Evil Legacy

by Margit Sandemo

  “No, there’s nothing else available at the moment,” said Mattias firmly. “Perhaps you’re strong enough to get better without medicine.”

  The old cow sighed. “Ah well, perhaps the good doctor could find me another servant girl. One who’s not as selfish and careless as the one I have now. I’d be very grateful. This one eats a poor woman out of house and home, she does. Wants food several times a day, would you believe it?”

  “It’s her that I’ve come here to see, in fact,” said Mattias. “Her grandfather asked me to call on her.”

  As the old lady was about to continue her whining, Mattias got up and went across to the door of the other bedchamber. When the old lady saw this, she screamed after him: “Don’t you believe anything she says! She lies! She lies!”

  Inside the room, a tiny emaciated girl was lying under the bedcovers, or rather among a tangle of old rags. A pair of enormous eyes stared blankly up at him but she didn’t say a word. She was so skinny that it was impossible for Mattias to make a guess at her age. The girl’s hair was fine and wispy without any colour. Her face was so thin that her eyes seemed far larger than normal. The look on her face reminded him of a newborn calf looking out for the first time at a totally bewildering world.

  “Are you Eli?” he asked her.

  The young nodded her head.

  Mattias examined her hands and found the skin was cracked and red from hard work and cold. Indeed, her hands were so calloused that they might have belonged to a seasoned farmhand. Worst of all, she looked as if she was half starved. “Come,” said Mattias very gently, lifting and taking the girl in his arms. “I’m taking you with me.”

  As he lifted her, Mattias discovered that she weighed less than a fledgling sparrow. When he saw that she was only dressed in her petticoat and nightdress, Mattias also grabbed the clothes that lay next to the bed.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” screamed the old cow, sitting up in her own bed and forgetting that she was still wearing her outdoor clothes.

  “I’m taking this girl away from here,” Mattias told her quietly. “She’s not going to spend one moment longer in this place.” Then, as an afterthought, he added. “And you really should get up now. It’s bad for a healthy person to spend too much time in bed.”

  And with that, he marched out and made Eli comfortable in the sleigh, covering and wrapping her well to guard against the cold.

  On the way home, he called at her grandfather’s cottage. The old man was astonished to see him so soon.

  “I’m taking Eli with me to Graastensholm,” Mattias told him quietly. “She’ll stay there until she’s recovered. Don’t send her back to Nygaard Farm ever again – she worked like a slave there.”

  “May God bless you, doctor!” wheezed the old man. “May God bless you!”

  Chapter 10

  The moment Mattias arrived back at Graastensholm with Eli, they put her in a huge bed with white sheets and a light feather quilt. As her tiny body almost disappeared under this unaccustomed luxury, her eyes seemed to grow bigger and bigger.

  Liv had first bathed her, then washed her hair thoroughly with a lye solution so that, as he put it, “the girl can be alone in her bed.” After that, she was given a jug of milk to drink and a meaty soup.

  Eli lay very still for a while, staring up at the white ceiling. Then, with a tired sigh of relief, she fell asleep. She’d stopped believing in fairy tales a long time ago and couldn’t help feeling just a little anxious and scared.

  Liv stood and looked down at the girl with a tenderness she hadn’t felt for another person during the last few lonely years. She’d felt utterly bereft at losing Dag and although the love of a child or grandchild can never replace the loss of a beloved husband, she realised that something else could give new purpose to her life. In the presence of poor little Eli, she knew she had an important new task to fulfil.

  After watching over the girl for a few minutes, she found Mattias and Kaleb to share her idea, her eyes glowing with eager expectation.

  “Well, gentlemen, what do you say? Is Eli to be the beginning of something I thought of so long ago? Is a part of Graastensholm to be a home and school for less fortunate children?”

  “Yes, Grandma, we should do it,” answered Mattias with equal fervour. “All three of us share the same goal.”

  But Kaleb didn’t seem to have the same strength of purpose and when he spoke, his voice was harsh and brusque.

