The Eternal Empire (12 page)

“And that would be?” Asked Cornelius
warily.

“Do not, under any circumstances wear
your toga.”

At 7:30pm promptly Cornelius walked past
the Legionary Guards at the embassy gates wearing a new tunic and trousers he
had hurriedly purchased a few hours earlier. He did wear his old army cloak
over then to protect him from the cold – he didn’t think Katherine would
complain about that. Cloaks were common in Saxony as well as the Empire and it
would have taken a specialist in military uniforms to identify it as ex-legion
issue.

He had been waiting a few minutes when
smart, expensive motor carriage pulled up outside the embassy and Katherine
waved at him from the driver’s seat to get in.

“Very nice motor-carriage Katherine,”
commented Cornelius admiring the polished woodwork of the interior as he
settled into a plush, soft leather seat.

“My one real luxury. I enjoy the freedom
a motor-carriage gives me and since I can afford it I decided to go for
something good!” To emphasise this, she accelerated away at an impressive
speed, pushing Cornelius back into his seat.

“We’re going to an old part of the town
on the outskirts of the city. It’s about a 15 minute drive”

“So that would be about 50 miles away at
this speed then,” remarked Cornelius trying not to look concerned as they sped
through the narrow streets that led off the square where the Imperial embassy
was located.

Katherine laughed. “Relax – I know this
area well and could make the journey with my eyes closed.”

Cornelius gave her a tight lipped smile
in return and hoped that she did not intend to prove that last remark.

The restaurant was an old Coaching Inn
with the courtyard where the stables used to be turned into a parking area for
those wealthy patrons with motor-carriages. Despite its rustic look, from the
clientele that Cornelius observed entering the main door as Katherine parked,
it was obviously an up market establishment. They got out of the car and
Katherine took his arm as they made their way to the entrance where she spoke
to a large red faced man with a bushy beard standing behind a lectern on which
was a large impressive looking appointment book.

Cornelius attempted to follow their
conversation which he deduced was to confirm that they had a reservation. He
had spent some time over the last couple of weeks improving his German with
people at the embassy. He had done a basic language course when he had been
posted to the legio I Germania some years back – however the vocabulary that
his instructors had imparted, whilst useful when interrogating a Saxon prisoner
of war had limited application to a dinner date with an attractive woman.

They handed in their cloaks and
Cornelius could now see what Katherine was wearing. She had on a dark blue
dress, plain dress with a ‘V’ neck revealing a small but enticing amount of
cleavage. The dress was tight fitting, covering a full but well proportioned
body and in keeping with current fashions the dress ended just below the knees.
A silver torque-style necklace with a silver and gold broach in the shape of a
dove completed the outfit together with a small amount of makeup.

“You look lovely” he said in German – a
phrase he had carefully practised all afternoon.

“Why thank you Cornelius,” she beamed
back, “and you look very smart. As I’m sure you can appreciate, a toga would be
rather out of place here.”

They were shown to a table in a quiet
corner close to a large log fire blazing in the hearth. They made some small
talk and quickly agreed to continue their conversation in Latin as Cornelius’s
stock of useful, and socially acceptable, German soon became exhausted. They
then turned their attention to the menu.

“Would you like me to select the wine?”
Offered Cornelius, who could read German much better than he could speak it.

Katherine gave him a look of mock
horror. “Wine! Cornelius, this is a traditional German restaurant. We shall
have beer!”

“Fine by me,” accepted Cornelius with a
smile, “why don’t you choose for the both of us. After all, the object is to
introduce me to your cuisine and you’re the expert.”

Katherine agreed, and in addition to a
large jug of German ale, she ordered a selection of breads and cold meats and
sausage to start followed by a suckling pig to share for the main course.
Having placed their order with the waiter, they resumed talking, Katherine
getting Cornelius to tell her about his time in the army.

“You certainly had the opportunity to
travel around and see different places – and all at the States expense.”

“True, but being in Imperial Army
uniform did have its drawbacks – some people have a tendency to shot at those
wearing it on sight. Anyway, that’s enough about me.” Cornelius learned forward
and gave Katherine what he hoped was his most engaging smile. “I would like to
know more about you.”

Her face appeared to light up and she
took a drink from her tankard put it down in front of her, cradling it in both
hands. “Our family has been part of the Saxon nobility since the 1200’s and our
estates are primarily engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry with some
related industries such as slaughter houses and canneries. There is a strong
tradition of state service in the family and you can normally find a Maleric
serving in either the army or government during the last 700 years.”

“And your current family?” Prompted
Cornelius, keen to learn more.

“My older brother Frederick, you have
met. He is the Count and head of the family, and we have a younger brother
Franz who is in the army. There is also a large extended family of aunts,
uncles and cousins scattered across the Kingdom that we generally only see at
weddings, funerals and christenings, but on the whole it is just the three of
us.”

There was a brief pause as Katherine
debated in her mind whether to share more about her family. She looked over at
Cornelius and decided that she did. “My grandfather was killed in the last war
when I was quite young. I don’t remember much about him and my father died 10
years ago. Frederick said that before the war father had been very ‘jolly’ and
full of life, but my main recollections are of him are as a distant and morose man
– very formal and not given to talking to us much.”

