Tempting Fate (89 page)

The second woman was Hungarian with a spurious claim to talent as a flautist. It is the policy of her establishment to offer chamber concerts to the patrons who do not wish to gamble, drink, or whore. The proprietress fancies herself a woman of culture instead of the harridan she is, and for that reason hires only women and staff members who have some skill on a musical instrument. This woman told us that Ragoczy attended one of the chamber concerts and requested her company for the evening, and did not bother to waste his time or money in gambling. We took the time to investigate the state of his funds, thinking that he might have been temporarily embarrassed, but that was most assuredly not the case. He passed most of the night with this Hungarian woman, and left her after she had fallen asleep. She told our men that she admired his gallantry and found him a tolerable lover. These women, you must understand, are not the sort who have any discernment left to them. Much of the disgusting mingling of races can be traced to these degraded creatures and the perfidy of the Jews, who are by far the most constant promoters of this immorality. To offer Hungarian women, and worse, to the gentlemen of Wien is a serious affront, and one which must be ended as soon as we have enough influence to show the people what great danger is revealed by the situation.

The majordomo of Ragoczy’s house in Wien informed us that his employer always kept a small staff at his house, so that it would be ready at any time for his occupancy. He also added that it was not used one year in ten, and although he was more than willing to take his excellent Wages for such minimal work, he thought the man to have more money than sense. He also said that Ragoczy kept very irregular hours, communicated little with his staff beyond extending his thanks for the work they had done. Most of his meals, if not all, were taken away from the house, and he brought no company whatever to visit him. This annoyed the majordomo, who said that he did not know why it was important to keep the house so well if no one was going to use it. Under some pressure from my men, he admitted that he occasionally loaned the house out to men needing an elegant place for a week or two, and that once he was paid well by a man in an important government position to keep the wife of one of the foreign ministers there in secrecy for their mutual discretion. He announced that there was no harm in such dealings, as his employer was not being cheated, for the official paid for the extra services and food, with more than sufficient funds. If Ragoczy were to learn of this, the majordomo fears that he would be dismissed without pay or references, and for that reason has indicated that he is willing to cooperate with us in keeping us informed of Ragoczy’s movements. In fact, it is through the majordomo that we learned of Ragoczy’s intention of going to Praha. Without his comments to our men, Ragoczy might have had more than a day on us, but as it was, we were able to follow him almost at once. It was a good thing that we were warned of this, because the men watching him did not observe him leave the whorehouse he had passed the night in, and might have lost a great deal of valuable time waiting for him to emerge. I believe that with a judicious combination of bribes and pressure we may find the majordomo to be most useful to us, not only where Ragoczy is concerned but also in regard to other activities in Wien which are to our advantage to know about.

In Praha we did not have much success in following Ragoczy, though his train arrived only four hours before our men reached that city. Apparently he stayed with friends there, for he did not register at any of the inns, taverns, or hotels of the city. I have one agent still asking questions in Praha, for I am uneasy, knowing that this man may have an ally who is unknown to us. For that reason, we are not entirely certain how long Ragoczy remained there, but we believe it could not have been long. He did not visit, any of the gaming establishments or attend the theatre or concerts while in Praha, or if he did so, they were private performances, where my agent did not have easy admission. This suggests even more strongly that he was in the company of a friend or relative who entertained him at home. When we have discovered the identity of the person or persons who did this, you will be sent a full report.

A little over a week ago, one of my agents discovered Ragoczy in Berlin. Your astonishment can be no greater than my own, and I did not entirely believe this until I saw the man for myself, at one of the nightclubs devoted to the most decadent music and disgusting displays. He was in the company, of a young woman who is known to be distantly connected to one of the old noble houses, and of a most rapacious disposition. Her family have died off, and there are not many left to her. From what I have learned, she must marry well or find a protector who will not mind squandering a fortune on her. It is my intention to approach this woman and offer her a reasonably large sum for passing on to us anything she may learn of this man. Between what she can get from him and what we are able to give her, she may do well enough for herself to allow her to set up house with her brother, which is what she has indicated she wishes most to do. She is not one to turn away from the service of her country and her race, no matter how debauched she has become. In a month we will know a great deal, and then, with your guidance, we may begin to take those measures which will assure that Ragoczy does not again leave this country, and that his riches will pass to those who are better able to appreciate the power such amounts of money confer.

