by Eric Flint
She grew up straight, tall and not particularly ladylike, the only girl with four boys. Her half-brothers showed her how to ride horses and enjoy the outdoors; and if her father didn't care to provide for the learning and refinement that would have been expected of his legitimate daughter, Anders at least made sure Sveta was literate. By the time she was seventeen, she could read and write in her native Swedish and was proficient, if not fluent, in German.
It was in her seventeenth year, 1632, that Sveta first heard of Grantville. What interested her most was the story of one of the Grantvillers in particular, a young woman about her own age. This woman—it was said—could strike people down from an unbelievable distance with her musket. She had, or so the story went, saved the life of King Gustav himself, and in gratitude the king made the girl a baroness.
Sveta soon found out the stories of Julie Mackay, for that was the name of Sweden's newest noblewoman, were true. She decided that she would travel to Grantville and seek to enter Baroness Julie's service.
It took her a while before she was able to convince her father to approve this plan, but he finally did. Anders made arrangements in the spring of 1633 for his daughter to travel to Germany with one of her half-brothers, who had decided to join the military. Sveta's journey went well, but by the time she reached Magdeburg in the late spring of 1633, she found out that Lady Mackay was gone. She had gone with her husband to Scotland to attend to some family matters.
Sveta resolved to stick to her plan and searched for gainful employment in Magdeburg to sustain herself until Julie's return. She decided that if she couldn't work for Lady Mackay personally, she'd try to join the rifle company Julie had commanded. Sveta was allowed to enlist after passing rigorous physical tests and tried to secure a place in the Thuringian Rifles—even though she'd never so much as touched a firearm in her life. Sveta turned out not to be a terrible shot—she didn't have the bad habits experienced arqebusiers tended to pick up—but she wasn't good enough to qualify for the rifle company. She ended up being used in a number of noncombat roles before landing in the press division.
After they arrived in Grantville, Sergeant McDougal gave her, Lieutenant von Kessel and Private Drucker a tour of this town of wonders. The lieutenant, Sveta learned, had been to Grantville briefly on a few occasions, but had never had the time for an in-depth exploration. Svetlana was starting to develop a liking for the shy sergeant, who turned out to be an excellent guide. Her only real regret was that a friend of Sergeant McDougal's—an Italian girl named Prudentia—who was apparently an artist of some kind joined the three of them. Sveta wondered what the tie between her and the sergeant was; they didn't seem to be betrothed. Perhaps she would ask when she knew Sergeant McDougal better.
The tour took in Leahy Medical Center, the main police station, the army base and the rooms set aside for the press corps' office. More interesting to Svetlana were the centers of social life: the school, the libraries and the churches. They stopped for coffee and pastry at the Sternbock Coffee House, and the tour ended with dinner at the Thuringen Gardens.
By way of thanks, Lieutenant von Kessel picked up the bill for dinner, after which Kurt excused himself for the evening. He'd taken what the up-timers called "bachelor officer quarters" until he could secure more agreeable lodgings for himself, and Sveta had been assigned space in the women's barracks. Private Drucker was leaving also. She was disappointed that Jabe was staying behind with Prudentia, but she couldn't graciously decline Lieutenant von Kessel's offer to walk her back to base.
Grantville, Midwinter, 1634
It was a pleasant night, pleasant at least for February in Thuringia. Jabe recalled that the winter of 1631-32 had been quite a shock to himself and his fellow up-timers. Not only were they considerably farther north than they had been when Grantville was in West Virginia, but they were smack in the middle of what up-time historians had called the "Little Ice Age," which had begun some two centuries prior and would continue for another century, give or take. After the high school had been saved from the Croat raiders, there had been a wave of interest in Swedish and Scandinavian history. Jabe had learned about the Little Ice Age and its presumed role in the death of the Viking colonies in Greenland.
But he and Prudentia both felt warm enough as they walked hand in hand to the Nobili house.
"I've been thinking, you know," said Prudentia.
"About what?" asked Jabe.
"About things between us. I hated that you had to go to Magdeburg after we fought."
"That was a fight? I thought it was a difference of opinion."
The look she gave Jabe was a mixture of affection and thoughtfulness. It was time, Jabe realized, for "the talk"; specifically the "where is this relationship going?" talk.
And to his mild surprise, Jabe found he wasn't entirely dreading the prospect, in spite of their recent difficulties. That, in fact, he was even looking forward to it. They had been more than friends the last few months, a couple to be sure, but they had never talked about being exclusive—though Jabe had certainly never desired to date anyone else.
"It's funny," Jabe said, "General Jackson said something about you being 'my lady' when I was in Magdeburg." Jabe had been thinking about these things even before Frank said this; he was simultaneously relieved and anxious to know that Prudentia had been having similar thoughts.
"And how did that make you feel?"
