Writ in blood : a novel of Saint-Germain
Page 25
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Was there a hint of the snide in this observation, von Wolgast wondered. “Naturally,” he said at his most affable. “I am to escort Nadezna, as you might expect.”
“I should have realized,” said Persuic with a lascivious grin. “I will look forward to sharing a drink with you during the reception, over the pastries. We will talk more then.”
“Excellent,” said von Wolgast, and turned away to bid farewell to the other four.
“That Swiss bothers me,” Sisak remarked sotto voce as he shook von Wolgast s hands. “I wish I knew what he is doing here. He is too closedmouthed.” He glanced over his shoulder to the departing Oakland.
“I wish I knew who really sent him,” said von Wolgast. “I trust I will learn, in time. When he presents an order on behalf of his masters.”
“Whoever that is must pay him well, and if his silence is any indication, get value for money. He can afford an American motor car,” Sisak pointed out. “He is no pauper or errand boy, not driving that.”
“Well, he is Swiss, and the Oakland is known for its climbing; what better automobile in the mountains than the Oakland,” said von Wolgast, doing his utmost not to be impressed with the most silent of the observers.
“It is convenient, of course, and confers virtual anonymity, for it is not likely that the Americans are interested in your weapons. He gives you no indication of whom he represents in anything. And I do not trust the Swiss, with their so-called neutrality,” said Sisak darkly. “When you learn who employs him, I would like to know.” He watched Plehev and Spalavsky drive off, their Rolland-Pilain motor car lurching along the uneven road. “Russians. Clumsy boors, the lot of them. They will never learn how to manage automobiles.”
“That may be the least of it, learning to drive; they are clumsy in all things, just like their precious bears,” said von Wolgast. “Their country is on the brink of anarchy, and they think I do not know why they are here to see these guns. It is the Generals’ way of controlling the people, no matter what the Czar may think. They are expecting more uprisings and they intend to stop them.” He spoke with obvious relish.
“There are those in Russia other than the Generals who will want your guns, Baron,” Sisak reminded him.
“And when the time comes, you will sell to them, won’t you?” von Wolgast countered. He indicated Sisak’s Alpha. “Is this new?”
“Yes; I confess it is,” said Sisak. “One of their most recent designs. The sign of my success, or so I am told.”
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“Very handsome,” he approved, and pointed to an Italia Palombella. “As you see, I have succumbed. Helmut is disgusted with me, but I do not think he is surprised.”
“You did not purchase a Mercedes,” Sisak marvelled. “I would have thought, after what I have seen today, that you would. May I ask why you didn’t?”
“I liked the Italia rather better; I think black is more dignified than white,” said von Wolgast, neglecting to add that he had wanted to thumb his nose at Wilhelm Maybach for his attitude toward having his Mercedes armored.
“Have you found a reliable driver?” Sisak asked, a shade too quickly. “If not, there is someone I can recommend.”
“Thank you,” said von Wolgast, unwilling to allow one of Sisak’s associates into his household. “But I have hired that young man, over there.” He pointed to a tall, stalwart youth in a Prussian-blue uniform. “Dietbold has come highly recommended.”
Sisak took his strategic defeat philosophically. “Very good.” He gave von Wolgast a mock salute. “I will be contacting you next month in regard to orders for your various guns, Baron. I am certain that you will be pleased.” With that, he ambled away to his waiting motor car.
Von Wolgast stood, his eyes shaded, as the six men departed. He was convinced now that he would soon have more than enough business to shore up his fortunes. If his good luck held, he might well become as gigantic as Krupp was. It was a heartening thought to accompany him back to Berlin.
But he might have been less sanguine if he had known of Moritz Vinadi s destination—the rented flat of Sidney Reilly.
“Herr Morgenstern,” he said in German as he was admitted by the backstairs. “I took the precautions you required.”
“Very good,” said Reilly, in the same language, showing Vinadi into the study; the shutters were closed and only two of the desk lamps were on. “Please sit down. May I get you anything?”