When I have the opportunity to speak with you in person, I will provide you with all the names of those working on this venture, as well as those of the persons who have been questioned and have provided information. In the meantime, I feel it is more discreet to keep that information to myself, so that if there are difficulties with some of those Jew-loving figures in government, no one will be cast into an unfavorable light for the aid they have provided. I am convinced this is what you will wish.

Again, let me offer my congratulations on your return to health. The physicians who permitted you to become addicted to morphine should be flogged, and it is a tribute to your great mind that you were not destroyed by the addiction. With you back among us, giving us your thoughts and your strength, I am confident that the SA will begin at last to perform near its potential, and demonstrate to the entire Vaterland what greatness we are capable of, and how that greatness may be achieved.

It is my profound honor to be

Most sincerely,

Moritz Eis

6

Frau Bürste’s apprehensive expression brought Gudrun out of her chair, hands clenching before her as she listened to what her housekeeper had to say. “There is a caller.”

“Yes?” She had few of those; since Maximillian’s death, most of the neighbors had stayed away, and there were few others willing to make the journey to Schliersee, particularly in winter.

“Helmut Rauch wishes to see you. I have put him in the smaller salon, and built up the fire.” She twisted her apron, then smoothed it. “I do not like that man, Fau Ostneige. I have never liked him.” So saying, she turned away, plodding back to the kitchen, which was one of the three warm rooms in Wolkighügel.

Gudrun looked around, setting her sewing on the table by her chair. The lamps in the room had been lit, but they burned low, their wicks nothing more than yellow-edged blue crescents. Kerosene was becoming as expensive as the electricity had been. She went around the library and blew out all but one of the lamps, hoping vainly that such a minor economy would ease her current difficulties. That done, she pulled a shawl around her shoulders and started down the hall toward the smaller salon. Her step was slow and reluctant; she liked Helmut Rauch no better than her housekeeper did.

Rauch was standing near the hearth, getting what little warmth he could from the meager fire there. He was dressed in more expensive clothes than the last time Gudrun had seen him. In his lapel he wore a pin with the swastika emblem on it, and he had recently grown a neat mustache. “Ah, Frau Ostneige. What a pleasure.”

“I am a little surprised to see you, Herr Rauch,” Gudrun said, her voice strained but very polite. “This is a considerable distance to come for a social call.”

Helmut’s mouth stretched, then assumed its usual stern line. “Yes. And the weather has been bad these last few days. There will be more snow tomorrow, I think.”

“Not unusual for Bayern in February,” Gudrun remarked, and selected one of the chairs not too far from the fire. “Your journey must have been difficult.”

“There were a number of deep drifts,” Helmut said, still standing. “They have not been able to keep the roads free.”

“Last winter, it was the same.” She wanted to scream at him, to force him to tell her at once why he had come, but the years of training that had taught her that no woman should raise her voice to a guest could not be forgotten, and she contained herself, digging her nails into her palms for a distraction.

“I recall a blizzard in late March that did a great deal of damage.” He bowed to her as he turned to face her. “It was quite cold, driving out here, and I have not yet entirely warmed myself. I’ve taken the liberty of speaking to your housekeeper, to request hot wine, or schnapps.”

The effrontery of this remark made Gudrun itch to slap him, but she only glared at him. “You must be quite uncomfortable to do such an … uncommon thing.”

“I was remembering the happy days I spent here with your brother,” he confided. “I’m afraid that I got into the habit of regarding Wolkighügel as my second home, and as Maximillian never insisted on formality in his entertaining…”

“No, he never did,” Gudrun said with asperity. “My brother is dead, however, and as he is not here to act as your host, I hope you will forgive me for being shocked by your cavalier behavior.”

