The time has come to admit I'm not getting any younger and my storage space isn't getting any bigger. As a consequence I'm thinking of selling off my ImagiNations' Hetzenberg and Dunkeldorf-Pfuhl collection in 25mm. If there's any interest I'll itemize what I have.
Tuesday, 3 December 2024
Downsizing
Wednesday, 24 December 2014
Sunday, 1 June 2014
A brief pause
My wife has felt unwell for a while, and will require an operation this week to fix the cause. It's nothing 'serious' but she will require tending for a week or two after.
In all probability the Chronicles will continue anyway - I can work at the computer a few paces away should she need anything - but this is a notice that things may be delayed.
Best, A J
In all probability the Chronicles will continue anyway - I can work at the computer a few paces away should she need anything - but this is a notice that things may be delayed.
Best, A J
Monday, 19 May 2014
Objects and motions
It took longer than Paul expected to
find the evidence he sought. It consisted of a sheet of aged paper
pinned to a battered square of cork, located on the wall next the
study door. From other notes pinned there Paul surmised it to be a
means by which the late Professor Knappenburger communicated with his
servant. He unpinned the note and examined it. The obverse had a note
concerning laundry. The reverse... Paul smiled with satisfaction.
Amid many a crossing out and blot he made out the following.
My Dear
Grafin,
With
reference to your inquiry as to the validity of a marriage between
your cousin Graf Philip von Hetzenberg and a woman of common birth,
to whit, one Mary Amadeus.
I’m
pleased to inform you it is entirely permissible under our law for a
member of the Grand Ducal family to unite with a commoner in a
Morganatic marriage. Laws on the statute books governing Ducal
marriages dating back over two hundred years clearly permit such a
formal union. Our forebears in their wisdom saw matters of
interbreeding and too concentrated a nature of the Ducal
relationships to be clearly unfavorable to the bloodline as a whole.
Provision was therefore made to allow fresh blood to be introduced to
the family line, although the law has not been indulged in for some
decades.
I
trust this clarifies the matter and eases any concerns you might feel
regarding your friend’s situation.
I
remain, Grafin, your humble, obedient servant, I. Knappenburger.
There
was no mistaking the Professor’s writing. Paul
rolled up the note and tapped it against his palm as he considered
the situation. The
estimable Bartolomeo Gundaker is fallible, it seems. In his haste to
perpetrate his commission he overlooked a draft copy of the very
letter he sought to corrupt. He
smiled. What makes it
all the sweeter, the note was on the back of a missive intended for
him!
He
tucked the note in his innermost pocket and headed out the door. A
brief conference with the Chancellor left that worthy satisfied the
professor’s affairs would be taken care of.
That
evening
saw Paul aboard the coach bound for the
Grand Duchy of Hetzenberg.
He looked out the window as the vehicle rattled along the highway,
and thought of the approbation Ursula would heap upon him for his
success in helping her friend. It gave him a warm glow about the heart
to think of the radiant smile that would cross her beautiful face.
* * * *
The
hull of Styx II
vibrated gently
with
the steady flow
of water
against her hull
as the flotilla rode
at anchor
in the gathering night.
Beyond the little stateroom’s windows the Eissenwasser flowed dark,
strong
and steady to the sea, with no concern for the affairs of mankind
embattled
about its banks.
Ursula
laid upon Horatio, her arms folded loosely on his bare chest, her
feet pressing against the cool wood of the aft bulkhead, so small was
the cot in which they laid. She felt sated and happy but, as intense
and fulfilling as their lovemaking had been, one question still
floated near the top of her mind. “You’re sure we’ll reach the
vicinity of Randstadt by tomorrow evening?”
“Yes,
beautiful.” Horatio stroked Ursula’s cheek and tucked a stray
length of damp
hair
behind her ear. “We're but a league above Kimmelsbrück. The
river’s quieter now the snow melt has passed. The wind stands fair,
and looks to be coming farther north yet tomorrow.”
“I
hope so. I'm worried about Mary A. Paul will try his best, no doubt, but at the moment only I
can intercede on her behalf so she can marry Philip.”
