The Secret Healer (23 page)

Some people craned their necks to see what was going on. Fronicka looked back worriedly, trying to see what had happened.

“Come on. Get out of here!” Matthias signaled the men to leave Kilian.

Madlen hung powerlessly between the two henchmen, stumbling as they dragged her away. She couldn’t see anything through her tears.

“If you make even one more sound, I’ll slit their throats.” Matthias cocked his head back toward Agathe and Kilian. Madlen choked back a sob. She felt sick and thought she might throw up at any second. The brutes held her under her arms so tightly that her feet barely touched the ground. She heard Fronicka’s voice calling as if from far, far away. Madlen lost all strength to fight back. Her final hours here on earth had come to pass, and she knew it. The child in her womb would never see the light of day.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“This is all your fault!” Johannes held the wet cloth on the huge bump on the back of his head. He glared at Kilian, who was slumped in the chair in front of him looking at the floor, his face pummeled to a black-and-blue pulp. “I would have brought them before the archbishop, but this Trauenstein will kill her.”

Agathe wasn’t capable of speech as tears streamed down her cheeks.

“I should have known that something in your face was familiar to me,” Johannes continued. “Her brother, naturally. The same eyes; I should have seen it.” He snorted with rage. “But I did not know that my faithful wife had a brother. Maria never told me.”

“Madlen,” Kilian clarified. “Her name is Madlen, not Maria. And shit on your archbishop. My sister has never done anything to anyone.” He spit out.

Johannes was foaming. “What makes you think a wretch like you can talk to me like that?”

“Stop immediately!” Fronicka shouted. “You two have to behave when you’re in my house, otherwise I’ll kick you both out onto the street.”

Johannes and Kilian mumbled something unintelligible, then fell silent.

“What can we do now?” Agathe asked.

“First, I want to know the whole truth,” Johannes demanded.

“What would you like to know?” Kilian looked him right in the eye.

“Agathe is your father’s sister?”

“Yes.”

“And your mother?”

“She died giving birth to Madlen.”

“And your name is Kilian, not Andreas?”

“Yes. I didn’t know whether Madlen had ever mentioned my name. So I told you my name was Andreas.”

“And how did you find out about me?”

“I followed Matthias Trauenstein from Heidelberg to Worms. He announced to everyone in town that he knew where to find Madlen, the one who killed his wife. He wanted to bring her before the court, in order to restore his reputation in the city.”

“Why did his reputation suffer when his wife was murdered?”

“How nice of you to ask, instead of assuming the worst about my sister,” Kilian said. He tried his best to contain himself before continuing. “I’ll tell you what really happened in Heidelberg.”

“Wait, let me get some beer.” Fronicka signaled the maid; she came back shortly with mugs and placed one in front of each person. Fronicka dismissed the maid with a nod and picked up her mug. “We’ll be able to think better with a little bit of brew.”

Kilian began to speak, and little by little, Johannes saw a completely different picture than what had been painted by Matthias Trauenstein. He was able to resolve the many contradictions in the alleged events described by the nobleman. Agathe and Fronicka followed the conversation, nodding silently; they were horrified as Kilian told them what happened when Madlen was first exonerated and stumbled upon Adelhaid Trauenstein’s death.

“So you really believe that this Matthias Trauenstein murdered his own wife just so she could never tell her side of the story? And so that he could be selected as a member of the city council?” Johannes was stunned.

Kilian shook his head. “I know it for a fact. The man is not in his right mind and will do anything to achieve his goals.”

“And Madlen came to Worms to escape him?” Johannes looked to Agathe.

“You can’t imagine how she suffered, as she stood at the door, helpless. I may have broken the law when I took her in and lied for her, but it was the right thing to do. I would do it again.” Agathe lifted her head proudly. Kilian looked at her with admiration.

“When Matthias Trauenstein found out that there was a woman in Worms that fit Madlen’s description, I knew that she was in grave danger. I followed him and took it upon myself to nose around a little in Worms. I found out that Madlen had married you and could piece the rest together when I heard that you were looking for the skipper that sailed with two women down the Rhine.”

“And then you found your way on the same ship and made friends with me?”

“That wasn’t planned. I liked you, that’s all. Even though I knew that you were after my sister, I wanted to get to know the man she married.”

