Sally Wentworth - King of the Castle

by King of the Castle

  One evening Lee was standing at the magazine stall in the lobby of the hotel looking in a desultory way at the latest paperbacks in the hope of finding something to read that would send her to sleep, when she saw Max come through the swing doors. Hastily she turned away, but he spotted her and came over.

  'Why not try this one?' he suggested, pointing to an edition of a famous but unhappy love story. 'That should satisfy your love of the sentimental.'

  'Thank you,' Lee said coldly, 'but I've read it."

  'What did you think of it?'

  Briefly she glanced at him. 'If you must know, I thought it was corny.' Turning away, she walked towards the lifts.

  Max laughed. 'Then there's hope for you yet I' As the lift came he asked, 'Have you dined yet?'

  'Yes, we ate early because your mother is visiting an invalid friend tonight.'

  'Ah, yes, I remember. And you? What are you doing this evening?'

  ‘I have several letters to write.'

  'That doesn't sound very exciting for a young lady on her first trip to Vienna. Would you like to go out somewhere? To the opera, perhaps? Of perhaps you would prefer to visit one of our famous Bierkeller? You haven't been to one yet, have you?'

  'No.' A week ago Lee would have eagerly accepted his invitation, but now it sounded too much like an adult thinking of something that would please a child, so she said stiffly, 'Thank you, but you really don't have to put yourself out to entertain me, Max. I shall be perfectly all right on my own.'

  He put a hand under her chin and tipped her face up towards him. Lee instantly lowered her lashes to hide her eyes, but he could still see the dark smudges of shadow around them.

  'What, am I still in disgrace? Are you sulking because of that dress? You shouldn't make me angry, little one. Didn't I warn you that we Austrians aren't afraid to show our feelings?' His voice was softer as he added. 'Come, won't you forgive me now and let me take you out tonight?'

  'I'm rather tired, and besides, Katrina…'

  'Katrina? She and Hendrik are going to a private party tonight, so I'm afraid they won't be able to join us. Did you want them to?'

  'N-no, I…'

  'What is it? Are you afraid to come out with me? Even if I promise not to become angry with you again whatever the provocation?'

  'Afraid! No, of course I'm not afraid.' She lifted her head with a touch of her old spirit.

  'Then give me twenty minutes to change.' And he went off to his room, leaving Lee to wait for him with very mixed emotions.

  The Bierkeller Max had chosen was down a quiet cobbled side street, its windows thrown open so that music could be heard coming invitingly out to welcome them. There were steps down from the entrance and a very fat, moustachioed waiter greeted Max bv name and found them seats on a bench at a long wooden table where several people were already sitting. They smilingly made room for them and called out greetings while the waiter hurried to bring white wine for Lee and a large, earthenware stein of frothing beer for Max. In one corner a quartet of musicians played; two violinists, a guitarist who also sang, and an accordionist.

  'This is the traditional Keller music they're playing,' Max told her, adding that it was called schrammel music.

  Lee was content to sit and take in the atmosphere; the constant buzz of conversation, the laughter and the music that she was gradually coming to expect whenever she entered any type of eating or drinking establishment in Austria. The people next to Max had drawn him into conversation and now the young man beside Lee turned to Say something to her, a friendly smile on his open face. Regretfully Lee shook her head. 'Nicht's versteh'n.'

  Over her head, Max spoke to him, explaining who she was.

  'English? God save the Queen!' Which seemed to be the sum total of her neighbour's knowledge of English, but it was said with a big grin and Lee had to laugh and nod in return.

  After that she no longer felt like an outsider and when the musicians sang a rousing drinking song and the people on her table joined in, linking arms and swaying to the music, she laughingly linked arms with Max and the young man and hummed along with them. Her glass seemed to be constantly refilled, as did everyone else's, and the Keller became livelier as the evening progressed. Soon two men jumped into the centre of the floor and began to perform a wild Schuh platter dance that was more like acrobatics than dancing, while the crowd looked on, clapping, cheering and stamping their feet as the two leaped and sprang until they were exhausted.