“Schnapps would be pleasant,” said Vinadi, doing as he was ordered. Once he was comfortable, he began politely, “It has been a most interesting day.”
“I want to hear your account, in detail, as we agreed,” said Reilly, handing Vinadi a balloon glass with two fingers of schnapps in it. “I trust this is to your liking; I have found it quite acceptable.”
“And I, Herr Morgenstern.” He took a long sip, then gave Reilly direct attention. “The guns were impressive. Very, very impressive. I
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know there will be eager buyers for what von Wolgast is making. That new firing mechanism is markedly faster than anything I have seen before. 1 thought the howitzer a bit too large and unwieldy to be of use to all but the mightiest countries. But the machine gun and the field guns, particularly when mounted in an armored automobile, are bound to create a stir. With all the trouble brewing in this part of the world, I do not want to guess how long the generals will be able to resist trying them out on one another.”
Reilly poured a smaller amount of schnapps for himself, then began to pace the room. “I was afraid that might be the case. Who was there? Other than von Wolgast?”
“Six in all, counting myself as one. Two Russians,” said Vinadi, his eyes distant, as if looking over the two men in question. “One probably from the secret police—a nephew of Plehevs. The other a Colonel in the Preobzhensky Regiment, Georgi Spalavsky.”
“The military is not willing to support Nicholas in his search for peace,” said Reilly. “That much we may be certain of.”
Vinadi pursed his lips. “Franz Ferdinand sent von Aehrenthal himself to inspect. I must suppose both wish to present opinions to Franz Josef.”
“Franz Ferdinand is a heavy-handed dolt,” said Reilly, tasting his schnapps. “He has no concept of what he is dealing with.”
“Yes,” Vinadi agreed, continuing with the voice of long experience, “But he is devoted to the cause of Austro-Hungary, and he is determined to continue the support of the Serbian Obrenovics as long as the Russians support the Karageorgevics, and the Serbians will exploit his dedication to their own ends. He will want to be ready to enforce Haps-burg claims.” At last he sipped the schnapps and sighed with satisfaction. “It is my impression that Franz Ferdinand is sincere in his stated desire to grant equality to all the peoples of Austro-Hungary.”
“Which he will promulgate with guns,” Reilly appended. “That does not surprise me.” He lowered his head in thought. “I suppose von Aehrenthal will report on the Russians.”
“Certainly,” said Vinadi. “He will have to do it.” He made a gesture of grudging approval. “He has restored the foreign policy of Austro-Hungary. He will not rest if he thinks his country has foreign enemies working against it.”
“And when he reports to the heir, Franz Ferdinand will draw his own, obvious conclusions, and do the obvious thing,” said Reilly heavily. “If Ragoczy is truly trying to bring about a private agreement of arms limitations, I doubt he will be able to succeed now, not once the Kaiser
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gets wind of what happened at von Wolgast s factory today. Who else was there?”
“Colonel Vaclav Persuic of the Ninth Hungarian Hussars. I suppose his purposes were more Croatian than Hungarian; he certainly makes no secret of his personal inclinations.” Vinadi lifted his free hand. “He tried twice to learn for whom I worked, and not very cleverly. I let him assume it was the French, as I let von Aehrenthal suppo
se it was the Spanish. The Russians hardly said two words to me, so I have no notion of their thoughts, if they have any. When I contacted von Wolgast, I did as we discussed, and implied I had a client who did not wish to be identified, but was probably Greece. Von Wolgast had no reason to doubt me. Given the disarray in the Ottoman Empire, it is not unlikely that the Greeks would want to be prepared for the worst.”
“And they were all convinced?” Reilly asked, thinking again how useful this self-composed Swiss was.