“We’ll
get there, and we will help her. Don’t worry so!”
“You’re
right,
my love,” she whispered, kissing
him deeply. He
returned her kiss then yawned and stretched, awkwardly favoring his
wounded arm. Ursula rolled off him and he moved aside enough for her
to squeeze in beside him. “Get some sleep, hero,” she admonished.
“You had a long day.”
“Just
so, my dear.” He put his arm around her and she nestled close, her
head upon his shoulder. His voice sounded drowsy. “We’ll get
there.”
Ursula
listened to the steady beat of his heart beneath her ear, felt the
rise and fall of his chest slow as his breathing settled into sleep.
She looked up through the stern-lights and watched the night deepen
to starry indigo, and wondered what Mary Amadeus was doing, and how
they would all fare on the morrow. Eventually, she fell asleep.
* * * *
Several
leagues away Mary Amadeus laid in her camp cot, staring up at the
canvas above her head. A camp fire nearby cast shadows there that
seemed to morph into strange and terrible things. She could hear the
sentry on guard outside the fly of her tent, placed there by the
general. “I have no recourse but to inquire into this matter, my
dear,” he’d said with evident reluctance. “I cannot believe you
and Philip would be so foolish as to correspond in this way, but I am
bound by duty to treat the matter with the utmost seriousness.”
And
so she had been confined her to quarters pending the outcome. She
thought of the siege and the plan she’d made which would end it all
before many more lives were spent. And
now due to someone’s malice here I am, in peril of my life and
utterly useless. I wish Philip were here, and Ursula and Horatio! She
turned over, punched the pillow into some form of comfort and tried
to sleep, but her thoughts whirled on deep into the night.
Sunday, 4 May 2014
A spot of bother
Siege
operations about Randstadt had reached the third parallel and the
batteries had been positioned amid blasts of musketry from the
defenses. Mary Amadeus worked as hard as any to site the guns, and
she felt pride in the fact they had become operational again within
an hour.
The
summons to General Rauppen-Schlepper’s pavilion reached her as she
came off the line. Repeated
salvos from the artillery had rendered her somewhat deaf, and the
aide had to repeat himself twice before she understood. She made her
way to the pavilion, sited in the headquarters area a safe distance
beyond cannon range. Sweeping the tricorn from her head, she checked
her hair still stayed neatly in its ponytail then nodded to the aide.
He opened the tent fly and she followed him inside.
The
General sat at his desk reading a dispatch. Mary saluted as he looked
up. “Lieutenant Amadeus reporting, sir.”
“Good
afternoon, Lieutenant.” Rauppen-Schlepper’s time-worn features
remained set in a neutral expression, and she wondered why he didn’t
greet her with his normal affability. He reached for his pipe and
made a show of inspecting it, knocking out the dottle and refilling
it with his favorite blend from a tooled leather pouch. The aide
stepped forward with a taper. Rauppen-Schlepper took it and lit the
pipe. He nodded to the aide. “Leave us, Wilhelm, but stay within
call.” The aide saluted and departed, leaving Mary and the General
alone.
“Is
something wrong, sir?” she asked.
“Yes,
Lieutenant, I’m afraid there is.” He opened a drawer and
extracted two packets of papers, tied with a blue ribbon. He dropped
one on the desk in front of her. “Do you recognize the writing?”
She
stooped to examine them and blinked. “It looks like my hand, sir.”
“It
looks like yours?”
“Yes,
but what..?” She sought for words. “I’ve not written to anyone
to this extent. I can’t afford the stationary on my salary. To whom
are they addressed?”
“Young
Philip, heir to the throne.” He dropped the second packet before
her. “These are his replies.”
Mary
shook her head. “I don’t know anything about these. Philip and I
have never exchanged letters beyond official reports to do with the
battery.”
Rauppen-Schlepper
pinched the bridge of his nose. He looked weary. “They came into my
possession through some anonymous agency. That in itself is bad
enough but the content...” He tapped the letters with a stubby
finger. “The contents, my dear lieutenant, are explosive!”
“May
I read them, sir?”
“Please
do.”
Mary
picked up the packet, untied the ribbon and read the first letter.
