“I usually send them to the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, but I kept these four for breeding.” He didn’t mention the two that had left the year before, with Nick.
“Do you ever sell them?” the colonel asked, with stars in his eyes. He could just imagine himself on one of the two stallions. But Alex had no intention of giving him any. He would have to take them, and Alex realized he might.
“No, I don’t. I place them with the school in Vienna, I keep them for breeding. And I’ve given two away. They’re not for sale.”
The colonel turned to him with an angry look then, and he had mean little eyes. “You realize I could take them all if I wanted to, don’t you? In the name of the Reich.” Alex didn’t answer for a long moment as he stared him down. The colonel didn’t frighten him. Alex loathed him.
“You could,” Alex responded slowly, “but I don’t believe that an officer of the German army would want to demonstrate such execrable manners, particularly among gentlemen, unless I’m mistaken, of course, about the Fuehrer’s officers being gentlemen.” His eyes never left the colonel’s as he said it, and the little officer backed down immediately. It was clear he desperately wanted one of the Lipizzaners, but he couldn’t find a reasonable excuse to just confiscate them. He had no reason to, the army didn’t need them, and he wasn’t an officer of the cavalry, which was an honor guard he didn’t belong to, and Alex knew it. He was a colonel in the regular army, the Wehrmacht, not even SS, the elite corps. But one of the Lipizzaners would have lent him status and dignity. Alex could see how badly he wanted them, and it gave him an idea. It was bold, and dangerous, but worth it if it worked.
“I only give them to people who are extremely important to me, as a tribute of respect and my admiration for them. Like the Fuehrer, for instance,” Alex said with a serious expression as the colonel nodded. “By the way, would you like to ride one of the stallions? They’re quite easy, particularly the big one.” The smaller one was in fact better bred and had trained better, but the bigger one was showier, and he could see that the colonel liked him, and thought him a good match for his sense of self-importance. The colonel nodded immediately at the suggestion, and Alex helped him into the saddle he put on the big horse. The colonel looked like he was going to explode in ecstasy as he rode around the ring on the beautifully trained horse. Alex commanded the others to stand still. “He’s a nice ride, isn’t he?” Alex said casually as the colonel rode several times around the ring, and then came to stand next to Alex and looked down at him.
“You would give such a horse to the Fuehrer?” The colonel looked impressed, but it still wouldn’t get one in his possession, and he could hardly steal it from the Fuehrer if Alex were to offer such an extraordinary gift. He would have to commandeer it or confiscate it, but he realized it would make him look like a horse thief to Alex, which he didn’t like either. Aristocrats like Alex had made him uncomfortable all his life, and Alex could sense that too.
“I would,” Alex confirmed, “or to someone I respected equally.” He looked at the colonel sitting on the stallion. Their eyes met and held, and the colonel understood instantly that there was something Alex wanted from him. All he had to do was find out what it was, and if he could deliver it easily. He had a feeling Alex was about to tell him, and perhaps they could strike a deal. The colonel was uneducated but he wasn’t stupid, and the two men understood each other without words. “Travel papers and safe passage to Ostend in Belgium” was all Alex said, and the colonel looked at him intently. It was a port town, and the colonel could guess that it would only be a midpoint in a journey to somewhere else.
“For a Jew?” That he couldn’t do, even for a Lipizzaner. He was no traitor, and he had strict orders about that, from the high command.
“Not at all. For a lady of high rank. Her papers are in order.”
The colonel understood immediately. “Your daughter?” he asked in a low voice, and Alex was terrified to admit it and put her at greater risk, but he had no choice. He had to say it, if he was to get her out of Germany, and this might be the only way he could. Alex nodded, and the colonel took a long time to answer, sitting on the stallion he wanted so badly and could have confiscated, at the risk of looking like a boor to this nobleman who seemed fearless and at ease. But he could well imagine how much his daughter meant to him. Enough to give away a priceless stallion in exchange for travel papers to Belgium, to get her out of Germany, and probably to England from there. If he wanted her in Belgium, it was likely he was sending her to England across the channel.
