Love and Triumph: The Coltrane Saga, Book 8 (10 page)

Rudolf returned to the kitchen and told Gerda the news.

“The sooner the better as far as I’m concerned,” she said. “Hanisch wants us to move to Russia as soon as the Bolsheviks take power, which everyone says won’t be long the way Kerensky is crumbling. I’ve things to do to get ready, and I don’t need to be spending my time preparing tea,” she added with a disgusted sniff.

Rudolf could not care less about her inconvenience. “How is my mother?”

“Your mother!” She gave him an angry look. “Your mother can be quite unpleasant, comrade. Elenore and I had difficulty getting her out of that frowsy robe and into a decent dress. She wouldn’t let us wash her hair, but she did let Elenore braid it. Then she got angry because she said she couldn’t find her ‘tonic’. Of course, she was talking about her vodka, which I found and hid. We heard her tearing around in her room for nearly an hour, and then she got quiet.”

“And?” he flared, annoyed. “What happened then? Have you been up to see her? Is she ready to join us for tea?”

Gerda lost her patience. She found Rudolf arrogant and unappreciative. She wiped her hands on her apron and looked at him with cold, angry eyes. “You listen to me,” she said evenly, “and get down off your high horse. You seem to forget I’m not really your hired help, that I’m only doing this to help the cause—not you. And having to bow and scrape and play nursemaid to your sot of a mother was not part of what I agreed to do. If you don’t like the way things are being done, go and do them yourself!”

Rudolf reeled with fury but was determined not to lower himself to argue with her. Hanisch, however, would hear about his insolent wife, and the task of chastising her would fall on him.

He turned on his heel and strode out of the kitchen, was about to go see about his mother when he heard Marilee and Jade coming down the stairs. Quickly, he returned to tell Gerda, “Find Elenore. Tell her to go see about my mother!”

Pasting on an amiable smile and assuming his most genial air, he met his guests and escorted them to the parlor. He was relieved that they seemed properly impressed with the borrowed furniture. Jade marveled over a Vienna porcelain mantel clock, and he knew he’d have to keep an eye on that, lest his mother sell it. He’d asked Hanisch and the others not to bring in small decorator pieces for that very reason, but they’d felt it necessary for effect.

“Your rooms are comfortable, I hope?” he asked.

“Lovely,” Jade said, and Marilee agreed.

Gerda came in, carrying a silver tea service Rudolf had never seen before. She set it on the table in front of the divan, then hurried out to return with a tray of delectable-looking Swiss treats. Along with rosebud cake squares, there was a plate of
Basler Leckerli
,
a kind of gingerbread;
Zuger Kirschtorte
,
cream-filled meringues; and
rissoles
,
pear tarts.

“
Fräulein
Elenore tells me your mother fell asleep,” Gerda carefully said, “and she’s had to awaken her and get her ready to come down for tea. She sends her apologies to your guests for being late.”

Rudolf winced, sucked in his breath between clenched teeth. There was no mistaking the hidden message: his mother had no doubt found her “tonic” and fallen asleep after taking a few nips. All he could hope for was that she’d napped long enough for most of the effects to wear off.

Looking directly at Gerda, who was waiting for his reaction, he instructed, “Tell my sister that if Mother isn’t feeling well, she should just let her rest.” He then turned to Jade and Marilee. “I’m sorry. I’m afraid she hasn’t been herself since my stepfather died.”

“You’re very close to your mother, aren’t you?” Jade asked.

“Oh, yes, very!” Holding up his hands, he wriggled his fingers. “These are the reason she was willing to leave the home she loved. She was afraid I’d be called to fight and my hands might be injured. She lives to see me achieve greatness as a pianist. She was willing to give up family, friends, anything.

“I just hope I can live up to her expectations,” he added with an exaggerated laugh of humility.

Jade smiled. “I’m sure you’ve nothing to worry about. Marilee has told me how wonderfully you play. But tell me,” she suddenly urged, “how does she feel about your interest in Marilee? Does she worry you might be putting your career aside for her?”

