by Wendy Teller
"Seems a pity." Therese smiled. "He seemed like a nice young man. Handsome. And he wanted to know why you had not come."
"What did you say?"
"Ma'am instructed me to say that you were ill."
Ella nodded. She studied Therese, her slight figure, her wispy hair. She was not a bad person. She just had a job that required her to be a jailer. It wasn't her fault. It seemed unfair to get her dismissed. She had a right to steal a bit of happiness. She had told Ella that her child had died and shortly after, her husband had died too, leaving her without money. Her family was poor and she had come here because she had nowhere else to go.
Still, Ella had to see Ede. He seemed to be anguished or ill. Something was wrong. She had to see Ede. And maybe, if Therese were not here she could manage to sneak a visit with him, while Mother was not minding her.
And then she realized she had a better plan. She had a plan that would guarantee a visit with Ede. She withdrew the card from her pocket so that Therese could see it.
The Deal
Therese reached for the card, her lips pressed together, her brows contracted.
"That is mine." Her ragged voice cut through the silence. "Give it to me."
"Ah, but I found it."
Ella was being mean, but she didn't care. She had to see Ede and that justified her actions. Besides, Therese was Mother's servant, an extension of Mother's discipline. Rebellion against Therese was the same as rebellion against Mother.
She waved the card. "I found it and now it is mine."
Therese stepped back, her pale face calm. "You want money?"
Ella hadn't considered that. "No. Not money." She sat on the bed, pocketing the card. "I can understand being in love."
Therese spat out the words. "Who says I'm in love?"
Ella chuckled. "If you were not in love, you wouldn't care about the card."
Therese shook her head. "Miklos writing a silly card says nothing about me." She shrugged and scrunched her face, her lips turned down. "Who understands men? They have their little desires, which fade quickly enough. A wise woman ignores them." She smoothed her skirt. "A good lesson for you, Miss."
Ella considered again whether this "affair" was one sided. Was Therese not in love with Miklos? But if not, why had she saved the card? Maybe she hadn't. Maybe Miklos had just given her the card and she hadn't had time to destroy it.
It really didn't matter. Ella needed this tool. She must see Ede.
"If Mother sees this...." Ella waved the card like a weapon. It was a gamble. Maybe Therese truly didn't care for Miklos, in which case his advances would mean she would have to leave in any case. Maybe she planned to destroy the note and say she must leave, asking for a reference. Ella studied Therese's flushed face.
"But... if I never found it, she'd never know."
Therese nodded and looked down, defeated.
"I have a deal," Ella said.
Therese didn't move.
Ella’s voice was silky smooth. "One I think you will like."
Therese looked up, her eyebrow raised.
Ella smiled. "One where you will have more time for Miklos, if that is what you want. Or, if you'd rather, more time for yourself."
The room was silent except for the distant clatter of a cart rolling down Fő út.
Clara Helps
Clara ran into Ella's room. "Mother's in a state!" She laughed. "She's breathing fire!"
"Come sit next to me and tell me all about it." Ella slid over on the bed, making more room for her sister. "Did she say what was wrong?"
"Nothing I understood."
Clara sat as directed and swung her feet back and forth. "Something about filth, dirt."
She stopped and scrunched her face in concentration. "I think she said something about smut."
Her face relaxed and looked up at her sister. "Mimi, are you in trouble again?"
"Always!" Ella looked down at the youngster and ran her fingers through her sister's silky hair. How was it that Clara never seemed to be the cause of Mother's concern? Maybe Ella used up all the "concern" Mother had.
Clara grinned. "What happened?"
Ella considered whether to tell Clara. She had always been open with Clara. Pretty open, anyhow. But this plan of hers was delicate. Might the child reveal too much to Mother, maybe unwittingly. But Clara could be her ally, her means of communication. She could use Therese or Miklos, but she didn't trust them, even with her new weapon. She trusted Clara more.
"Ede wrote a paper."
"What's wrong with that?" Bewilderment flooded Clara's face. "I have to write for Moni." Moni was her tutor.
"Mother didn't like what was in the paper."
"What was in it?"
"Apparently filth, dirt, and smut."
Clara laughed. "Really?"
Now was not the time to debate that issue. "I'm not sure."
"You didn't read it?"
"Mother burned it before I had a chance to understand it."
"It must have been bad."
"That is why I need you to help me." She searched Clara's face. "You must do as I say and do it exactly." She saw Clara's look of concentration. "Otherwise we will both be in big trouble."
Clara nodded, holding Ella's stare. "OK."
"I have a note here for Ede. When you go out with Moni tomorrow afternoon, stop by his house and leave it with the cook."
Clara squinted, apparently considering the plan. "Is it OK that Moni knows that I am leaving a note for Ede?"
"Maybe not. Good thinking, little sleuth." Ella was stumped. How to get word to Ede to meet her? "See if you can find Ede. He might be at the cafe." This seemed unlikely. Maybe she should have Therese handle the communication after all. But she just didn't trust Therese enough.
Clara slid off the bed, turned to her sister, her face bright. "I know. We'll go to the market this afternoon. Ede's cook will be there. I will give her the note."