  The heady atmosphere and the wine gradually overcame Lee and she found herself becoming very sleepy, her eyes closing as she started to nod off. She jerked herself back to consciousness, but Max had seen and said, 'I think it's time we left, Lee. You're nearly asleep.'

  Regretfully she said, 'Do we have to?'

  'Why, yes. You must be fresh for the morning if you want to make an early start.'

  Everyone shook hands and shouted goodbyes to them as they left, showing genuine sorrow at their departure.

  'You know so many people,' Lee said sleepily. 'Are they all your friends?'

  'But I've seen hardly any of them before,' Max said with amusement. 'In Austria we don't keep ourselves to ourselves—isn't that the correct expression? Instead we talk to everyone we happen to meet. In the towns at the Bierkeller, or in the taverns when everyone goes into the country at the weekends for picnics.'

  It wasn't until they were in a taxi going back to the hotel that Lee remembered to ask, 'Why did you say I needed to make an early start tomorrow V

  'Have you forgotten? I promised to take you to see our vineyards.'

  Lee was silent for a minute before saying, 'Max, it was very kind of you to take me out this evening when I was at a loose end, and I enjoyed it immensely, but your mother will be free tomorrow, so I won't have to bother you again.'

  'I gathered the impression that you were eager to see the vineyards?'

  'Well, yes, but___ You said that you had work to do there, and I'm sure you'll be able to get on much quicker without me dragging along.'

  'You're not a drag, Lee. You could never be that. So it must be my company that you don't want.'

  Lee tried to give a light denial, but somehow 'the words wouldn't come.

  'My poor girl, do you find my company so abhorrent?'

  'N-no, of course not.' His eyes were gentle as he Rooked at her, a rueful half-smile on his lips. Oh, God, Lee thought desperately, it was hell when he was angry with her, but far, far worse when he was kind and gentle.

  'It would give me great pleasure if you would come with me,' he said softly.

  Perhaps it was the wine, perhaps it was because she was so tired that made her unable to keep aloof any longer. 'All right, Max, I'll come with you.'

  Their journey the next morning started ordinarily enough with a taxi ride, not, as Lee expected, to the station, but to a quay on the banks of the River Danube where they boarded a large paddle-boat which carried them through some of the most magnificent scenery she had yet seen in Austria. Fairyland castles perched precariously on rocky crags on bends in the river, and below, on the banks, were the charming wine-growing villages and old market towns with their gate towers, remains of ancient walls and old houses with large bay windows and arcaded courtyards opening on to the river.

  A zither was, of course, in the lounge of the boat, but they took their morning coffee on to the deck so that Lee didn't miss any of the scenery.

  'I envy you your country, Max,' she remarked wistfully as they drifted by yet another red-roofed village. 'I'm so glad that I've seen it.'

  'You speak as if your stay was nearly over.'

  For the first time since the ball she turned to look at him fully. At his dear face, that seemed so autocratic until he smiled, at his eyes that looked at her now with a slight frown between them. 'Yes,' she answered slowly. 'It is nearly over. I think it's time for me to go home.'

  Max looked as if he was going to protest, but just then the steamer hooted loudly and began to steer towards a landing jetty where
they were to disembark. A smiling, dark-haired youth was waiting for them and greeted Max respectfully before leading them to a car and driving them up to the Reistoven vineyards. As far as the eye could see there were fields and fields of vines, stretching in neat, serried green ranks across the northern side of the Danube valley up to the terraced slopes of the hills until the earth gave way to rock.

  The centre of the Reistoven vineyards was a French- looking house that lazed in the sun among the many outbuildings and storehouses that were needed in the process of turning the grapes into wine. Waiting to meet them were the vineyard manager, Herr Huber, and the Kellermeister, Herr Kossler, who, Max told her, was in charge of the bottling and racking of the wine in the vast dark cellars that ran deep under the house. This was one of the first places that Max inspected and Lee was invited to taste some of the wine taken from a bottle in one of the myriad racks that covered the walls.