  “It won’t do any good. Whatever we do, they’ll all return to poverty and misery.”

  “You sound like a messenger of doom, Kaleb!” replied Liv. “We can at least try – or do you want to cast out Eli as well?”

  “No, of course not! Tell me – how old is the poor girl?”

  Liv’s brow furrowed in thought. “She was born, I think, the same year as ... let me see ... Yes, she’d be about seven years old.”

  Mattias was aghast. “Seven!” he repeated. “And we can only guess at the treatment she received at the hands of the old lady at Nygaard.”

  Kaleb was looking thoughtful. “Do you honestly believe that there’d be a home for the children here, baroness?”

  “I’ve been absolutely serious about this for a long time.”

  “And how many would there be?”

  “Not too many. Otherwise it wouldn’t be a proper home. I’ve got two smaller rooms I can make available to begin with, one for boys and the other for girls. Two beds in each room – so let’s say four children. It’s a start and we’ll see how things turn out. But we shouldn’t run before we’ve learned to walk.”

  When Kaleb replied, there was a touch of defiance, a challenge in his tone, as though he resented his own desire to help others or even his own sincerity.

  “In that case, I know of two boys I’d like to save. One is working for a coal merchant, carrying a grown man’s loads and soon his back will be broken. If you could only see the poor boy stagger from side to side across the street, weighed down by a sack bigger than he is! I took him away from there, but he had nowhere else to go and as soon as my back was turned, the merchant had him in his clutches again. He’s about ten years old with a good head on his shoulders. But he’s been beaten into submission and dares not disobey his master. He’s got no family at all.”

  “Then we’ll go and fetch him,” said Mattias. “And the other?”

  “He’s deaf and his family exploits him to make their living. He begs on street corners in Christiania with a large sign hanging round his neck that reads ‘DEAF MUTE.’ If he returns home without any coins, he’s whipped. He’s beaten black and blue and in winter he’s left to freeze. On one occasion I gave him a pair of mittens. But the very next day he was standing out in the cold again, his hands bare and turning blue. His parents had sold the mittens and, to make matters worse, they didn’t think he’d look needy enough to be a beggar if he was wearing a fine pair of mittens!”

  “Bring him to us,” said Liv.

  ***

  Kaleb and Mattias arranged to travel to Christiania together and collect the two boys.

  Their task proved to be a very strenuous one. The coal merchant was furious and the young boy was very frightened. At first, he didn’t know which side to choose. He was clearly torn between Mattias and Kaleb on the one hand and his slave-driving master on the other, depending on who was speaking. In the end, it was Mattias’s smile together with his title of baron and physician that won the merchant round – not to mention the small amount of money that passed between them almost unnoticed.

  The deaf boy’s parents made a big fuss of how the two men wanted to steal their beloved son from them, but what they really meant was their beloved source of income. They were reluctant to voice their accusations before the procurator. In fact, during further discussions it turned out that they had no desire whatsoever to talk to any of the city officials. After Mattias offered them
a little money too, they soon handed the boy over. They had twelve more children besides the deaf boy, and it was clear that they wouldn’t miss him greatly for long.

  On the way back to Graastensholm, Mattias said. “It’s just awful that parents ask for money so that we can help their children.”

  “I no longer have any illusions about the human race,” replied Kaleb soberly. “It didn’t surprise me at all.”

  For the journey, they’d wrapped the two young boys in a great big travelling blanket and fur. The youngsters were about the same age and were looking at one another in silence, each trying to weigh up the other as young boys do. The little deaf beggar boy’s expression was one of utter confusion. Ingrained coal dust and grime made it impossible to see what the other boy might be thinking.

  “What’s your name then?” asked the young coal heaver of the little beggar boy.

  “Nikodemus,” he replied immediately.

  Kaleb and Mattias stared at each other in disbelief. “What?” they said as one voice. Turning to the boy, Mattias asked: “So you can really hear and speak alright then?”

  “Oh, yes,” answered the boy with a shrug. “But Mum and Dad said I wasn’t to tell anyone. You make more money being deaf and dumb, see!”

