“I understand that very well. I felt the same after Meta passed away. But our families need us. We must be their rock, their solid ground.”
“Oh, I know – and, at least for the time being, it would seem we have had our fair share of tragedies, wouldn’t you say?”
Are agreed. “Yes, misfortune shouldn’t trouble us again for a while.”
Liv was lost in her own thoughts for a few minutes.
“I worried about Dag for many years, Are, because I knew his time was running out. I was so sure that when he died I’d break down. Yet now I feel calmer ... Sad, but much more at peace with myself.”
“That’s very good to hear, Liv,” said Are softly. “And maybe that’s quite natural.”
They walked slowly together in silence for a while, savouring their long shared history and the close and loving family ties that still bound them together.
Then, speaking very gently, Liv said: “We also have many things to be glad about, don’t we, Are?”
“Of course.”
“Brand and Matilda have made a very good life together, haven’t they?”
Are nodded again in agreement. “Yes, things have turned out much better than we dared hope. Matilda is a splendid woman. And your children are both well married, too.”
“Indeed! I’ve always had a soft spot for Yrja – and Alexander’s simply wonderful.” Liv paused, then added thoughtfully: “Cecilie did once mention something that made me believe that they might have gone through some difficult times to begin with. But obviously it hasn’t affected the relationship too much – and I couldn’t bring myself to ask what the problem was. I’ve always thought that a parent should be discreet.”
Their walk had taken them to the Meiden family mausoleum and for a few moments they stopped and stood there side by side in silence. Quite naturally, their thoughts turned to Dag.
“As I said, I’ve known for a long time that it would happen,” said Liv thoughtfully. “His linden tree started to show signs way back ... You knew that as well, I suppose.”
“Yes,” he replied simply. “And I’ve looked at our trees again, too. Yours and mine are the last two out of the eight. They’re strong and healthy, both of them.”
“Good! And thank God that Silje managed to stop Tengel from casting a spell on any more of the trees in the avenue.” She laughed aloud at the memory and they turned away and walked on through the churchyard. “How strange to think that I’m now the only person left on earth that saw the Valley of the Ice People when there were still cottages and farms and people living there.
“Yes, you are,” Are agreed. Then he abruptly changed the subject. “How are things going for young Kaleb?”
“He certainly has a good basic intelligence. He quickly learned to read, write and do arithmetic. Dag has taught him a great deal in three short years.”
“Does he want to continue his studies?”
“No school will offer him a place. But Dag had already arranged a position for him at the law courts. A junior position, of course, but Kaleb wants to try and work his way up.”
“Kaleb’s a very good boy, I think,” said Are.
“He is,” agreed Liv. “And Mattias and he are very good friends. Mattias would have been quite alone if Kaleb hadn’t stayed on. Oh, and Andreas comes up from Linden Avenue occasionally and then the three of them have a great time together. Andreas is also on his own a lot, isn’t he?”
“I suppose he is, yes. We’ve got a habit of having too few children. Not all of us are like Cecilie – two at once. Damned practical way to do it, though!”
Liv wasn’t really listening. They’d come to the graves of the Ice People and her mind had already set off in a new direction. “I’ve been giving a lot of thought to something recently, Are,” she said pensively. “I’d like to have your opinion ...”
“On what?” he queried. “Let me in on your secret.”
“Well, Graastensholm is so big and I’m alone now in the part of the house that was mine and Dag’s. I’ve thought that I might suggest to Kaleb that he open a home here – in due course because he’s too young just now.”
“What sort of home?” enquired Are.
“Well, a home and a school for children that have been abused and badly treated in their workplaces.”
Are gazed into the distance, thinking. There was a hint of autumn in the air and after a while he shivered slightly and shook his head in a little gesture of uncertainty.
“At Graastensholm? A home and school combined? It’s a little hard to imagine but ... Let’s wait and see, shall we?”
They stood looking at Tengel and Silje’s large gravestone on which Sol’s name had also been carved. A new stone had been raised beside it with an empty space first where Are’s name would one day be carved, and beneath it were the names of Meta, Tarjei and last of all, Trond.
Kolgrim’s name had already been added to the roll in the Meiden burial vault although neither he nor Sol nor Trond lay at rest in this churchyard. They’d all suffered evil violent deaths far from their home. They’d all been cursed – barred from society – but their nearest kin wanted them to be remembered as normal decent people. That was why their names had a place there.
***
Juliana of Lowenstein and Scharffeneck died in 1640. Her husband, Johan Banér, took her daughter, Marca Christiana and little foster son, Mikael, with him when he married again shortly afterwards. However, by this time he was gravely ill, his lungs ruined after so many years of effort in battle, and he wouldn’t live long. As a result, his offspring from the new marriage, together with Juliana’s two children, were put into the care of an in-law.
After Banér died, Are and Liv tried to locate Tarjei’s young son. They had no idea who the in-law might be, and no matter how many letters they wrote or messages they sent, they never succeeded in finding either the in-laws or Johan Banér’s widow whose name they didn’t know.