“So you can scratch, after all,” Helmut said. “I have long thought you were a woman of spirit. I’m pleased I am not disappointed.” He came closer to her, leaning one arm on the back of her chair.

“What are you doing here, Herr Rauch?” Gudrun inquired. “I must ask you to choose a chair.”

Helmut chuckled, but went along with her. He drew another chair up near hers and dropped into it. “Very well, we will observe the proprieties, my dear. Though why we should bother, when there is only the housekeeper to observe us, I do not entirely understand.”

“Persons of quality do not use their good manners only for show, Herr Rauch.” She felt rather brave for rebuking him, and thought that she might not have as much to fear as she had anticipated at first.

“And you are giving a demonstration of good manners?” He reached over and patted her arm indulgently. “Women are always falling back on manners as a reason to demand the devotion of the men in their lives, aren’t they?”

“I am hardly the person to ask,” Gudrun said, and prepared to rise.

“You’re not being very wise, my dear,” Helmut murmured with an insolent gesture. “You still don’t know why I’m here. Are you sure you want to antagonize me before you’ve learned what the argument is to be?”

Gudrun kept her place. “As you wish, Herr Rauch. What have you come for, other than to gloat?”

He leaned back, then stretched out his legs, crossing them at the ankle. “Why, to see you. I have heard from mutual acquaintances that you have been most isolated here of late, and as your brother was so generous with his friends, I felt that one of them, at least, should take time to see how you go on.”

“And now you have seen, and I need not detain you. I imagine you want to be back in München before the snows begin.” She tapped her foot impatiently and wished that Frau Bürste would return.

“Or I could remain here until the roads are passable once more, which should be no more than three or four days.” He suggested this with a wag of his head, as if he had said something very amusing and witty.

“No!” Gudrun objected, shifting in her chair so that she was as far away from him as possible within its confines.

“So impulsive,” Helmut said. “You are reckless, Gudrun, and that—”

“I did not give you permission to use my name,” she interrupted at once.

“But you will,” he told her. “That was one of the reasons I’ve come here. There are a great many things you need to know, and to accept. Some of them will not be quite as pleasant as you would like…” He looked up as Frau Bürste came into the room bearing a tray with two steaming tankards on it. “Hot wine? Is the schnapps all gone, then? Or would you rather save it for a more fortuitous occasion?”

Gudrun did not dignify his remarks with an answer, but she looked over at Frau Bürste with a significant, minute shake of her head. “I think you will find hot wine as warming as schnapps,” she said with meticulous propriety.

“Wirklich?” he asked archly as he took one of the tankards from the tray Frau Bürste offered. “I’ve developed a taste for schnapps, but I can see why you might not like it, with all the drinking your brother did, especially that last year. Poor Maximillian, he didn’t understand what he had become involved in.” He took a drink and gave Frau Bürste an approving nod. “Cinnamon goes very well in hot wine. You do well for your employer.”

“Danke,” Frau Bürste said shortly as she set the tray down. “Do you need anything more from me, Frau Ostneige?” she asked significantly.

“Not at the moment,” Gudrun was forced to admit. “But I may, so don’t go far.”

“I’ll be in the kitchen,” Frau Bürste said, watching Helmut out of the corner of her eye.

“Is she always such a dragon?” Helmut inquired sarcastically as the housekeeper left the room. “She acted as if I intended to rape and pillage when she let me in.”

“Frau Bürste looks after me quite conscientiously,” Gudrun rebuked him. “That is more than I can say for my other servants.”

“You mean Otto, I take it?” He drank again, more deeply. “I will want another of these before too much time goes by. Otto was doing what your brother wanted done, and what seemed best in light of all he had been taught. A man who has been in service as long as he has, and to the same family, must be expected to see beyond the immediate pride of the family members. Maximillian may not have been much concerned with you most of the time, but that was because he trusted you to do the right thing, and that Otto would look after you.”