She took another drink from the tankard.
“I was very close to my mother,” she smiled a little at that as if recalling
some pleasant memory, “When father died, Frederick was engaged in making a name
for himself in government so Mother and me really ran the estates. She was very
organised and had taken on a lot of the estate management - after the war
father lost much of his drive and enthusiasm. If it wasn’t for mother we could
have got into serious financial difficulties. She died 3 years ago and then we
brought in a professional manager to enable me to study full time and Frederick
to continue to focus on his work for the King.”

Cornelius leant over and touched her
hands which were still wrapped around the beer tankard. “The last war obviously
had a terrible impact on your family Katherine, but neither you nor Frederick
appear to harbour any real resentment.”

“Oh I resent it Cornelius” she replied
firmly but without anger. Her fingers entwined with his. “The deaths, the
bitterness, the desire for revenge. Many of the children I played with or went
to school with had lost fathers or elder brothers. I grew up with the legacy of
the last war and I don’t want to see it repeated in this generation.”

Their food arrived at this point
providing a welcome break in the conversation. Cornelius was beginning to fear
he was about to hit a raw nerve which could spoil the evening. He picked up his
knife and folk, smiled at Katherine and said “Well I’m glad that neither you
nor Frederick hate us.”

“No Cornelius, I certainly don’t,
although I suspect my younger brother has enough hate for all three of us.”

The rest of the evening went well – the
food was very good and the conversation became lighter. They both shared more
about their families, childhood and experiences. When they had finished their
coffee and pastries, Katherine paid the bill and they drove back to the
embassy.

“Thank you for an excellent meal and a
wonderful evening,” said Cornelius as they stopped outside the gates.

“It was a pleasure. It has been a while
since I have enjoyed an evening like this.”

They looked at each other and Cornelius
could feel his heart rate increase – it was that awkward moment at the end of
the evening – does he kiss her and if so should it be a ‘chaste’ kiss on the
cheek or risk something more intimate?

At that moment their attention was
diverted by the sounds of an embassy guard marching in front of the gate. They
looked back at each other and then Katherine grinned, leaned over and gave him
a fairly passionate kiss. Although taken by surprise his mouth had the good
sense to respond in kind. After a few moments she pulled back, the smile still
on her face.

“Goodnight Cornelius. I’ll call you
tomorrow sometime.”

Feeling a bit heady, Cornelius got out
and waved goodbye as Katherine sped off. He walked through the gates after
showing his pass to the Legionary on guard duty who was struggling to hide a
smile.

17th
February 1920

Tarraco,
Hispania

The crowd marched from the factories on
the outskirts of the city to the main square. They had their wives and children
with them, and although they were vociferous in their denouncement of the
austerity laws there was no hint of the violence that was to come. The
demonstration had been organised by local radical activists in defiance of
directives from their party leaders to keep a low profile and to accept the
package of laws as a whole. The Tarraco factory and mine workers had a
reputation for industrial action and they were not going to let a reduction in
wages go without a protest.

They streamed into St Ignatius Square
and past the cathedral that dominated the city. They chanted slogans that
demanded wage increases, opposed the austerity laws, and questioned the
parenthood of the city governor. Opposite the cathedral was the governors’
mansion with a double line of auxiliaries ten feet in front of the wall
surrounding it. Another twenty feet in front of the troops was a white line.
The local radical leadership and the commander of the city auxiliary cohort had
come to a tacit agreement that provided demonstrations did not turn violent and
remained behind the white line, the troops would not interfere. It was a policy
that had worked during numerous industrial conflicts over the past few years
and there was no reason for either side to think that it would be any different
today.

Still chanting, the crowd slowed down
and came to a halt behind the white line. Radical activists ensured that those
behind did not push the front of the crowd over the line, whilst others kept an
eye on the known 'hot heads'. They had all done this many times before and knew
the procedure as well as the auxiliaries opposite them knew theirs. A number of
packing boxes had been carried along with the demonstrators and these were now
stacked to form an impromptu platform in front of the entrance to the mansion.
Leo Laetus leapt up onto the boxes and was greeted by the crowd. He
acknowledged their cheers and waved his arms to get their attention.

Leo Laetus was a thick set man with a
mop of black hair. A miner for over twenty years before becoming a full time
party activist, he was a natural speaker and shrewd negotiator, who never
missed an opportunity to take advantage of a situation. The package of laws
passed the previous week in Constantinople had been received with mixed
feelings by the workers of Tarraco. The improved education and pension
provisions were much applauded, but there was an outcry against the austerity
provisions. The factory and mine owners had already announced wage cuts to
compensate for the higher taxes and lower prices.

Despite being a lifelong member of the
radicals, Laetus was not dogmatic in his politics. He knew all about give and
take from the years he had spent fighting with the bosses to get his people
decent working conditions. He could read between the lines and saw the
compromises and deals that had taken place to put together the coalition of
parties that had enabled these laws to be passed, laws he knew were needed. Yet
he also knew that the people of Tarraco - his people - would not expect him to
accept the wage cuts without a fight – or at least a lot of noise.

So Leo Laetus had arranged the
demonstration. He planned to extract a few minor concessions from the factory
and mine owners, just enough to placate his people. The first step was to get
the governor to order the factory and mine owners to the negotiating table, and
to put pressure on them to compromise. Laetus had not met the new governor, as
he had only arrived at the end of January, but expected him to take the easy option
and lean on the bosses. After all, he reasoned, it was easier to persuade a few
dozen patrician equals, dependent upon government patronage to change their
mind, than it was several thousand plebeians with relatively little to lose.