Somebody did write to say that they should search for him in Estonia but how could they find a person in such a large country without more information?
They’d also made the mistake of thinking that the in-law was his wife’s brother, which somebody had given them reason to believe. But this turned out to be wrong. The in-law in question was, in fact, Johan Banér’s sister’s husband. But even if they had known, it would have helped them very little. Military men headed most of these family households, and they were spread far and wide over several countries. Consequently, all of Are and Liv’s contacts with young Mikael ended abruptly.
Their only consolation was that he still bore the name ‘Lind of the Ice People.’ One day they hoped to find him again.
But what would happen, they wondered, if they didn’t? They trembled at the thought – because Mikael, as they knew only too well, might carry within him the evil inheritance of the Ice People.
Part Two
Gabriella
Chapter 9
Gabriella Paladin turned and twirled as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Not dressed for any special occasion, she was wearing only a conventional daytime dress with little adornment, but her expression betrayed that she was dissatisfied with herself in general, rather than with her clothes.
“I’m so flat, Mum,” she complained, pointing to her chest. “Look! No shape at all!”
Cecilie put her needlework on her lap and looked up, smiling, remembering her own bouts of fierce self-criticism when she was her daughter’s age. “It’ll all come in good time, Gabriella,” she said quietly. “You’ve only just turned seventeen.”
“But all the other girls have much more already – and just look at my nose! Oh, it’s simply hopeless!”
“There’s nothing at all wrong with your nose. You’re a pretty girl, Gabriella.”
“You only say that because you’re my mum. Oh, what will Simon think?”
“Simon has graciously accepted the arrangements his parents have made with us,” her mother, Cecilie, reminded her. “But you’ll have to be patient and wait until the New Year when he becomes a captain before you can marry him.”
“I don’t like this sort of matchmaking, Mum. One can never be sure that the other person is a willing participant.”
“But it was his parents who came to us with the proposal,” replied Cecilie. “They were among several who wished to have you for a daughter-in-law.”
“Agreed. But that says nothing about Simon’s feelings. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life feeling unwanted!”
“What nonsense, Gabriella! Has Simon ever given you that impression?”
“No, but how’s one to know?” Gabriella turned her attention back to the mirror and tried to arrange her gleaming jet-black hair more stylishly, but without success. “Nearly everyone in the family has wavy hair. Why haven’t I? Look at this horse’s mane!” She lowered her voice and said: “Simon is very handsome, though. Do you really believe he likes me, Mum?”
“I’m absolutely certain he does,” Cecilie assured her. “You’ve no reason to doubt that.”
Cecilie deliberately said nothing about the rumour she’d heard just a few days earlier. It was being said that Simon, whom they’d chosen for their daughter after a long and painstaking search, had been having an affair with a lower-ranked lady-in-waiting at the king’s Court. Cecilie and Alexander had lain awake the whole night after hearing it. Only yesterday, Alexander had gone to confront the young man and asked him to explain himself.
Simon, however, had sworn on his honour as an officer and a gentleman that the rumour was nothing more than wicked gossip and that he was truly and deeply in love with their daughter.
It was considered a great honour to be allowed to marry into the Paladin family and Cecilie hadn’t been aware of this all those years ago when she’d made her daring proposal to Alexander. Had she known, she probably never would have dared suggest they should be married – and all just to avoid the fateful consequences of the situations in which they found themselves. The memory made her shudder. Now she could scarcely imagine what it might have been like, living her whole life without Alexander.
Simon came from the best of families and was a reasonably mature young man with a promising future. Although his family wasn’t particularly wealthy, that was of no importance to Cecilie and Alexander. It was far more important to them that Gabriella had taken an instant liking to this young man when he’d been invited to their home with a party of other young officers. After a few initial misgivings, she’d accepted her parents’ proposal that Simon was to be her husband.
Naturally Simon’s parents had been overjoyed – a marquise for a daughter-in-law? That would be very satisfactory – and the Paladin fortune wasn’t to be sneezed at.
Cecilie tried to look at her daughter through the eyes of another, which wasn’t an easy thing for a devoted mother to do.
Yes, that she was flat-chested was an undeniable fact. She did not carry herself particularly gracefully, and she tended to cast her eyes down as though she were shy – which she was, in some ways.
No, she wasn’t immediately eye-catching. Her many virtues only became apparent when one had known her for a while.
Gabriella had a slow smile that seemed to reveal a beauty that lay deep within her and needed a little time to show itself. But when it did, it lit up her dark eyes and slender, some would say thin, face. She was always pleasant, though in an awkward way as if she was constantly scrutinising her own self-worth and her imagined imperfections. But Cecilie thought that she wasn’t any different from so many young girls of her age and she’d grow out of it.
Cecilie had brought her daughter up with great care and consideration because Gabriella had shown herself to be a sensitive child. But there was one rule Cecilie had imposed very strictly: no amorous advances before marriage! Having been badly scalded by the heat of her own passion, she was certainly not going to allow the same thing to happen to her beloved daughter.