Her heart began to pound and her face burned with embarrassment.
“They... they’re nothing I would’ve penned, sir!”
“I
should hope not!”
“This...
this is explicit!” She gestured helplessly to the letters. “I
don’t know anything like a tiny fraction of the things herein
described.”
Rauppen-Schlepper’s
face grew grim. “It gets worse, Lieutenant. The last two letters
speak of the possibility of elopement.”
“Elopement!”
“Yes.”
His bushy eyebrows came together and he stared at her. “You know
full well Professor Knappenburger’s correspondence states our law
forbids Morganatic marriages to the future head of state. Such
correspondence as lies before you is treason. Graf Philip will not be
punished beyond the family’s censure, but for a commoner such as
you... The sentence, should you be found guilty, is death.”
Sunday, 27 April 2014
Men of Letters
The
capital of Saxe-Bearstein was not unknown to Paul Ehrgeiziger, but it
had been several years since he’d visited the city. However it
didn’t take long to locate the university, and the college porter
guided him to the Great Hall.
Paul
had chosen his moment well, for the midday meal at High Table had
finished some little time before. The faculty were in the process of
dispersing about their afternoon schedule, and the porter approached
the Chancellor with a bow. “Baron Ehrgeiziger to see you sir.”
The
Chancellor, a full-fleshed man with a sumptuous full-bottomed wig
squinted at the porter then Paul through a pince-nez. Paul and he
exchanged bows. “Welcome to our university, dear baron,” the
Chancellor said. He looked rather vague. “Forgive me, but I was not
aware you were due to call upon me..?”
“You
must forgive my not making a proper appointment, sir. I had occasion
to be in your fine city and took the opportunity to visit you. I had
a friend here, Professor Knappenburger.”
The
Chancellor looked grave. “A bad business, dear baron, A bad
business indeed.”
Paul
nodded. “I am indeed aware of my poor friend’s untimely demise. I
am also aware that his servant decamped with some of his
possessions.”
“Ah,
yes. His fellow Pietro seemed trustworthy and few here had anything
bad to say of him – up to the time he vanished.” He scowled. “It
reflected poorly on the rest of the servants.”
“I’m
sure it did, and without foundation for blame. Would you describe
this Pietro, and say from whence he came?”
The
Chancellor rubbed his chin, dewlaps wobbling. “Of average height,
dark, swarthy, somewhat of a gypsyish look.” He touched the left
side of his neck. “He had a white puckered scare just visible here.
I saw it once when he had his collar undone on a hot day. As for his
origin, I believe he claimed to come from Padua.”
“I
see.” Paul nodded. Just as I thought! “Well, sir, this man
is known to me by reputation. He’s a rapscallion of the first water
by the name of Bartolomeo Gundaker. He’s wanted in several states
for espionage, theft – and murder.”
The
Chancellor looked pale. Paul took him by the elbow and drew him
aside, out of earshot of others of the faculty bustling nearby.
“Naturally I can trust your discretion. A matter of great weight
hangs upon Professor Knappenburger’s last works, dear Chancellor.
It concerns a young lady’s fortune and future happiness.”
The
Chancellor frowned and nodded. “Do go on.”
“Professor
Knappenburger sent a document to this young woman, which we are sure
was forged. I detected the hand of the wretched Gundaker in the
work.”
The
Chancellor’s flaccid features turned red. “Such infamy!”
“Indeed.
I seek to rectify the damage inflicted upon the good lady, but to do
so requires your assistance.”
“Name
it, sir, and if it’s within our powers it shall be done. I wish to remove any stain that may besmirch our good name.” He shuddered. "To think we harbored such a reptile in our bosom!"
“I
must view any and all documents remaining from Professor
Knappenburger’s papers.”
The
Chancellor looked troubled. “I would be happy to oblige, dear
baron, but before I can allow you to view these papers I would
require some means to verify your identity.”
Paul
produced his warrant from the Margravate security bureau, along with
a covering letter from Ursula. “I need not point out the young
lady’s name must not be spoken of in connection with this matter.”
