Not Made For
Marriage
The journey back to Vienna was a dismal one. Janos could still not
understand why Lina had attacked him so fiercely when she had found out what he
had seen at the ball. She had expected him to interfere with a scene that, even
to an unprejudiced observer, had looked like a pair of lovers enjoying a
moment's privacy. Why did she not understand that he had not wanted to make a
fool of himself, not even for her? He pictured the look on Kodaly's face,
should he have forgotten himself so far as to step in. No, it would not have
done, and Janos hoped Lina would understand sooner or later.
What worried him more was that she obviously did not trust him. Janos racked his brains, trying to figure out what he had done to deserve her distrust. He had always been honest with her - had even as much as told her the truth about Ilona. But the moment someone told her lies about him, she tended to believe them rather than him. Had his statement regarding Mrs. Petek been ambiguous? Janos tried to recall the discussion they had had concerning that lady, and shook his head. There was no way Lina could have misunderstood his meaning. He had made it clear to her that Mrs. Petek and her children had been nothing to him but an obligation. Why had Lina supposed that, had he indeed been engaged to Mrs. Petek, he would have had reason to deny it?
Lina did not trust him. That was the beginning and the end of it. Knowing what his sister had suffered in her marriage with an untrustworthy man, Janos felt that marriage with Lina, under these circumstances, was out of the question. Janos had made up his mind that he would make every effort to make Lina happy, should she ever marry him, so she would never have had a reason to regret her choice. But her constant suspicion would make life unbearable for both of them. Better make an end of it, Janos thought. It was not to be. You're not made for marriage, Horvāth, remember?
Back in Vienna, an urgent note from his friend von Hertenberg awaited him.
He was to call on his friend immediately after his return, as he wanted to
discuss a matter of utmost importance -- he hinted that it had something to do
with Ilona's death.
So Janos presented himself at the Infantry Barracks first thing the next
morning and found his friend in a state of uncharacteristic gloom.
"So, what is this business about?" Janos demanded the moment he had closed von Hertenberg's office door behind him. "You said it was important."
Von Hertenberg explained the situation to him. Bāthory had, apparently, set about some rumour that he was soon to be married with von Hertenberg's sister Marie.
So that had been the affluent lady supposed to bring Bāthory back to prosperity, Janos thought.
The matter had been settled between Baron von Hertenberg and Bāthory, but Carl von Hertenberg opposed the match, knowing what had happened to Ilona. He now wanted to ask Janos' permission to reveal the secret to his brother -- to save his sister from a marriage that would make her unhappy.
"I know I promised you to keep silent on this matter, Horvāth, and I have kept my promise ever since -- only now, I am afraid, I do not have any other choice." Von Hertenberg sounded really desperate.
Janos thought carefully before he gave his friend an answer. The more people knew what had happened to Ilona, the more likely it would become that it would come to his mother's ears. Janos had tried hard to keep it from her -- losing one's daughter was bad enough, he thought, but finding out that that daughter had actually taken her own life would be even worse. On the other hand, Baron von Hertenberg would surely keep his word if he promised to remain silent about the matter. Despite his friendship with Bāthory, the Baron was an honourable man.
Besides, Bāthory deserved punishment. One did not boast with an inexistent engagement just in order to gain money. This was not a gentleman's behaviour, and it would serve Bāthory right if the whole affair came to nothing. Here was Janos' chance to avenge himself on his brother-in-law.
"You need not break your promise, von Hertenberg." Janos finally said, making his decision.
Von Hertenberg raised his eyebrows, not quite understanding what Janos was getting at. "What do you mean, Horvāth?"
"What I mean is that you will talk to your brother, tell him that you have severe charges against Bāthory and his character, and, if he does not believe you, I will prove them. So you will not have to break your promise - I never promised to remain silent."
Von Hertenberg gave Janos a doubting look. "Horvāth, this is going to be painful for you -- do you really want to do it?"
Janos nodded. "I owe it to your sister," he said. "I cannot allow her to be as unhappy as my sister was. She is a lovely girl, she deserves better. When are we going to speak to your brother?"
"What about tonight?" Von Hertenberg asked with a shrug. "Are you going to come to dinner? As far as I know, Bāthory is out of town anyway, so you need not fear meeting him."
He hinted at the fact that Janos had, for some time, refused to visit him in his family home because he might run into Bāthory there. But he had never been afraid of meeting Bāthory, he had just not wanted to meet him if he could avoid it.
"I do not fear meeting him," Janos said with a grim smile. "He ought to fear meeting me. I have thought about that man a great deal, von Hertenberg, and you know what? I have decided that I do not want him dead -- as I used to, some time ago. I want him to suffer. Maybe we can bring on a bit of that suffering tonight." He laughed. "I shall be there, and bring some proof with me which even the most prejudiced judge would accept."
~~~o~~~
At Palais Hertenberg, Janos was received by the entire family. The Baroness welcomed him with a smile that was as gracious as it was artificial. Baron von Hertenberg was polite, but reserved -- he seemed to blame Janos for the strained relationship between him and his brother-in-law, though, Janos hoped, he would not do so much longer. The rest of the family -- Carl von Hertenberg, his sister Marie, and Theresia von Laudeck, his fiancée, were genuinely happy to welcome him in their home.
Janos was seated next to Miss von Hertenberg during dinner and tried to strike up some conversation, but she seemed a bit absent-minded at first. After a while, however, she turned her attention to her guest.
"I heard you were out of town, Major Horvāth," she said, giving him a curious look.
"True, Miss von Hertenberg, I visited a friend of mine." Anton Straub did not really qualify as a friend, Janos thought, but then Miss von Hertenberg did not know that.
"The gentleman we met the other day, Mr. Grum?"
"Mr. Grum was one of the party, yes." Janos had to smile. Miss von Hertenberg was perceptive -- and had a way of remembering things, especially if one did not want her to remember them.
