Beginning, Section II, Next Section

Part 6

Posted on Sunday, 12 May 2002, at 10:58 a.m.

Amalia had been in a flutter all day long, it had been hardly endurable. Since Carl was gone to a military parade, and Joseph, too, the ladies had been left at home all by themselves. Amalia had not wanted them to join the gentlemen, because, "how are you to get ready for the redoute if you are hanging around in the Prater all day".

Marie pointed out that they would not "hang around", but watch the parade and then go home at once, and that there would be plenty of time to get ready for the ball.

"My dear Marie, I think you are not aware of the IMPORTANCE of such an occasion!" Amalia exclaimed, shocked at such lack of interest.

"This is not a village ball in the Tyrol," she said, not losing the chance to remind Theresia of her origins, "where one will meet no one but peasants and a few people who can hardly have a claim to gentility. The EMPEROR himself will be there, and the Tsar, too - not to forget all those important people who have arrived for the Congress. No, you will need to look your best, Marie, and this cannot be achieved in two hours."

"Can it not?" Marie asked. "Dear me, you should have told me before that it takes more than two hours to make me look tolerable. Perhaps I should just not take the trouble and stay at home?"

Theresia chuckled, but was able to stop her laughter before Amalia had noticed it. Marie started talking back? Well, stranger things had happened before...

Amalia rushed out of the room, now thoroughly annoyed, and left them alone.

"This is not a village ball in Lower Austria, Marie, with people who can hardly have a claim to gentility," Theresia said, mimicking Amalia's voice and bursting into laughter. "The Emperor himself will be there, and in his own palace, too ... unbelievable!"
It took her some time to calm down.

"That was brilliant, Marie! I guess if there is one person she wants to leave behind it is me," she said, grinning. "I bet she is afraid I might not look genteel enough."

"Nonsense, Theresia. Are you not going to wear that blue silk Leonie gave you for your birthday?"

"I am, but Amalia does not even know I have a new dress ... I kept it secret from her."

"How?"

Theresia laughed. "I asked Rosa Novacek to sew the dress for me, instead of asking the woman who does such jobs for Amalia."

Rosa Novacek was Novacek's sister, an elderly spinster who was always glad to earn a bit of money by sewing dresses. Certainly she was not "genteel" enough to be considered a suitable seamstress by Amalia (if she had found out who was making the Empress's clothes, she would have gone there to have hers made), but Theresia was happy to help Rosa wherever she could, and on the rare occasions when she had a gown made, she asked Rosa - if Amalia did not choose to interfere, that was. Theresia had even gone so far as to recommend Rosa Novacek to some of her friends, which provided the good woman with a steady income. This had secured her the admiration and good will of all the Novaceks in Vienna - or at least Rosa had said so.

"May I see the dress," Marie asked, smiling. "Please, I am not going to tell anyone about it."

Theresia shook her head. "No, no yet. You will see it tonight, that will be early enough. After all, I want it to be a surprise, and you already know half of it."

"Is it elegant?"

"Do you mean Amalia's sense of elegant or mine?"

"Yours, of course. I would never call Amalia's taste elegant."

"You'll see. Amalia will be shocked about there being hardly any lace, but I like it. Rosa has done an excellent job."

"You are cruel."

"Cruel? Me? Why?"

"Because you are not going to show me your dress, that is why."

"Patience, my dear. You are going to see it tonight. I do not want Amalia to burst in and see me wearing it before I choose to show myself." She laughed.
"One of the few pleasures I can afford is to vex Amalia. Do not spoil it for me. But you can come round to my room when we are dressing, if you want to see it."

Marie agreed, and promised to send her own maid to help Theresia with getting dressed.

Theresia kept them all waiting until she chose to show herself. Amalia was already acting as if she were sitting on needles, fidgeting and anxious to leave.

"Where is she? It cannot take her that long to get dressed," she ranted.

"Was it not you who told me that one needs more than two hours to look tolerable, Amalia," Marie said, calmly. "I am sure Theresia will come soon."

"If she does not, we shall leave her behind," Amalia said to Joseph. "I have no desire to be late just for her sake. Besides, I shall feel ashamed of her anyway. People who have nothing decent to wear ought to stay away from balls at court."

Carl gave her an angry look, and Marie said, "Theresia has got something decent to wear, Amalia."

"Oh, yes, I am sure. Certainly a hand-me-down dress from Miss Potocka, who gave it to her because her own kitchen-maid did not want to have it."

Marie started to grow angry now, but she did not show it. Carl did, however.

"Tell me, Amalia," he said, in a calm but dangerous voice, "what makes you talk of Theresia so maliciously? As far as I can tell, she has never given you a cause to hate her."

"I do not hate her, Carl, she just annoys me from time to time.... and should I not be allowed to express my displeasure without restraint in my own house?"

"Oh, you may do so whenever you want, Amalia...in your own house."

Marie hoped that Carl would not start quarrelling with Amalia. It would only spoil their evening, and she was so looking forward to it.

It was Joseph who prevented the quarrel, by saying, "Certainly you can do as you like, Amalia, but Carl was right, you were a bit unkind. No doubt it is troublesome to have to wait for someone, but I am sure there is a reason for it - Theresia is a very punctual person, usually."

"Of course there is a reason for it. She wants to annoy me," Amalia snapped, and Joseph remained silent. The look his brother gave him expressed his opinion of the whole situation - he thought that Joseph allowed his wife too many liberties, and had told him continuously that he was "under Amalia's thumb". Perhaps it was so, but sometimes Joseph actually tried to contradict her - without much success, admittedly, but still, he tried.

Marie did not understand how he could let this happen - his wife taking control of the house, ordering his family about as if they were servants (as she tried to do with Theresia), causing quarrels all the time. This was not the sort of behaviour a man should tolerate, she thought. She had never understood Joseph much, she had to admit that, and Carl had always been much closer to her - in everything. They had had much in common. Joseph had always been different, but although being the eldest, he had never managed to lord over them - Carl had always been more strong-minded than he had been, and Carl had always taken Marie's side. Now he was taking Theresia's side as well. Marie was glad to see it.

It was Theresia, however, who stopped Amalia's complaining, simply by appearing in the door. The fact that she was wearing a new light blue silk dress was enough to shut Amalia up.

Only Carl could not keep himself from saying, "Now, this does not look like a hand-me-down dress to me, Amalia," but he said it so quietly that only Amalia and Marie could hear him.

Theresia smiled at Marie. "Do you like it," she said to her.

Marie laughed. "I do, I think it is lovely. Leonie has chosen very well! The colour becomes you."

Carl did not say anything, but Marie could tell by the way he looked at Theresia that he agreed with his sister.

Amalia only said sharply, "So you do have a new dress, do you? You should have told me, I could have helped you. As it is, you have spoilt a beautiful fabric by making nothing more of it than THAT. Miss Potocka ought to have had more taste, to be sure."

"Oh, I am sure she has, madam. I did not ask for your advice, madam, because I wanted to spare you the vexation of my not following it afterwards. Your taste is exquisite, but unfortunately far beyond my means. Besides, I did not think you would mind my dress being duly inferior to yours."

Marie grinned. Duly inferior... one could hardly speak of an inferior attire, if the material itself was of a sort that even Amalia could only dream of. Looking at Amalia, Marie saw that she would have loved to tear that gown, simply because she coveted it.
She was furious, but could not show her feelings ... or Joseph would have noticed something wrong in her way of dealing with Theresia. Whatever Amalia did, she always tried to give Joseph the impression that it had been someone else who was to blame. Since she saw no reason to blame Theresia at the moment, there was nothing left for her to do but to keep quiet about that matter.

"We are late," she snapped and went out of the room so fast that her companions had trouble to follow her.

They arrived at the Redoutensäle and met their friends at the entrance. Carl had arranged for a meeting before entering the ballroom. He had foreseen that there would be such a multitude of people that one would fail to meet one's acquaintance once one was inside. Leonie saw Theresia in her new dress and was in raptures.

"It really suits you, my dear," she exclaimed, "and what you made of it! Who made the dress for you? I have to know! That woman knew that too much finery would spoil the impression..."

Amalia was standing near enough to overhear Leonie's comments, and said, coldly, "Still, one or two ornaments might not have done any harm."

"Quite so, Baroness von Hertenberg, one or two ornaments never do any harm," Leonie answered in a sweet tone. "Your dress looks very grand, madam, it must have cost a fortune."

