Yesterday Was Long Ago: Part One

by Hedy Thalberg James

  It was no secret, however, that only the Reinhardt name and money were the reason doors were opened for them to some of the festivities and gay soirees. And since no questions had ever been asked, answers were not required, because in high times, one only lived for the moment, thoroughly convinced that these good times would go on forever.

  “You really did it to us this time, Robert! What now?” Robert's angry wife fired at him, still in tears.

  “You have made us the laughing stock of Vienna!” Daniel reopened the tirade, highly incensed, seeing their social status dwindle away, which was the only thing of equal importance to money for them.

  “If you will just all calm down and give me a chance to talk! Stop your wailing and whining, so I'll be able to explain. We are not going to stay in Vienna to be laughed at, and we are not going to beg the Reinhardts for any favors any longer. We are leaving for America as soon as possible!” he voiced wistfully.

  “Now you have gone insane! Just how do you think we can do that?” Rita argued. “We haven't even enough money amongst us to take a coach to France or Italy!”

  “Don't worry about that. After all, I also have relatives on my side of the family. Who needs the Reinhardts? I'll arrange everything!” he boasted in his usual manner.

  “I am always quite skeptical about arrangements with relatives,” Amanda answered aloofly, but quickly remembered that so far, she had lived quite comfortably off one of her present relatives.

  “You remember my cousins Adam and Laura Eckerd?”

  All nodded, not saying a word.

  “Well, they left for America eight years ago... almost penniless... and now they are rich beyond their wildest dreams! I've never received a letter in which I was not being asked to join them. But since it had never been necessary, I always wrote them very politely thanking them for the offer and left all options open, just in case!” He smiled slyly, obviously very pleased with himself as he continued. “Just a while ago, I mentioned this to our attorney who, by the way, laughed at the sheer idea of fighting the Reinhardts.”

  “Of course he laughed! Our attorney and Herbert Wiland have been close friends for a long time,” Gustav stated through his clenched teeth.

  “Anyhow,” continued Robert. “he has a brother, who has also left for America, with some type of an invention up his sleeve. Mind you, everyone in Vienna laughed and ridiculed him at the time. Now he has more money than he will ever need! Where do you think the money came from to enlarge his office? America! That's where!” he reassured them with a childlike gleaming face.

  Now, the clan became more interested. Money was a commodity never to be discussed openly, but was, in their opinion, something no one could ever have enough of.

  Robert became more relaxed, self-assuredly pouring everyone a glass of wine, passing out cigars and mints to his relatives, and nonchalantly suggesting, “Should we decide to leave for the new world, Claudia's necklace with the pear-shaped rubies will bring more than enough to pay for the journey and leave us enough money to live on.”

  “And for how long will we be able to live on it?” Claudia asked resentfully, having had to part with all the other good jewelry, and now seeing the last remaining good piece of the sisters' inheritance leave her possession.

  “I can find out,” he said, unconcerned.

  “From where?”

  “Our attorney, of course! He himself recommended that we sell it to the Reinhardts, knowing a Reinhardt would never go back on his word.”

  “Don't ever mention their name in our presence again, and maybe I'll think about selling it! Just to get us out of this miserable state of affairs!”

  A sigh of relief went through the room and Robert's fifteen-year old son grunted, “I, for one, will never go to a place called ‘the wild west’, with all those hazardous conditions and uncertainties there!”

  “Then stay here! Find yourself some work and make a living for your mother, brothers and me!” his father snapped annoyed.

  “Danger and risk will never disconcert me!” stated Gustav grandly—secretly hoping it would never come to that—when Robert, interrupted again. “Anything will be better than to stay here with nothing to live on and nothing to live for. Just imagine the reaction of all our friends! That alone makes it imperative for us to leave Vienna. We shall always find a way to make money. We speak French, play cards, ride horses. That's all Adam and Laura ever had done! Now they have about fifty to sixty negroes working for them, not even having to pay them a salary.”

  “Don't be absurd!” argued Daniel.

  “This shows again how little you know about America,” countered Robert. “As an owner of a huge plantation in Louisiana, Adam bought the slaves along with the acreage from a previous owner, and to top it off, became an auctioneer himself! That shouldn't be too much work, should it?” He looked sullenly at all of them. “Just imagine, us owning more land than the...you know who's!” He continued childishly, “Envision us returning rich and able to buy mansions in Lindenfels!” He laughed triumphantly. “We could really show them who we are!”

  “Keep on spinning that dream, Robert! We are listening,” Gustav applauded. He was easygoing and always eager to appease any of his relations, providing there was no work involved. His wife Claudia was an egotist, pleasing only herself and known and feared by all as the greatest gossip in town, and always demanding.

  “Us? In his Lindenfels? Now I am convinced you've gone mad! Until now, I had only suspected it,” Claudia said incredulously.

  “Don't be so negative, sister!” Amanda ordered, already picturing herself on a plantation, enjoying an even better life than in Vienna. Fifty to sixty servants would suit her just fine, she thought. The more Robert kept on talking, the more he won them over to his way of thinking. The longer his outline of their bright future, the more captivated they became.