“And with whom she was expecting a baby,” Johannes added thoughtfully.

“I only learned that when my sister and I ran into each other at the harbor.”

“When you hit me, you mean?”

“After you grabbed my sister,” Kilian clarified.

“Don’t start up with that again,” Agathe demanded.

“Well, Matthias must have followed us.” Johannes rubbed his chin.

“We led him directly to her.” Kilian took a big slug of beer.

“It’s simply unbelievable, what Maria, sorry, what Madlen had to do. She was only trying to help.” Fronicka sighed.

“Where do we look for her? Matthias must have hid her somewhere in the city,” Kilian suggested.

“She could be anywhere. But you’re right. We have to do something.” Johannes looked at Fronicka. “He doesn’t know the city, but you do. Where do you think he would take her?”

While Fronicka thought it over, Agathe chimed in. “He won’t keep her here.” She looked at the others. “Think about it. If he wanted to kill her, he would have done so at the harbor. But he didn’t. What does that tell us?”

“That he’s planning on doing something with her.” Fronicka got goose bumps. She didn’t want to imagine what this bastard would do.

Agathe continued. “What did Matthias want to achieve from the very beginning with these false allegations?”

“To keep up the pretense of being a respectable citizen,” Kilian said.

“You’re right.” Johannes drained the rest of his mug. “He caught her to bring her back to Heidelberg and put her on trial. If I had brought her to Trier and given her over to the archbishop, he wouldn’t have been able to use her to improve his reputation.” He hit the palm of his hand against his forehead. “I’m such an idiot. I led him directly to her.”

“To an innocent woman,” Fronicka clarified.

Johannes knew that it was the truth. He’d fallen in love with a beautiful, honest woman, and she was in love with him. A pure, innocent creature that never harmed anyone. And now, due to his own stupidity, she was in the hands of a maniacal murderer who’d stop at nothing to get his way.

“We need to head out immediately.” He looked at his brother-in-law. “He’ll take her to Heidelberg the quickest way possible, and we have to do the same. Even though he’s got a head start, it will take a minimum of one or two days until Madlen’s trial starts. All is not lost. Will you help me?” Johannes stretched his hand over the table and Kilian grabbed it. They shook.

“We should get some horses and get under way immediately.”

“I’ll go with you,” Agathe said, defensive when she saw the men’s reaction. “I’m a very good rider. You’ll see.”

“There’s no time to wait.” Johannes stood up. “Fronicka, where do we get horses?”

Less than an hour later, Agathe, her nephew, and Madlen’s husband saddled up. Fronicka attempted to find out whether anyone had seen Matthias, but to no avail. They ruled out the harbor. The Rhine’s current would make rapid travel impossible, and it wouldn’t matter to Matthias whether riding a horse made Madlen suffer in her condition.

“We can’t drive the horses like this the whole time,” Kilian cried out to Johannes, as he let his horse go at a full gallop.

“What?” Johannes strained to hear.

Kilian gestured to slow down a little. “If we drive them like this for too long, we’ll have to change horses quite often,” Kilian tried again.

Johannes was reluctant; he wanted to try to catch up with Trauenstein. But Kilian was right. The more often you changed horses, the slower you arrived at your destination. So, he reined in his mount.

“You’re right,” Johannes said. “I was so deep in thought that I didn’t notice how fast we were going.”

Agathe sighed with relief; it had taken all her effort not to lose the others. They rode through the night, stopping when they reached a small grove of trees that could protect them a bit. They let their horses graze, and Agathe took off the bundle Fronicka had given her. “When do we ride again?”

“As soon as dawn breaks and we can see the road ahead,” Johannes replied. “Let’s try to get a little sleep after we get something to eat.”

“We need to keep a lookout,” Kilian insisted. “I can take the first watch.”

“Good. Wake me up when you need a replacement.”

They barely spoke as they chewed their bread and dried meat, washing it all down with a little beer; before they left, Fronicka had filled up their leather drinking pouches. Agathe and Johannes lay down, while Kilian sat up and kept watch. In the deep of the night, Kilian struggled to keep his eyes open; he gently shook Johannes’s shoulder. “Can you take over now?”