"Was it a nice visit then," she asked. Apparently, Janos' smile had managed to stir her curiosity. He had to stop her attempts to make him betray something. The very last thing he wanted was to talk about Lina, and he feared Miss von Hertenberg would remember her too -- in an inopportune moment.
"Oh, just the usual sort of visit," he answered, in a non-committal tone of voice. "Nothing out of the ordinary, really. - But how are you, Miss von Hertenberg? Now that the ball season is over, I take it that you will have to get used to a more secluded way of life. Are you not sad about it? After all, young ladies long to dance."
Miss von Hertenberg smiled -- she quite understood that he was deliberately trying to change the topic, and let him get away with it. For the moment.
"Sad? No, not really, sir. Actually I think I am going to enjoy a bit of quiet for a change. Besides, things will not be so very quiet for long, with all those changes that will take place in my family so soon."
Janos laughed. "Indeed, I forgot those lovebirds, your brother and Miss von Laudeck."
"You should not speak of such a thing so lightly, sir. Who knows, perhaps you will be the next lovebird in town?" she said with a knowing smile.
What? How had she found out, Janos wondered. Had his signs been so obvious? If so, why did Lina not recognise them?
"Not very likely, Miss von Hertenberg, I do not believe in love." That, Janos thought, would suffice. It sounded definite enough.
"One lady or the other might make you change your mind one day, sir," she said laughingly, not believing him just yet.
"And until then I do not believe in love, Miss von Hertenberg," Janos said with a grin, but suddenly feeling utterly dejected. He did believe in love -- but apparently Lina did not.
~~~o~~~
Once the ladies withdrew, Janos gave his friend a questioning look and, perceiving a slight nod, went off to fetch the things he had taken with him to support his statement.
Janos took his time -- he knew that the topic would be difficult for the von Hertenberg brothers, and did not doubt that his friend would rather be alone with the Baron at first. When he returned to the dining room, he found the two brothers facing each other, looking very much like a pair of dogs ready to fly at each other.
With a wry smile, he said, "Do you want me to stay, gentlemen, or shall I just fetch the duelling pistols?"
"What does he do here," Baron von Hertenberg snapped. "This is family business we are talking about."
"I know," the Colonel said, having regained his composure. "It affects his family, too. Bāthory is his brother-in-law; in fact Horvāth is in the position where you would like to be. Listen to what he has to tell you, Joseph, and then decide if you still think that Bāthory is the right man to marry Marie."
"You mean I should listen to a man who has not spoken to Bāthory for more than two years, unless he had a chance to insult him?" the Baron said icily.
Here was his cue, Janos felt, and said, "You are right, sir. I took every chance I could to insult him. Would you care to know what my reasons are to deal thus with my own family? Or do you just think ill of me in general?"
The Baron did not like plain speaking, it seemed, and did not answer Janos' question. Colonel von Hertenberg gave his brother an entreating look.
"You said you wanted proof, Joseph, and Horvāth is here to give you all the proof you have asked for -- and perhaps even more. He has consented to reveal some things that have to do with his sister and her death, things that he has kept secret all those years, but he is willing to tell you everything because he does not wish Marie to suffer as much as his sister did."
Again, the Baron said nothing but indicated with a curt nod that he was going to listen. He sat down and, with a gesture of his hand, invited both his brother and Janos to follow his example.
"What exactly do you have to accuse him of," he finally asked Janos. He sounded wary -- he was not going to be won over easily, Janos thought.
"Let me ask you a question first, sir. I will tell you about my accusations soon, but first I would like to know one thing. How far are you acquainted with the circumstances of my sister's death?" Janos wanted to know how Bāthory had explained Ilona's death to his friends.
"I know that she died in an accident, while her husband was away from her, in ... well, I cannot quite remember where he was, but he was not with her when it happened. Therefore no one could accuse him of murdering her, as you seem to have done." Baron von Hertenberg said stiffly.
Janos shook his head. "I have never accused him of murder, Baron von Hertenberg, although I have to say that his way of dealing with her has caused her death just as surely as if he had killed her with his own hands. My sister's death, Baron von Hertenberg, was NOT an accident."
It took the Baron some moments to realise the full meaning of Janos' words. But he was not yet ready to believe them.
"What do you mean, it was not an accident? Everyone said it was, Bāthory himself said it was. I have never seen him so afflicted..."
"Oh, I am sure you did not," Janos said ironically. "I suppose it was his affliction that kept him away from Ilona's funeral. Believe me, it was not an accident, whatever Bāthory may have told you -- and believe me that he was informed of what had really happened. I, myself, took care that he got to know the truth. People who are about to die in an accident neither send farewell letters to their husbands nor do they send their diaries to their brothers to offer an explanation for what is going to happen."
For a moment, no one spoke.
"Do you mean to imply that your sister ... took her own life?" the Baron finally asked, in a horrified voice.
Janos nodded, and began an exact description of how his sister had spent her last hours -- what had made her feel so desperate that she could not bear life any longer, and how she had accomplished her death. He told the Baron facts about her marriage the truth of which he had to acknowledge -- after all he had been an intimate friend of Bāthory's for years and had seen with his own eyes that not all was well with the couple.
Janos described how he had felt when receiving Ilona's last letter and her diary, and how he had set out immediately in the hope that there was something he could do to save her.
"During my journey, I had still had some hope that someone or something would keep her from accomplishing her plans -- but the moment I heard about the supposed accident, I knew that all that was left for me to do was to search the banks of the river for her body." Janos concluded his narrative.
"This is terrible," Baron von Hertenberg said with a stricken look. "I had not the least idea ... but why did people not talk?"
Janos sighed. Recalling those events had made him incredibly sad -- and for the moment he could not muster the strength to show his usual cheerful front.