Again, one of Leonie's well-meant compliments. Marie grinned. What a promising beginning for this evening, she thought. Colonel Fitzwilliam had already asked her for a dance, and there was still nothing to be seen of Count Bāthory.

For one moment, however, she thought that her hopes considering that gentleman were crushed.

"Good evening, Miss von Hertenberg," she heard a cultivated voice with Hungarian accent address her. In turning around, she recognised Major Horvāth, and her relief made her look even happier to see him than she might have been under normal circumstances.

"Major Horvāth," she exclaimed, "what a pleasure to finally meet you here! My brother told me you were in town, but I never saw you...not even at the opera."

Horvāth bowed politely, and apologised for having been so remiss in his attention towards his friends, the von Hertenbergs.

"Whatever my reasons may have been, Miss von Hertenberg, it had nothing to do with you or any other member of your family. I hope I did not give that impression to you," he said. "If you permit me to do so, I shall do my best to make up for my neglect. Shall we dance tonight?"

Marie laughed. "With you, any time you want, sir."

She noticed the look Colonel Fitzwilliam gave her. It was a mixture of...of what? Interest? Admiration? Jealousy? There was something about his way of looking at her she could not determine.

"I thank you for your compliment, Miss von Hertenberg, although I do not know what I have done to deserve it. What about the first dance, then?" Major Horvāth asked.

"I have already promised the first to Colonel Fitzwilliam, sir, I am sorry."

"Well, it is the fate of us poor Majors that we always have to give way to a Colonel's demands," Horvāth said, grinning. "But I shall endure my bitter fate bravely...and I shall ask your cousin, Miss von Laudeck, to dance the first dance with me."

"A bitter fate, indeed," Theresia said, with a mischievous smile. "Thank God I am not a resentful sort of person, or you would never hear the end of it, Major. Well, I shall give in to my bitter fate and shall endure the first dance with you."

Horvāth laughed, and apologised again. "You have misunderstood me completely, Miss von Laudeck," he said.

"Oh no, I think I got your meaning exactly," Theresia said with a playful smile. "You will have to make up for it with excellent dancing."

They went into the ballroom now, and it did not take them long to find a place where there whole party - the Tilneys, Colonel Fitzwilliam, Major Horvāth, the Potockis and Marie's family could sit down. Joseph and Amalia did not stay with them too long, though. Amalia had seen one of her former school friends and went to greet her, and Joseph excused himself to go to the card room. Joseph was fond of playing cards, and it was hard to find him outside a card room during an evening party.

The music started, and Colonel Fitzwilliam led Marie to the set.

"Are you fond of dancing, Miss von Hertenberg," he asked her.

"It depends on the partner, really," she answered, smiling.

"Indeed? Well, I hope you like it now," he answered.

Marie blushed. "I did not mean to say..." she stammered. Colonel Fitzwilliam laughed.

"I know, Miss von Hertenberg, I only wanted to tease you."

"Tease me?"

"Teasing is a good way of getting to know people, Miss von Hertenberg, and I ought to make the most of the chance to do so, before Major Horvāth deprives me of your company. Have you got your opera glass with you tonight, Miss von Hertenberg?"

"We are not in the opera, sir, so why should I take it with me? Besides, it was my cousin's, not mine."

"But you used it, did you not?"

"What is wrong with using an opera glass in the opera, sir?" She gave him a searching look.

"Nothing, I am sure. I think I shall take one with me again, next time I go to the opera. One needs to keep a close watch on the events, after all."

"Colonel Fitzwilliam!"

He laughed. "Your secret is safe with me, Miss von Hertenberg."

"I do not know what you are talking about."

"No? Good, everything is fine then."

"Fine."

They danced on, and after a while, Marie said, with a smile, "You know, my cousin actually thinks this sort of dance is boring."

"Does she? But why? I think it is very entertaining - even without opera glasses."

Marie shook her head. "I shall not speak to you any more if you mention that dreadful evening once again!"

"This is a severe threat, Miss von Hertenberg. I shall not mention that matter any more - at least tonight. So, why does Miss von Laudeck think this dance is boring?"

"Theresia says there is not enough spirit in it, sir. She says that dancing ought to be more...lively. She prefers fast dances - she loves waltzing, for example."

"Do you, too?"

Marie laughed. "It depends on the partner, sir."

Richard soon had the chance to see that Miss von Hertenberg had been right about her cousin. Miss von Laudeck really seemed to enjoy herself, waltzing with her cousin, while Major Horvāth was dancing with Miss von Hertenberg.

It was a strange dance, nothing like he had ever seen before - although he was quite sure he might enjoy it, once he had learned it. Miss von Hertenberg had told him that this dance was "quite the vogue" in Vienna at the moment, and that especially the young people were wild about it, while the older ones thought that this was the end of civilisation. After all, it was just an adaptation of an Austrian country-dance, nothing one should allow in polite society.

He could even understand them, in a way, but he could also understand why the young generation loved this dance so much. It was fast, and he had never before seen a dance where the partners were so close to each other.

Then Richard saw Count Bāthory approaching. So he has finally found us, he thought. Too bad, the evening had just promised to be so nice...
Baroness von Hertenberg, who had, in the meantime, returned from meeting her friend, greeted Bāthory cordially, and asked him where he had been so long. Bāthory excused himself with some urgent business he had had to complete, and then asked where Miss von Hertenberg was.
When the Baroness told him that "her sister was dancing with Major Horvāth", Bāthory looked furious. Richard wondered what right Bāthory had to suppose that Miss von Hertenberg would be there waiting for him.

The music ended, and Colonel von Hertenberg led Miss von Laudeck to her seat.

"You have made me dizzy, cousin," she said, laughing, while seating herself.

"Oh, I hope you can forgive me, then," von Hertenberg answered, with a smile.

"I can forgive anyone who is so good at dancing as you are, Carl."

"You are too kind, Theresia," he said, laughing.

"Not kind, Carl, just selfish. You would not dance with me any more if I did not forgive you, and that would hurt me more than you, I am afraid."

"This sounds almost like a compliment, Theresia," von Hertenberg said.

"It was supposed to be one, sir," she answered.

Von Hertenberg turned to Richard. "Why did you not dance, Fitzwilliam? No partner?"

Richard laughed. "No, I only did not want to make a fool of myself in front of all these people. I cannot waltz - at least not the way you do."

"Well, that man can be helped - what do you say, Theresia?"

"Certainly. Nothing easier than that, sir."

Von Hertenberg turned to his sister. "Marie, Colonel Fitzwilliam has just expressed his wish to learn the waltz."

"Now, Carl?" Miss von Hertenberg asked.

"No, not now, Miss von Hertenberg," Richard answered. "Any time will do."

"Any time but now, you mean," Miss von Laudeck said, smiling. "Although I think my cousin would not have minded..." she added, glancing at Bāthory who was just asking her for a dance.

While Richard was still pondering what she had meant by that, she was gone, to dance with Tilney. Richard watched Miss von Hertenberg dance with Count Bāthory, and could not help but smile.
It depends on the partner, she had said to him earlier that evening. Now he could see the way she danced with a partner she obviously did not like.
She kept Bāthory at a distance all the time, and pretended an ungainliness that was amusing. Probably she thought that this would discourage Bāthory, because he would not wish for an awkward partner. For her sake, Richard hoped that this plan would work.

It was after that dance when something extraordinary happened. Tilney was leading Miss von Laudeck from the dance floor, when a gentleman addressed her. Richard was too far away to hear what the man said, but he noticed Miss von Laudeck's reaction. He had to be a member of the Imperial family, because she treated him with all the courtesy that was due to a person of high standing. He seemed to ask her some questions, which she answered earnestly, and then took his leave, very politely, but also warmly.
Miss von Laudeck returned to her seat, flushed, and excited.

"Who was this, Miss von Laudeck," Tilney asked her, handing her a glass of wine. Richard moved closer. He wanted to know, as well.

Miss von Laudeck took a sip of wine. "This was...the Emperor's brother, Archduke John," she finally managed to say.

"Archduke John? What on earth does he want from you, girl," the Baroness von Hertenberg asked. She was angry that her cousin had caught the attention of such an important person, while she had not.

"He asked you something about ... your brother, am I right, Miss von Laudeck," Tilney said. "My German is not that good, but I understood the words "brother" and "Martin von Laudeck"."