  'This is last year's wine,' Max told her. 'But most of our white wines don't have to be matured like the red clarets and burgundies of France.'

  'I've never seen any Austrian wines in England.'

  'No, we don't export a great deal. It's mainly purchased by hotels, restaurants and taverns here in Austria where it is sold by the glass. Wine is almost as much a part of our lives as beer.' He smiled. 'As you know.'

  Lee realised he was referring to the previous evening and smiled rather shakily in return.

  Max examined the huge vats where the grapes were pressed to extract the juice, as well as all the rest of the processing plant, before they returned to the house where they lunched with Herr Huber and Herr Kossler and their wives. Between them they spoke enough English to include Lee in the conversation, but she could guess at their curiosity about her, although they were, like all Austrians, far too polite to betray it. A bleak look came into her eyes as she wondered what they would think of Max's marriage to Katrina. Well, at least she would be able to speak to them in their own language, she thought irrationally.

  After lunch two horses were brought round for them and Max led her at a trot through the first of the fields of vines. Every so often he dismounted to look at the crop of grapes that were not yet fully grown; it wasn't until late August that they would finally ripen and swell in the sun. They covered a large area of ground before Max had visited all the different soil areas to his satisfaction, then he guided her to a clearing where they dismounted and he took a bottle of wine and a packet of little cakes from his saddlebag.

  'Frau Huber has given us plenty to eat. She must have seen that you have an insatiable appetite.'

  'Me?' Lee exclaimed, rising to the bait indignantly. 'Why, you ate like a horse at lunchtime!'

  He laughed at her and spread the picnic out on the grass. 'Then you had better hurry up or there won't be any of these delicious pastries left for you.'

  'In a moment.' Lee's attention had been caught by a canopied wood carving that was fixed at head height to a nearby post. Going closer, she saw that it depicted a Nativity scene, the details still sharp despite the weatherbeaten age of the wood. The craftsmanship was exquisite, as fine as any she had seen in the museums in

  Vienna; there was a beauty on the Madonna's face as she looked at her child that seemed to come from the Very earth about them. Slowly, reverently, Lee lifted her hand to touch the folds of the gown.

  'What is it?' she queried of Max who had come to stand behind her. 'Why is it out here?'

  'It's- a vineyard shrine. There are many of them in the fields where the workers come to pray for a good crop or to give thanks at harvest time. He paused, then added slowly, 'On the boat coming here you said that it was time you went home. Does that mean that you've made up your mind about the Chalet Alpenrose?'

  Lee knew that she ought to tell him of her decision, that it was the perfect opportunity, but somehow she couldn't bear to see the look of triumph in his eyes when she told him that he had won the battle. She managed a rather hollow laugh. 'Don't think I'm going to give up that easily, Max. After all, I've been in Austria nearly a month now and if I don't go home soon they'll start sending out search parties for me. And I'm quite sure I can leave the supervision of the rest of the work in Herr Kreuz's hands. As a matter of fact,' she fabricated desperately, 'I've had a letter from him telling me he has a buyer who might be interested.' She turned and went to sit on the grass, careful not to let Max see her face. 'Perhaps when everything is settled Richard and I will come over here again so that I can sign the necessary papers. We might even make it our honeymoon,' she added offhandedly'.

  Her heart was beating fast as he slowly walked over to drop down on the grass nearby. It had been a brave lie and one that she hoped he would swallow, because she couldn't let him see how, she really felt, not when she had to spend several more days in his company. And when she got back to Ausbach she would tell Herr

  Kreuz to handle everything by post so that she could leave immediately for England.

  'Can I have one of those cakes? I'm feeling quite hungry after all.' She managed to keep her face quite impassive as she looked at him. 'And I thought we'd agreed not to talk about the chalet?'

  There was "a taut, hard line to Max's jaw and he looked as if he would have liked to have said quite a lot more, but then he abruptly looked away and for the rest of the visit to the vineyards and the journey back to Vienna put himself out to talk of other, less controversial topics.