Johannes blinked. “Yes, I’m awake.” He blinked again, yawned, and rubbed his eyes. Then he sat up. Kilian rolled up in his cloak and turned onto his side. A few moments later, he fell asleep.

Dawn broke over the small clearing at the edge of the forest. Johannes woke his companions. Although Kilian had only had a few hours of sleep, he was wide-awake. Agathe yawned; she’d fallen into a deep slumber.

They decided to eat a little as they rode and let the horses canter, instead of letting them rest too long and then driving them too hard later. Agathe watched Johannes and Kilian as they talked. The two men understood each other very well. No wonder Madlen loved them both, though in very different ways. She was the link between the two. Johannes and Kilian seemed to understand that they could only free her as a team.

They rode until noon. The sun was high in the sky when the three agreed to water the horses and dismount for a moment to stretch their legs. They had only crossed paths with other people once, with a small group of merchants. Otherwise, the whole area seemed to be deserted. They didn’t stay long. Once the horses had turned away from the river and grazed for a while, the three travelers picked up their reins and got back in the saddle again. They would arrive in Mannheim hours later; it was already starting to get dark.

They decided to stay overnight at an inn they saw along the way. Agathe hoped that the landlord might have seen Madlen, Matthias, and his henchmen, but he had not. She thanked him and ordered food for everyone. Then she sat down at the table with the men.

“I wonder whether they went by boat.” Agathe looked at Johannes and Kilian.

“That would definitely take longer. The Rhine’s current is quite powerful,” Kilian stated.

“What if Trauenstein isn’t in as much of a hurry as we thought?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well,” Agathe explained, “we thought that he wanted to get back to Heidelberg to put Madlen on trial. But what if he wasn’t in a hurry?”

“Why would he be taking his time?”

“I don’t know. But Matthias must have known that we’d follow him.” She turned to Johannes. “You said yourself that he would never manage to get Madlen there before us. He must be planning something else.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t really know.” Agathe let her thoughts wander. Maybe they were searching for witnesses to Madlen’s alleged crimes? What else could it be? What was this creep Matthias up to? She shrugged. “I’m probably wrong; he’s bringing her to Heidelberg as fast as he can. Maybe they kept riding through the night.”

“Maybe,” Johannes repeated pensively and looked at Kilian, who returned his look. What Agathe had said made sense. Matthias must know that it didn’t matter whether he hurried or not. A quick trial and conviction wouldn’t be enough. What did the bastard intend to do?

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Madlen wasn’t shaking much anymore, but she could hardly sit still.

Matthias held her prisoner for the whole day on the boat, which he and his henchman had used to travel from Worms to Emmerich. They gagged and blindfolded her and brought her beneath the deck. Not too long after, Matthias Trauenstein had sat down next to her with a big fat grin on his face. He looked at her a long time, scooting closer and sweeping one finger above her breast. She wanted to slide away as she held her breath and closed her eyes, expecting him to beat her at any moment. But he was much more interested in playing on her fears, telling her over and over again the kind of pain she’d have to endure. He didn’t lay a hand on her; instead, he stood up suddenly and left. The next day, they waited until it was dark before they got off the boat and switched to horses, leaving Emmerich under the cover of night.

Madlen had overheard the men talking about how the others probably had a good start by now. Now there was no danger of running into them on the way. Matthias walked the horse slowly; there was no reason to rush. He had thought of everything. He would be the one who determined when Madlen arrived in Heidelberg. He could take all the time in the world to instill fear into every cell of her body and break her will. How he regretted not being able to touch her. But that would be a mistake. He had to bring her back to Heidelberg safely, to show that he was a man of noble character. It had taken all his willpower not to take her right there on the boat, especially after seeing how frightened and helpless she was. He’d almost broken down at the sight of her shapely breasts. But he had the Heidelberg council seat on his mind. Now they wouldn’t be able to deny him his rightful place on the council. This little slut had caused him enough trouble. He had to break this woman; she had to obey. That’s just the way it was. After all, only Adelhaid had ever rebelled against him; her last miscarriage had taken a heavier toll on her than he’d expected. In any case, the dispute between the Swabian League and the Bavarian dukes was going to last a while longer. He could use this time to take Madlen to trial, win and restore his somewhat tainted reputation, and finally get the respect he sought from those old goats on the city council.