Miss von Laudeck nodded. "The Archduke wanted to know if Martin von Laudeck was any relation of mine, and I told him that this was my brother's name. He was very kind..."

"He ought not to mention that name," the Baroness said, with disgust.

"Go and tell him so, then, Amalia," Miss von Laudeck burst out angrily.

Before Richard could stop him, Tilney said, "I did not know you had a brother, Miss von Laudeck."

"I had a brother, Captain Tilney. His name was Martin, as you have heard." Her voice sounded wistful, and for a moment it seemed to Richard that she was far away with her thoughts.

"You had a brother? Good Lord, what happened to him?"

Richard drew a deep breath. Was it possible that a person could be so thoughtless? Why could he not just leave the topic?

Miss von Laudeck gave him an aggrieved look. "My brother is dead, Captain Tilney. There are few people who survive an encounter with a French firing squad."

For a moment, no one spoke, then Tilney cleared his throat. "I am sorry, Miss von Laudeck, really..."

She gave Tilney a faint smile. "Never mind, sir. You could not have known, could you? If you will excuse me for a moment..."
She rose from her seat, and walked over to Countess Potocka, pretending to have something important to tell her.

Tilney turned to Richard and said, "Did you know?"

"I did not know any details, Tilney, but I knew that ... there has been a great deal of tragedy in Miss von Laudeck's family history."

"You could have warned me, at least," Tilney said, angrily.

"Tilney, the moment that Miss von Laudeck said that she had had a brother, there ought to have been warning enough."

Miss von Hertenberg, Bāthory, and Colonel von Hertenberg joined their group again. Colonel von Hertenberg noticed at once that something was wrong, and asked what had happened. While Richard told him the whole story, Miss von Hertenberg listened anxiously and said, "Oh, the poor dear! She must have been..."

She stopped, and turned to Captain Tilney. "I do not blame you, sir, you could not possibly have known."

Tilney bowed, with a faint smile, and said, "Nevertheless I have been very tactless, Miss von Hertenberg, and believe me, no one could feel more sorry for this incident than I do."

Colonel von Hertenberg said, thoughtfully, "Archduke John, you said...well, of course, he would have known Martin...amazing, is it not? Among all those people, who would have thought that he would meet her, and recognise her too. But it is just like him, noticing people, talking to them, anywhere he goes. Archduke John hates festivities like this one. I guess he was just on the point of leaving." He smiled. "He might turn out to be a valuable acquaintance, one day."

With these words, he went to his cousin, and was quite successful in cheering her up again after a while.

Richard danced two more dances with Miss von Hertenberg that evening, and with every dance he grew to like her more. She had, by now, overcome every bit of bashfulness in his presence, and as he had thought when he had first met her, she could be just as charming and entertaining as her brother. She had a fine sense of humour, less sarcastic than her cousin's or Miss Potocka's, and an easy way of talking.

Tilney was still intent on making a good impression (or, at least, any impression) on Miss Potocka, and failed miserably, it seemed. Miss Potocka treated him courteously, but otherwise she did not give him much attention. After the one dance she had danced with him that evening, there had always been someone else to catch her attention - and Tilney, who was used to being the man for whose sake young ladies snubbed others, had to reconcile himself to the fact that he was by no means a favourite with Miss Potocka. Even Horvāth had danced twice with her, and so had Richard.

The Countess Potocka left rather early, and her niece had to go with her. Once she was gone, Tilney was determined to find out the reason for her behaviour, and asked Miss von Laudeck why Miss Potocka did not like him.

"Not like you, sir? What gave you that impression," Miss von Laudeck answered, frowning.

"The way she treats me implies that, Miss von Laudeck, does it not?"

Miss von Hertenberg laughed. "Sir, believe me, if Leonie did not like you, she would treat you differently."

"Indeed, she would, Captain Tilney," Miss von Laudeck added. "She does not even trouble herself to be very polite if she dislikes a person."

Tilney sighed. "Can you tell me what I am doing wrong?"

Miss von Hertenberg shook her head. "I have no idea, Captain Tilney."

Richard was curious what would come of this conversation. Tilney seemed to be worried in earnest - an interesting thought. What made Tilney believe that a young lady of great consequence like Miss Potocka might have any interest concerning him? Why did the thought of Miss Potocka's disliking him upset him so much?

"Miss von Laudeck, then...please, I am desperate!"

Exaggerating, as usual, Richard thought.

Miss von Laudeck laughed. "Desperate, Captain Tilney? Sorry, but I cannot tell you."

"What opinion does Miss Potocka have of me? Do you know that?" Tilney gave them a pleading look. "You cannot be so cruel, Miss von Hertenberg...Miss von Laudeck."

Miss von Hertenberg shook her head. "Even if Miss Potocka had told me her opinion of you, sir, what gives you the idea that I would tell you? Believe me, my friend is perfectly capable of telling people what she thinks of them, she does not need my help for it."

"It is not that she does not like you, sir," Miss von Laudeck began, hesitatingly.

"But?" Tilney turned to her eagerly.

"Well, I think she does not really take you seriously, sir. Perhaps she thinks that the attention you pay her is insincere, and does not want to be affected by it? I am only speculating, of course."

"She did not say so, then?" Richard had to grant Tilney one thing - he was persistent.

"Not like that, no. She only said once that you were a flirt, and you are, sir, you will have to admit that." Miss von Laudeck smiled.

Tilney laughed. "I deny everything, Miss von Laudeck. Is there anything more Miss Potocka said about me?"

"Nothing that I know of. Only the flirting problem..." Miss von Laudeck began to laugh, as if she had just remembered something amusing.

"You are laughing at me, Miss von Laudeck! You are laughing at me, while I am in agony?"

"I am not laughing at you, Captain Tilney, I only remembered something," she said, winking at her cousin. Miss von Laudeck began to smile, too.

"What is it, Miss von Hertenberg," Richard said, turning to her.

"I cannot tell you, Colonel Fitzwilliam, sorry," Miss von Hertenberg answered. "Leonie would probably strangle me with her own hands if I told you."

"It has something to do with Captain Tilney, then?" Richard smiled, and Miss von Hertenberg nodded.

"I want to know, if it has," Tilney said. "Believe me, if I knew about the things Miss Potocka does not like about me, I might be able to change."

Miss von Laudeck shook her head. "No, sir, we cannot tell you. Just as much - I think she does not believe you are to be trusted, as far as your feelings for women are concerned, and therefore she might be reluctant to welcome your attentions. Perhaps, if she could be convinced that your attentions are meant for her - and for her only, she might change her attitude towards you. But believe me, Miss Potocka is not easily convinced. If she were, she would probably be married already."

"Who says I am interested in Miss Potocka," Tilney said indignantly. Richard started to laugh.

"Tilney, really!"

"Captain Tilney, I believe a lot of the things people tell me, but I cannot believe that a gentleman who is indifferent to a young lady spends a quarter of an hour questioning her friends, trying to find out what she thinks of him," Miss von Laudeck said.

"I think she has a point there," Richard said to Tilney.

Tilney shook his head. "You are mistaken, Miss von Laudeck. I only wanted to know because she was so exceptionally unfriendly with me."

"Of course, Captain Tilney, if you say so." Miss von Laudeck did not believe a word Tilney had said, Richard could see that clearly, and he did not believe Tilney either.

Apart from Tilney's faux pas, it had been a wonderful evening, Richard thought when he had returned to his lodgings. The von Hertenbergs had been delightful, as usual, and the event as such had been something to be remembered.

Time for another letter to Pemberley, he thought while he was getting ready for bed.
I've got many things to tell the Darcys. Vienna gets more interesting every day.

He was not quite sure yet what part Miss von Hertenberg played in his fondness for Vienna. But it was evident that it was not an insignificant one.

Part 7

Posted on Thursday, 16 May 2002, at 1:02 a.m.

Vienna, October 1814

Dear cousin Darcy,
I promised in my last letter that I would write again as soon as I had any news to relate.
As for the purpose of our being here, the Congress, it does not seem to work all that smoothly. There are too many different interests to consider, and since no one is disposed to move from his point of view even an inch, I am afraid my stay here will be of some duration.

I have nothing to say against it, however, since I have grown very fond of this city. The atmosphere in Vienna is inspiring, and as far as the Viennese are concerned, I have never seen such pleasantness or hospitality.

