. “But who would want to run around with such a ridiculous name as Loki?”

Tap-dam, tap-dam tap-dam.

His smile twisted into a grimace. “Well, let’s say who except my big brother?” he conspiratorially whispered to Cissy. With a sigh he straightened, just as the aforementioned party walked into the room.

Fenris von Wolfenbach stopped dead, and Cissy thought his face became even stonier than usual. “Leo.”

“Fen.” The man beside her nodded and bobbed up and down on the balls of his feet.

“What are you doing here?” Von Wolfenbach’s voice was devoid of any inflection.

With a hint of a defiance, the younger man thrust his chin forward. “Well, I’m so happy to see you, too, big brother.”

Von Wolfenbach’s brows drew together into an ominous line.

And then it finally registered with Cissy.
Brothers!
She gasped. “Brothers?”

Both men looked at her—the older clearly annoyed, the younger with surprising grimness. “So, they haven’t mentioned me, have they?” he asked bitterly, as if he already knew the answer.

Numbly, Cissy shook her head. If they were brothers…if Graf von Wolfenbach had more than one son…

Leopold barked a laugh as he turned back to his brother. “And isn’t this nice and dandy?”

Fenris von Wolfenbach’s eyes narrowed. “I ask you again. Where have you come from, Leo? And why are you here?”

“I was in Freiburg, where else?” Leopold intently regarded his sibling. He licked his lips. “At Contessa Czerny’s ball. You remember the contessa, Fen, don’t you?”

With a jolt of surprise, Cissy watched how the older von Wolfenbach brother broke eye contact and slowly walked to the sideboard, where breakfast was set. It seemed to her that he walked more slowly than usual, and with a more pronounced limp, as if his old wound had suddenly started to hurt again. “Of course I still remember the contessa,” he finally said, with his back to them.

Again, Leopold von Wolfenbach’s tongue sneaked out to lick his lips. “She has grown into a lovely woman, the contessa. Marriage…becomes her.” A strange smile played around his mouth, while his gaze remained glued to his brother’s back.

Yet whatever he had expected, the other’s voice was rock-steady when he answered. “Then I wonder why she isn’t in Vienna with her husband.” He turned, a plate full of food balanced on one hand. Slowly, he raised a brow. “If marriage so agrees with her.”

Leopold threw his head back and laughed. “God, Fen, you’re priceless! Don’t you know? Don’t you…” He calmed down, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. And then his teeth flashed once more. “Yes, marriage agrees with her. She’s got a rich old husband and plenty of…time on her hands.”

As his smile deepened and his brother flinched, Cissy wondered which parts of the conversation she was missing. The air simmered with hostility. It seemed only a question of time until the two men were at each other’s throats.

Fenris von Wolfenbach’s eyes darkened. “Are you sleeping with her?” he snapped.

Or perhaps they already were.

Heat exploded in Cissy’s cheeks, covered her whole body with a painful flush. God, did the large lout know no shame? She took a deep breath. “I believe it is well past time for me to leave. Gentlemen…” Of course, at least one of them was definitely no gentleman, but an uncouth barbarian!

Yet before she had even taken a step toward the door, a hand had grabbed her wrist. “Please stay.” Leopold’s voice softened. “You must excuse my brother. He’s locked himself away in this castle for over a decade and apparently lost all his social skills.”

The older von Wolfenbach snorted, making his brother laugh again.

“So they haven’t told you about me, my dear Miss Fussell? Well, then I must call it a happy turn of events that at Contessa Czerny’s ball a small bird whispered the latest Kirchwalden news into my ear.”

With a clang, Fenris von Wolfenbach’s plate landed on the table. “So you
are
sleeping with her.”

“Of course not. Or do you think I’m following in my big brother’s footsteps?” The brothers exchanged glittering glances, while Cissy gnawed on her lip. Nobody had ever discussed their intimate connections in her presence, and she sincerely hoped people would refrain from it in the future. Or perhaps they could just give Fenris von Wolfenbach a good whack over his loutish head.

All at once, Leopold chuckled and patted Cissy’s hand.

“Don’t let him scare you away, Miss Fussell. My brother has become famous for his incivility. Indeed, I believe down in Kirchwalden they’re telling their children he will come in the night and swallow them up if they don’t behave. My brother, the bogeyman—isn’t this the most delicious joke? Can I get you some breakfast, Miss Fussell?”

Cissy blinked at him. She glanced at Fenris von Wolfenbach and saw the dull color staining his cheeks. Was he embarrassed? She frowned as she remembered the words of the innkeeper’s wife all those weeks ago.
“He’ll rip you apart and tear you to pieces. Like a wild beast he is. Dangerous. And deadly.”
Well, if he behaved like such an uncivilized barbarian that the children were afraid of him, not to mention engaging in the most shameless conversation, then he had all the reason in the world to be embarrassed.

Leopold gave her a charming smile and a slow, droll wink, which made her smile back at him. “Yes, some breakfast would be nice.” She let him hand her into a chair before he went to the sideboard to get a plate for her. Only then did she notice the absence of the butler. “Where’s Rambach?”

