The Defeated Aristocrat (6 page)

‘Yes, please, Aunt Martha.’

The boy’s manners were impeccable, but as Martha had said, Wolf suspected they’d been beaten into him. When Peter moved behind the bench and lowered his arms to lift up his daughter, Heinrich cowered, anticipating a blow.

‘All of you upstairs, change for bed. Heini, take one of young Peter’s clean nightshirts.’

‘Yes, Auntie Martha. Good night, sir.’ Heinrich held out his hand.

Wolf debated whether to hug the boy but decided against overwhelming him and shook his hand. ‘I would like you to call me Papa.’

‘I’ll try, sir, if you call me Heini.’

‘I will if that’s what you want.’

‘It’s what Aunt Martha, Aunt Pippi, and Peter call me, sir.’

The people who loved him most, Wolf reflected. He watched his son trail behind Peter and Pippi’s children up the narrow stairs. Alone in the kitchen with Martha he plundered his tobacco pouch again. ‘Is there anyone living in the house in Gebaur Strasse besides Martin, his wife, Lotte, and her girls?’

‘The twins have moved into the old groom’s quarters over the stables. From what Martin told me he doesn’t see much of them. You know what students are like.’

‘I can just about remember that far back.’

‘Liesl visits when she has more than two days off from the hospital in Allenstein but that isn’t often. Only three of the eight main bedrooms in the house are in regular use. Lotte and the girls have two of them. Martin and Ludwiga employ two maids and a caretaker who looks after the garden and horses and drives Martin’s carriage. They sleep in the servants’ rooms in the attic. Before Martin moved in, Franz and Gretel stayed there whenever they visited the city to go to the theatre or a concert. I don’t know if Martin made them unwelcome but after he and Ludwiga married, Gretel and Franz stopped using the house.’

‘What about the other houses in Konigsberg?’ Wolf asked. The estate owned two apartment blocks and four houses besides the one in Gebaur Strasse. There was also a farm in Juditten that was occupied by an old friend of his father’s.

‘Everything’s rented out. I’ve a feeling the rents are the only money the estate has seen since 1914. We certainly haven’t been paid a single mark for what we’ve produced during the war. The government requisitioned most of it and they never gave us as much as a thank you.’

Wolf was grateful for the ‘we’ and ‘us’. Before he’d left the workers had identified as closely with the estate as his family. It was reassuring to discover their loyalty hadn’t been affected by the war. ‘Will you move to Konigsberg with Peter and Pippi?’

‘They won’t need me,’ Martha replied. ‘Pippi’s father asked her to live with him when Peter returned. He has a housekeeper and maid who can care for the children when Pippi is busy.’ She filled two glasses with homemade potato schnapps and handed Wolf one.

‘If there are five bedrooms free in Gebaur Strasse, you, Heini, and I could take three.’

‘You can’t seriously be thinking of leaving the castle, Wolf?’

‘I won’t stay. Not while Franz and Gretel are there.’

‘Throw them out.’

‘Perhaps I will, but not yet. Will you come to Gebaur Strasse with me?’

‘It will take me a day or two to pack.’

‘But you’ll come and take care of the boy?’

‘And you, if you’ll allow me to.’ She answered a knock at the back door. ‘Gunther, this is a pleasant surprise. Come in. Have a glass of schnapps.’

‘A surprise? Or you sent for him?’ Wolf rose to his feet and shook hands with his steward.

‘Martha didn’t have to send for me, sir. Everyone in Lichtenhagen is talking about your and Peter’s return.’ Gunther Jablonowski took the glass Martha handed him.

‘Not before time, if you ask me.’ Martha bustled to the stove. ‘We have some leftover apple cake, Gunther, if you’d like a piece.’

‘That would be good, Martha, thank you.’ He looked enquiringly at Wolf.

‘If you’re wondering if Martha’s told me about Franz and Gretel’s plot to take over the estate, the answer’s yes.’

‘I’m glad you’re back, sir.’

‘Any reason in particular?’

‘Franz told me to move my family out of my tied cottage by Sunday.’

‘Why?’

‘I told him it would be short-sighted insanity to chop down and sell the timber on the estate.’

‘All the timber?’

‘All of it,’ Gunther reiterated.

‘He had a buyer?’

‘Enke in Konigsberg.’

‘The coal and firewood merchant? He wouldn’t have offered much.’

‘Less than a tenth of the pre-war value,’ Gunther confirmed.

‘Did Franz have any other plans for the estate?’