I shall give you one example. On my first day here, a Colonel von Hertenberg came to deliver a message to General Tilney. From that moment on, Colonel von Hertenberg seems to have taken care of me - of us all, actually. There is hardly anything he would not do for any of us. He has even gone so far as to introduce us into his own circle - his friends and his family. Von Hertenberg is a remarkably amiable man, and I wish you could see him. I am sure you would approve of him.
His friends and family, too, are a delightful set of people - with one or two exceptions, but I do not care too much about them. Miss von Hertenberg, his sister, is very much like her brother in character, a very charming young lady. She, too, has made us feel welcome at once. Georgiana would like her very much, I dare say, and I think she would also like the von Hertenberg's cousin, Miss von Laudeck. Miss von Laudeck is quite as fond of music as Georgiana is - though her temper is by no means like Georgiana's. Miss von Laudeck is more like Mrs Darcy.
By the way, the von Hertenbergs have got relatives in Derbyshire, someone of your acquaintance. Your neighbour Lady Macmillan is their aunt; I was given to understand that she is a sister of their late mother's.

Mrs Darcy and Georgiana would enjoy themselves tremendously here, I suppose. There are balls, concerts, parties etc. every night. It sometimes gets very tiring, having to attend festivities every single evening, but I shall bear it as well as I can.
Last Sunday, I was at a "redoute" at court, a ball given by the Emperor. I have to admit that I enjoyed myself more than I had expected at first. Tomorrow, the Emperor is going to take the foreign ambassadors for a hunt at Laxenburg, a place outside Vienna. I have heard that the Empress is a keen hunter, and that she has been especially looking forward to the event. Let us only hope the weather keeps as warm and sunny as it has been during the past few weeks. There have been only three rainy days since my arrival here, although Colonel von Hertenberg said that it usually rains very long once it starts at this time of the year.

I hope everyone is in good health in Pemberley. Be assured that I am fine, and in the best spirits imaginable. A certain aunt's absence does me good, I guess. Give my best wishes to Mrs Darcy and Georgiana. I am sorry I cannot be a better correspondent, as far as Viennese fashions are concerned, but I do not know that much about these things. If they insist to know what is worn in Vienna at the moment and what is not, I shall try to find out more about those matters and shall rely on Miss von Hertenberg's help.

For now, I shall finish my account of Viennese life and habits, but you will hear more from me soon.

Yours, etc.
R.Fitzwilliam

It had been raining for days, and Richard thought that he had, probably, been too optimistic in his letter to Darcy. It was cold, windy, and the rain was pouring down all day. There was no sign of clearing up. Richard looked out of the window and watched the rain.
He was at the cafe again, since there was nothing better to do, and waited for von Hertenberg to arrive. Tilney was just dealing with the waiter, trying out his newly acquired German. The waiter showed no sign of understanding, and Tilney repeated his order VERY slowly and VERY loudly too. Why did the English always think that repeating themselves made people understand them, Richard wondered.

He looked out of the window, watching the rain come down, and saw von Hertenberg and Horvāth arrive at the door. Their overcoats were soaked, as they entered the cafe. Novacek followed close behind them, and was ordered by his Colonel to "order himself some good tea with rum, for medicinal reasons".
Richard smiled. He knew that Novacek would not hesitate to accept anyone's offer of buying him a drink, even if it was not for medicinal purposes. Novacek set off to another room, leaving his colonel to seat himself with his friends.

"So, what have you been doing today," von Hertenberg asked, once he had got rid of his overcoat.

"Nothing much," Richard replied, with a smile. "That is, Tilney has been ordering a Pharisäer* for the last two hours."

Horvāth laughed. "A man needs a purpose in life, I always say."

Von Hertenberg turned to the waiter and made the order for Tilney, also ordering drinks for himself and Horvāth.
The waiter gave him a look as if he took the order as a personal insult, and walked away slowly. Keeping the customer waiting was an art practised quite successfully by Viennese waiters.

"Such dreadful weather," Tilney complained. "Makes one feel quite depressed, does it not?"

"The weather, Tilney," von Hertenberg asked him with a smile, "or are there other reasons as well?"

"I do not know what you are talking about," Tilney answered, irritably.

"He does not know what I am talking about," von Hertenberg repeated to Horvāth in a mournful tone. "Tilney, I have watched you these days, and, please forgive me for saying so, you have the air of a man unhappily in love."

"Nonsense," Tilney snapped. "Unhappily in love, really! What next?"

"Unhappily married, perhaps?" Horvāth said, with a grin. "It would be the logical consequence."

The waiter arrived with their drinks, and spared Tilney answering that remark. Once the waiter was gone again, however, Tilney sighed and said, "Can anyone give me a sensible reason why she does not care for me?"

"Who?" Horvāth asked, with a wink at von Hertenberg.

"Never mind who!" Tilney exclaimed.

"Spoken like a reasonable man," Horvāth said ironically. "Well, there may be many reasons if a woman does not care for a certain man. One rather frequent one is that he is just not her type... or she may be in love with someone else - in which case there is no chance whatsoever to succeed, Tilney. Or, another quite common reason is that she has a wrong impression of the man - she might think he does not care for her. But, since you do not seem to be disposed to tell me who you are talking about, I am afraid I cannot help you."

"I never needed anybody's help whenever women were concerned, thank you very much," Tilney said.

"As you wish, sir," Horvāth said coolly.

"You seem to know a great deal about women, Major Horvāth," Richard remarked.

"Well, not really - I was just trying to think of my possible reasons for not liking people, and I assumed that it would be the same with women...I cannot claim much knowledge in that issue, me not being a ladies' man at all...not attractive enough, I am," Horvāth answered, with a smile.

"If you are fishing for compliments again, Horvāth, go to another table, I won't have it," von Hertenberg said laughingly.

Richard had to laugh too. He was quite sure that Horvāth knew that he attracted women - Richard had noticed the look Miss von Hertenberg had given him when she had met him at the ball, and she had not been the only young lady who had been looking at Horvāth that way.
If he had only half of Horvāth's charm, he'd.... well, what? Richard shook off the unpleasant thought that had just occurred to him.

"You know," Tilney went on, "it is not as if I had not tried...."

"You are talking about Miss Potocka, I suppose," Richard said. "Perhaps Miss Potocka's heart is not easily moved?"

"She would not be the only one," von Hertenberg said. His tone was earnest now. "I know a lady just like that...."

"Do you?" Horvāth turned to his friend. "Now THAT is a piece of news. Who is it?"

"None of your business, Horvāth."

"I wonder why men in love tend to be so secretive, Colonel Fitzwilliam," Horvāth said. "Looks like the two of us are the only reasonable people here."

"Reasonable meaning not being in love, Major Horvāth?" Richard asked.

"Sort of. Somehow men in love tend to lose their good sense," Horvāth answered. "Listen, gentlemen, whoever you may be talking about right now...Miss Potocka or the lady whose name my dear friend does not want to mention.... do they know about your feelings for them?"

"Well, it cannot be more obvious," Tilney replied. "I think she is just cruel."

"I sometimes wonder...there are only two possible reasons for her not noticing my attentions...and I do not really like any of them," von Hertenberg said.

"What are those reasons?" Richard asked.

"The first one is that she really does not notice anything in my behaviour towards her - in which case I am beginning to ask myself what else I can do. The other reason, and I like that possibility even less, is that she has noticed my attentions and has just chosen to ignore them, since they are not welcome. You see, it is a hopeless case."

Horvāth shook his head. "Hopeless, indeed. You know what, gentlemen? Love is a depressing topic to talk about - let us do something more entertaining instead. What do you say to a game of billiards?"

"Have you got enough money with you, Horvāth," von Hertenberg asked, grinning. "You lose every time."

"So what? It is my money, after all."

"Not for very much longer," von Hertenberg replied with a laugh.

They spent about an hour playing billiards, and after some time, even that became boring. It was one of those evenings when every occupation palled sooner or later.

"So, what next," von Hertenberg said, leaning back in his chair. "Pity we cannot go out to Grinzing in this weather."

"Oh yes, what could be more glorious than catching a cold in order to get drunk," Horvāth said dryly.

"You know you are annoying me tonight, Horvāth, don't you," von Hertenberg answered.

Horvāth shrugged his shoulders. "Cannot help it - I guess I am an annoying person."

Suddenly von Hertenberg began to laugh. "I have just had an idea..."

"Tell us, then," Richard said.

"I just thought that my sister-in-law is not at home tonight - she is visiting her mother in Klosterneuburg. So, I guess my sister and my cousin are feeling quite as bored as we are...time for your dancing lesson, Fitzwilliam."