"Pleased, actually. I told him I didn't know if you were mine or not. But I don't think I was being completely honest."
"I am relieved."
"Relieved?" Jabe stopped and looked at Prudentia. "Pru, what do you mean? You're not afraid I don't have feelings for you, are you?"
"I'm just afraid you don't think well of me. Your parents don't seem to." Jabe could see the tears threatening in her eyes.
Jabe had to swallow hard before answering. "I know you didn't mean to hurt Dad's feelings. He'll come around."
"It's hard for me, you know. I am trying to truly fit in, but it's very hard."
Jabe took Prudentia in his arms. For several long moments she clung to him. It seemed like she was desperate, as if Prudentia were afraid she'd lose him.
They resumed walking side by side, arms around each other's waists. Prudentia managed to melt into Jabe's side a little more.
"The entire time you were gone, I just felt so tense. Like I was missing something. Missing being with you. Touching you. Kissing you."
Taking the hint, Jabe obliged her with a lingering kiss. As they continued their walk, Jabe said, "I felt the same way. I was thinking that it was getting harder for me to imagine your not being a part of my life."
Their steps brought them to the Nobilis' front porch. They went inside and, after polite hellos to Tino Nobili, continued to the spare room that served as Prudentia's studio.
For a time all conversation ceased as they kissed—considerably less chastely than they had been accustomed to kissing up to this point. They broke off and for a few moments said nothing. Jabe was deep in thought.
"You know," he said, breaking the silence, "the Germans think we up-timers are nuts to get married so young. They don't believe in marriage until the couple is financially sound. I'm beginning to think that's not such a bad way to do things."
Prudentia laughed. "If I know you, James Byron McDougal, you will establish yourself younger than any German apprentice or tenant farmer. Besides, I'm not even through with school. And then there is my mother's approval."
"Mother's? I thought I'd need to talk to your dad. Or at least write to him."
Looking a little sad, Prudentia said, "Mother and Father went their separate ways years ago. I am hoping Mother will be able to make the trip from Naples soon."
"I guess I'll have to get cracking on my book."
Any anxiety Jabe might have had at the prospect of meeting Artemisia Gentileschi was driven out of his mind as Prudentia threw her arms around him and resumed kissing him. They obeyed their mutual rule of keeping their hands above the
ir waists; even so, they were more adventurous this evening than they had ever been before. Prudentia, in particular, proved that she truly did have Roman hands.
Grantville, Late winter, 1634
Life settled down into a comfortable routine. Duty with the press corps suited Jabe far more than radio operator training did. His instructor had promised Jabe and his fellow Signal Corps trainees that they would dream in Morse code before long, but he never got the knack. He would have been, at best, a competent radio man.
But he was a very good press man. Jabe's talent for listening and drawing people out stood him in good stead, and Kurt von Kessel helped him hone his writing style into one more suited for journalistic writing. Some of Jabe's colleagues got mad whenever a lazy reporter simply passed off one of the division's press releases as a story; Jabe always took it as a compliment.
After the first couple months of its existence, even Frank Jackson had to admit the Joint Armed Services Press Division (as it was formally known; a Marine wag had dubbed them the Fightin' Flacks, and the name had stuck) was earning its keep. Most of what they did was routine. In addition to the duties Major Bloss had outlined at the first meeting, they conducted regular briefings with the press.
Military protocol had tightened considerably now that Torstensson was in overall command of the USE's troops. But in keeping with Major Bloss' command style, things tended to be looser in the Joint Armed Services Press Division. The Grantville office was no exception. Aside from times when formality was required, the four Fightin' Flacks stationed there were on a first-name basis, except for the dour Private Drucker. He was simply known as "Drucker."
Work was starting to pick up. Winter had passed, and the time for the spring campaigns would soon come again. Once the roads dried to something other than the consistency of slimy porridge, the army would on the move again. Until then there were many grand speeches being given and a great deal of morale boosting being done. On this particular chilly March day, Jabe and Kurt were writing up a release based on a circular delivered by the main office in Magdeburg. The emperor had delivered a rousing address to the troops in Luebeck in anticipation of the coming campaign season.
"I wish," said Jabe to Kurt von Kessel as they worked on a statement, "we had a recording of this speech. Reading it can't be as exciting as actually listening to it. We could have had VOA air it and everything. Be good to have people hear Emperor Gustav."
Kurt looked at him thoughtfully. "That's not a bad idea. It'd be even better if we could have him give a speech on television."
"You're actually serious!"
"Come to think of it, I am. Your camera still works, doesn't it? Would it work away from Grantville?"
"Well, yeah. The battery'll go for about two hours on a charge, but—"
Kurt held up his hand. He was onto something good and didn't want to hear any objections. "So you could take it up to Luebeck? And what about something to put into the camera?"