  Their last few days in Vienna were spent in visiting tourist attractions they had missed earlier and in last- minute shopping, for, as Frau von Reistoven declared, heaven knows when Max would again be visiting the city. 'He has been so busy that he must have done at least two months' work in the two weeks we've been here, so I must stock up with enough clothes to last until I can persuade him to come again.'

  'Couldn't you come by yourself?' Lee suggested.

  'I could, I suppose, but I much prefer to have someone with me. Max usually spends much more time with me. It's unusual that he has been so busy on this visit. That's why it has been such a great pleasure to have you with me, Lee. I value your company and your friendship so much, much more than I can say.' Impulsively she kissed Lee, on both cheeks and then went off to answer the phone which was ringing in the sitting-room. 'Oh dear,' she said on replacing the receiver. 'The dress I left to be altered is ready, but they want me to try it again. Will you excuse me, Lee, if I go along to collect it? I especially wanted to wear it this week-end for the dance after the festival,' she explained, referring to the village festival that was to be held in Ausbach.

  'Yes, of course. I really must finish my packing, anyway.' Lee returned to her own room and the problem of finding space for all the things she had bought. She had just decided that there was no way she was going to manage without buying another suitcase, when she heard a knock on the door of the sitting-room. Going to open it she found Katrina waiting outside.

  'Oh! Hallo, Katrina, won't you come in?'

  'Danke. Is Anna here?'

  'No. I'm afraid she's out. Can I help you, or take a message or something?'

  'Nein. Is just I come to" thank for wedding present.' Katrina's English wasn't very good, but it was still much better than Lee's German.

  'Won't you sit down and wait for Frau von Reistoven? She won't be long.'

  'I not stay. Mein Verlobter is wait for me in auto.'

  Lee's skin suddenly began to feel tight and she felt little prickles under her skin as she tensed herself for the next question. 'Max is waiting for you in the car?'

  'Max?' Katrina looked puzzled. 'Nein, mein Verlobter—fiance—Alvin Kleidermann. But you not met him—I forget. We marry soon. We go to live in Paraguay.'

  'Paraguay!' To Lee it seemed the most beautiful place in the world and the unknown Herr Kleidermann the most wonderful person in it. She began to laugh, and after looking at her uncertainly for a moment, Katrina joined in. 'Oh, Katrina, I had you figured all wrong. You must have thought me terribly ill-mannered. I'm sure I treated you abominably, but I was s
o… No, I can't tell you the real reason, but your news is the most wonderful I've ever heard and I'm so sorry if I was rude to you. Can you forgive me?' she babbled.

  The blonde girl shook her head in puzzled bewilderment, so Lee laughingly caught her hand and shook it vigorously. 'I hope you will be very happy, you and Herr Kleidermann. In Paraguay.'

  'Ja, ja.' Katrina smiled at hearing something she could understand. 'You danke Anna for mein present. I write later.'

  Katrina turned to go, and when Lee came back into her bedroom after seeing her out she suddenly found that everything was spinning round so that she had to sit down quickly. To think that she had spent days and days in black despair when the engagement they had celebrated had been not between Katrina arid Max at all, but with the beautiful, wonderful Herr Alvin Kleidermann! And if Katrina hadn't happened to come at the moment when she was alone in the hotel she might never have known. She might have gone back to England tomorrow without ever knowing the truth! The thought was so appalling that tears of relief came to her eyes. For a long time she sat in the chair with the knowledge that Max was free warm within her.

  When Anna von Reistoven came back an hour later she found her still curled up in the chair—fast asleep.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The drive back to Ausbach was a gay one, even though Max had thrown up his hands in horror when he saw the amount of luggage he was expected to find room for. In the end it overflowed into the back of the car, so they all rode in the front seat with Lee in the middle, a circumstance that pleased her very much. Her happiness and gaiety enlivened the journey, so much so that