The
Chancellor examined the letter. “Just so. These seem to be in
order. If you’ll accompany me, we shall go to the late Professor’s
chambers directly. I had them locked and sealed after his death, but
it seems he has little in the way of family. It’s proving hard to
locate a person who can claim his effects, and frankly, the
university could use his chambers...”
“The
next stop on my itinerary brings me close to Hetzenberg. I’ll see
what I can do for you.”
“I’d
appreciate it.”
The
Chancellor led the way into the faculty chambers of residence and up
a flight of stairs. Once they reached the late professor’s door on
the top landing he wheezed to such an extent Paul feared he would
expire on the spot. The Chancellor mopped his brow with a lace
kerchief and grimaced. “I’m not accustomed to such exertion these
days, alas.”
Paul bowed. “Pray
take your time, sir.”
Eventually
the Chancellor produced a set of keys and tried them in the lock. “I
keep them with me at all times. Security, you know. Ah, here we are.”
He
let them into the chamber.
Paul looked around at the comfortable
disorder that to his mind went hand-in-glove with academics and
sighed inwardly. “I can see this will take some time...”
Monday, 21 April 2014
Liaisons amoureux et curieux
The now-quiet town of Lehmangraz.
“You’re the second invalid I’ve
had to tend this month.” Ursula poured two glasses of white wine
and handed one to Horatio.
He grinned and shifted his arm in the
fresh sling she’d tied. “Who was the other lucky fellow?”
She sipped and eyed him. “Who says it
was a man?”
“Oh, just a guess.”
“Well, it’s a lucky one. It was
Konrad. He’s on the mend.”
“I’m glad. Nice fellow.”
Ursula snuggled up alongside him on the
bed. From here she had a good view out the bay window. As commander
of the gunboat flotilla Horatio had a choice room overlooking the
naval yard and the river beyond. Parties of sailors, marines and yard
workers moved here and there, clearing up the worst damage suffered
in the raid. A miasma of wet burnt wood hung over all. She noticed
the marines seemed to move with almost manic energy, as if eager to
make up in some way for their deficiency in the recent fighting.
Horatio must have guessed her
thoughts. “To be fair they couldn’t help it, my love. They were
pressed into action half-trained and the enemy took them by surprise
to boot. I think they’ll shape up given time and patience.”
“They should have enough of both.
The army of Dunkeldorf-Pfühl took a beating, and Randstadt is under
siege. I can’t see an occasion arising where the marines will be
needed before the end of the war.”
“I wouldn’t speak too soon,
dearest. The light infantry raid caught us all on the hop.”
Ursula set her glass aside and twisted
around to press closer against his side. She gazed into his eyes and
stroked his cheek. “But their mission ultimately failed – thanks
to you.”
He gave a soft chuckle. “Oh, I’m
quite the hero.” Draining his glass he put it on the bedside table
and took her in his arms. “I missed you!”
“And I you.” They kissed, and she
stroked his wounded arm. “Will you need to wear this for much
longer?”
“Only a week, according to our
surgeon. The rascal also wanted to bleed me, but I told him I’d
already shed enough blood for the cause.”
She lowered her voice to a sultry tone.
“It won’t... hinder you at all?”
His smile widened to a grin. “Not in
the least...”
Matters had just become interesting
when the sound of pounding feet on the staircase interrupted their
idyll. Moments later somebody knocked on the door with a rapid
tattoo. “Urgent dispatch from General Rauppen-Schlepper, sir!”
“Can’t it wait?” Horatio called
peevishly.
“The courier needs a reply, sir.”
The man sounded contrite. Ursula sensed he knew he intruded upon his
commander at a delicate moment.
Horatio groaned. “Sorry, my love.
I’ll have to take this.”
Ursula dived under the bedclothes.
“Schieße! What timing!”
Horatio rolled off the bed, donned his
dressing gown and answered the summons. He glanced at the message the
man handed him. “I’ll be down directly.”
“Sir!” Footsteps clumped away.
Horatio closed the door and returned to the bed. “It’s from the
general, all right. It seems one Lieutenant Mary Amadeus has come up
with a scheme to shorten the siege of Randstadt and we’re required
to render assistance.”