"Everyone had thought it had been an accident, and I was certainly not the person to correct the mistake," he said wearily. "My sister had drowned in the Danube, and after all I could not have been absolutely sure, could I? Even though my sister had told me that she had intended to commit suicide, who can tell if she actually did it? There was nobody there when it happened -- she may just as well have slipped while walking on the riverbank or the horse might have shied and she might have fallen in. I thought it better to leave things as they were. My sister was dead, and to me it did not really matter how it had happened. But from that moment on, I hated Bāthory, and I hope, sir, that you do not blame me for it any more.
The saddest thing about it is that my sister loved Bāthory until the end -- and had he returned her affection, had he only shown a little bit of respect for her and her feelings, she might still be alive. Think twice before you agree to a marriage between him and your sister, Baron von Hertenberg. My sister loved him, and she married him out of her own free will. Do not force your sister into misery."
Seeing that the Baron had no more questions, Janos excused himself and joined the ladies in the drawing room. He hoped he had been successful in convincing the Baron of Bāthory's worthlessness. Later in the evening, Carl von Hertenberg told him that he had been successful.
~~~o~~~
Glad to have been able to prevent Bāthory's marriage to Miss von Hertenberg - and thereby contributing to his brother-in-law's downfall - Janos turned back to his own business. He called on Petek the morning after his meeting with Baron von Hertenberg to inquire whether he had already decided about his future.
The Peteks received him warmly, and it soon became clear that they had discussed Janos' offer and were looking forward to moving into the country.
Mrs. Petek was delighted with the idea - she already saw herself as the mistress of the steward's house in Zimony, growing her own fruit and vegetables in her garden, and her children romping merrily across the Hungarian countryside. Janos invited Petek to go to Zimony with him, to get to know the estate, the people there, and to see what had to be done about the house to make it suitable for his family. Petek eagerly accepted the invitation - he had been yearning for employment.
"You don't know what it is like to be at home all the time, with no prospects at all," he confided in Janos. "I love my wife and the children, and I am happy to be with them. But I need to be doing something - as things are, I feel quite useless. When are we going?"
"Whenever it is convenient," Janos said. After a short conference with his wife, Petek decided that he would go as soon as possible, because Mrs. Petek wished to move to Hungary the moment the children felt well enough for the journey.
Glad that he could do both himself and his friend a favour, Janos set out to Zimony the following morning. He and Petek spent three days there, during which Petek already managed to win the approval of the local worthies, such as the Mayor, the parish priest and the formidable Widow Kovacs. Janos' uncle and aunt were equally delighted to make Petek's acquaintance, Aunt Erszebet approving of the fact that her husband was no longer required to look after his nephew's estate, and Uncle Horvāth feeling that the new steward knew his business. In the course of one dinner at Szerdahely, Uncle Horvāth and Petek became fast friends, and Petek was invited to come over and be introduced to all matters connected with Zimony whenever he liked. This was how Janos left things in Zimony.
On the morning of his fourth day in his family home, he received an urgent message from Colonel Polgār. The regiment was on the march again, to defend the Austrian borders against the French. Napoleon had escaped, and another war was more than likely. Janos was to try to catch up with the regiment as fast as possible. Polgār would expect his arrival in Linz, on the fifteenth at the latest.
"Damn!" was Janos' first reaction upon reading the missive.
"Bad news?" Petek wanted to know. Without a comment, Janos handed the letter across the table for his friend to read. Petek gave an astonished whistle.
"I would not have expected this," he said. "You'll have to leave soon if you want to be in Linz in time."
"Immediately," Janos said miserably. "Will you stay here?"
Petek nodded. "If I need anything, I am sure your uncle will help me," he said. "Though I'm strongly tempted to join you.''
"Don't even think about it," Janos said. "You've been dead once. Don't try to repeat the experience within the next fifty years, I beg you."
Petek laughed. "You are right, of course," he said. "I have Anna and the children to consider. But I expect letters from you. I don't want to miss the show completely."
Janos gave Petek his word to write as often as he had leisure to do so, and then went off to prepare for his departure. Petek joined him at the stables to see him off.
"Promise me one thing," Janos said after bidding his friend farewell. "If anything should happen to me..." He stopped. This kind of talk was dangerous. But Petek had understood nevertheless.
"Don't worry," he said quietly. "Your mother will be safe. I owe both of you a great deal -- I won't let her down."
With a nod, Janos shook Petek's hand and set off towards Vienna. With Napoleon alive, he thought, a soldier was never out of business for long.
~~~o~~~
It took Janos one day to get back to Vienna, where he was anxiously awaited by his mother and Simon. This was to be Simon's first campaign, and he did not seem to look forward to it. Janos had been through enough campaigns to know that there was not much to look forward to and did not blame him.
Janos spent one last night under his own roof before starting his journey to Linz to join the troops. He dined with his mother, but it was not a very cheerful evening. Mrs. Horvāth elaborated on what was likely to happen, and her conjectures nearly always included Janos' getting hurt or even killed during the campaign and leaving her all by herself.
"My uncle should have considered that before sending me off to military school," he said with a grin, to lighten his mother's mood. "He did not expect me to go through military training and then become a farmer, did he?"
"We felt some discipline might do you good," his mother defended herself. "And it did."
"So good that I decided to stay," Janos said with a laugh. "But never mind, mother. It would be stupid to get killed now, after having survived ten years of war. Have I ever been stupid?"
"Do not tempt Fate," Mrs. Horvāth muttered. "And just as I thought things were going so well for you, too, with that lovely girl growing so fond of you."
"Were you already picturing yourself among a dozen or so grandchildren?" Janos gave his mother an amused smile.
"Do not say you did not think of marrying Miss Grum, Janos, for I will not believe it," his mother protested. "I have eyes, and I am not stupid."
"I did think of marrying her once," Janos said quietly. "But no longer."
"Are you going to give up after an insignificant quarrel? This is not like you, Janos," his mother retorted. "The Grums are back in town. You should go to see them before leaving tomorrow."
His mother was right. He should try to set things right with Lina before he left.