  By midnight, they all hung on his every word, completely smitten with the idea; intoxicated beyond words, only hearing what they wanted to hear, not wanting to hear or anticipate failure or frustration. Robert had now become their high priest, all of them being the converts, a master with serfs, a general with his own troops, ready to win without fighting a battle or even a battle to fight. It was the power of persuasion in its finest hour.

  The final and mutual agreement was that they could only gain by their adventure, as work was a vulgar word to them and connected only to ignorance, poverty, and low breeding, it was not even to be considered by them.

  So what other solution was there, beside Robert's master plan? He had become their commander, whose sole task was to get them to the other side of the world and to secure a good life in their now adopted new country. And there were eight of them depending on him from start to finish. Not an easy and pleasant task for a man whose only occupation until two weeks ago had been to ask Uncle Albert for anything, anything at all, “within reason, dear Robert!”

  ∼

  Once again, the Reinhardts were able to rejoice.

  “Give them just enough money for a one-way ticket on any boat. Don't worry about the cost. Maybe a few extra Florins to buy horses and money to gamble with!” Otto chuckled, examining the beautiful pear-shaped Burmese ruby necklace, embellished by flawless diamonds on an exquisitely scalloped gold chain. Now the last priceless piece of jewelry his grandmother had left to her three daughters had finally come back to where it belonged.

  Mr. Herbert Wiland, who always had been in contact with Robert's astute lawyer, had been paid quite handsomely in the years past to keep his eyes open for anything of value a Berger, Stradner, or Eckard had to offer. The real value of those rare and matchless pieces had never been known to them because the families were unwilling to have them evaluated by a qualified jeweler, fearing the disclosure of their monetary difficulties to others.

  The Reinhardts were experiencing their first happy occasion since Albert's death. The departure of their troublesome relatives was near and Otto and Stephany were celebrating with a festive dinner. Otto ensure
d a swift execution of all formalities and had in fact offered three of his best equipped coaches to transport the families, who were thrilled to go and ready to stay with their newly found relatives in Louisiana, whom some of them scarcely remembered.

  “With your talents to socialize and make friends, combined with an excellent knowledge of French, and being good horsemen, I can foresee only a well-deserved bed of roses ahead for all of you!” Dr. Wiland had related his conversation with the relatives to Otto. Thinking of the encouragement he had offered them, knowing how unprepared and naive they were about such a long and perilous journey, he almost was ashamed of himself.

  Their visit to his office had been a most necessary evil, which had been prompted by Otto's insistence on the accuracy of all documentation of the transaction and the finality of it. They had also apologized for their frequent outbursts at the reading of Albert's testament, however adding once more, “We still feel defrauded!”

  ∼

  “I can't help but think that Papa had arranged this day for us all along, right to the last detail. He knew very well what he was doing. Always giving them enough money to live very well and never in need to do an honest day's work, never seeing any appreciation for any of these values, he finally decided not to give them the slightest indication that one day it would come to an abrupt end! Now, they are really nothing. Alive only because their hearts are still beating.”

  “Forever thinking only of themselves, Stephany!” Otto answered, fully agreeing with her sentiments.

  “Then—” She paused. “they probably will slowly choke on their overindulgence, believing the whole world is responsible to provide for their livelihood.”

  “And a very good life at that, so far!” the lawyer confirmed and went on. “From what I've been told and have read about this new continent, only the fittest and hardest working survive. Some flourish...some perish!”

  “We shall see!” Stephany concluded smilingly.

  “Let's drink to their ever so happy and prosperous lives!” Otto lifted his glass cheerfully.

  “Without the Reinhardt's money?” Mr. Wiland said jestingly, raising his eyebrows.

  “As my dear wife said, we shall see. Now that they will, hopefully, find their new relatives, one never knows!” he teased.

  All three laughed, knowing that idleness and a pleasure-seeking attitude were not really the qualities needed by a new country in the making. And as for the newcomers’ relatives?? They would doubtlessly have been a combination of grateful immigrants and hard-working pioneers with a goal set for a prosperous future. It may be their greatest privilege to tell these drifters from Vienna where to go! All of them, and probably in no uncertain terms either.

  ∼

  Arriving at home, Otto went to his library and poured himself a glass of brandy, remembering his and his father's happy celebrations together of the first sighting of Stephany, the arrival of Karl, and the birth of Christina.

  “This is in memory of you, my dearest Father, friend and mentor! Thanks for a wonderful life! I know you will continue to guide us from wherever you are, as I feel your presence, hear your footsteps, and can already feel the impact you have made, as well as the emptiness you are leaving with us.” He lifted his glass towards their last family portrait, smiling at his father's image lovingly, admiring his beautiful wife and both of their children. “You three are all I have left now,” he mumbled, returning to his desk to tackle the overload of accumulated work for the first time in his life without his father.