"Dancing lesson? What dancing lesson?"

Von Hertenberg looked at Richard in disbelief.

"Come on, do not tell me you forgot about it, Fitzwilliam. My sister agreed to teach you how to dance the waltz, if you remember."

"But we cannot intrude on her privacy just like that - she may already have other plans for this evening, and so will your cousin, do you not think?"

Really, what did von Hertenberg think? This did not sound like a proper plan to Richard - although he had to admit that there were some attractions in that scheme. Seeing Miss von Hertenberg again was one of them.

"What if I send Novacek to ask them?" von Hertenberg asked. "I am sure they will not hesitate to tell us if they have other plans for tonight."

Richard shook his head. "It is raining cats and dogs outside, von Hertenberg. I do not think it would be fair to send Novacek on such an unimportant errand - we can just as well leave it for tonight and ask the ladies for another evening."

"I am sure it will not be half as funny with Amalia being there, Fitzwilliam." Von Hertenberg beckoned the waiter and asked him to tell Novacek to join them.
Novacek hurried in, stood attention as usual, and if he thought his Colonel's request at all extraordinary he did not show it. He just told von Hertenberg that he would "see to it at once", put on his coat and left.

Half an hour later he returned, telling von Hertenberg that "Colonel von Hertenberg's sister had been so kind as to tell him that she would be delighted".

Von Hertenberg turned to Richard. "You see? I told you they would be bored."

Theresia and Marie had been relishing the rare occasion of being among themselves. Joseph was at home, but had retired to his study to attend to some business matters, and so they had seated themselves in the drawing room, Theresia doing some needlework and Marie reading to her. The sound of the raindrops outside or the occasional carriage going past the house was all that they heard, until the doorbell rang. Shortly after that, the maid came in, telling them that "Mr Novacek was here with a message from the Colonel".

Novacek treated the female members of the von Hertenberg family with the same respect as the Colonel himself - with the only difference that he thought them probably more entitled to respect than his Colonel, them being ladies and all that...and Miss von Laudeck was, in his opinion, a saint, with the looks of an angel. Even though he had often witnessed that Miss von Laudeck could be anything but angelic in her temper, nothing could make him give up that notion.

He clicked his heels, saluted, and said, "Colonel von Hertenberg has sent me to inquire whether the ladies, that is Miss von Hertenberg and Miss von Laudeck..." - breath - "...have any particular plans for tonight or if it might be convenient for them to keep a promise they made during the redoute..." - breath -" ...last week. Colonel von Hertenberg, in short, wants to know whether the ladies would be disposed to teach the English gentlemen how to dance the waltz tonight, and he demands..." - breath - "an immediate answer.... if you please, Madam."

"And he has sent you here in all that rain just to ask us if we are at home tonight?" Theresia asked.

"He has, Madam."

"Poor man! You know what? Just get yourself downstairs to the kitchen and drink some tea to get warm again - and never mind the Colonel's DEMANDING an immediate answer."

"I am very sorry, but I cannot do that, Madam." Novacek said, frowning.

"Why not, Novacek?"

"An order is an order, Madam," Novacek answered, surprised at the notion that anyone could ask such a question.

Marie looked at Theresia. "Well, what do you think? Shall we?"

"Shall we what?"

"Teach them!"

Theresia laughed. "You teach them, I am the one playing the piano. I shall play, you shall dance."

"So you do not mind if they come over?"

"Not at all - why should I? I wonder why Carl actually took the pains to ask. It is not his usual way."

Marie had to admit that it was so. Carl had often invited his friends without sending word beforehand. She turned to Novacek.

"Tell the Colonel that we would be delighted to welcome his guests."

Novacek saluted again, and left.

Marie laughed. "Do you think Novacek ever gets rid of his soldierly ways? Or do you think he even salutes when he comes home to his wife?"

"MARIE! I am shocked, indeed! This is not the question I would have expected from you," Theresia said. "It sounded more like the sort of question I might ask," she added with a wicked grin. "By the way, is Novacek married? I would not know - but then, he spends so much time with your brother, I can hardly believe any Mrs Novacek would put up with it."

"I'll ask Carl, then...it really interests me," Marie said, studying her appearance in the mirror. "Do you think I look all right?"

"My own or Amalia's standards?"

"Your own, of course. For Amalia's standards, I do not look good before I have spent at least two hours dressing up, you have heard her say so."

Theresia laughed. "You should not listen so much to what Amalia says, you know. Well, as far as I am concerned, you look very pretty and will not have to be ashamed of yourself once our visitors arrive. If you want to change your dress, however, there is still time...."

Marie blushed. "I did not say I would, did I?"

Theresia did not trouble herself to answer that question. Instead, she said, "Will you come to the music room with me? I need to look for the music sheets... I distinctly remember we had some waltzes somewhere, but I think Amalia would have been quite likely to hide them somewhere. How can a young married woman be so much like an elderly spinster, I sometimes wonder?"

"Be glad she cannot hear you, Theresia." Marie sometimes got worried about Theresia.

"Well, I would not mind saying this right into her face, Marie. It is the truth, and even the Emperor has to endure the truth, so why not Amalia von Hertenberg? It is only for your sake why I keep quiet most of the time."

"Do you? I would not have noticed."

Theresia gave her an earnest look. "Believe me, I do. You knew my brother, did you not? Did he look like someone who was scared easily?"

"No, he did not...."

"Even Martin was afraid of me once I got really angry, Marie. And he was six years older and a boy. But let's not talk about that now, let's prepare for a nice evening without Amalia. We will have to tell Joseph, though."

The gentlemen arrived about half an hour later, and the first thing Colonel Fitzwilliam did was to apologise for bothering the ladies that evening.

"Miss von Hertenberg, if it is inconvenient for you, just tell us so, and we shall defer my dancing lesson - as much as I may be looking forward to it."

Inconvenience? Marie shook her head. What made him think so? "Sir, believe me, you have saved us from a rather dull evening, have they not, Theresia?"

"Oh yes, they have." Theresia turned to Carl. "But I do not think it was really necessary to chase Novacek across the city to ask us."

"I never chase Novacek, Theresia. I ask him to do things, that is enough, usually."

"And if it is not?"

"Then I tell him to do it."

"What a kind commander you are! You leave your men enough choice for their actions, right?"

"Yessir is the only answer I accept from them," Carl said, smiling. "You would not recognise me if you saw me among them."

"I guess I would not."

Theresia seated herself at the piano, and Carl joined her.

"Someone has to turn your pages, after all," he said.

"Did Major Horvāth not join you, Carl," Marie asked. "It has been such a long time since he has last visited us - I thought he might come too."

"No, he went home - he said he did not feel like dancing tonight," Carl replied. "You know him, Marie."

"I do, but yet it would have been so nice to have him here." Marie noticed the look Colonel Fitzwilliam gave her. It was the same look he had given her at the ball, when she had agreed to dance with Horvāth so quickly. Certainly he did not think she was in love with him? Major Horvāth was nice, it was true, and he was her brother's best friend, this was why she liked him so much...
And even if she were in love with Major Horvāth, why should it worry Colonel Fitzwilliam if it was so?

Richard had nearly forgotten how pretty Miss von Hertenberg really was - or at least so he had told himself, because he had thought it ridiculous to be drawn in like that. But once he saw her again, he noticed that she was at least as pretty as he had remembered her, and every moment he noticed something more about her that enchanted him. He was well on his way to fall in love with her, he thought, but then he noticed how she asked her brother about Major Horvāth. Would she ever have cared so much if he had not been one of the party, he wondered.
It would have been so nice to have him here, indeed. Why did this single sentence annoy him so much? There had been nothing wrong with it, and yet...
Richard had never been jealous before, but now this feeling was there, and he was angry with himself for feeling it. He had no right to be jealous, and no obvious reason either.

"Shall we start, Colonel?" Her smile was mesmerising, and for a moment, Richard was not able to say anything. He just nodded, and followed her to the centre of the room.
They spent the first ten minutes practising the steps, with von Hertenberg and Miss von Laudeck's comments in between. Even Tilney joined in, although he had already been quite successful in learning the waltz.

"I could do with some practise," he had said before.

"You are a fast learner, Colonel Fitzwilliam," Miss von Hertenberg said after a while. "But now the really difficult part starts. Forget everything you know about English country-dances, sir, the Waltz is different. First of all, you need to turn round and round...Theresia, can we have some music, please?"