The females of both the Meiden family and the Ice People had a tendency to give themselves too quickly in response to advances from men they were attracted to – without thinking of the bigger picture. Too often, this had led to unhappy consequences. Cecilie was determined that shy, vulnerable Gabriella wasn’t going to be a victim of anything like that so she’d given her strict sermons about purity and worthy morals, so much so that she felt almost like a prudish maiden aunt. Yet she was so afraid that her little girl would get hurt.
She was confident that Simon was a good choice. He was strong and responsible and would protect the young Gabriella – he’d be her rock.
Cecilie’s thoughts of her daughter were interrupted when Gabriella’s twin brother, Tancred, came rushing in on his way to get something or other from his room. As he sped past, he explained at the top of his voice that his friends were waiting for him outside and he wouldn’t be long. ‘I’ve never had any worries over him,’ reflected Cecilie, knowing her son was always happy and full of life, always ready with a cheeky joke. He’d already been granted a position at Court with the somewhat redundant title of ‘page,’ where he was regarded as an up-and-coming young man from whom great things were expected. It was no exaggeration to say that he was extremely attractive to mothers in search of a suitable husband for their young daughter. He’d make an excellent match, not least because he was extremely handsome and very charming. But Cecilie and Alexander were in no hurry to marry him off. It was rarely difficult to find a match for a son, but daughters were another matter entirely.
The young man came back from his room and stood behind his sister as she continued to study her appearance in the mirror with far too much disapproval.
“Yep, not bad!” he told her as he leaned his head to one side. “Honestly, not bad at all! I’ve seen far worse-looking scarecrows in my time!”
Gabriella retaliated instantly, and the hairbrush she’d been holding flew through the air in the general direction of her departing twin brother. The floor shook as he ran and everything in the room rattled in his wake. The brush narrowly missed a servant as he appeared in the doorway, carrying a letter on a silver plate, but he retained his composure and continued to advance into the room without the slightest change of expression.
“I’m so sorry, Wilhelmsen,” Gabriella said, concerned for the man but while smiling over the episode. “I was trying to aim it at my brother.”
“Of course, Miss Gabriella, I’d guessed as much,” he replied politely, bending to offer the letter to Cecilie.
“Oh, it’s from Liv,” she said when she picked it up. “Do you know what, Gabriella? I feel a knot in the pit of my stomach whenever I receive a letter from home even though it’s been uneventful there for many years now. I’m truly happy that things have been more settled – they deserve a quiet life after all the terrible times they’ve had to live through. For years they seemed to have been plagued by one tragedy after another. But now even Tarald seems to have recovered from it all. Liv is quite indomitable, always happy and optimistic in every letter. I hope this letter will also be a happy one.”
She opened the letter with some anxiety and began to read it. As she did so, she smiled and chuckled softly.
“Well, what does it say?” demanded Gabriella as she crossed to a chair and sat down.
“Liv says that Mattias will be returning home for Christmas. He’s almost finished with his studies to be a physician.”
“He did that quickly,” commented Gabriella.
“Mattias is very conscientious ... you know that! He’s studied very hard and while he doesn’t have Tarjei’s brilliant mind, what talent he has is more than enough. Besides, he has something else that’s just as valuable for any physician: A warm heart! And it shows in his eyes. Tarjei had it too, but not to the same extent as Mattias.”
“Yes, I can
remember Mattias’ eyes,” said Gabriella. “They’d warm even the coldest heart.”
“You don’t have a cold heart,” smiled Cecilie as she concentrated on her letter.
“Sometimes I do,” mumbled Gabriella softly. ‘’Particularly when I feel unneeded, when I feel worthless and with no other purpose than to be me. It’s a sad fact that we women are of little use in society today – well, other than maybe as wives, I suppose.”
“Yes,” agreed Cecilie who’d heard little since ‘cold heart.’ “It can seem like that when you’re young. Oh, and Kaleb has come back again.”
“Kaleb?” Gabriella tried to recall what he looked like. “Oh, yes him – a tall, somewhat uncouth lower-class boy. But he was friendly in a coarse sort of way. Fair-haired, I think?”
“Indeed, but he’s no longer a boy.”
“I haven’t seen him in – oh, it must be ten years,” said Gabriella thoughtfully. “How quickly time flies!”
“A fine thing for you to say,” said Cecilie with a grin. “Just you wait! It flies more quickly the older you get.”
“That’s hardly a comforting thought,” answered Gabriella.
***
One month before Christmas, Cecilie and her daughter Gabriella were sitting together sewing Gabriella’s wedding dress. Her dowry was immense: Alexander had decided that no expense would be spared for his only daughter, and he could easily afford it.
Cecilie sometimes thought that he tended to spoil the children by giving them expensive gifts. But on the other hand, she understood that he loved them above all else. Sometimes she worried about this, wondering how it would affect him if anything should happen to the children. It would definitely break him ... and her.
She asked herself why she was having such doubts at a time like this when the house was buzzing with cheerful anticipation.
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