~~~o~~~
Janos was disappointed to hear that the ladies had gone out when he called in Annagasse the next morning. But yes, the servant assured him; Mr. Grum was at home and would be delighted to receive him.
Grum was indeed happy to see him -- he had been convinced Janos had left Vienna along with the rest of the regiment, and had therefore not questioned his absence. Janos told him where he had been instead, and Grum amused him with a narrative of what he had been doing in Dürnstein since Janos had left the place.
Finally, Janos plucked up the courage to ask his friend whether the ladies would return home soon.
"I would have wanted to take leave of them," he said, giving his friend an uncertain smile. He was not sure what Lina might have told her brother regarding their argument, and was anxious to find out.
"They have gone out visiting," Grum said lightly. "That usually takes them two hours at least -- but they set out more than an hour ago. Would you like to wait?"
Janos nodded. "Though I cannot wait much longer than half an hour," he said. "Still, I would like to get the chance..."
"...to speak to my sister," Grum finished the sentence in Janos' stead.
"If she is inclined to speak to me," Janos said. "Last time I saw her, her opinion of me was not very favourable."
"So that was why she seemed so dejected," Grum exclaimed. "And why you went off to Vienna in such a hurry! I should have known it had nothing to do with military business, although I thought so at first."
Janos admitted that, after a quarrel with Lina, he had thought it would be better if he did not see her again.
"But will you be able to go through with it?" Grum asked with a laugh.
"Apparently not," Janos said. "I would not be here if I were."
Grum sighed. "The pair of you gives me sleepless nights," he said. Then he turned to another topic, which Janos accepted gladly. He did not really want to discuss Lina with her brother. There were too many things Janos did not want him to know.
They spent another half hour talking, then Janos realised that he would have to go. If he did not start his journey soon, he would not be in Linz in time, and he did not even want to imagine what Colonel Polgār would have to say on that subject.
Janos asked his friend to tell the ladies that he had called, that he wished them both all the best, and that he would call on them once he was back in Vienna -- should they still be in town by that time.
It was that moment that Lina chose to make her appearance -- she entered the room, still wearing her pelisse and bonnet, and said, breathlessly, "Thank God you are still here, Major Horvāth! I would never have forgiven myself if I had missed you!"
Close behind her, Mrs. Grum came into the room and greeted Janos kindly. "We thought you were already gone," she pointed out, "and regretted we had not been able to say goodbye to you. But we bumped into Mrs. Horvāth in Kärntnerstraße, and she told us you had gone to call on us, so we hurried back home. Will you have to leave Vienna soon, sir?"
"I should be gone already," Janos said with a smile. "But I could not leave without saying goodbye to my friends."
"I am glad to hear I am one of your friends," Mrs. Grum said smilingly. "You will take good care of yourself, I trust."
"I will do my best, ma'am," Janos said and shook hands with her. Mrs. Grum turned to her husband. "My dear, I would like to show you the things I have bought for the baby."
"Cannot that wait?" Grum asked his wife and, perceiving the glare directed at him, added, "I suppose it can't. Very well, love -- go ahead."
He shook hands with Janos and followed his wife out of the room - and Janos and Lina were alone. Lina gave him an anxious look.
"Are you still angry with me, sir?" she asked him in a small voice.
"No," Janos said. "Not angry."
"I am glad," Lina said quietly. "Your ... your friendship means a great deal to me, you must know. I am very sorry for the things I said in Dürnstein -- you never gave me a reason to think ill of you, and yet I did. That was unforgivable."
"Let's not talk about it any more," Janos said. "At least not now. I do not want to waste the last moments I have with you with useless argument."
"You are hurt," she said, looking up into his eyes.
"I am not heartless," Janos said with a sigh. "Some things do affect me, even if I pretend they do not."
"And I affect you?" Lina asked.
"Yes, you do," Janos said quietly. "More than you may think." He took both her hands in his, and kissed them. "I am not going to say any more at the moment," he said, still holding her hands. "It would not be fair. We will discuss everything when I come back."
"What if you don't?" Lina asked him, with tears in her eyes.
"I will," he said, trying to soothe her. "I always have."
Lina looked at him, saying nothing for a moment. Then she withdrew her hands from his, and opened the clasp of the necklace she was wearing -- a simple chain with a golden cross.
"Will you do me a favour?" she asked.
"Certainly," he said, smiling at her.
"Take this," she said, offering him the necklace. "My godmother gave it to me as a confirmation gift -- it is supposed to protect me from harm, but right now you are in greater need of protection than I am."
"I cannot accept this," Janos protested, taken aback. "This is too ... Miss Grum ... Lina!"
"Who says this is a present?" she asked. "I expect you to restore it to me as soon as it has served its turn and you get back to Vienna, otherwise my godmother will be really angry with me. Promise?"
"Promise," Janos said.
"Good - I know you always keep your promises," Lina said with a sad smile. "So I will see you again." She tried to fasten the chain around Janos' neck.
"I am afraid it is too short," she said when she realised that it did not fit. "You will not be able to wear it."
"Never mind," Janos said. "It would not be seemly if I did. I shall carry it in my pocket -- and I will think of you whenever I look at it." He laughed. "Now I sound utterly clichéd! It is time I took myself off!"
He kissed Lina's hands once again. "Good bye, Miss Grum," he said. "I hope you will take good care of yourself."
"Good bye," Lina whispered. "And do not forget to come back."
As Janos stepped out into Annagasse, he looked back at the windows of the Grums' house once more. Lina was there, wistfully raising her hand and giving him a shy salute.
Half an hour later, Janos and Simon were on their way to Linz.
Janos arrived in Linz in time, and after having attended one staff meeting and being made familiar with the most important facts, he realised that matters were not yet desperate.
Napoleon had returned to France, and had been welcomed enthusiastically by many. As yet, there was no knowing how the situation would develop, but one had to be on one's guard. It was, the General said, highly unlikely that Napoleon had only returned to Paris to enjoy his retirement in peace and quiet. The Austrian troops were to guard the borders and await further marching orders. In other words, Janos thought, they were probably in for weeks of unrelieved boredom.
