Yesterday Was Long Ago: Part One
Page 1
ISBN-13: 978-0-692-19262-7
Yesterday Was Long Ago
Part One
Copyright © 2019 by Hedy Thalberg James
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereinafter invented, including xerography, photocopying, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of Hedy Thalberg James.
Cover Design by Kerry Prater.
Interior Design by Katharine E. Hamilton
Editing by Lauren Hanson
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used factiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
1815
1
A young mother placed her child, born out of wedlock, in the cradle on the steps of St. Anna's church. She tearfully whispered a few endearing words, kissed the baby goodbye, pulled the chord of the bell, and left the premises consumed with grief. The scene was an almost daily occurrence in these days, leading most Catholic churches to place a crib at the side door.
The nuns who fetched the baby to the nursery agreed amongst themselves that this was not one of the unwanted children that were usually left on their doorstep, and how much this mother must have loved him, for he was wrapped snugly in light blue bunting and wore a bonnet, both decorated with hand embroidery and lace.
Their surprise increased upon finding a note in the cradle, which was a great exception to the rule.
“She must have cared for her child very deeply!” A young novice handed the note to the Mother Superior. “Her handwriting is extraordinary! And the phrasing ... so perfect!” she pointed out.
“Please call him Karl and find him the most loving home possible. He deserves the very best!” the note read, and was signed, 'A distressed mother'.
“This is also a letter asking for our Lord's forgiveness!” Mother Superior remarked, fondly glancing at the still sleeping boy.
Briskly, she made her way to the vestibule, knelt at the statue of Mary who held her infant Jesus and began to pray. It was a habit she had acquired years ago, anytime a newborn baby was left at the church.
Returning to her office, she carefully studied the orderly kept files of the many desperately seeking childless couples, stopping abruptly at the R's. “Reinhardt!” she murmured, and then aloud, “Architect Otto Reinhardt and his dear wife Stephany! They indeed qualify for the term 'loving' as well as the ‘very best!’” she exclaimed delightedly.
“I've found the most refined place in Vienna for our new baby, if not in all Austria. What am I saying? Probably in the whole wide world!” Which, to her, meant the present Empire of Austria-Hungary and its annexed countries.
The nuns encircling her, looked curiously and questioningly at her.
“Karl will go to the Reinhardts!” All beamed with joy. “Nothing could make us happier!” one of the nuns responded, quickly adding, “They have been waiting for months to adopt a child! I have always felt so sorry to see them leave empty-handed!”
“True, very true!” Mother Superior smiled, winking at the others “For many reasons I promised them a very special child, and special he is! In His infinite wisdom, the dear Lord made me stop right at their name on my list!”
“What a coincidence, Mother Superior! The moment I held that child in my arms, I thought of the Reinhardts as well!”
“Well then! The good Lord must have talked to both of us. After all, heaven knows no ranks or favorites! Fetch my garb please. I shall be on my way!”
“Karl, my dear boy, you are going to a beautiful place, inhabited by the kindest people. I only wish I had been as lucky as you when I was born!” The novice bemoaned her own situation, giving Mother Superior the child.
∼
“Austria may have its Emperor, Prince Metternich his Viennese Congress, but we have the world's most adorable child!” Stephany Reinhardt had written in her diary on the 17th of January, 1815. “My most loving husband and I are pinching one another to assure ourselves it's not just a dream!”
They had christened him Karl Albert Reinhardt. Albert for Otto's father, who had been so elated and overjoyed at the prospect of his new role as grandfather and showed it by paying daily visits to the child.
“Just to be sure the wet nurse, and the rest of the family for that matter, knows what they are doing!” he jested, volunteering his unlimited time to rocking the cradle, cooing, and admiring Karl. “Just imagine, Stephany and Otto! I have never seen a one-month old child that not only recognizes me, but also smiles at me!” he said, quivering with love and pride. He had also helped in decorating the nursery, as well as the future play and classrooms, and had selected the most exquisite eighteenth century French furniture. “One cannot expect one's grandson to live with less beauty and comfort than was good enough for one's own son!” So far, he had interviewed five of the most highly recommended nannies and governesses, had talked at no end to Otto about future tutors, academies to be attended and travels to be taken by young Karl. “One can never start too soon to discuss and arrange such important matters. After all, Karl is going to be four months old tomorrow!”.
On a very hot day in August, he had ordered a very fancy sled to be delivered to the Reinhardts’ household with the explanation: “Because my grandson is now seven months old!”
When Stephany roared with laughter, he just shrugged his shoulders saying: “Winter may come early this year, and maybe there might also be a shortage of sleds. But above all, I wouldn't want to spoil Karl with too many things at Christmas, so I have decided to have them arrive very gradually and at slow intervals!”