Miss von Laudeck started playing, and now Richard realised for the first time how fast the waltz really was.

"Now you will notice, sir, that one may feel slightly dizzy after turning into the same direction for some time. So you will need to change it...to prevent you and your partner from falling."

"I will need to do so, you say?" Richard smiled at her.

"Certainly. The gentleman leads the way, the lady has to go where he leads her."

"An agreeable notion," Richard laughed.

"Hear, hear," he heard von Hertenberg say. "But remember that YOU will always be the one to blame if something goes wrong. Even if the lady happens to step on your toes, it will be your fault, and yours alone."

They all laughed, and then Miss von Hertenberg said to him, "Now, to lead your partner correctly, you will have to hold her the right way."

"What would that be like, Miss von Hertenberg?"

"Captain Tilney, would you mind demonstrating it?" Miss von Hertenberg asked.

"It will be an honour, Miss von Hertenberg," Tilney answered, and danced around the room with her. Leaving her next to Richard, he then stepped aside and said, "Now it's your turn, Fitzwilliam."

Well, how could he hold her so close without betraying his feelings, Richard wondered? He put his arm around her waist, as he had seen Tilney do it, and got hold of her hand...

"That is quite good already, Colonel Fitzwilliam, only if you will have to lead me, you will have to hold me closer than that," Miss von Hertenberg said. Richard looked into her eyes.

"Closer, Miss von Hertenberg?"

"Of course, or you will not be able to lead me properly. There is no need to be afraid, I do not bite."

"I would not be so sure about that," von Hertenberg laughed.

"CARL!"

"Sorry, sister, I was just joking."

Richard drew Miss von Hertenberg towards him. "Is this close enough, Miss von Hertenberg," he asked in a soft voice.

"Oh yes, this..." She looked up to him, with an expression in her eyes he could not quite understand. "This will do very well, Colonel."

"Quite close enough," von Hertenberg said. "No breach of propriety...yet."

"Says Carl von Hertenberg, the gentleman who knows all about it," Miss von Laudeck said. "Well, let us have some music then."

Richard did not quite know if it was the dancing that made him feel dizzy, or if it was Miss von Hertenberg's eyes, or holding her in his arms. No wonder the young people in Vienna were so mad about this dance - he was quite ready to fall in love with it, too.

They danced on, and after a while Richard felt quite at ease with that new dance.
It was not so difficult, really, once one got the hang of it - and highly enjoyable, too. Richard could have danced like that all night.

However, dancing waltz in a carpeted room had its drawbacks, as they were soon to find out. Through their turning, the carped had creased, and it was such a crease in the carpet that made Miss von Hertenberg trip and nearly fall over, had Richard not held on tightly to her to prevent her fall.

For a moment, she stared at him in shock, and then started to laugh. "Well, this is it now...I think that was an omen for us to finish, Colonel," she said, still laughing. "I am not that awkward usually, I am sorry...this could only happen to me..."

Everyone in the room was laughing, while Richard led Miss von Hertenberg to her seat.
"It was my fault, Miss von Hertenberg," he said, grinning. "It is always the gentleman's fault, I have heard."

Von Hertenberg started to laugh. "What presence of mind, Fitzwilliam! But, be honest, you hoped it would end that way, did you not?"

"I deny everything," Richard replied. But he had to admit to himself that, although he had not planned such a thing to happen, he had hoped for an occasion to hold Miss von Hertenberg even closer than the Waltz allowed him to do...

The evening ended pleasantly, with some more music, card games and excellent wine from Tyrolean wineries. Richard regretted it when he had to leave, and so did Tilney. It seemed he had forgotten about Miss Potocka for a while, but when they were on their way home, Tilney said, "Too bad Miss Potocka was not there. Do you think we will meet her again soon?"

Richard's mood was much too good to disappoint Tilney, and so he only answered, "Why should we not? She moves in the same circles as we do, so I am sure we will meet her again."

Miss Potocka was not at all on his mind, though. It was Miss von Hertenberg. Richard was absolutely sure now that she was the one and only woman for him. He hoped there would be many waltzes at the next ball...

*A "Pharisäer" is a drink offered in Viennese coffee houses - black coffee, whipped cream, and rum to give it some more taste...;-)

Chapter

Leonie Potocka shivered. It was a rather cold October morning, although the weather was better than it had been lately. She was cold. Why was it that old buildings like churches were even colder inside than the outside world? Inside St Stephen's, one might nearly think that the winter had already begun...well, there had been frost in the early morning, as usual at this time of the year.

She had met her friends, Theresia and Marie, to hear the morning Mass at St Stephen's with them, and to do some shopping after that. Going for the morning Mass was a good way of getting rid of Baroness von Hertenberg - she was not disposed to get up early, especially not for such schemes as going to church so early in the morning...people of some distinction did not go to church on weekdays, anyway, and if they did, they did not go in the morning. As far as Leonie was concerned, the Lord might keep the Baroness in that frame of mind for the rest of her life.

Leonie tried to resist the urge to cough. She had once heard that only people who were bored coughed in church, and she did not want to give people the impression that she wanted to disturb the service deliberately. However, her attempt did not work. She had been confined to her room during the last few days due to a cold, and her aunt had only allowed her to go out on condition that she went straight back home after the Mass. Since there was a ball to be held at Palais Metternich the next day, however, Leonie thought that she could still do with some shopping. She had been locked up for so long, she was in no hurry to go back home now, whatever her aunt might have said. Still, there was that cough...a disagreeable cough it was. Leonie was sure she had caught the cold in Laxenburg, where she had been with her aunt - and a couple of hundred other people, who had joined the hunt there. Though the weather had been good, there had been that chilly wind...Leonie coughed again.

She was glad when they finally left the cathedral. Leonie had felt extremely cold in there, and now she longed for some exercise to get warm again.

"Well, ladies, where are we going to go first," she asked. "Shall we go to the bookshop first, or may I have a look at the new fabrics? I could do with some new ribbons and other necessities..."

"Or this is what you call them," Theresia said with a grin. "You know, as far as clothes are concerned, you are nearly as bad as Amalia, there is only one difference - you have got better taste, my dear."

"We can go to the linen draper's first, Theresia," Marie said. "It is nearer, and I think I need a nice and warm place - soon." Marie rubbed her hands together. "Is it just me, or was it really that cold in the church?"

"It WAS cold," Theresia replied, " and besides, the Reverend took more time for his sermon than usual."

"He probably wanted to seize the opportunity to get all three of us to listen to him at the same time," Leonie laughed. "But you should be used to sermons, Theresia, is not your uncle a priest?"

"Oh yes, but he is not in the habit of preaching when he is at home," Theresia said. "And he is one of the most popular Jesuits in Innsbruck - because his sermons are the shortest. He said there is no point in preaching if people fall asleep - better a short sermon, and a well-instructed flock, than a long, studied sermon, and a flock snoring so loudly that he cannot hear himself talk any more."

She laughed. "Besides, he always gets the right tone when he is talking to people - you know what he said the other day at Christmas?"

"No, what did he say?" Leonie asked. It sounded as if Father von Laudeck had a few things in common with his niece.

"He had noticed quite a lot of people who do not go to church that often. Now, some other priest might have mentioned it in a very determined way, telling them that going to church only on important feast days is not enough, and telling the congregation who he is talking about - only my uncle thinks this is not very successful, it will only make people angry, and they will stay away from church. So he said, "And to those whom I will not see any more till next Christmas, let me wish you a happy Easter right now....""

Marie laughed. "This must have been quite a success, I dare say! How did he manage to keep a straight face?"

"You will have to ask him, Marie, I do not know," Theresia said.

By now, they had arrived at Leonie's favourite linen draper's, and went inside. Leonie set to work at once, checking every bit of fabric that looked remotely interesting. In a way, Theresia had been right. She was particular about her clothes. But while Baroness von Hertenberg's taste was only expensive and nothing else, her own was only very selective. Leonie could spend hours in a shop, leaving it without having bought anything, because she was not pleased with the offer.

This time, it was not much different. Leonie was having a look at one piece of fabric after the other, while Marie and Theresia had already made their purchases and were waiting for her.
Theresia had only bought some new ribbons and threads for her embroidery. Marie, too, had bought some ribbon, and had also found a particularly pretty fichu. They stood near the door, waiting for Leonie to finish, giving her telltale looks from time to time. Leonie did not care. She knew that she would be the one to wait for them at the bookshop, so it was only fair if they waited for her now.