There was one piece of good news, at least. They were to proceed to the Rhine and encamp at Heidelberg - and, as Janos found out, this was where his friend von Hertenberg's infantry regiment was stationed. So there was at least a chance of a couple of convivial evenings with his friend, Janos thought. The wine in that region was excellent, and von Hertenberg would appreciate the fact just as much as Janos did.
In comparison to what Janos had left behind in Vienna however, this prospect sounded depressing. Just now he could be with Lina, he thought. He remembered their last meeting in Vienna and smiled. Things had nearly been back to normal between them. Perhaps that had only been because he had had to leave her - but Janos did not think so.
Lina cared for him, there could be no doubt, Janos thought as he took her necklace out of his pocket to look at it. It had become one of his habits to do so whenever he could - to look at the cross and chain and dream of Lina and the things that might have been, had he not been obliged to leave. There was no thought of trying to forget her now - on the contrary. Janos made up his mind to marry Lina as soon as he got home. If she would have him, that was, but after what had passed between them, Janos felt that she was likely to take to the scheme.
~~~o~~~
Once Major Horvāth had left Vienna, Lina was at leisure to wallow in self-pity. She pictured in vivid detail what might have been, had she not picked a quarrel with him. By now, she felt, there might be an understanding between them - they might even be betrothed. In which case she would not have to hide her misery - she would be able to show it to the world, and no one would have cause to reproach her for it. As it was, she had to show a brave front. She had no right to be unhappy - not because of Major Horvāth. Propriety be damned.
On the second day after the Major's departure, Lina could not endure the uncertainty regarding his well-being any more and decided to visit the one person who, in all likelihood, knew the latest news about him - his mother.
Mrs. Horvāth received her kindly, and seemed most happy to talk about her son. She, too, showed a brave front, but unlike Lina she was not required to. No one expected a mother not to worry about her only son who was fighting in a war.
"How kind of you to come to see me," Mrs. Horvāth said when Lina was ushered into her drawing room.
"I felt you might want some company, ma'am," Lina said shyly, happy about Mrs. Horvāth's kind reception.
"You are a good girl," Mrs. Horvāth said, making Lina feel ashamed for her selfish motives. She was not a good girl, far from it.
"How are you, Mrs. Horvāth," she asked the older lady, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"Quite well, considering," Mrs. Horvāth said with a smile. "I do miss my son, of course, but I trust he will be back as soon as he can."
"I hope he will take good care of himself," Lina said, blushing.
"He always does," Mrs. Horvāth assured her. "He would not be alive any more if he did not. Janos is brave, but not foolhardy. He never took unnecessary risks." She gave Lina a significant look. "And this time," she continued, "I feel that he has even more reason to look after himself. He has someone to come home to."
If that was possible, Lina blushed even more. "He certainly has," she said quietly. "He must know how worried you are about him, ma'am."
"There may be an even stronger inducement," Mrs. Horvāth merely said, and then changed the topic, for which Lina was grateful. That lady had way too much insight for her peace of mind.
Lina was about to leave when one of the servants came in and informed Mrs. Horvāth, in worried accents, that "the dog would still not eat". Mrs. Horvāth sighed and turned to Lina.
"Do you happen to know how to treat a pining dog?" she asked. "I am at my wits' end - the animal won't even eat ham!"
"I suppose Diana misses her master," Lina said. She felt a strange sympathy for the little dachshund. She, too, had lost some of her hearty appetite of late.
"Will you allow me to try?" she asked Mrs. Horvath. "Perhaps she will accept some food from me."
"It is worth a try," Mrs. Horvāth said, "Before the stupid thing starves herself to death, and the blame will be placed on me. For some reason, Janos has grown very fond of her. He'd surely be upset if anything happened to her."
She ordered the servant to bring the dog and some morsels of ham to the drawing room and said, with a smile, "If this works, Miss Grum, you will have to come every day."
The moment Diana was set onto the floor, she ran to Lina as fast as her legs carried her. Lina picked her up and tickled her ears.
"Poor baby," she said and Diana, as if to demonstrate what a poor baby she was, looked at her with big, mournful eyes.
"It will not do," Lina said. "We must not pine - just imagine your master comes home to find you dead - would you like that? We must be brave, dearest, and not worry him. I promise I'll come to see you every day if you promise to eat. What do you say?"
Mrs. Horvāth watched them with considerable amusement as Diana, hesitantly at first, but with growing appetite, picked some ham from Lina's hands and, at last, finished the entire plate without an effort.
~~~o~~~
Janos had been in Heidelberg for a week when, one evening, his friend von Hertenberg came into his quarters, followed by Novacek carrying a crate full of wine bottles.
"What's that supposed to be?" Janos demanded.
"What day is it?" von Hertenberg countered.
"Wednesday," Janos said. "A perfectly ordinary weekday."
"And, apart from that, it is your thirtieth birthday," von Hertenberg said with a grin. "You may strive to forget it, sir, but you cannot expect your friends to do the same!"
Janos had quite forgotten about his birthday - that day had never meant much to him - but it moved him that his best friend had remembered and had taken pains to make it a memorable day for him.
"It is," Janos admitted. "I nearly forgot!"
"Tried to, at least," von Hertenberg said with a grin. "I got that wine from a fellow in town - he assured me it was the best stuff to be had."
"We will see," Janos said and ordered Simon to go and ask the landlady for some glasses.
An hour or two later, the two friends were drunk enough to philosophise about the means to prevent future wars.
"You know," Janos said, helping himself to some more wine, "there's got to be another way to settle things. Why do we have to bash each other's heads in, for Christ's sake? Why not try something else? A friendly game of billiards, for example?"
"If it ever comes to that," von Hertenberg predicted, "I do hope you'll play for the other side."
"You think I'm no good at billiards?" Janos asked fiercely.