“Stop it, Grandpapa, please! Or we are all going to become hysterical!” Stephany responded, laughingly hugging him.
“I don't believe it's all that funny. Otto received his first sled in July!”
“You don't really mean that!”
“Of course, I do! I've always been one for looking to the future. Especially now, dear Stephany, that we have Karl to carry on the family name,” he answered grandly, walking down from the upper floor. “Now I am going to go home and design the most stunning castle for my grandson! In Lindenfels, that is. This will teach them a lesson for laughing and chiding me about spoiling him,” he murmured to himself, walking towards the church of St. Anna. “I must talk to Mother Superior again. She seems to be an impartial and understanding one! She never laughs at me, when I tell her that someday my grandson will change thi
s city, not simply in regard to its beauty and culture alone, but by continuing with Otto's work to make Vienna a better place to live for all! Come to think of it, I just may let her have the old place in Laubgasse to use it as an orphanage. That should relieve them a bit of being so overcrowded! Poor nuns. They live for their God and His many unwanted children, brought into this world only to suffer and eventually die!” This was something he had never understood, nor had he ever tried to.
“As for myself, at my age I don't really need four manor houses, especially now when I'll be building the finest and largest castle! It will of course have parks and gardens with fountains, vineyards, and forests for an income, riding stables for the Arabian horses, and just in case, also a few hunting lodges. But I'm keeping all that to myself, or the nuns might also start to think I'm spoiling my grandson when there is really nothing farther away from my intentions!” He was still grinning deviously and mumbling under his breath when he finally arrived at the church.
∼
Otto and Stephany's lives had been remarkably changed too. She had gotten over her imaginary pregnancies of the past two years and had started to dress herself differently and more figure pleasing. Again, both accepted the invitations to the opera and stage plays and gave little concerts, large dinner parties, and elaborate balls in their own palace.
“My dear husband and I haven't felt so good in years!”
“It couldn't be that little Karl could be the reason for that!” joked their friends. The Reinhardts were by now affectionately regarded as Karl's very happy and fun-loving parents. One morning, though, Stephany felt uncommonly nauseated.
“You will have to slow down, my dearest! I'll have the doctor called in immediately, and I am sure he will agree with me on this issue!” a concerned Otto suggested.
“My dear Mrs. Reinhardt, you are not ill, you are pregnant! This is what Karl really did for you!” the doctor exclaimed
“Oh no! It cannot be!” She gasped in disbelief. “After all these years of trying so hard?”
“Exactly! It is simply the fact that you did not have to worry yourself any longer, striving so desperately to produce an heir. Believe me, it happens all the time.” The doctor smiled kindly.
“Please, Doctor, could you call my husband in the room?” she stuttered, still full of disbelief and awe.
“Well, Mrs. Reinhardt, are you going to tell him, or would you like me to?” he asked, after he reappeared in the room with Otto, but Stephany was too shocked to reply. “Dear Mr. Reinhardt, you and your wife are going to be parents again!” Dr. Grabmayer said cheerfully, stretching out his hands to congratulate both.
“Oh my God! Do you mean to say we are going to have another child?” Otto responded, quite beside himself.
“Yes, isn't this the greatest news? Little Karl has been able to make it possible for you to have your very own baby and at the same time arranged a playmate for himself!”
“It is wonderful news! This son of ours never ceases to amaze us.”
“You'll never know how happy it makes me, to know that this will bring twice the happiness for both of you!” the doctor acknowledged, his voice swelling with emotion, before ordering two weeks of bedrest for Stephany.
“Another child! Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Otto! Thank you, Karl! And thank you, Mother Superior!” a deliriously joyous Stephany wrote in her diary on October 3, 1815, pausing to ponder whether the sequence in giving thanks was correct.
“Otto, my dearest! I feel so very much like crying, I am so happy!”
“Who wouldn't be after a day like this, my dearest, dearest wife!” he replied, wiping away some of his own tears.
∼
It was a healthy baby girl, born May 1, 1816, and was baptized Christina Anna, called Christi, Christl, or Tina, and always referred to by Grandpapa Reinhardt as Karl's little sister. He now had the joyful task of redesigning both wings of the castle and adding forty rooms, just in case Christina would decide not to marry and go on to live with his grandson.
“Papa! Don't you think 140 rooms are a little much? I mean, it is just a summer residence”
“Don't be ridiculous, Otto! It's not that large. It has, for instance, 1300 rooms less than the Schönbrunn castle. Furthermore, my two grandchildren will not only be smarter, but also more deserving than all of our so-called nobility, princes and princesses alike!” he admonished convincingly. “Right now, I am more concerned with which of the larger rooms should be eliminated to fit in a chapel. Mother Superior recommended it, and it must be large enough to accommodate all our servants. Stop laughing, Stephany! This is a very wise woman. She knows exactly what she is talking about!”