Marilee promptly cried, “Aunt Jade, I don’t think that’s something we should discuss!”

“Oh, you’re too sensitive!” Jade laughed. “Rudolf has serious intentions, and we both know it, or he wouldn’t have invited you here. And you’ve got some feelings of your own, or you wouldn’t have come. So why pretend otherwise?”

Marilee felt her cheeks grow warm. She did not want to make a scene but could not help resenting that her aunt would broach such a personal subject. “Can we talk about this another time?” she curtly suggested.

“If it bothers you, I’m sorry.” Jade looked at her thoughtfully. “I meant no harm.”

Rudolf felt the tension and quickly said, “Oh, there’s no need for you to apologize, Jade.” Then he turned to Marilee. “Because she’s right, you know. You
are
too sensitive. Haven’t you told her I proposed to you a long time ago?”

Jade looked from Rudolf to Marilee, eyes wide with pretended surprise. “No. As a matter of fact, she hasn’t.” She was not about to let on that Colt had recounted his conversation with Rudolf, but had wanted Marilee to give her the news herself.

Rudolf shrugged to indicate he was not surprised. “She hasn’t given me an answer. I don’t think she realizes just yet that she loves me, but she does.” He turned to Marilee, hoping he conjured a look of absolute love and devotion. “Because,” he went on, making his voice soft, tender, “when you love someone as much as I love her, they just have to love you back.”

“Rudolf, please!” Marilee shifted uncomfortably.

Jade thought she was just pretending to be embarrassed and teased, “I’m afraid your coquettishness is only making this young man miserable, dear.”

Rudolf readily played along. “Terribly! The truth is, she’s driving me mad, and I think she knows it.”

They both laughed, which only served to infuriate Marilee, and suddenly she took them both by surprise by doing something she’d never been known to do—she lost her temper. “Just stop it, both of you!” She set her teacup down with a clatter, cinnamon eyes sparkling. “Stop talking about me as if I’m not even here, for heaven’s sake.

“Rudolf!” She turned on him furiously. “How many times do I have to tell you that you’re rushing me? I’ve been here only a few hours and you’re badgering me, and if it keeps up, I swear I’ll leave.”

Rudolf ground his teeth together, and it was only with a great effort that he was able to bite back his own fury. Oh, one day she was going to pay for being such an arrogant little bitch, making him look like a lovesick fool.

She then whirled on Jade. “And please, Aunt Jade, I must respectfully remind you that some things are personal!”

She stood, heart pounding. Moving around the coffee table, she headed for the door, calling over her shoulder, “Excuse me, but I’m tired. I think I’ll rest till dinner.”

When she had gone, Jade shook her head and mused aloud. “I guess I can’t blame her. We’ve both been pressuring her, haven’t we?”

Rudolf did not immediately respond. He was giving his furiously pounding blood pressure time to slow down, lest his anger show. Finally, he was able to take a deep breath, a sip of tea, paste a doleful smile on his lips, and effectively offer a forlorn sigh. “I can’t help it. If I’m guilty of badgering her, so be it. I’m merely a man, completely, helplessly, hopelessly in love.”

Jade covered his hand with hers. “I know you are, but maybe Marilee is just more worried about her father than we realize. Maybe now isn’t the right time for her to be thinking about marriage.”

Rudolf could tell she was on his side, and he was about to confide his appreciation when suddenly there were sounds from the hallway, and they turned expectantly. He felt a momentary flash of hope that Marilee was returning, embarrassed over her outburst and wanting to smooth things over.

That hope, however, quickly gave way to despair, then melted into sheer panic as his mother appeared.

And she was reeling.

Elenore, holding on to her arm, looked at Rudolf fearfully in a silent plea for him to understand she had tried to keep her from joining them but lost the battle.

Seeing Jade, Amalia stiffened with embarrassment and shrugged off Elenore’s hand with an indignant cry. “Stop treating me like an old lady, for heaven’s sake!” With head held high, she walked right over to Jade, extended her hand, and introduced herself.

“Welcome to my home.”