"No, I think you're rotten at it. Worse than no good. Hand me that bottle, please."
"I'm not going to hand a bottle to a fellow who says I am rotten at billiards," Janos said stubbornly.
"Then I'll get it myself," von Hertenberg said and got up. As he reached out for the bottle, he began to cough violently. The sudden attack did not stop for a while. The sound of it made Janos sober - this was serious.
"How long has this been going on," he asked his friend as he had, at last, recovered his breath.
"On and off for a couple of weeks," von Hertenberg said. "But it's nothing serious. Don't worry."
"Have you seen a doctor?" Janos asked, pulling the bottle out of von Hertenberg's reach.
"No, I have not. What's the point in troubling the doctor about a bit of a cough?"
"A bit of a cough? You nearly suffocated just now!" Janos exclaimed. "You'll go to see one first thing tomorrow."
"I certainly won't," von Hertenberg snapped.
"If you don't, I will write to your fiancée," Janos threatened. He knew it was a beastly thing to say, but if it meant that von Hertenberg would go to see a doctor, the end justified the means.
"You won't!" Von Hertenberg glared at him. "You know she would be sick with worry!"
"Pay a visit to a doctor, then, and she will have nothing to be worried about," Janos said mercilessly.
"She's already lost her entire family to that bloody war," von Hertenberg said. "I won't have her worry about me because of a mere trifle."
"The doctor will tell you whether it is a mere trifle," Janos said. "Do you think she wouldn't worry if you were carried off in the prime of life?"
"If it makes you feel better, I will go and see the doctor," von Hertenberg said. "Consider it a birthday present. You're a pain in the neck sometimes, you know that?"
"I do," Janos said with a grin. "And I'm proud of it. -- Novacek!"
Von Hertenberg's batman entered the room, asking Janos respectfully if there was anything he could do.
"The Colonel wishes to see a doctor tomorrow," Janos said. "Take care of this, will you?" He saw Novacek break into a relieved grin. Obviously he had been worrying too.
"Certainly, sir," he said, exchanging a significant glance with Janos.
"Don't you dare, Novacek," von Hertenberg said, incensed. "I will decide when I see a doctor, not Mr. Busybody here."
"Certainly, sir," Novacek said.
"You do know, of course, that you will have to report to Mr. Busybody if this gentleman is found dead one morning," Janos said. "And, I suppose, Novacek, that you know exactly what Mr. Busybody is going to do to you in that case?"
"Yes, sir," Novacek said. "The Colonel is going to see a doctor tomorrow morning, sir."
"Damn it!" Von Hertenberg exclaimed, jumping up from his seat. "Between the two of you, you have managed to spoil my evening! Fine! I will see a doctor tomorrow! Are you happy, Mama?"
"Let us say I am content," Janos said calmly. "It takes more to make me happy, von Hertenberg." For example, the doctor might say that there was really nothing wrong with his friend. But Janos doubted it.
~~~o~~~
Lina was in the lucky position to be a good friend of Major Horvāth's commanding officer's daughter. Therefore she always knew about his whereabouts, and she was always informed of what the regiment were doing. That they were not doing much at the moment was evident, and it filled Lina with a certain amount of resentment that the Major had been removed from Vienna -- and her -- just to be idle elsewhere.
According to Mrs. Polgār, there was a certain kind of women who would always make use of the gentlemen's lack of employment, though why Mrs. Polgār worried about such things was beyond Lina's understanding -- surely none of those preying females was interested in the Colonel? Colonel Polgār was old! The younger, more dashing officers were the ones in serious danger! Yet, Lina thought, Major Horvāth was not the kind of man to get into trouble just because he was bored.
Eva was so kind as to share every bit of news she had with Lina and so Lina was one of the first people in Vienna to hear about the fight with the French that had occurred -- an insignificant skirmish, apparently, but men had been wounded -- and killed. Major Horvāth was not one of them, thank God. Neither was Captain Lazar, who had carried some important dispatches to the headquarters at the time and had been safe. Mrs. Lazar, who was beginning to show signs of being in a delicate situation, was greatly relieved to hear the news. But Colonel von Hertenberg's regiment had suffered greatly, Lina heard, and knowing that the Major was very fond of his friend, she worried about the Colonel's well-being.
Lina noticed that Cousin Anton Straub visited the Polgārs very often, and her suspicions were confirmed when Eva, riding in the Prater with Lina, told her that Anton Straub had asked her to marry him.
"This is wonderful news!" Lina exclaimed, and stopped Dido to congratulate her friend properly. "I do hope you will be very happy!"
"I know you think Anton is a bore," Eva said, quietly.
"Does it matter?" Lina asked. "Surely it does not! It is not my opinion that counts! It is yours! And you do not think he is a bore, do you?"
"Not at all," Eva laughed. "We have a couple of things in common, he and I, and that makes me look forward to our marriage. But I thought you might not like the notion."
"I would not like the notion of marrying Anton Straub myself," Lina said with a laugh. "But I have nothing against your marrying him, if this is what you want, Eva. You are my friend. I want you to be happy."
"I shall," Eva said with a smile and embraced Lina. "And I hope you will be, too."
~~~o~~~
Janos deplored being forced to idleness. He hated sitting around, waiting, doing nothing. He had spent most of his time with his friend von Hertenberg, but once he had returned to Vienna to recover from his pneumonia, Janos felt rather lonely. He had some friends among his brother officers, but not many who could qualify as real ones. They were companions, rather, comrades, men with whom to enjoy the occasional evening in a tavern, but hardly more.
Then the news of the battle of Waterloo reached them -- and they were on the march again. They did not meet with much opposition on their way to Paris, and arrived there one day in July. The war was over, and although they had played no part in the decisive battle, the Austrian army was now occupying France, along with the English and Prussian armies.
Janos tried to get at some information concerning his English friends, and was relieved to hear that although Captain Tilney had been wounded at Waterloo, Colonel Fitzwilliam had survived without any injuries.