"Moni goes to the market? Doesn't Cook go to the market?"
"Sure, but Moni likes talking to her friends. They meet at the market. She lets me wander while she's gossiping. If I can't find Ede's cook, I can run over to his house and leave it with the maid."
"You can do that?"
"Sure. It's boring hanging around while Moni is chattering. She's used to me wandering and won't notice."
Ella smiled. Clara was a clever little thing.
"What's the note about?"
"Oh, Clara, you don't need to know." Clara's face fell. "Besides, it's best that you don't know. If something goes wrong, then you can truly say you don't know what it was all about." Clara's face still tinted with disappointment. "Like a true spy, who doesn't know everything, in case he is caught."
Clara beamed.
Apparently she liked being a spy.
Ede and Ella Talk
It had all gone according to Ella's plan. Therese had convinced Mother that Ella needed fresh air and exercise. Clara had delivered the note, and now, at last Ella and Ede walked deep into the woods, silent but for the crunch of leaves underfoot, the twitter of birds in the trees, and the chatter of an unhappy squirrel. Ella didn't want to tell Ede about his burnt essay until they were settled and she could study his face. Finally they turned and looked at the path they had taken, the main road hidden by the green leaves and tree trunks. Ede spread a blanket he carried and they settled on it.
Ella's hands were sweaty with worry. "Did you hear? Mother burned your manuscript."
"Yes, yes." His eyes gleamed as he chortled. "Miklos told me. He enjoyed telling me." Ede stretched.
"But, is it...." She tried again. "I mean, is that the only copy you had?"
"No, my dear Ella. I have other copies."
"I was so foolish to leave it where Mother could see."
"Ella, look at me." He lifted her chin with his finger, holding her gaze. "It is all right." He grinned. "Maybe it is even good that Auntie saw the paper."
Ella blinked. "Good? She forbids me to see you and that's good?"
"Not that she forbids our meeting. That's not good. But things are changing and she needs to be prepared."
Ella shook her head. "I don't understand. Not at all. You say such strange things. Are you OK?"
"Of course." His smile shone, his old self-confident smile, so different from his frazzled face the day of the wedding. "Relax. We have lots to talk about and the martyred paper is not important. Relax so we can have a good talk."
"But when you came...."
"Yes, I know. But I had to tell you and it was difficult."
She nodded and pulled a strand of her auburn hair loose from her hairpins. She twiddled the lock between her fingers.
"Why?"
"Why did I have to tell you or why was it difficult?"
"Yes." Her fingers busily twisted her hair.
"Why I had to tell you is a long story." A little smile lingered on his lips but the green in his hazel eyes shone, which she knew meant he was serious. "A very long story, which I hope to tell you now."
"OK."
"Why it is difficult is easy. I am ashamed. It is difficult to confess a shameful act. At least for me. Don't you think?"
"I don't admit shameful acts." Her stare was unblinking. "I'll tell you that I don't commit shameful acts."
His laugh billowed into the warm afternoon. "I'm not sure of that. Your letting Auntie see my paper, were you not ashamed of that?"
She nodded.
"Ah, well, but the statement is pure Ella." He chuckled and looked past the trees toward the road. "I love pure Ella."
His face, no trace of the smile, turned back to her. "I love you, Ella."
"And I love you too, Ede. You know that."
"No, Ella. I don't mean that. Not love like a brother. Well, yes." He stopped and looked away and a wistful chuckle escaped from his lips. "I do love you like a brother."
His gaze turned back to her. "But I want to love you like a husband."
"Oh." She felt the blood come to her cheeks. "Isn't that something you are supposed to arrange with a matchmaker?" She swallowed. "Or at least ask Father?"
"I don't need a matchmaker. I don't care what Uncle will say. I care what you will say. I will not be married to Uncle Weisel. I will be married to you."
"Oh." She didn't want to marry.
He repeated her oh, a sad quiet echo.
"Ede." She didn't know what to say. "Ede, I can't imagine life without you."
"That's good."
"But you said you were leaving."
"Yes, yes. That is part of the long story." He took in a deep breath and put on a brave smile. "I got ahead of myself. This is almost as difficult as confessing a sin."
"Is it?" She leaned back on her elbows, happy that the question of marriage had been postponed.
"I've finished my education. I'm ready to start off in life. When I first left for school I thought I would be a lawyer, so I got a law degree." He hugged his knees to his chest. "But when I was in Switzerland and Germany, well, I learned something more than law."
"Like meeting with ladies of the night?"
"Oh, Ella, I do love you." He scanned her face. "That is why I told you about my sins. I wanted to prove to myself I could tell you anything."
"You can."
"I believe you will listen to anything, but it is also hard to tell you some things." He tilted his head. "Anyhow, no, not to meet ladies of the night. Hungary, even Nagykanizsa, has ladies of the night, in case you didn't know. I didn't need to go to Leipzig to learn that."
Ella sensed impatience in his voice. "I'm sorry."
"Never mind." Again the brave smile. It was like the smile of the wedding day. Not a happy smile. "I learned there are better societies, better ways for a country to be run, better than feudal Hungary."