Leopold airily waved his hand through the air. “I sent him away. The old chap makes me nervous. He keeps throwing me those stern glances.” Looking over his shoulder, he winked at her. “I fear the stout Rambach doesn’t like me, Miss Fussell. So…they didn’t tell you about me, but did they tell you at least about the treasure?” He poured her a cup of caramel-colored coffee.

“Treasure?” Mrs. Chisholm entered the room. “Oh, and whom have we here?”

Fenris von Wolfenbach heaved a sigh. “Mrs. Chisholm, may I introduce my younger brother, Leopold von Wolfenbach.”

Leopold bowed. “Enchanted,
gnädige Frau
.”

Mrs. Chisholm giggled like a schoolgirl. “My, my, and aren’t you a charming laddie?” She beamed at the younger man. “I believe you were talking about a treasure?”

The older von Wolfenbach rolled his eyes. “There’s no treasure,” he growled.

Mrs. Chisholm put her hands on her hips and bestowed upon him a look full of reproach. “You didn’t tell us anything about a treasure. Or did he, dearie?”

“He did not.” Cissy found she enjoyed seeing Fenris von Wolfenbach totally exasperated. If she could not give him a whack on the head, she could at least needle him in other ways. She raised her eyebrows and gave him an expectant look.

He did not disappoint her.

His glower held daggers. “Because there is no bloody treasure,” he forced out between gritted teeth.

“He’s doing it again.” Leopold sighed. “You should apologize to the ladies, you really should, Fen.” But then he focused his attention on Mrs. Chisholm again. “Which treasure you ask,
gnädige Frau
? Well, the famous Wolfenbach Hoard, of course!” He beamed at the widow. When he turned toward Cissy, she noticed the dimple in his cheek.

For a moment, she actually forgot to breathe. Leopold von Wolfenbach looked utterly charming.
Oh my!

Leaning closer to her, he whispered, “Our forebears were unscrupulous robber barons, you know. For many decades, they terrorized this area and robbed thousands of people, rich and poor, young and old. And they hid the loot somewhere in this castle. There it still rests today, gold and gemstones, the whole Wolfenbach Hoard.”

“How delightful!” Mrs. Chisholm clapped, her eyes sparkling. “A real treasure!”

Cissy listened with openmouthed wonder. She felt how her heart thumped heavily against her ribs. “A hoard,” she whispered back, swaying toward him. “A real hoard?”

“Oh, yes.” Leopold’s warm breath caressed her face. “Golden coins shining like tiny suns, and fiery rubies and gleaming emeralds. Golden and silver cups. Jewelry. All hidden somewhere here in this castle.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” his older brother growled. “If there’s ever been a hoard—and that’s a big if—then other forebears of ours would have found and plundered it long ago.”

Leopold shrugged and straightened. “Which only shows that my brother has no imagination.” He grinned at Cissy and Mrs. Chisholm.

Indeed. Cissy couldn’t help grinning back. Fenris von Wolfenbach was an uncivilized lout. And then she laughed aloud when she again realized that she didn’t need to marry the churlish von Wolfenbach in order to permanently gain her lovely castle. She could marry his brother instead! His brother, who obviously loved stories just as much as she did. His brother with the sunny smile, who looked like a Greek god.

What a happy turn of events!

~*~

“A rather charming young gentleman, Leopold von Wolfenbach,” Mrs. Chisholm mused. With pointed disinterest she looked out of the carriage window at the winter-gray trunks of the trees outside. “Don’t you think so, dearie?”

Biting her lip, Cissy folded her hands in her lap. “Truly charming,” she agreed.

Mrs. Chisholm half-turned and shot her a conspiratorial smile. “And very handsome, too.”

“Very!”

Cissy’s heartfelt sigh made the widow chuckle. “He reminds me of one of those mischievous cupids you see in old paintings. All golden curls.”

At that, Cissy couldn’t help laughing. “A rather large cupid!” But then she remembered that the little Roman Cupido was the accomplice of the goddess of love. That he went around and shot his arrows into human hearts. That he delighted in watching humans fall in love. Cissy sighed. How easy this particular golden god would make it to—

“A large cupid, indeed.” For a moment, a thoughtful expression crossed Mrs. Chisholm’s face; then she chuckled once more. “But have you seen the little devils in this one’s eyes, dearie? Coming halfway undone in the breakfast room.” She clicked her tongue. “A dangerous one, I should think.”

“Oh.” Cissy huddled deeper into the blankets that kept them warm during the drive into the valley. “But so much more charming than his brother. You said it yourself, Mrs. Chisholm.”

With faint surprise, she watched how the smile left the widow’s face. “Fenris von Wolfenbach is a very troubled man, dearie.”

“He is an uncivilized beast,” Cissy insisted. “Have you forgotten what kind of language he used this morning? It was shocking indeed!”

Mrs. Chisholm’s lips twitched. “I fear I have heard worse on the London docks. Of course, for a chickabiddy like you, this is all quite foreign.” She reached for the straps as their carriage rumbled over an unevenness on the road. “Aren’t these German roads a horror?” she murmured and shook her head. “I’ve always thought,” she continued more loudly, “that the sheltered upbringing of young girls harbors serious disadvantages. It certainly does not prepare you for the realities of life, for one thing.”