He knew that people at home were eager to hear some news, and therefore he spent most of his time writing letters to his mother, his uncle, Petek, von Hertenberg and -- Grum. It would be improper to write to Lina, Janos knew that, although he had a feeling that Lina's brother would not mind if he did. But he would not subject her to gossip -- and gossip would arise if it became known that Miss Grum received letters from a gentleman wholly unrelated to her, no matter what would later become of them.
One evening Janos had just finished another letter to Grum and sat at his desk, holding Lina's necklace in his hand and daydreaming, as Kodaly entered his room. Due to a shortage of accommodation, Janos had had to share his quarters with the Captains Lazar and Kodaly, and so there was not much Janos could do to prevent being disturbed.
Janos put away the necklace, but Kodaly had had enough time to take a look at it.
"How did you get that?" he asked Janos, the smile suddenly vanishing from his face.
"A lady gave it to me," Janos said. He would not drag Lina's name into this.
"It was Miss Grum," Kodaly said. It was not a question -- he had recognised the necklace as Lina's property.
Janos nodded.
"Why would she give you her necklace?" Kodaly demanded to know. If Janos had not known better, he would have thought Kodaly was jealous.
"She said I was in need of protection," Janos said calmly, "and apparently this necklace suits that purpose."
"When I called on her before we left, she even refused to see me," Kodaly complained.
"Now why would that be?" Janos asked sarcastically.
"I do not know," Kodaly said. "After all I have done to win her regard..."
"What exactly did you do to earn her respect, Kodaly? Was it getting her drunk and kissing her at the Arnstein masquerade, or perhaps the little bet you had with your cronies?"
Kodaly stared at Janos, aghast. "How do you know these things?"
"That was easy," Janos said. "You really should not conduct your affairs in public places if you wish to keep them secret, Kodaly."
"So you told her about the bet?" Kodaly's eyes narrowed.
"What kind of fellow do you take me for?" Janos asked. "Would I tell her such a thing? I think not! What would I gain by hurting her?"
With a sigh, Kodaly sat down on Janos' desk. "I never had a chance, I suppose," he said desolately.
"A chance to win that bet? Not likely," Janos said.
"I'm not talking about the wager," Kodaly said. "I gave that up soon enough -- not because I felt that I could not do it, but because I did not want to do it any more. Don't get me wrong, Horvāth, I still want her to fall in love with me. But now I've realised it will never happen. I don't deserve her." He got up and went towards the door. "I suppose you won't be joining us, Horvāth? I've discovered this tavern the other day..."
Janos shook his head. The last thing he wanted now was to go for a drink with the man who was his avowed rival for Lina's affection.
~~~o~~~
Back in Vienna, everything was going its usual way. The news of another victory was received enthusiastically, but it did not play an important part in people's lives. Lina was relieved to hear that Major Horvāth had not taken part in that dreadful battle that had been fought somewhere near Brussels. She did not mind it if the Major's regiment had been compelled to inactivity. For a soldier, idleness meant that he did not have to fight, and not having to fight meant not getting hurt. This, Lina thought, was the most important thing.
In early July, both Lina and Julija's mothers arrived in Vienna to oversee the birth of their first grandchild. Jakob had sent for them both, feeling that Julija would need an older woman's advice in those last weeks of her pregnancy -- and her own mother, he had felt, was preferable to Mrs. Horvāth, who had until then been Julija's chief advisor regarding childbirth.
Why he had invited his mother, Julija had said, was a mystery to her -- but Jakob confessed to his sister that he had not wanted his mother to feel left out. Therefore, two formidable ladies were now taking over the reins of the household in Annagasse, were cosseting an increasingly irritable Julija and ordering Jakob about as if he were a servant and not the master of the house. Lina was left aside for the most part, and she sought refuge with either Eva Polgār or Mrs. Horvāth.
Things did not change once Jakob and Julija's son was born, on the contrary. Everyone concentrated on the baby, and Lina was left to do as she chose for most of the time. One had to grant her mother that she had met the Polgārs and Mrs. Horvāth and approved of them -- she had no objection to her daughter's spending most of her time with them, feeling that Lina was perfectly safe with them.
It was one day in late August that Lina was walking home from Mrs. Horvāth's, lost in thought. Jakob had told her that they would leave Vienna soon. Now that Julija had had a safe delivery and had fully recovered her strength, they could face the long and exhausting journey back to Marburg. But Lina did not want to leave. She wanted to be there when Major Horvāth came home.
The hoofbeats of several horses coming towards her roused Lina from her imaginings -- it was a group of hussars riding towards the cavalry barracks. Lina recognised their uniforms, and her heart missed a beat -- Major Horvāth's regiment was back in Vienna!
She ran towards them, and indeed there he was, riding ahead of the others. He recognised her, but did not stop -- he merely gave her a smile and saluted her, and then rode on. Disappointed, Lina stopped in her tracks. He had not stopped. He had greeted her like a common acquaintance and had not stopped. Stunned, she continued her way to Annagasse. Considering their leave-taking, he could at least have talked to her. Why had he not? What was wrong?
She readily complied when Julija asked her to look after the baby for half an hour. All she wanted was to be alone, and Baby Jakob did not really count as "company". He did not expect anything intelligent from her, at least. Apart from the occasional lullaby, but one could argue about the intelligence of lullabies.
Lina curled up on the sofa reading a book, but when Baby Jakob suddenly started to cry, she got up and took the baby out of his cradle. Quietly humming to him, she walked around the room, occasionally gazing out of one of the windows. When she heard the door open and someone came in, she at first thought it was Julija who had returned early from her shopping trip. She turned around and realised that the visitor was Major Horvāth.
"That baby becomes you, Miss Grum," he said with a smile.
Blushing furiously, Lina said, "He was crying, so I had to do something to soothe him..." She carried the baby back to the cradle and placed him in it.