"Feudal? The serfs were freed long ago."
Ella searched for the date, but winning freedom was complicated and she couldn't remember the details.
He snorted. "Yes, yes. On paper the serfs are free. But in reality…." He shrugged. "The aristocrats own a huge proportion of the land. They own whole villages. And whoever lives on the land those aristocrats own...." He frowned. "They might as well be serfs."
"Really?"
"Sure. Few people are allowed to vote, and what voting there is, is open. Everyone knows how you vote." He frowned and shook his head. "You vote as the aristocrats want you to vote. They might as well be kings."
"Are you going to another country then? To a better country?"
Ella was uncertain about marrying Ede, but living in another country sounded wonderful, exciting, maybe even worth marrying.
"No, no." Ede sighed and stretched his legs out. "I want to help my country, my backward Hungary, become a better country."
"How?"
"I'm not sure, but it must change." He sighed and looked in the distance.
A squirrel scampered across the leaves.
Ede resettled on the blanket. "I know an aristocrat who bragged about taking a horsewhip to his stable boy. The authorities looked the other way."
He looked back at Ella, his lips compressed. "And I don't think that's the worst of it"
Ella gulped. "Really?"
He nodded and expelled a breath. "The counts and barons own huge forests, their private hunting grounds. The peasants are not allowed in those lands, not to collect wood to keep warm in winter, or to pick berries and mushrooms to supplement their meals, and certainly not to kill a deer so that their children might have some meat."
"Like in the song Alexa used to sing?" Ella sang:
Ah my Geordie will be hanged in a golden chain
Tis not the chain of many
Stole sixteen of the king's royal deer,
and he sold them in Bohenny.
Ede scoffed. "Oh, I think your Geordie was a lucky fellow. He was to be hanged by a golden chain, so he was a noble. And he wasn't going to eat the deer, he was going to sell them."
His smile was crooked, ironic. "No, Ella, our peasants don't get enough to eat. They are, according to what I have read, slowly starving because they aren't paid enough to feed their families. And if, out of desperation, a peasant mother enters a noble's forest, to find food for her children, that noble can do with her as he pleases. He might even murder her."
Ella couldn't believe this, but he nodded, pursing his lips. "A person who does such things is despicable. A country that allows such acts to go unpunished is...." He shook his head with a shudder. "And think about Father Joseph."
"What about him?"
"When I needed consolation most. When I needed to understand myself, to forgive myself, he convinced me of my guilt."
Ede closed his eyes and sneered. "I believe he enjoyed listening to my confession, that he was, in fact, committing the very sin I was confessing, while I cried bitter tears."
Ella didn't understand, but Ede's face was pale and his eyes, now open, told her he wanted to say no more, so she was silent.
He exhaled, as if he were trying to expel his gloom. "But maybe I should be grateful to him. He showed me how false the church is."
Looking down, Ede picked up a leaf by its stem and twirled it. His eyes returned to Ella. His voice was harsh. "How evil the church is."
"The church is evil?"
"Yes, Ella. The Church is powerful and it works not for the good of the people, but for its own good."
Ella's hand covered her throat. What would Mother do if she heard him now?
A sad smile spread across his lips. "Yes, Ella. The church is a huge problem, along with the aristocracy." He tossed the leaf across the blanket. "And think about women."
"Women?"
"Yes, women." Ede picked up another leaf from next to the blanket. "Remember our aristocrat who horsewhipped his stable boy?"
Ella nodded.
"He likes to talk about the peasant lasses who await the hunters after a hard day of slaying deer."
"Await?"
"Yes, those barons and counts find naked peasant girls warming
their beds when they retire."
Ede tore the leaf in half.
"Do you suppose those little girls, because they are really not women yet, have a choice?"
Ede shredded the leaf with his fingers.
"No. They do as their master tells them." Holding his hand up, he let the shredded leaf fall to the blanket.
Ella bit her knuckle. "It can't be true. Not now."
Ede stared at her. "It's true. Now. Our Hungarian aristocracy, they are as cruel as Eastern tyrants."
Ella inhaled the musty forest smells, trying to make peace with Ede's words. Could this really be her Hungary?
Ede leaned back on his elbows, sighing. "The aristocrats abusing girls, that is the most dramatic of the problems facing women. But there are others. Problems facing all Hungarian women, even if they are countesses. And perhaps these problems are just as important."
Ella closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to make room for more atrocities. "Which others?"
"For example, most of the education system is closed to women."
He looked at her, his face less strained. "Just think about yourself, Ella. You're smart. Even without a proper education, you've learned so much."
Ede shrugged, lifting his hands, palms up. "If you had a proper education you could do anything you wanted, follow any career...."
She had always thought it would have been better if she had been born a boy, that she was not womanly because she was interested in things boys were supposed to be good at. She had never considered that the problem was society rather than the way she felt. But here Ede was saying it was society.
"How I wish I could have gone to gymnasium."
Instead of the convent school with its needle crafts, she would have liked to be with the boys in their school, their gymnasium, learning Latin and Greek, algebra and trigonometry.
Ede grinned. "And university."
She looked at him in surprise. "And university?"