He looked down at Madlen scornfully as she cowered on the forest floor. It was a pitiful sight, and Matthias thought again about what a pleasure it would be to have his way with her. She would probably lose the bastard she carried in her womb. Most people probably couldn’t tell she was pregnant; he couldn’t say how far along she was. But there was something growing in her belly. He could do something to change that. Matthias didn’t want to take the risk that the court would have pity on her because of the little bastard inside her. He’d been surprised when he noticed her condition, because he’d thought that she was the kind of woman who would marry before giving herself to a man. Above all, Matthias wondered who the father was. He tried to get an answer, but she wouldn’t say a word. He thought about punching her in the abdomen. She’d probably lose the child and the injuries could be hidden under her clothes. But what would happen if somebody examined her in Heidelberg and found bruises? No, then the whole venture would have been in vain.

Madlen’s only thought was to protect her child at any price. She’d seen his maniacal look when she refused to name the father of her child. He had stared at her belly, his face distorted with rage; his eyes filled with anger and blind hatred. Madlen had learned what Matthias was capable of when she’d seen Adelhaid’s body. But he held himself back with Madlen. Just in case, Madlen kept herself hunched over, so if he suddenly became enraged, she could protect her belly from his kicks and punches. She’d learned from Clara where the baby lay in its mother’s womb. If she could shield this area enough, she wouldn’t have to worry too much about her child.

Madlen tried not to focus on Matthias’s threats. She breathed deeply and evenly, trying her best to relax her shoulders. She thought about the candlelight that she’d used so often to calm her patients. She silently prayed and recited psalms and verses, humming a little song in her mind. She imagined she was far away from this place, safe and secure in Agathe’s house. Shortly before she fell asleep and her mind wandered, her fear returned. Did he want to kill her? Madlen doubted it. For some reason, he still needed her. She thought she knew what his plan was. He wanted to take her to Heidelberg, bring her to trial, and get a conviction for the alleged murder of his wife. Escape was impossible. They’d been on the road for a few days so far; they hadn’t even stopped once at an inn, preferring to stay in the protective cover of the forest. She didn’t know how much longer it would be until they reached Heidelberg.

She wondered how badly Kilian’s blow had injured Johannes. He’d surfaced in Emmerich out of the blue and tried to protect her from Johannes, only to be beaten down by Matthias’s thugs. Even Agathe had been beaten unconscious. And how were they now? Had they survived those vicious attacks? But they’d only been unconscious when the henchmen dragged Madlen away. At least that’s what Madlen believed.

They rode three more days, staying close to the forest; hiding themselves whenever people approached in the distance. Matthias wanted to make sure that nobody saw them, especially that Worms woman or the little bitch’s brother. It was absolutely necessary that Matthias kept his prisoner intact so he could quietly hand her over to city leaders in Heidelberg. He couldn’t be reckless and risk damaging his image as an honest, upstanding citizen—a broken man who wanted nothing more than justice for the murder of his beloved wife.

He imagined in vivid detail how he would ride across the Neckar River bridge and announce to the guards that he’d finally captured the devil’s daughter as his prisoner. People would want to check to see whether he’d harmed or violated her right away. He had acquired a certain reputation over the years, which he had to repair by any means necessary. Certainly, the sheriff, miserable cur that he was, would ask her ever so sympathetically if Matthias had harmed her. Now she couldn’t say anything about him, if she didn’t want to lie. And he knew she wouldn’t.

He rubbed his hands together at the thought. Before now, he’d never been able to exert self-control, but he had learned from his past mistakes, although he still refused to admit that he’d gone too far with Adelhaid and made her lose another child. No. The woman had talked back to him and more than deserved the punishment. But that had always been his flaw: once he’d become enraged, nothing could stop him. Whimpering and begging provoked him even more. Adelhaid should have known that after so many years; no, she just had to keep on appealing to him to think about their child. She had provoked him until he’d completely lost control.