“Of course, Papa! It only made me wonder what else she might suggest were she the grandmother!” Stephany replied, still chuckling.
“I wouldn't dream of talking to her then! She would be just like all other grandmothers in the world—very kind, and of course, much too generous. The worst part would be spoiling Karl and his little sister! We wouldn't want that to happen, Stephany, would we?” Entering Karl's nursery, he smiled, pinching her cheek slightly and ever so pleased with himself.
1828
2
At thirteen, Karl had a ten-hour day laid out for him that included three tutors and a riding teacher.
“One can never expect one teacher to be brilliant enough in all subjects that you will have to know, dear boy!”
“Of course, Grandpapa! But they all are very kind, fair, and courteous.”
“They had better be! I pay them more than anyone else would. Remember Karl, devoted and good employees and a good salary always work hand in hand!”
Although Karl's mother tongue was the Austrian dialect, his written German was equally good, and he was now already proficient in French. He had always liked to sketch castles, palaces, and mansions until his little hands would be too tired to draw. His mind and imagination were, however, never too drained to dream.
“Someday, I would love to draw boulevards bordered by beautiful buildings, parks, and gardens. The elegant ones, that don't show the vegetables, you know?”
“I'm not surprised, dear boy! I've known that for quite some time now and am more assured of it by watching you daily. Even your parents have stopped laughing at me.”
“How did you know all that?”
“Now that, my dear Karl, is something I do not know!” He shrugged and both burst out laughing. They had, in all these years, become very close and good friends.
Karl did everything to please his grandfather and parents. He was an excellent student, rode the thoroughbreds, went fishing and mountain climbing, but had never taken a liking to hunting and had refused to take part in this sport.
His grandfather agreed with him. “That's quite all right, Karl! Unless you enjoy doing something, don't do it! It would be a waste of time, anyhow!”
“How can anyone enjoy killing?”
“People have to eat, for one thing, and for most of them it's the only way to have meat on their tables!”
“But I've noticed that some people kill just to hang up trophies. Like the Kufbergs, who have them all over their house!”
“Yes, I guess some people enjoy that too.” His grandfather pondered the statement. “But let's get back to what we had been discussing before. I want you to enjoy life to the fullest and do only that which brings you or others joy. Don't ever just sit there idle!”
“Right, Grandpapa! Christina and I are being reminded almost daily by our parents that the privileged have to work twice as hard in order to keep what they have, and also to share with the less fortunate, since frivolity and sluggishness will surely lead to decadence!”
“How nice of you to tell me that! I shall always remember it.” He smiled fondly at his grandson, filled with pride and satisfaction. “Promise me also that you will always look after your little sister. No matter where you are or whatever happens,” he continued. “She is so sweet and well behaved. And she seems to be very artistically incline
d, which reminds me,” He sighed, tapping his forehead, as if scolding himself for his forgetfulness. “I must talk to one of her tutors about encouraging her talent in painting!”
“I give you my word, Grandpapa. I shall always be there, if ever she needs me!” Karl expressed emphatically, feeling quite privileged and manly to be so entrusted.
Five days later, Albert Reinhardt died in his sleep.
∼
The pleasant weather from two weeks ago had taken a turn for the worse, and a bitter cold day in March, combined with a snowstorm, afforded Albert Reinhardt only a rather small funeral for a man of his status. Aside from his immediate family, only a few friends and dignitaries attended, but all of his devoted servants were present.
To Otto and Stephany's chagrin, some of Albert’s abhorred relatives and their children were also attending the funeral. Otto and Stephany had left their own children in the care of the governess, who had orders to return home as soon as the funeral rites were over, to avoid any possible confrontations or the children witnessing some arguments, which they felt would most certainly arise. So far, the relatives’ faces appeared to be sad and somber, but Otto knew from experience that drastic changes might occur at the first given opportunity.
“Try to stay very calm and ignore any of the onslaughts!” Otto whispered to Stephany when a cousin came over to offer her condolences.
“Did I understand correctly that uncle Albert died in his sleep?”
“Yes, Amanda, he did!”
“Then he was even lucky in his death! We probably will have to suffer right to the very end, just as we now do!”
“How can anyone afford to die? Considering the fact that they don’t even have enough money to live decently!” retorted her husband Daniel, accusingly and embittered.
“You say his valet couldn't awaken him? Pity! Poor Uncle Albert! We wouldn't even know what a valet looks like!”
“My wife never even had a cook or maid, for that matter!” sneered Gustav.
Both of the seemingly upset families were childless and each living very comfortably in Albert Reinhardt's apartments, not ever having to pay rent.