“Mary A!” Ursula sat up and took
the message from him. She scanned it. “Old Rauppen-Schlepper
doesn’t say what scheme she has in mind of course, but knowing her
it’ll be a corker! Ah..!” She read the remainder of the script.
“He wants you to lose not a moment in setting out.”
“Such is the life of a naval
officer.” He eyed her, his expression one of mixed lust and
frustration. Eventually he groaned. “The General summons, and so I
must obey. When we set sail, will you come with me?”
“Of course!” She pulled his head
down and kissed him soundly. “From what I saw of her the Styx II
has a nicely-appointed cabin. Once we’re under weigh, we can resume
where we left off...”
* * * *
Paul
Ehrgeiziger entered the inn, located on a busy road not far from the
border with Hetzenberg. It was an establishment he’d frequented
before on clandestine missions, and the innkeeper knew him. The woman
nodded as Paul ordered an ale. She served him and leaned close to
whisper as she slid his change across the damp surface of the bar
counter. “The gentleman awaits you in the usual room, sir.”
Paul
thanked her and made his way at a casual pace through to the rear of
the near-empty saloon and up the stairs. They opened onto a passage
off which were several guest rooms. Paul knocked on the third door
and entered without waiting for an invitation. The man sitting by the
window stood and bowed as Paul closed and bolted the door. “It’s
good to see you, Paul. After what happened earlier this year, I
feared all was up with you. Your message came as a great relief.”
Paul
returned the bow. “It’s good to see you too, Artur. You look
well.”
“As
well as can be expected.” Artur sat. A portly fellow, the warmth of
the day brought perspiration to his lofty brow, and he mopped it with
a large lace handkerchief.
“Thank
you for responding to my note. Others might not have welcomed my
approach, given the circumstances of my... ah, departure from the
Margrave’s service.”
“Oh,
my dear fellow, to your ear alone can I sympathize! Our new lord and
master – and possible patricide – is a sad burden for our poor
state to bear. He has us running ragged in an attempt to find ways of
winning this war. The army is licking its wounds and is unable to
raise the siege of Randstadt. The Margrave won’t be told to cut his
losses.” Artur grimaced. “The near-success of the raid on
Lehmangraz filled him with new hope, more’s the pity.”
“I
see.” Paul doffed his hat and sat down. “He’s not beyond
resorting to skulduggery...”
Artur
pursed his lips and frowned. “He’s not – but I have the feeling
you refer to a particular incidence of skulduggery.”
Paul
put on a bland smile. “You know me too well, old fellow.” He
leaned closer. “It has been brought to my attention that someone is
trying to stir dissent in the upper reaches of the Hetzenberg court.”
Artur
nodded. A knowing glint appeared in his eye. “Ah, that. To be fair,
that particular piece of business originated with the Dowager. She
hired Bartolomeo Gundaker.”
Paul
leaned back in his chair. “You surprise me!”
Artur
chuckled. “Why so? You know the old woman. She’s as devious as a
boatload of monkeys!”
“She
has her own agenda, to be sure,” Paul murmured, thinking over his
past experience with the Dowager. He produced the letter given him by
Ursula. “Pray examine this.”
Artur
donned a pair of pince-nez, took the letter and scanned it. After a
few moments he looked up. “It’s plain Professor Knappenburger’s
letter dashes any hope of this young woman marrying into the
nobility.”
“So
it would appear.”
“You
suspect this to be a forgery?”
“It
has been proven to be so.”
“Then
yes, this is Gundaker’s work, I’m sure. It’s all of a piece
with his methods.” Artur handed back the letter. “You have a
sentimental attachment to this Mary Amadeus?”
Paul
hesitated. “Rather, I have a sentimental attachment to her friend,
and wish to return a favor.”
Artur
nodded and tapped the side of his nose. “Say no more.” He mopped
his brow again. “Curse this heat! Well, I would advise you discover
the late Professor’s real reasoning on the subject. Any halfway
competent authority on law would be of help.” He pointed to the
letter. “That is merely a delaying tactic on the Dowager’s part.”
“So
I surmised.” Paul folded the letter and put it back in his pocket.
“But to what end?”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)