"How does it feel to be an aunt?" the Major asked her, coming closer.
"Strange. I am not yet used to it," Lina said. She looked up at him. "I ought to be angry with you, sir. You are heartless."
"Heartless? Me?" Her accusation seemed to puzzle him a great deal.
"Yes, you," Lina said furiously. "Why did you come here anyway?"
"Because there is something I have to give back to you," he said, pulling her chain out of his pocket. He undid the clasp. "Hold still," he said quietly and fastened it around her neck. Having done this, he did not let her go, however.
Instead, he put his hands on her shoulders and said, "And now -- why am I heartless?"
"You saw me in town," Lina said breathlessly, "but you did not stop."
"And that made you think I was heartless?" he asked. "Had I stopped, Lina, I would have taken you into my arms -- like this." He pulled her closer. "And I did not want to force a travel-stained, smelly old soldier on you."
"I was happy to see you," Lina pointed out. "I would not have minded."
"You would not?" he asked. "How was I to know? I was too afraid ... Lina, I could not have borne it if you had pushed me away from you again."
Lina thought of what had passed between them in Dürnstein and blushed. "I would not have done so," she said quietly.
"Not even if I had done this?" he asked, and suddenly kissed her.
"Especially not if you had done this," Lina said breathlessly when, after what had seemed to be hours, he brought their kiss to an end. He laughed.
"You know, Lina, I will probably be the worst husband in the world..."
"You won't," Lina protested and would have said more, had he not lightly touched her lips with his fingers.
"I have not finished yet," he said, smiling. "I said I will probably be the worst husband in the world, but if you'd consent to marry me, I'd certainly be the happiest."
Lina looked into his eyes, unable to say anything.
"Lina, for God's sake, give me an answer!" the Major said desperately.
Lina put her arms around his neck with a happy smile. "I thought you'd never ask," she said laughingly.
"Is that a yes or a no?" he asked.
"A yes, of course," Lina said. "You don't think I would let you kiss me if I meant to say no?"
"This reminds me," the Major said, pulling her into his arms and kissing her again. This time, their kiss was interrupted by the entrance of Lina's mother, who strongly objected to her daughter's loose behaviour.
Lina was well able to soothe her mother, however.
"Mama, this is Major Horvāth, Mrs. Horvāth's son," she said. "We have just become engaged to be married, so you see we were doing nothing wrong, really."
"Lina," the Major said, eyeing his future mother-in-law with a certain amount of unease, "when you talk to your mother in such a way she may think I am exercising an evil influence on you."
Lina laughed. "But she knows you are the wicked Horvāth of Jakob's school days," she said with a mischievous smile. "She'll expect no less."
~~~o~~~
It was the night before his wedding when Janos had that nightmare about Ilona again. He awoke, sweating and terrified, and realised that although he had hinted at what happened to his sister, he had never really told Lina the truth. He would have to do so before he married her -- he had to give her a chance to cry off if she did not want to attach herself to such a family. But it was unlikely he would be allowed to see Lina before the ceremony in the morning. If he wanted to see her, he would have to try and talk to her now. Janos lit a candle and had a look at his pocket-watch. It was half past three in the morning.
In Annagasse, Janos threw some pebbles at Lina's window. Luckily, he thought grimly, he was better at aiming pebbles at windows than at playing billiards. If he had missed Lina's window and hit her mother's instead, he would have had some explaining to do. Finally, the window opened and he heard Lina's voice demanding to know what was going on outside.
"People are trying to get some sleep in here," she said severely. "So stop this nonsense, whoever you are!"
"Lina!" Janos whispered. "It's me!"
"Janos? What do you want?" she asked. "Do you know what time it is?" Then she added, with some suspicion in her voice, "You are not going to serenade?"
Janos laughed. "Certainly not," he said. "You would not like it if I did."
"Oh no, I would not," Lina said. "I would have to drop this flowerpot on your head if you tried."
"A flowerpot?"
"I keep one on my windowsill for that purpose," Lina said.
"Lina, will you let me in? There is something important I need to tell you," Janos said, suddenly remembering the object of his nocturnal visit.
"Can't that wait until tomorrow?" Lina asked.
"No. They will not let me see you until our wedding, and I need to tell you this before."
"Why?" Lina asked.
"Because this might make you change your mind, Lina," Janos said. Lina's form disappeared from her window, and some minutes later the front door leading to the courtyard opened.
"Come in," Lina said quietly, and Janos slipped in through the door.
"Now what is this nonsense about changing my mind?" Lina wanted to know.
"There is something you need to know," Janos said, taking Lina in his arms. "Before you marry me. It concerns my sister."
"Are you talking about the way she died?" Lina asked, looking up at him. "I know it was not an accident, Janos."
"You know?" Janos stared at her in surprise. "How?"
"I put two and two together," she said calmly. "One day you said what happened to her had been her own fault. And at Christmas you told me Queen Dido reminded you of your sister."
"Which made you think my sister committed suicide," Janos said.
"Well, it was the only parallel between them I could think of," Lina said quietly. "But, Janos, that is no reason for me to cry off! I love you, and I want to spend my life with you -- no matter what your sister or any other member of your family did!"
"I am so glad," Janos said, holding her close, his cheek resting against hers. "I did not want to lose you, Lina, but I had to give you a chance ... I know I should have come up with this earlier, but ... I love you so much."
"I know you do," Lina said, kissing him lightly. "And now, Janos, go back home and try to get some more sleep. We will meet in St Stephen's at ten o'clock."
Janos looked at Lina as she stood in the courtyard of the house in Annagasse, dressed in her nightdress and dressing gown and bathed in moonlight. With that picture in his head, he felt, it would be hard to settle down sufficiently to go to sleep. Yet he wished his bride a good night and walked back to his home. At the same time tomorrow, he would be a married man. Despite himself, Janos had to admit that he was made for marriage after all.
Š 2004, 2005 Copyright held by the author.