“It could be arranged,” he said quietly. “When?”
“Whenever you like, as soon as possible.” Alex had exposed his whole hand, and prayed he didn’t lose, or her life and his own would be at stake. He had played a high-stakes game of poker with the colonel and hoped he hadn’t been wrong to do it.
“I’ll give it some thought,” the colonel said, and dismounted smoothly. “I’ll get back to you in a day or two.” He strode out of the ring then, and the stables, without ever looking back, while Alex’s heart pounded in his chest. He knew he had been crazy to say what he had to him, with Marianne as the pawn he was risking. It had been a very dangerous game, and it wasn’t over yet. The colonel drove off with his driver minutes later. And Alex stood in the stables wondering what to do. There was only one choice. He had to play the hand to the end now, whatever happened. The die was cast, win or lose.
He put one of his hunters on a lead rein, and tightened the saddle on the big Lipizzaner. He told the boy helping him to put the other three in their stalls. And he mounted the big stallion and walked it out of the ring, leading the hunter, as the boy looked at him in surprise.
“Where are you going?”
“To deliver a gift,” he said, and then trotted off on the familiar road to Nick’s schloss. The hunter followed the stallion easily, and when Alex got to the schloss, he tied the hunter to a post that he and Nick had used since they were children, and dismounted. There were soldiers in the courtyard, and he saw the colonel’s car with the flags, and walked up to a young sergeant. He executed a curt bow and handed the reins of the stallion to him.
“With my compliments to the colonel,” Alex said formally. “Please remind the colonel that he forgot his horse Favory in my stables. I wanted to return him.” The sergeant smiled at what he said. He knew the colonel had no horse such as this. He had never seen another one like it. He was a spectacular beast, and he seemed perfectly calm and at ease standing in the courtyard. “His name is Favory, of the original bloodline of Lipizzaners. Good evening, Sergeant.” Alex bowed again, and walked back out of the courtyard, untied his hunter, and rode away. He had no idea if it would work, but it was worth a shot. He had gambled everything on the last play.
There was no word from the colonel that night or the next morning, and he said nothing to Marianne. He had risked his own child’s life and possibly his own, in order to save her and get her to safety. And as he sat down to lunch with her, a corporal arrived in a Jeep. He said he had a letter for Count von Hemmerle, and one of the maids brought him to Alex. Alex took the envelope and opened it with shaking hands after he left. There was no note. There were only travel papers, to Ostend, Belgium, signed by the colonel, in Marianne’s name. They were for the next day. The poker hand had worked. Favory had bought Marianne’s freedom. Alex’s eyes filled with tears as he read them.
“What is it, Papa? Is something wrong?” Marianne looked worried.
“No,” he said quietly. He put the papers back in the envelope, slipped it into his jacket pocket, and had a civilized lunch with her. After they finished, he took her to the library with him and closed the door, and explained it to her.
“You may not like this, my darling, but you must do as I say. It is dangerous for you here, too dangerous. These people will do anything, and I don’t want anyone to hurt you. You must leave Germany now. There are soldiers here, too close to us. They play by their own rules, and you’re a beautiful young girl.
I am sending you to my old friends the Beaulieus in England. They have agreed to take you, and the colonel has given you travel papers. I have them in my pocket. You must leave tomorrow.” He told her all of it at once, and she burst into tears immediately and tried to argue with him, but he wouldn’t let her. He wanted her out of Germany as soon as possible.
“Oh my God,” she said, staring at him suddenly. “You gave him Favory, didn’t you? They told me this morning that he was missing. But now you only have one stallion left to breed.”
“I’d much rather have you safe in England. I will put you on a train to Belgium in the morning. The papers he gave you will get you to Ostend, and you can take a ferry to Ramsgate, and from there you can get a train to Hertfordshire. You’ll be safe once you get to Ramsgate. And in Belgium before that, thanks to the colonel. I’ll give you as much money as I have here. Charles will take care of the rest, and I’ll settle it with him later. You must go, my darling. We have no choice. Think of Nick and Toby and Lucas, and how brave they were. And they went much farther, to be with people they didn’t know. You’ll be safe and happy with the Beaulieus.”