“Convinced enough to be careful what they said to me,” Vinadi told him. “Von Wolgast did not press his curiosity too far, and the others took their cues from him.” He smiled faintly, then frowned. “Oh, and one other thing: I overheard an exchange between von Wolgast and von Aehrenthal about Ragoczy, when the demonstration of the machine gun was complete. The two Colonels were foolish enough to let it be seen they were listening.”
“You did not,” Reilly said, certain of the answer.
“No. Of course not. The exchange was an interesting one, and I reckon von Wolgast was not pleased at the outcome.” He had more of the schnapps. “It seems von Aehrenthal knew Ragoczy when he was Ambassador to Russia. He has a great deal of respect for the foreigner, and said so.”
Now Reilly was deeply interested. “And what was von Wolgast s response to this?”
“He pretended to be grateful to von Aehrenthal for setting the record straight, but it was apparent that he was much annoyed by these developments.” He set the snifter down and laced his fingers together.
“Ragoczy has a powerful enemy in von Wolgast.”
“Yes; he is having Ragoczy followed here in Berlin. He might have agents in other cities as well, if he is determined to cause trouble for the Count.” Reilly thought back to his conversation with Eduard Ange-bot about Ragoczy s recent fast trip to England; he had been unable to say what Ragoczy had intended to do, but he reported that his private audience with King Edward had been canceled at the last minute. Was it due to Edward s health or the continuing rumors impugning Ragoczy s
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honor that had brought this about? Reilly scowled ferociously as he considered the ramifications of both possibilities. “Anything more? You mentioned two Russians, von Aehrenthal, Persuic. There must have been one other.”
“There was: Tancred Sisak,” said Vinadi flatly.
“Bloody hell!” Reilly swore in English, then shifted back to German. “I would not have thought von Wolgast would be so stupid as to let himself be seen with that viper; it smacks of profiteering.”
“From what I observed, Sisak intends to be one of his most reliable buyers,” said Vinadi. “The two of them were the last to leave the demonstration this afternoon. Von Wolgast made no secret of his readiness to sell to Sisak.”
“What did the others say—anything?” Reilly asked; he knew Sisak s opportunism increased the chance of regional conflicts, and hence, the change of all Europe igniting in whole-scale war.
“I doubt if Plehev knew who he was, although Spalavsky certainly did. Von Aehrenthal made no comment, but he did not speak to Sisak, either. Persuic may well be one of Sisaks customers, on behalf of the Croats, if what one hears is true.” He reached for the snifter again and finished his schnapps. “I made an attempt to speak with him, but he was having none of it. I assumed he had decided we are business rivals.”
“And you encouraged this,” Reilly said approvingly. “You did not feel compromised by—”
“I had a task to do, Herr Morgenstern. I did it as best I could.” He put the snifter down and rose to his feet. “Do you still want me to go to Vienna?”
Reilly considered the question. “Let me send you word tomorrow morning, after I have had a chance to look over von Wolgast for myself.”
“You will see him?” Vinadi asked in some surprise.
“Yes; tonight. There is a charity concert, and I have secured a ticket for it.” He did not mention that Angebot had objected strenuously to the price, but had made the arrangements when informed by “C” that Reilly required it.
“And you are planning to speak with von Wolgast?” Vinadi looked askance. “Don’t you think that could be dangerous?”
“It is a necessary risk. I have been making myself visible to him for a while and I now intend to presume on our shared entertainments.” He ran his finger under his lower lip. “I think a word or two during the reception should be a beginning. I will not do more than exchange
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pleasantries about the music. In two weeks, he should be willing to boast to me.”
“Which is what you seek,” said Vinadi, appreciating Reilly’s skill. “I take your meaning, Herr Morgenstern.”
“I hope von Wolgast will not,” said Reilly devoutly.
Vinadi regarded him seriously as he got to his feet. “I share that hope, for your sake, Herr Morgenstern. I do not think that Baron von Wolgast is a man who would forgive an abuse of his hospitality, however he displayed it.”
“I think, perhaps, you are right,” said Reilly as he handed over a small envelope. “I will contact you tomorrow, before noon.”