Jade warmly responded, “Thank you. It’s nice of you to have invited us here. I apologize for my niece not being here, but she was tired from our trip and went to lie down. She’s looking forward to meeting you at dinner.”

“That’s nice,” Amalia murmured absently, not really caring. She sat down in the seat Marilee had vacated, waved away Elenore’s offer to pour tea, and, pointedly ignoring Rudolf’s angry stare, brusquely demanded, “Tell me, what does your family think of my son courting your niece?”

Rudolf moaned under his breath, exchanged an anxious look with Elenore, signaling with his eyes to get their mother out of there.

Elenore shrugged helplessly. There was nothing she could do.

Before Jade had a chance to respond to such candor, he quickly admonished, “Mother, your question is a bit premature, don’t you think? Now, have some tea—”

“I hate tea, and you know it!” Amalia snapped, then, seeing the assortment of goodies on the table, wanted to know, “Did that new cook you hired make those? I must say Ulda never was much when it came to pastries, but then I didn’t hire her. She came with the castle.”

She gave Jade a probing look. “Where do you live? Spain, I think Rudolf told me. He sneaked away to go to that fancy wedding, you know.”

She paused to glare at him and wagged a finger as though he were a naughty child. “Worried me to death, he did.”

Elenore rolled her eyes.

Rudolf, however, saw the way his mother swayed ever so slightly as she reached for a tart; he knew she was not just tipsy—she was very, very intoxicated— and a potentially disastrous situation was at hand. But he also took note of Jade’s expression—compassion for his mother, embarrassment for him. Quickly he decided there was no more need for pretense; sympathy could be very useful.

He stood, clasped his mother’s shoulders, and solicitously declared, “You’re in no condition to socialize with our guest, Mother. I’m taking you to your room, and Elenore will stay with you till dinner to make sure you get your rest—and no more tonic!” he added meaningfully to Elenore, then shook his head pathetically in Jade’s direction, sending her a silent plea for understanding.

Jade reacted as he’d hoped, giving him a concerned nod to excuse himself, do whatever needed to be done. She understood.

Amalia protested as he pulled her to her feet. “What is wrong with you? I’m fine. I—” The tart fell from her hand, making a gooey mess on the expensive, and borrowed, Veramin rug.

She screeched, “Now look what you made me do!”

“We’ll clean it up. Come along, Mother. You’re very tired.” He half carried her, half dragged her from the room, Elenore following.

When he returned to the parlor, Jade was not there.

He cursed, began to pace furiously, till he suddenly realized all of his problems were actually working to his advantage. He calmed then, smiling to himself to think that Jade would tell Marilee his mother was an alcoholic; they would both feel sorry for him. Perhaps Marilee would be a bit more tender.

Just then he heard the sound of Hanisch returning, and he rushed out into the courtyard to meet him. Hanisch drove the Fiat all the way into the garage, and Rudolf followed.

“It’s good that we need to move faster than planned,” Hanisch said.

“I don’t understand,” Rudolf said.

“That’s why I was called to headquarters—because we have to move fast in all directions.”

Rudolf felt a shiver of excitement.

Reaffirming what they had finally been able to learn—that the destination for the Czar and his family had been Tobolsk—Hanisch confided that agents were already hard at work attempting to infiltrate the guards there to gain information.

“But things are starting to explode,” Hanisch explained. “Kerensky and the PG are crumbling. The word is—Lenin is ready to make his next move.

“Comrade…” He paused to flash a grin that seemed to split his rugged face wide open with its ebullience. “The revolution we’ve been waiting for is right around the corner. I’m heading for Russia because I want to be a part of it.”

Fearfully, because he did not want to be involved in actual combat, Rudolf asked, “What, then, are my orders?”

“The abduction will take place as soon as you decide the time is right. Agents are waiting for word from you. Cord Brandt will be in charge after I leave.”

“When is that?”

“I’m not sure, but soon!” He pounded his chest in triumph. “No more dreams and fantasies about what might happen! I will be there to help make it happen!”

“Then Brandt will take care of the ransom for our Romanov princess,” Rudolf mused out loud.