"Tape, I think you mean."
"Yes, tape." Kurt had watched some of his adjutant's interviews and had seen him work his camera. Kurt knew generally how the device operated but was fuzzy on the details. "Do you have any left?"
"I can recycle some sure, but how do we get into Luebeck? The Danes might have something to say about that."
Kurt turned serious. "It's a risk that may prove too great. I'll send a letter to Major Bloss and see what he thinks. But if we can work out something reasonably safe, it really would be worth doing. An address from His Majesty, taped while under siege! It gives me chills just to think about it."
Jabe grunted. "It gives me chills, too."
Kurt nodded knowingly. "It wouldn't do to get captured by the Danes."
"It's not the Danes I'm worried about. It's Prudentia. She's going to go ballistic when I tell her."
* * *
Jabe put off telling Prudentia about the scheme to sneak into Luebeck. No use getting her upset unless and until Major Bloss officially approved the plan; there was a chance that the brass would decide sneaking in would be too dangerous. But when word came back from Magdeburg that the idea was approved, Jabe knew he had to tell Prudentia.
Her reaction was pretty much what he thought it would be.
"You're going where?" A string of particularly rapid and pungent Italian followed this question. Jabe had been trying to learn the language, but when Prudentia got really wound up, she talked too fast for him to catch more than a word or two.
"There's some danger, but we should be okay. The Danes haven't managed to cut things off completely. C'mon, if Anne Jefferson can get into Amsterdam, we can get into Luebeck."
Prudentia's eyes narrowed. "Who's we?" she asked in a dangerous voice.
"Some German Marine named Linn. He managed to make his way to Grantville through some hostile country, so he's been detailed to ride with us."
"Who else?" Prudentia practically hissed the question.
"Sveta."
The volcanic explosion of Italian that followed this revelation was even bigger than the first one. Prudentia had a dislike of the Swedish private that bordered on intense. Jabe chalked it up to Prudentia's prejudice; he believed her when she said was trying to work on changing her attitudes, but it still reared its ugly head from time to time, despite her best efforts. This, Jabe thought, was one of those times. It never occurred to him that she could just be jealous.
Prudentia ran out of Italian and returned to English. "Why her? Why not Kurt? Or Drucker?"
He sighed, irritated. "Pru, you know Kurt can't go into a potential combat situation. And Drucker doesn't speak Swedish. That leaves only one other possibility."
The cold silence greeting that statement was worse than the angry words Prudentia had used up until now.
"Look, Pru, I'm sorry you don't like Sveta. I don't really know why you seem to hate her so much."
"You don't understand a thing, James Byron McDougal, truly you don't. Just go. You'll be safe, I'm sure."
Jabe was angry now, a state he rarely achieved. "Will you even want to see me before I go?"
"I need to get to work."
* * *
Prudentia found she couldn't get right to work after Jabe left. She wasn't used to seeing him like that, and she blamed herself.
After she was done crying, she began to get a little angry, too. She knew Jabe thought she looked down on Svetlana Anderovna because she was a farm girl and illegitimate besides. He truly did not know her well at all if he thought that. Prudentia had an entirely different reason for not liking her. The Swedish woman definitely fit in with an up-timer's standard of female attractiveness, and Sveta's upbringing gave her more in common with Jabe than Prudentia's did. Jabe would probably decide that Svetlana was more suitable as a wife, and Prudentia was sure that Pete and Zula would like her better anyway.
As anger replaced grief and self-recrimination, Prudentia began working on her sketch for the frontispiece of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. In her current mood Prudentia found it very easy to draw a dead man with a knife in his back.
On the Road, Late winter, 1634
The trip north to Luebeck was every bit as chilly, wet and muddy as the three soldiers feared it might be. The up-timers referred to it as "mud season." It was the time of year generals hated most because it was nearly impossible to move armies anywhere in the sticky morass. At least in winter the roads were frozen hard, and if a commander was particularly lucky, a frozen canal or river might make an excellent road if the ice was thick enough.
Marine Lance Corporal Dietrich Linn rode out in front, keeping an eye on the road ahead. Sergeant McDougal was the ranking officer in their little group, but that didn't mean he thought he knew everything. The press division sergeant told Dietrich that his more extensive experience riding through potentially hostile territory called for him to ride in the lead.
In order to get to Grantville Dietrich had had to travel through contested country. He came from Krefeld, a town on the Rhine that was a center of the si
lk trade. His family took their surname from the castle in which they'd worked as servants for generations; his mother was a baker. She was also considered quite beautiful and was not particularly discriminating in her choice of bedmates. Dietrich had no idea who his father was. He was probably good-looking, though. Dietrich had heard that others called him "the golden boy," and there had been serious talk about using his portrait for a recruiting poster. He'd done well in basic training and was far more proud of that fact than his good looks.