“Unter den Linden,” said Vinadi. “I will be there at eleven.” He slipped the envelope into his coat pocket, his eyes crinkling as he did. “I wish you a pleasant evening with the Baron.”
“Thank you,” said Reilly, and prepared to show his visitor out through the rear entrance. “If you hear of anything you think I should be aware of—”
“I will contact you at once, of course,” said Vinadi. “You may be certain of it.” He paused at the top of the stairs. “I am Swiss enough not to relish war, Herr Morgenstern, and I am willing to help those who share my qualms.”
“I welcome your support,” said Reilly.
“It is not so much your support, as support for what it would seem Ragoczy is doing. If I should learn peace is not his purpose, I will no longer be willing to assist you, not for any sum.” He bowed slightly, and went off down the stairs.
Reilly thought this over as he dressed for the concert. He had been aware that Vinadi was an idealistic man, the worst sort for this kind of work, in his experience. He had not realized the extent of the man’s zeal. Now that he had seen the extent of Vinadi s commitment, he was more uneasy than ever. With these reflections for company, he set out for the charity performance of Haydn s Creation.
He had one more unsettling moment that evening, when he had exchanged a few remarks over the champagne served at the reception with Baron von Wolgast and the magnificent Nadezna who accompanied von Wolgast, Reilly had turned around and met the inquisitive, penetrating gaze of Franchot Ragoczy: for two seconds, their eyes had held, and then Nadezna s laughter had recalled Reilly to his purpose, and he made himself look away, but not before he had the disquieting sense that Ragoczy had recognized him from Saint Petersburg and knew exactly what he was doing in Berlin.
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$ # *
Text of a dispatch from Czar Nikolai II in Russia to Franchot Ragoczy, Count Saint-Germain, in Berlin.
April 25, 1910, European by courier
Franchot Ragoczy, Count Saint-Germain Berlin, Germany
My dear Count;
Through no fault of your own that I can determine, it would appear your mission has not succeeded, and I must now resort to less agreeable methods to enlist my uncle and my cousin in my cause. I find I have no reason to be displeased with your attempts, except that they have not prevailed. I exonerate you of any deliberate wrongdoing, although I would be less than candid with you if I did not admit to extreme disappointment.
Therefore I am recalling you to Saint Petersburg at once, with the admonition that you are to discuss your activities with no one, and to keep to your own society for at least a month; you are not to be seen at any public or social functions during that time. I have no wish to place you in an awkward position, which 1 am cognizant would be the case if you had to maintain the usual schedule of cal
ls and invitations that are so much a part of life in Saint Petersburg.
The credentials you have been issued are now officially canceled, and you will be required to surrender them immediately upon your return. The courier delivering this to you will present you with the official termination of your mission. I will expect you to call upon me within a fortnight to present an account of what you have done, after which you will be at liberty to go on holiday for the time being. You are not to travel to any foreign country during this four weeks I have instructed you to set aside. When I perceive the need of your efforts, I will inform you of it, and you may once again take up residence in your house on the Nevsky Prospekt.
With my gratitude for your efforts, and with truly genuine sympathy at your failure,
Most sincerely Nikolai Alexandreivich Romanov Czar of All the Russias of that name the second
For some reason the small, elegant handwriting blurred on the eclipse-embossed stationery; Rowena Saxon did not realize her eyes were filled with tears. She had not known until now how much she looked forward to Ragoczys return. He had all but promised to visit her before the beginning of May, and now the month was only two days away and he was going back to Russia, on the specific orders of the Czar—if she believed what he was telling her in the letter. His apology was eloquent, phrased with regret and what seemed to be affection; it did not change the main point of the letter; he would not be able to come to England until mid-June at the earliest. She wiped her face with her smock and only then became aware that she was crying. Putting the letter down, she covered her face and began to weep in earnest at what she felt to be the loss of her only true ally.