  ∼

  Stephany was also busy trying to sort out her thoughts of this past day, trying to write them down as usual in her neatly kept diary. So far, she had not been able to get past the date of May 5, 1828. She sat motionlessly at her writing table, her chin resting on her arm, watching the flickering of the candles, not really knowing yet where to begin. The previous pages were overflowing with so much that had happened in the past. Maybe the blank in her mind was caused by her utter exhaustion. All the many plans that lay ahead of them were not helping much to relax her either. The building of a hospital in Albert Reinhardt's name was only one of the projects at the top of their list, followed by the opening of several new orphanages, shelters for the homeless, soup-kitchens for the many hungry and hopeless. The many downtrodden, crippled, and the insane, but most of all the many children... her special project. Those poor unwanted children, whose hopelessness kept her awake so many nights. But to do what? No laws to protect them, while everyone kept on bringing them into the world, regardless of their own misery. It couldn't possibly be the wish of a loving God to see them suffer just to end up dying. Albert's words came to her mind, over and over again.

  “Don't you think you should be in bed by now?” Aunt Bertha scolded. “You worry me keeping those late hours!”

  “The plain truth is, there would be so much to write about, and I just don't feel like doing it,” Stephany replied calmly, shrugging off her aunt's reprimand. “But I cannot close my book with only a date written in it for today.”

  “Then why don't you write the first thing that comes to mind and leave it at that.”

  “Perhaps you are right,” she answered, consoling herself “I just thought of something very good, really appropriate!”

  “Otto's relatives are leaving! Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah!” she scribbled quickly with an amused expression on her face. “Paper is something so wonderful and so patient!” She closed her book and kissed her aunt good night. Life for the real Mrs. Reinhardt had just begun.

  1840

  5

  Ever since the frivolous Congress of 1815 in Vienna came to an end, Austria in general and Vienna in particular underwent a slow but steady change. And though it was necessary, it was also not merely by choice. The funds of the glorious Empire had once more been bled dry, as battles and defeats in the years of war had left their mark. No matter where Napoleon's troops set foot, the results were always the same — devastation. Countless dead and wounded, in addition to losing important territories. Adding to Austria's humiliation was the fact that it not only had lost Tyrol and Venetia, but its exercising power over many parts of Germany and Italy as well.

  But Austria was Austria! Was and is. Whenever matters had to get better, because they couldn't get any worse, they would cling to their everlasting conviction that things were indeed desperate, but not at all serious, while its archenemy, Prussia, lived by its opposite: “Things are quite serious, but not at all desperate.”

  Yet somehow this country with its multitude of nationalities and different opinions, managed to stay together. Maybe to spite them all, though most were wondering just how much longer the six hundred years of Habsburg rule and oppression against so many could last.

  “Austria works continuously at its downfall and never ever succeeds!” Napoleon had remarked cynically, after he had offered his hand for peace several times and had been rebuked. With the war raging on, the Austrian Emperor sent his famous Prince Metternich to Paris. He was not only a courageous 'Daniel in a lion's den', but proved to be a highly skilled diplomat as well as a shrewd politician, frequently reminding his Emperor, “Even though your Majesty's outlined and recommended principles are something I shall try to live by, however, it seems the necessity for survival makes me break the laws.” When Napoleon wanted an heir and Austria needed fewer enemies, the Emperor gave his daughter to the powerful Corsican, who bore him the desired son, only to have them both return to Vienna, once he had been banned and exiled to St. Helena's.

  The Vienna Congress was regarded, at least by most citizens, as the greatest farce and a perpetual ball, at which all diplomats were having the best time of their lives. Their limitless zest for amusement, entertaining themselves with countless love affairs and intrigues, was costing Austria quite a fortune in money, which in afterthought, had been the best investment the country had probably ever made. So far, it had not only secured a few decades of the well-deserved peace for itself, but through this, the new era of Biedermaier orig
inated, with its cozy, homey, and playful times and decorum that was appreciated not only by the new generation.

  Once more, Prince Metternich was being credited for his enormous contribution in establishing an Austria where the word gemütlichkeit befitted young and old alike, eagerly reaching out to become the password for years to come. Gone were the days where an officer encumbered with a chest full of medals represented an idol or hero. He had rather become a grim reminder of wars past, hunger, widowhood, orphans and sacrifice. A bouquet of flowers or a kiss on the hand from a well-mannered, cultured gentleman held positively more significance for the ladies, than did the most perfect salute. Neither did the beat of marching drums hold any glamour any longer, now replaced by concerts in the parks during the day and dancing by night. If marches were played now, it would be in fine harmony with polkas and waltzes from Lanner and Strauss, to which the less affluent Viennese could now take a stroll in the parks and enjoy the new light melodies.

  The concerns of the burgher were now directed towards a house with a shop below, a little garden at the outskirts of the city, a solid family life, good friends, and a friendly and comfortable environment. Slowly but steadily, the little man was being accepted as a worthy human being, and the baker, butcher, blacksmith, and even the barbers and hairdressers were now able to enjoy good times of the Biedermaier era in its full bloom as it became a way of life and a late and well-deserved blessing to many who still could remember the cruel past.

  The wealthier society still held house concerts, now playing and relishing Schubert's and Haydn's music, and were giving their traditional large banquets for their equals, but they also became gradually inspired by the happy whirls of the waltzes. One could frequently observe a Count or Baron having a pleasant chat with a doctor, pharmacist, or merchant, and not always pertaining only to business as in the past.