Would she have been with her friends, however, she might have been interested in their conversation.

"Have you recovered from your fall, Marie," Theresa asked, grinning.

"My fall?"

"The other evening, when you were dancing with Colonel Fitzwilliam."

Marie laughed. "I did not fall, did I?"

"Well, have you recovered from not falling then?"

"I do not know what you mean."

"You know you sound just like your brother right now. He, too, pretends momentary stupidity if he does not want to answer a question."

Marie laughed. "Momentary stupidity? Do not let him hear that."

"I said he pretends it sometimes, Marie, and I would not mind saying so to him. But do not try to change the topic."

"Is there a topic to avoid? I did not take a fall, so there is nothing to recover from."

Theresia sighed. "All right Marie, let me say it in a way to make you understand. You are in love with Colonel Fitzwilliam, are you not?"

Marie blushed. "Nonsense. Whoever said such a thing?"

Theresia laughed. "Marie, I've got eyes. It was not only the crease in the carpet that made you lose your balance, I am quite sure about that. The way you looked at him was enough to tell me. You know I should be offended."

"Why?"

"Because you do not trust me enough to tell me what you feel about him, obviously."

"Theresia, there is nothing I could tell you."

Theresia looked at the ceiling, quietly humming to herself.

"There is nothing, believe me!" Marie said.

Theresia just looked at her. "Why, yes, certainly, if you say so..." she said. Marie could tell by her behaviour that she was not at all convinced.

"Well, I do like him..." she said.

"You do, then."

Marie blushed. "I have to confess I like him very much."

"I knew you did!" Theresia exclaimed. Marie saw the people around them giving them a puzzled look.

"Shhhh, Theresia, not so loud...don't forget where we are, will you? What will the people think of us?"

"Sorry," Theresia said with a smile. "I think he likes you too," she then whispered to Marie.
"Actually, I think if anyone asked him, he might confess that he likes you very much. You ought to do something about this, Marie."

"What am I supposed to do, Theresia?"

"Make him propose to you, before Bāthory does, Marie."

Marie shivered. "Did you have to remind me of him? I had just managed to forget about him for a while. He is not in Vienna at the moment, and I felt perfectly safe for a while."

"I am just trying to give you a hint, my dear. You know, I'd rather see you happily married than just well married. There is a difference between those things." Marie noticed a great deal of concern in her cousin's voice.

"Things have come to a pretty pass when someone does not confess to their own cousins any more," Theresia said lightly, trying to hide her concern. "Do you think we will have to drag Leonie out of this shop? If she does not make haste, all we will get at the bookstore will be yesterday's newspaper."

Finally, they entered the street again. It was a pleasant walk to Marie's favourite bookshop, just the thing to do on a nice morning such as this, or so Marie had said earlier in the morning. Leonie told them about how she had passed the past few days.

"I had a letter from my sister two days ago," she said. "She has had her third baby. A girl again."

"What is so wrong about that," Marie asked. "The way you are saying it one might think it was a misfortune."

"Well, my brother-in-law may think so. He wants a son and heir, and what he has is a bunch of daughters."

"I'd like to have his problems," Theresia said dryly.

"Lilliana also wrote that she wants to employ a governess," Leonie went on. "She wants me to look for one, since I have nothing else to do. Just imagine! Me looking for a governess for my sister's girls. She made it look as if it was an urgent business - although her eldest is only four. I do not think I shall be in a hurry to find someone."

Theresia laughed. "What a helpful creature you are, Leonie!"

"Anyway..." Leonie began. Then, suddenly, she grabbed Theresia's arm and held on to it firmly. "Do not move," she whispered. "Not even an inch. Stay by my side, whatever will happen."

Theresia gave her a puzzled look. What was that supposed to mean? She noticed soon, however, that Captain Tilney was coming towards them. What a strange thing ... Leonie was not usually the sort of young lady who wanted to avoid meeting a certain gentleman.

"Good morning, Captain Tilney," Leonie greeted him coolly. Theresia watched her intently. There was no smile, not even a hint of it. Something had to be wrong, she was sure.

"Good morning, Miss Potocka," he answered, giving them a radiant smile. "A lovely morning it is, is it not?"

"Rather cold, Captain Tilney," Leonie answered.

Now Colonel Fitzwilliam and Major Horvāth joined them, too.

"Major Horvāth," Leonie exclaimed. "You were sadly missed at my aunt's dinner party yesterday evening. I should scold you, sir, I really should - we were so hoping you would come!"

"I am very sorry to have disappointed both you and your aunt, Miss Potocka, but unfortunately I had to attend to some business. Believe me I would rather have been with you than anywhere else, but it is always like that - when duty calls, Horvāth has to follow."

Theresia noticed the look Captain Tilney gave the Major. If she had ever seen a look that killed, this was the one.

Richard had hardly been able to believe his own luck when Tilney had spotted Miss Potocka and her friends in the crowd. He followed Tilney, only too happy to get an opportunity to meet Miss von Hertenberg before the ball at Palais Metternich. Her brother had told him that she had had an invitation too, and Richard did not want to miss the chance to ask her for a waltz.
First, however, he kept an eye on her to see how she reacted on meeting Major Horvāth.
He had not quite forgotten how happy she had been to see Horvāth at the redoute.

That day, Miss von Hertenberg greeted Horvāth with no more eagerness than one might have expected, knowing that Horvāth was a friend of her family. She was polite, friendly, but beyond that Richard could not discern any particular affection. He was glad to see it.

When she turned to him, he was struck with the happy glow in her eyes.

"Colonel Fitzwilliam! What a nice surprise to meet you here," she said. "What are you doing here, so early in the morning?"

"We are on our way to an important meeting," Richard answered, smiling. How could he see such a smile and not smile back? This was impossible.

She is becoming prettier every day, he thought. Or perhaps it is just my falling in love with her a bit more every day that does it.

"What are you doing out so early, Miss von Hertenberg," he asked her.

"We were at St Stephen's in the morning, to hear the Mass," she answered. "And now we are on our way to do some shopping."

"For the ball tomorrow, I suppose," Richard asked, grinning. "As far as I can remember, ladies tend to be in need of something or other all the time."

"A woman is always buying something, you mean?" She looked at him with an amused smile. "Well, I suppose some of us are... in our case, however, we were trying to improve our minds, since our looks are good enough already."

"What do you want me to answer to that, Miss von Hertenberg?" Richard asked.

"You could tell me that I am right, for example, that would do for a start," she answered.

"What if I told you that your looks are better than just good enough?"

"I would take this as an attempt at flirting, Colonel." She laughed.

Only an attempt, Marie? Richard thought.

"So you are going to the ball at Palais Metternich as well, sir," she asked him.

"Of course, Miss von Hertenberg. I take every opportunity I can get to practise my dancing skills."

"Oh, as your teacher I am pleased to hear it, sir."

"Will you give me the chance to practise some more tomorrow, Miss von Hertenberg?" While saying this, Richard felt that he was, perhaps, a bit too blunt now.

She blushed and did not say anything for a moment. Richard felt like an idiot.

"That is, if you do not mind," he added, hurriedly.

"I do not mind at all, Colonel," she said, with a shy smile that warmed his heart. "How could I refuse you such a wish, being a good teacher? Practise is what every pupil needs, after all."

You ARE a good teacher, Marie. You have taught me more than you might be dreaming of at the moment, Richard thought.

Aloud, he just said, "Now I have a good reason to look forward to tomorrow evening."

Leonie had been talking with Major Horvāth a great deal, and had, if possible, ignored Captain Tilney completely. Had he asked her a question, or said something to her, she had given him a suitable answer, but she had refused to have anything more to do with him than necessary. She did not know why she was like that - no other man had ever made her take so much trouble to avoid him. The problem was that she did like him, but he reminded her so much of her brother and the sort of men her brother represented - charming, ready to talk, ready to make a girl fall in love with them - and ready to reject them whenever they pleased. No, she would not let anyone do that to her. It was better to keep Captain Tilney at arm's length.

Captain Tilney was walking next to Theresia, and Theresia had done her best to keep him amused - without much success. He looked surly, and sometimes gave Major Horvāth a furious look. At one point, Horvāth must have noticed it, because he gave up his place next to Leonie and went over to Theresia instead.