  The two men shook their heads slowly in astonishment. They travelled in silence for a while before Mattias spoke.

  “A good thing we brought him with us,” he muttered. “Before his sense of moral decency was completely destroyed.”

  Nikodemus kept his frostbitten hands under the lovely warm fur during the journey. He was terribly thin and had dark shadows under his eyes. The other boy – Per was his name – tended to regard the world with a cynical gaze, and the dullness behind his eyes was not a healthy sign in a ten-year old. They didn’t speak again during the trip home, but gazed open-mouthed in amazement at their extraordinary surroundings when they reached Graastensholm.

  Having young people in the house again put Liv in good spirits and she delighted in introducing them to all the things they’d never known such as good food, pleasant surroundings and proper care. Once Per had been scrubbed clean of all the dirt and coal dust, he emerged as a wiry, muscular young boy with a huge appetite and an unruly mop of hair that resembled a fallen haystack or the ruffled feathers of a bird. Because of this, the adults soon nicknamed him “Little Thrush.”

  Disconsolate at being in strange surroundings and still suspicious of everything new and unbelievable, the two young boys went to their beds that night very glad of each other’s company. Eli was in the room next door, and she was as quiet as a mouse. In fact, she’d hardly uttered a word since she arrived – only a whispered ‘thank you’ from time to time, and nothing else.

  ***

  Before long, Gabriella was due to arrive at Graastensholm. The coachman had been sent to meet her on the dockside at Christiania and she sat in the sleigh, quiet and withdrawn, all the way back to Graastensholm. She’d not felt particularly happy at the prospect of visiting her grandmother. But at least she’d be far away from Denmark.

  Although she was warmly wrapped up, the winter chill nipped at her cheeks in the sleigh. As they journeyed on, a thought had been on her mind constantly for several days, which was: ‘If only I could die! What’s left to live for? No one on earth ever asks if Gabriella Paladin is alive or dead anyway.’

  The sound of the horses’ hooves was deadened by the snow, and the runners made barely a sound as they glided across the surface. On the forest floor, the tinkling of the harness bells hardly broke the silence and the only noticeable sound was that of the wind whistling among the trees. ‘What a dismal noise that is,’ thought Gabriella. ‘Am I never ever to know happiness again?’

  The indigo blue of a winter evening had begun to fill the sky as they came to a halt in front of the entrance steps to Graastensholm. Gabriella hadn’t been to Norway very often in her life. The first time was when Tarjei was buried, when she was only seven years old. Mattias and Kaleb had looked after her and all the other children that day, she remembered. There had been two more visits after that, but neither of the boys had been at home on those occasions so she’d spent a lot of time playing and chatting with Andreas from Linden Avenue – and, of course, she’d always been particularly fond of her Grandma, Liv.

  Now even Grandma Liv wasn’t important because Gabriella’s life was finished – completely. There would never be anything worthwhile to think about or do. She was absolutely certain about that.

  As she rose to step out of the sleigh, she saw a young boy running down the steps of the great house to greet her. No, he wasn’t really a boy but more a lean young man, as she could clearly see when he came closer. His slight build had made her think he was much younger – as well as the innocent azure blue eyes, the freckles and the gentle smile. ‘This must be Mattias,’ thought Gabriella. ‘He looks so kind and friendly and I can almost feel my heart melting a little. But I can’t allow that! I might end up in tears.’

  “Welcome, Gabriella!” called Mattias. “Grandma and I have been standing at the window watching for the sleigh like a couple of children. We’re so pleased to see you again!”

  Gabriella smiled weakly as she was helped from the sleigh. He’d said they were “pleased to see her” – but were they really? Could she possibly believe that was genuinely meant? She didn’t think so.

  “You’re very pretty, Gabriella,” added Mattias admiringly, “quite the grown woman! But you’re a bit thin! Grandma will have to fatten you up. There she is now.”