‘I’ve argued with him over his policy of selling all the eggs, and promising the slaughterhouse all the lambs, calves, and piglets before they’re born. I thought we should concentrate on breeding livestock to replenish the war office requisitions.’

‘Is the damage beyond repair?’ Wolf asked bluntly.

‘Not if we can sweet-talk the slaughterhouse and Enke and buy them off with smaller deliveries in return for long-term contracts beneficial to them – and us.’

‘Has the estate any serious debts?’

‘Not that I know about, sir, but your brother doesn’t confide in me the way you and your father did.’

The one thing Wolf had learned as a colonel was to make swift decisions. He may not have always been right, but even the choices he’d had cause to regret had done less damage than procrastination would have. He turned to Martha. ‘Can you and Pippi be ready to leave here tomorrow?’

‘If we have enough help,’ Martha replied.

‘There are enough workers who can be reassigned from other duties on the estate to help Martha and Pippi, sir. As you know, January is a slow month for work.’

‘Good, if you help Martha and Pippi pack up and clear this house, Franz and Gretel can move in here …’

‘They’ll never agree,’ Martha interrupted.

‘They can take this house and run the Post Office or move off the estate. It’s their choice. I think you should move, Gunther. I’d like you and your family to live in Martha’s old apartment in the castle. I’d also like you to run the estate. Your word will be final. I am delegating all responsibility as owner, to you as steward.’

‘If I run the estate into bankruptcy?’

‘I’ll sack you.’ Wolf laughed at the expression on Gunther’s face. ‘There’s a telephone here and in Gebaur Strasse. I can be back in a few hours if you should need me.’ He left his chair.

‘Where are you going?’ Martha asked.

‘To arrange a few things with Franz.’

‘Good.’ Martha smiled. ‘Gunther, you and I need to go to the castle cellars to look for packing cases.’

The snow was crisp, the night air freezing. Wolf’s teeth chattered when he crossed the yard from the Post Office to the castle. He wished he’d taken the trouble to retrieve his filthy greatcoat. The lamp was lit in the room he still thought of as his father’s study, although he’d also used it before he’d left. The shutters were open and Franz was sitting behind the desk

Franz opened the front door before Wolf reached it. Wolf stamped the snow from his boots and walked past Franz into the study. He turned the chair, set it behind the desk so it faced the visitor’s chair, sat down, opened the stationery drawer, removed half a dozen sheets of Waldschloss headed paper and started writing.

Franz remained standing.

‘Sit.’

Franz obeyed.

‘Is Johann Behn still the family lawyer?’ Wolf didn’t look up from the letter he was writing.

‘He died last autumn. His daughter Johanna has taken over the business.’

Wolf recalled a stern-faced, frighteningly efficient middle-aged spinster. ‘She’s conversant with the current family business?’

‘I believe so.’

‘You don’t deal with her?’

‘No,’ Franz admitted.

‘You’ve put everything in your name?’

‘I tried to transfer the estate to Gretel last May when we received the telegram that you’d been killed. Johanna said it couldn’t be done because of “technical difficulties”. Frankly, she could have been more helpful.’

Wolf allowed the criticism to pass. ‘What about Martin, Lotte, the twins, and Liesl?’

‘Martin has his practice, Lotte’s married …’

‘Widowed.’

‘She wasn’t when we received the telegram. The twins have a trust fund which will see them through university. Liesl is training to be a nurse. They are financially independent.’

Wolf glanced up at his brother. ‘That’s arguable. The twins and Liesl have to qualify before they start earning.’

‘They have a roof over their head and food to eat. Gretel was your wife …’

‘“Is”, Franz, but not for much longer.’

‘A man is responsible for his wife. Gretel should have inherited your entire estate.’

‘My personal estate – but not the von Mau estate which is handed on from father to eldest son. I left a copy of my will with Johann Behn. Did you challenge it?’

‘I … we … Gretel …’ Franz stammered into silence.

‘Were you aware that apart from a few bequests I left the estate in trust to Heinrich with Behn as executor and Martin and Peter as trustees?’

‘You made no provision for Gretel.’

‘I left her a generous annuity and the use of the castle for her lifetime on condition she didn’t remarry.’

‘We thought you were dead.’

‘So you keep saying.’ Wolf wondered if he’d ever liked, let alone trusted his younger brother. ‘I’ll be leaving for Konigsberg first thing in the morning.’

Franz’s relief was evident. ‘You’re not staying in Lichtenhagen?’

‘I want to see Lotte to pay my condolences. Have you visited her?’