Taking this opportunity, Captain Tilney offered his arm to Leonie, and since she could hardly refuse it without being impolite, she accepted it.

"I have to say that you look very discontented today, Captain Tilney," she said. "The Viennese air does not agree with you, it seems. Or is it the dancing through night after night that has such an effect on you?"

He gave her a surprised look. "Miss Potocka, in fact, I enjoy being in Vienna very much - and as for dancing all night long, I would not mind it in certain circumstances...with you being my partner, for example." He gave her a smile. Leonie was sure that this smile could be irresistible - and she was sure that Captain Tilney knew that it was so.

"Dancing with me, sir," she asked. "I do not think I am that good at dancing to make such an agreeable partner. There are better dancers than me."

"If so, Miss Potocka, I have yet to meet them," he answered. "There is no fault to be found with your dancing - except perhaps the fact that you make every other lady look like a beginner compared with you - but as far as I am concerned, one cannot call that a fault."

He knew how to flatter a woman, that was certain.

"As far as you are concerned, sir, it may not be one, but I would call that a fault. As would the other ladies, I am sure." She laughed.

Her laugh seemed to please him, she noticed. His whole manner changed a bit - he did not have that grumpy look about him any more.

Leonie had to admit that he was a pleasant companion, and in walking on, he made her laugh more than once. It was really difficult to keep him at a distance, she thought, but in her own interest she had to...her behaviour with him changed again, she became more distant, her answers grew shorter and shorter, in short, her whole behaviour was designed to discourage him. Captain Tilney noticed this, and while the others were walking towards the bookshop, he walked more slowly, to get a chance to talk to her alone.

"Miss Potocka, can you tell me what I am doing wrong? I seem to have annoyed you, and I would like to know what reason you have to be angry with me." He gave her a pleading look.

"I am not angry, Captain Tilney. If you would excuse me now, my friends are waiting for me..." Leonie said, hurriedly.

"What is it then, Miss Potocka? If I have not done a thing to offend you, why do you treat me that way? I am the last person to accuse anyone of cruelty, but yet, considering your behaviour towards me, there is no other explanation for it at the moment," he said. At the same time, he could have kicked himself.

She gave him a cold, haughty look. "I am not cruel, sir, and I never have been. I am a careful person, though, and I am used to taking care of myself. I have heard too much about the likes of you, sir."

Had she slapped his face, he could hardly have looked at her in a different manner. Leonie wished she had not said that. He looked so hurt...she had not wanted that. Deliberately hurting people was not her way at all.

"The likes of me, Miss Potocka," he said, in a whisper.

Leonie was angry now. She was angry with herself, but she did not want to show it too clearly. What she did want was to get away from this man as fast as possible.

"I do not think you need any further explanation, sir, my meaning must be absolutely clear to you," she snapped. "Good day to you, Captain Tilney, I really need to go now."

She went to the entrance of the bookshop in a fast pace, trying to hide her agitation. Leonie would have loved to look back, but forced herself not to do it. Captain Tilney would perhaps take it as a compliment if she did.

"Look what I have found, Theresia," Marie exclaimed, hurrying to show her cousin a book she had just discovered.

Theresia had already found the sheets of music she had wanted and was most ready to leave the shop now. It was hard to be in a bookshop with no money to buy any books - she felt like a small child in a candy shop whose mama had just refused buying any.
For Marie's sake, she stayed on and shared her delight with the new books she was buying. Theresia had never had a sister, although she had always wished for one, big brothers being such a nuisance sometimes that a girl needed some support. In Vienna, Marie had filled that place perfectly, and Theresia was happy to have her.

Theresia looked at the volume Marie handed over to her. "Tyrolean Folktales," the title said. Theresia laughed. "Someone trying to show people how backward we are or what," she said.

"Actually, I wanted you to have a look at one of the engravings," Marie said, opening the book and handing it over to Theresia. "I thought you would like to see it."

Theresia took a look at the page and gasped. The picture showed a castle.

"It is perfect," she said, with a sad smile. "Three towers overlooking the valley...you know there was a secret passage in the middle tower? Martin knew how to get into it, he showed me once, but I cannot remember it now...well, it is quite nice, well done really."

She handed the book back to Marie. "Thank you for showing me," she said.

"Are you not going to buy it," Marie asked, all astonishment. "I thought you might want to have it."

"Marie, even if I wanted to have it, I could not afford to buy it, could I? There are more important things than books, Marie, and I will just have to learn how to get along with that small income I have."

"I shall buy it for you then," Marie said.

Theresia shook her head. "Marie, it is very sweet of you to make this offer, but I cannot accept it. I cannot spend the rest of my life depending on the goodwill of other people, and I do not want to either. I do not wish to be anyone's object of charity. Thank you nevertheless. Are you finished with your shopping?"

Marie nodded.

"Let us go home then, shall we?" That answer was definite, Marie knew that. Even if she bought the book, Theresia would never take it. Some people and their pride, she thought. Why cannot Theresia accept an act of kindness the way it was meant? Object of charity...whoever said so? If she wanted to give her a present, it was an act of friendship, nothing else. Theresia could be so stubborn sometimes.

Metternich had invited the foreign guests and the nobility of Vienna to a ball at his palais, and had asked them to come in their country's traditional costumes, if possible.

Theresia had taken the opportunity to dig out a dress her mother had sent her for her sixteenth birthday, and the jewellery to go with it. She saw that some things had to be altered with that dress, however. Somehow her figure had still changed a bit since she had been sixteen, and she had not had many occasions to wear the dress since then.

With a smile, Theresia looked at her dress. It was made of black velvet, mostly, and rather low-cut...one usually wore a white silk brocade shawl with it to make it look more decent. For a moment she considered if she should "forget" to put the shawl on ...Amalia would have a fainting fit, to be sure, so the whole thing was worth considering...but no, better not.
Theresia knew what her mother had had in mind when she had sent her that dress. Back home, this was the dress every young woman wore at important occasions - going to church on principal feast days, at her wedding...and most women were buried in that dress as well. That present had been made to assure her that her mother now considered her a grown-up woman.

Taking her workbasket with her, Theresia went to the drawing room. She was surprised to find her cousin Carl there, reading a book.

"Oh, I did not know you were at home," she said, smiling. "And reading, too..."

"You know, they did teach me how to read and write in the military," Carl answered, laughing.

"You astonish me cousin, I thought you might have learned that long before," Theresia retorted and sat down on the sofa, taking out her embroidery.

For a while, none of them said anything. Theresia was busy with her needlework, and Carl went on reading. Theresia looked up and saw him absorbed with the book.

"What is it you are reading, anyway," she asked him.

"Oh, nothing particular, just a book I bought today...do you want to have a look?"

He got up and went over to Theresia, handing the book over to her.

"Tyrolean Folktales," she read. "Marie told you about it, did she not?"

"I beg your pardon?" Carl gave her a puzzled look, and Theresia tried to discern if he was really puzzled or just playing silly again.

"Carl, Marie found this book in the bookshop yesterday, and she might have told you about it."

"And why should I not go into a bookshop by myself, find a book that interests me, and buy it? This is how it happened, Theresia."

Theresia flicked through the pages until she got to the page showing her home. "Have you seen this," she asked him.

"I have," he said. "And that was why it interested me. I wanted to know which particular legend was connected with it."

Theresia smiled. "More than one, I can tell you. It is a good picture..."

"Do you want to have it?" Carl asked her.

Theresia got angry. Why did everybody believe that she depended on their kindness?

"Listen, I already told Marie..." she began.

"As soon as I have finished it, I meant," Carl went on. She looked into his eyes. He was absolutely serious, it seemed.

"You mean, you wanted to ask me if I wanted to borrow it," she said, warily.

"That is what I meant to say, yes. Do you want to have it, as soon as I am finished with it?"

"Well, yes...if you do not mind..."

"Why should I?" He laughed.

Theresia gave the book back to him. Carl closed it, and said, "You take it."

"You said..."

"I know what I said, Theresia. Take it, I have just finished reading it."

"No you have not!"

"Yes I have. Take it, and keep it as long as you wish."

"You will remind me when you want me to give it back, Carl?" she asked.

Carl laughed. "Depend upon it, Theresia, as soon as I want it back, I will remind you."

He turned round, and left the room. Theresia started to laugh. She knew he had tricked her, and just wondered why she did not mind. Well, she would read the book and give it back to him as soon as possible, not allowing him to triumph over her for too long.

Continued in the next section