“But I can’t leave you here.” She was aghast at the idea.
“You have to. I’ll be fine. They’re not after me. We’re not Jewish. We’ve done nothing wrong. We will coexist peacefully until this dreadful war is over, and then you can come home and we’ll go on as before. But I want you out of Germany before it gets any worse. There’s no telling what Hitler will do.”
“What if it takes years?” she asked, wiping away tears, trying to be brave.
“Hopefully, it won’t take long. But this is what we have to do.”
“Who will take care of you?” she asked, starting to cry again, and he smiled at her.
“I will. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. I’m not an old man like Paul. I’m not sick. I’ll just be here, waiting for you.” She had just turned nineteen, and he had no idea when he’d see her again, but he was more than willing to deprive himself of the pleasure of her company, for her own good. “You must pack tonight. Don’t take too much, as you’ll have to carry it yourself. Take what you need. And if anyone asks you tonight, say that you are going to visit friends in Berlin, for a party or two.” Berlin was very lively these days, with officers and pretty women going to celebrations and glamorous parties. They talked for a few more minutes, and then he sent her to her room to start packing. Alex sat in a chair and stared into the fire for a long time. It had been a terrifying gamble, but it had turned out well. And even though he would miss her terribly, he knew he had done the right thing for Marianne.
Chapter 18
When Alex took Marianne to the station at seven the next morning, there were mostly soldiers getting on the train, and a few old farmers. She was the only woman, and she looked panicked for a minute, as she held a suitcase in each hand and set them down in her compartment. Alex had bought her a first-class ticket, and she looked very grown up in a dark blue coat and a black hat with a small face veil, and ladylike high-heeled black shoes. She looked seriously dressed, well born, and demure. He had instructed her to hide most of the money he gave her under her clothing, and keep only a small amount in her purse.
“You’ll be fine,” her father reassured her. He had already given her her travel papers and her passport and as much money as seemed sensible, and she was clutching her purse as she looked at her father with tears bulging in her eyes. She could barely speak. She had no idea when she would see him again, and she was trying to engrave this image of him in her memory in every detail.
“I’ll miss you so much, Papa,” she said, as she hugged him and clung to him.
“I’ll miss you too,” he said, trying to keep his voice strong for her, and his face calmer than he felt. “Charles will write to me through friends in New York to tell me you’ve arrived. Be careful, Marianne. Don’t talk to anyone.” After changing trains at the border, she would get to Ostend in nine or ten hours, and she would cross the channel that night to Ramsgate, catch another train, and be in Hertfordshire by morning. She would have to take a taxi from the station to the Beaulieus’, since they didn’t know when she was arriving, and he had no way to tell them. But Alex knew that she was responsible and enterprising enough to get there on her own. He just hoped that none of the soldiers bothered her on the way. And her papers were in order. He checked them himself. And with a colonel of the high command having signed them, no one would dare give her trouble. “Be a good girl, Marianne,” he said in a hoarse voice as the train whistle blew. He hugged her fiercely one last time and then left her compartment and hopped off the train. She opened the window and leaned out to him, with her hat slightly askew. She looked beautiful, and he knew he would see her forever this way in his mind. It would have to last him until Germany was a safe place for her to be again.
“I love you, Papa!” she shouted, as the train started to move, and he stepped back, waving at her with a broad smile, hoping she couldn’t see his tears.
“I love you too!” he shouted back, as he began to disappear with the station. Tears were pouring down her cheeks, and she was alone in the compartment. He was only a speck by then, and the train rounded a bend, and he was gone. She closed the window, and sat on the banquette crying softly. She still couldn’t believe that he had made her leave and go to people she barely knew. She couldn’t even remember the Beaulieus or what they were like, and now she was going to have to live with them, maybe for years. All she wanted to do was go back home and hide under the covers, or look for her father in the stables. She was leaving everything she held dear and that was familiar to her, going to strange people in a strange land. And she thought of Nick then, and Toby, and remembered what her father said about how brave they had been when they left sixteen months before. It seemed as though they’d been gone so much longer. And once she got to England, she was going to write to Toby and tell him what had happened to her.