Now, however, he was very pleased as they finally reached the bridge over the Neckar; he couldn’t have been in a better mood. He reined in his horse and turned around. Madlen rode with one of his henchmen directly behind him. She looked up timidly. “Well, aren’t you happy that you’re finally back home?” He laughed throatily, baring his teeth. “Oh, it’s a shame that I couldn’t take you. A real shame. But I tell you what: when the trial is over and you’re waiting in your cell for your execution, I’ll pay you a little visit, and we can make up for lost time.” He grinned and laughed. “We want you to have a smile on your face when you go meet your maker, right?” He turned around and drove his horse forward, laughing louder and louder until they finally reached the first guard post.

“Halt! Who’s there?” the tower guard called down.

“Matthias Trauenstein and companions. Open up.”

“The city gates are closed. You’re too late.”

“Then open them again. And then you can accompany me directly to the sheriff, because I have a prisoner to hand over to him. I’m sure he will commend you for bringing us directly to him.”

The guard briefly consulted with his colleagues. Finally, the city gate opened just wide enough to let the little group ride through. Matthias nodded obligingly as he passed.

“Come, guards, accompany us and receive your commendation. This is the woman who killed my wife. The sheriff’s been looking for her for a long time.”

“The she-devil?” the guard asked, his eyes popping wide open.

“Look at the mole over her upper lip. She’s the one, no doubt about it.”

The guard came closer, trying to look at Madlen’s face, but she looked down. The henchman sitting behind her grabbed her gruffly under the chin and lifted her head.

“It is indeed,” the guard said in astonishment. “I will make sure that the sheriff receives you at this late hour.” He quickly stepped to the front of the group and proceeded on foot as the others followed on horseback.

At first, the sheriff was quite displeased to be awakened in the middle of the night. But when he realized what was happening, he quickly got dressed and let Matthias Trauenstein bring the prisoner before him.

“Thank you for receiving me at this late hour.” Matthias bowed submissively.

“Not at all; you’ve done something incredible.” The sheriff nodded. “Can I offer you anything? Wine or something to eat? My cook is a gem, and it would be her pleasure to prepare a meal for such a heroic man.”

“I must decline. I wanted to do my duty but am exhausted and want nothing more than to go back to my own home. Could I wait until tomorrow to make my statement? As you can see, the prisoner’s physical requirements have been amply met. Although she resisted fiercely, my men and I succeeded in bringing her here unscathed. But watch her carefully. She is not to be trusted. She’ll do everything in her power to find a way to escape.”

“Nobody has ever escaped from the Heidelberg jail. I’ll bring her there myself immediately. She escaped from me once; it won’t happen again.”

Matthias stood. “What a relief to know that she is in your custody. I know from now on that justice will be served; I’ll finally be able to sleep in peace. Good night, Sheriff. I’ll come back tomorrow to make my statement.”

“All of Heidelberg is indebted to you for your service.” He threw a look at Madlen, who had silently followed the conversation. “You have done well in surrendering her to me unscathed. I will make a note, in case she accuses you of some crime to distract the court.”

“You are a righteous servant of the people, Sheriff. We may not have always spoken the same language, but I hope you know that the lies you have heard about me have no basis in fact. I’m relieved that you can see my true colors with your own eyes and that I’m only concerned that justice be served.” He nodded at the sheriff, then looked at Madlen for the last time. “This time there will be no escape for you. My wife will be avenged and will finally rest in peace.” With that, he left the room.

The sheriff scrutinized Madlen as he walked around her. “A noble dress that you’re wearing. How did you manage that while all of Heidelberg was looking for you?” His voice was contemptuous. “I must confess that you managed to deceive me. I really believed that you weren’t guilty. But you will pay for what you did to poor Adelhaid Trauenstein.”

Madlen was tempted to speak, but the sound of his voice told her that it was pointless. She only wanted to go to her cell and rest. She didn’t know how long it would be until her trial began, but it wasn’t important. She could only imagine what everyone presiding at the trial must already think of her. No. Her fate was sealed. She was almost happy about it. Once and for all, this nightmare would finally come to an end—the escape, the hiding, the eternal fear. It would all be over in a few days. Madlen sighed as the sheriff grabbed her arm and brought her to the jail. Without saying a word, she entered the cell and heard him turn the key in the lock behind her. She went over to the cot, lay down, and rolled onto her side, falling asleep almost instantly. She felt nothing but relief.