Franz coloured. ‘Not yet. I’ve been busy …’

Wolf cut into his excuses. ‘Blocking Gunther Jablonowski’s decisions?’

‘I see you’ve been listening to tittle-tattle. The man’s a fool.’

‘The man was appointed steward by our father and endorsed by me. He’s my voice on the estate, Franz. Heed it from now on.’

‘I told Gunther he’s no longer needed …’

Wolf finished writing. Took two sheets of paper and sealed them into different envelopes. ‘One for you, one for Gunther. I’ve asked him to move into Martha’s old apartment here and given him his old job back, along with absolute authority to run the estate as he sees fit.’

‘You’re being somewhat premature. The court will decide who owns the estate next week …’

‘Take a good look at me, Franz. I’m alive. Father left everything to me and these letters are legally binding. They confirm Gunther as steward. Listen to him. His voice is mine. You and Gretel can move into the Post Office and run it. I warn you, I will expect you to pay rent to the estate. The same amount you’ve charged Martin for Gebaur Strasse.’

‘Gebaur Strasse is a big house. The Post Office is poky …’

‘Gebaur Strasse wasn’t yours to levy rent on. If you don’t like the Post Office, feel free to leave Lichtenhagen. It’s your choice.’

‘Gretel is your wife …’

‘Was my wife, she’s now …’ Wolf almost said ‘your whore’ before realizing the soldier’s word wasn’t necessary. ‘Gretel’s whatever you want her to be. Tomorrow, I’ll pay a visit to Johanna Behn. How much have you taken off Martin for Gebaur Strasse?’ Wolf dipped the pen he’d been using into the ink again and recommenced writing.

‘I gave him a reduced rent …’

‘On what basis? That you and Gretel have thieves’ rights to the von Mau birth right?’

Franz couldn’t meet Wolf’s eye.

‘If the rents on the houses and apartments in Konigsberg and the farm in Juditten have been paid there must be money in the estate account.’

‘Not a great deal. The army requisitioned …’

Wolf didn’t want to listen to excuses. ‘There’s only the one business account?’

‘Yes.’

‘Your and Gretel’s personal accounts?’

Franz left his chair, opened the blotter on the desk and revealed his and Gretel’s latest personal bank statements. Their accounts were in credit but not by much. Franz flipped them over and showed Wolf the estate account. Again, it was in credit – just.

‘Gretel told you I’d want to see them?’

‘Yes.’

‘Where have you salted away the rest, Franz?’

‘There is no rest.’

‘It might be as well you check because if there is, the bank and Behn should be able to help me track it down. I’ll visit the bank manager after I see Johanna Behn.’

‘Wolf …’

‘I don’t want to see you or Gretel again, not because I’m angry with either of you but because you disgust me. Do you intend to contest my wishes?’

‘I’ll have to talk to Gretel about the Post Office. She won’t like moving in there.’

‘You married her, albeit bigamously. It’s your responsibility to find something she will like. One more thing. Heinrich goes with me.’

‘Gretel will be devastated. She’s a devoted mother.’

‘Not devoted enough to stop you from beating the boy.’

Franz blanched. ‘He needed disciplining.’

‘Really?’

Embarrassed, Franz started talking at speed. ‘He’ll need his things, his clothes, his toys, books …’

‘If he wants anything from here, Martha will fetch it.’

‘And you? Do you want anything? Rightfully this,’ he waved his arm around the room, ‘is all yours.’

‘I don’t need you to tell me that.’ Wolf rose and took an ancient carved box that had belonged to one of their ancestors from a side table. He opened it and emptied the receipts it contained on the desk. Their father’s pocket watch, cigar case, wallet, box of cufflinks and collar studs were in the bureau bookcase where he’d put them for safekeeping before he’d left. He opened the glass door and packed them into the box. There was a photograph of their parents on the desk. He took it.

‘There are photograph albums …’

‘I will give Gunther the inventory of the contents of the castle that was drawn up when Papa died. He can check the castle contents against it before he oversees your and Gretel’s removal to the Post Office. This,’ he handed Franz the last letter he’d written and signed, ‘is your and Gretel’s eviction notice, permission to move into the Post Office and run it at a stipulated rent. You have until the day after tomorrow to pack and move. Once you walk out of the castle doors you will not return. I’ll leave orders that if either of you attempt to enter this building you’ll be detained and prosecuted for trespass. Meanwhile, take another look at the estate accounts, Franz. You’ll be the one paying rent until you’ve returned every penny you’ve taken from Martin.’ He went to the door.