  Liv stood waving from the top of the steps. How strange that she never seemed to age at all, reflected Gabriella, realising she’d forgotten the warmth of her grandmother’s smile. ‘Please don’t show me kindness and friendship here,’ she prayed silently. ‘I don’t want that or I’ll break down. I want things as they are. I want the pain, the suffering and loneliness. And why did Mattias have to remind me how skinny and ugly and shapeless I am as soon as he saw me? Oh, everything’s so confused! What am I to do?’

  “Welcome, my dear Gabriella. You look so beautiful,” said her grandmother. ‘She’s only saying that to comfort me,’ thought Gabriella.

  “And you’re so grown up, too,” continued Liv. “It’s been too long since you were here last and you can’t imagine how I’ve wondered what you looked like! Come in, come in! Now Tarald and Yrja are here as well and so is Kaleb. Do you remember Kaleb?”

  Gabriella greeted Yrja first. She was just as big, unsightly and clumsy as ever – but an inner beauty still shone in her eyes. A lump came to Gabriella’s throat as she imagined how Yrja must have suffered for her unattractiveness when she was young – she who was only ever kindness itself. ‘But why should I pity her?’ thought Gabriella. ‘She has Tarald. Who do I have?’

  Tarald looked every inch the landowner in his well-worn indoor clothes. They were well-worn because he wanted them that way – then he didn’t have to treat them with so much care. Both he and Yrja were forty-four years old now. When she was younger, Gabriella had always wondered why the handsome Tarald had married such an unattractive and plodding woman as Yrja. With his charm and good looks, Tarald could have married the most beautiful of princesses if he wanted to. But as she grew older, she’d changed her view and had come to understand that it was Yrja who was the stronger, the better and the most sensible of the pair. Gabriella realised that her beauty came from within. Gabriella had also heard the whole grim saga of Sunniva, Tarald’s first wife, whom he’d chosen for her beauty and how Yrja had suffered for her unrequited love.

  With these fleeting recollections retreating from her mind, she turned to the last of the people in the room. ‘My goodness, can this be Kaleb?’ she asked herself. ‘This tall young man with ice-cold eyes?’

  She felt as though her every weakness was exposed to his penetrating stare and she took an involuntary step backwards. Did he have to look so unwelcoming?

 
; And yet the contradictions of her own feelings didn’t occur to her. On the one hand she didn’t want any sympathy while on the other, she didn’t want to be an outcast. It was obviously not going to be easy being Gabriella in these days of seemingly endless humiliation, and she quickly averted her eyes from Kaleb’s icy gaze.

  “You must come and see our young protégés,” Liv said eagerly. “The boys arrived only yesterday and ...”

  “Mum,” smiled Tarald, “shouldn’t we let Gabriella at least take off her coat first? And have some refreshments?”

  “Asch! Food can wait! Take off your coat, Gabriella, and come with me.”

  Mattias and Kaleb also went with them and Mattias took the opportunity to explain enthusiastically what they were doing. Gabriella tried to look interested, but she wasn’t all that happy at the thought of a house full of strange children when all she really wanted was to rest.

  When they reached the room shared by the two newly arrived boys, Nikodemus and Little Thrush, they had already begun playing with Mattias and Kolgrim’s old toys. They were so absorbed that they hardly had time to acknowledge the presence of the adults.

  Gabriella thought that the boys looked stupid. ‘Hardly worth wasting time and effort on them,’ she thought. And they were using such coarse language, which was simply awful. She couldn’t understand what her grandmother was thinking in setting up a home for children of this kind.

  When they entered Eli’s room, the little girl looked up into Gabriella’s eyes with fear and bewilderment. She tried to curtsy from where she lay but it wasn’t successful.

  “She hasn’t had enough to eat for a very long time,” said Liv. “But I think she’s looking better today, don’t you gentlemen agree?”

  “Yes, indeed,” agreed Mattias and Kaleb enthusiastically. ‘This is quite beyond me,’ thought Gabriella with complete indifference as she turned towards the door. She’d already forgotten Eli.