Alex left the station with his head down, and tears rolling down his face. He got into his car and felt like a thousand-year-old man as he drove slowly home. There was nothing to look forward to now, nothing to wait for, no one to come home to at night, until after the war. He drove past Nick’s schloss and saw all the soldiers standing outside, talking and walking in and out. And as he drove by, he saw the colonel leave the courtyard on Favory, and Alex slowed to watch him. The colonel turned and caught his eye, and Alex saluted him smartly in a gesture of thanks. The colonel returned the salute, and Alex drove home, thinking of his daughter on the way to Belgium. It had been a good trade. The best one of his life.
When Marianne reached the Belgian border, she changed trains carrying both her suitcases. They were heavy, but she could manage them. She was confused for a minute about which track her train would be on. She asked for directions and found it after that, and settled into the compartment. She had passed through customs with no problem, and the train went straight to Ostend. She dozed on the way, and didn’t eat all day. She felt sick every time she thought of leaving her father. She could still remember his face in the station. She woke up crying a few times, and when they got to Ostend, she was exhausted. She had to take a taxi to the ferry, and several other passengers were going there too. It was raining, but the sea looked smooth when she got there. She had heard horror stories about crossing the English Channel, but it was a peaceful moonlit night, as she stood on deck and watched Belgium fade away behind her. Germany already seemed light-years away. The passengers had been warned that they could be torpedoed although it was unlikely on a Belgian ferry, but she wore a life jacket anyway.
It took an hour for the little ferry to reach Ramsgate, and it was nearly midnight when they arrived. A single customs officer stamped her passport, and although she was German, he let her through. She was pretty and young, and he decided to be lenient about it. He could have stopped her pending further inquiry, but he didn’t. There were two taxis parked at the dock, and she took one of them to the train station, and had to w
ait an hour for her train to arrive, and then for the first time all day, she finally ate. She was ravenous. She hadn’t eaten since six o’clock that morning. She ate a sandwich of sausages, and ordered a cup of tea, and by the time she walked back to the platform with her bags, the train was pulling into the station. She got on it and settled into the darkened compartment with a little blue light on. There was already a woman on the opposite banquette sound asleep, as she set her bags down and a porter helped her put them in an upper rack. And then she sat down, and watched the darkness as they slid past the British countryside. She had been in three countries that day, and she finally fell asleep.
The conductor woke her when they were pulling into Hertfordshire, and she put her hat back on without combing her hair. She was too tired and sad to care how she looked. She already missed her father terribly. She had brought a whole box of photographs of him in her suitcase, and a few of her mother. She found a cab easily at the station. It was eight o’clock in the morning, twenty-five hours after her journey had begun. She had traveled easily out of Germany with the papers the colonel had given her father in exchange for the Lipizzaner stallion. Her life in trade for a horse.
She told the driver at the station that she was going to Haversham Castle, and he glanced at her in the rearview mirror. He was an old man, and had been driving a taxi for years. He didn’t ask her where she was coming from—she looked as though she didn’t want to talk, as she watched the countryside around them. There were cows in pastures, and sheep, and fields, and a few houses scattered here and there, and finally the castle came into view. It was ten times the size of their schloss, and terrifying-looking, as though it would be full of ghosts and scary old people, and she wanted to burst into tears as they arrived at the front gate, which was open, and the battered old car drove into the courtyard and she got out. She paid the driver, and he drove away as she banged the enormous brass knocker on the front door. She had no idea what to expect as she stood between her two suitcases, and a butler in a morning coat came to find her, rumpled and exhausted, with her hat half falling off her blond hair.
Pegasus: A Novel Page 20
