The Prince and the Nun Read online

  Mefist seemed happy. He counted the rooms as they walked down the corridor, and inspected each one on the way back. The room nearest to the hall had a door in the far corner.

  “Where does this go?” He unbolted it and pulled. It had not been used recently. As it creaked open, dusty newspaper draught-proofing fell from the jamb. Inside they found the head of a spiral staircase and another door.

  “That must go out onto the roof; but where do the stairs go? Please be careful,” he said, not doubting that she would follow him. “I expect it is very dusty.”

  The stone steps were worn, and it was dark. On their way down, they twice passed small windows that must light the steps during the day. They had dropped some way before they reached a door, outlined by light in the room beyond. Mefist opened it.

  “The library! Now I know where I am,” exclaimed Therese. “The main rooms are just there. The stairs go on down to the buttery and the wine cellar, and towards the boiler room, or you can take a door out into the courtyard.”

  “Mmmh. A private way up and down. Better and better. Is it time for dinner?”

  They ate together at the high table in the refectory. The cooks had done their best to please him, and it pleased Therese to see him enjoy himself. He shared a small jug of the local muscatel.

  “Prince, why are you here? What do you want from the castle? Or from the Convent?”

  “Ah, now to business. I am, I suppose, a herald. A proper harbinger of changes and bad times. We’re going to set up our head quarters here. They’re sending old General Falk here. Should be arriving next week. Do you know him? Falk-Sokol from Breslau?”

  “No, I’ve only met the old man. I didn’t know there was a son.”

  “But that’s him! He must be nearly seventy. They have to put him somewhere, and there won’t be much to do here. We’ll secure Tergov for the moment, and then we’ll probably move on. After that, Montebello will just be the policeman of the valley. Keeping things quiet and denying it to anyone else. Old Falk should be able to manage that.

  “So I have to arrange everything, accommodation for officers and men, communications, kitchens. We’ll be busy.

  “Then I need a bigger sickbay. Yours is far too small, so we’ll keep that for the nuns. The sisters can nurse us, I hope? That’ll save bringing our own nurses, who are always a fearful headache. We spend our time pretending to guard their virginities; we might as well be hunting unicorns. They’re just as mythical.

  “I’ll ask you to clear out the coach house — my men will do the work, if you like. We’ll turn all that into bunk space for the soldiers, and the loft above.

  “What else? A guardroom and sentry box at the outer gate. Regular patrols around the hill at night. Castles are easy; they’re designed to be secure.

  “Finally, we need an officers’ club. We’ll put a bar in the servants’ hall and set it up as a lounge, and the girls can live in the bedrooms.”

  “Girls?” Therese thought she had misheard.

  “Yes, girls. Of course girls. Can’t have an officers’ club without them, and I think we’re going to find them in your Convent.” He studied her face and seemed ready to laugh at her.

  Therese was stunned and insulted. “I assume you are joking,” she said stiffly. The quizzical expression on Mefist’s face showed he was not.

  “But, but we’re nuns.” She must have misunderstood. “You can’t use us. Aren’t you a Christian?”

  “My dear Therese! Don’t be upset. We’re not going to carry you off and rape you. Or your Sisters. If you don’t want to volunteer, well, we’ll just find some girls elsewhere. Don’t worry about it.” He started to fold his napkin. “Now, we shall be busy tomorrow. I have a hundred things to attend to, and I will need your fullest cooperation. I’ll breakfast at eight. Then we’ll start with a roll call of all castle staff at eight-thirty, and the nuns at nine. I’ll want full names, dates of birth, all the details.

  “I’ll get my men in as soon as I can, and we’ll start getting ready for the staff. We have to move furniture in and out, so if you have someone to tell them where to store things…

  “We’ll make a start on the officers’ club too. I have to have something ready to welcome the General. He’s fond of that sort of thing.”

  “But he’s so old!”

  “Old Falk? He’s famous for it. He fills his estates with love children. He’s been doing it for years, and he’ll probably die doing it. The Army is proud of him.”

  Therese felt shocked. People did not talk about such things to nuns, and having Mefist discuss them openly over dinner confused her. “I don’t know about the General, but I will not have the Sisters or the Convent associated with any such thing. And I will not have you filling the servants’ quarters with prostitutes either.”

  He smiled at her. “Mother Therese, I don’t believe you are aware of what is happening here. You’ve been occupied, like it or not. In fact, you could say we have raped you already! This castle is Army property now, and it is going to be run the way I want it run.

  “Naturally, I don’t want to disturb the Sisters more than necessary, or drive you out of your home, but the Army’s needs come first. Believe me, I won’t hesitate to push all of you ladies out of the front gate tomorrow before breakfast if I have to. But that will not be good for you or the castle. The village people still need you, and who will take care of the sick and injured soldiers? Who will mend the damaged souls?”

  He paused to let his words sink in. He studied her face, and when she dropped her eyes, he went on.

  “Therese, my dear, you have responsibilities you can’t avoid. The sisters can stay inviolate in the Convent, and someone must lead them. More than that, you are still chatelaine for the Egerhazys. You can’t leave, and I don’t want you to.”

  “But those girls…”

  “Unimportant! What difference does it make to you if the Army keeps its girls upstairs, or in the cellar, or down in the village? You don’t have to mix with them. The important thing is to keep the castle running. Keep food on the tables and fire in the boilers. Keep the hospital working and the General happy. All of those things are important, and I would welcome your assistance. What’s so wrong with that?”

  “But the girls, you said you wanted to use us. That’s sacrilege!”

  “Well, it would make life easier, of course. I need a dozen girls, and here on my doorstep is an unlimited supply of single, obedient ladies. I sure we could sort out a dozen pretty ones and the problem would be solved. With a minimum of inconvenience for everyone.

  “Never mind; I wouldn’t want to upset you or your family. Otto would probably come and shoot me at dawn if I laid a finger on you uninvited. We’ll just bring some girls from the village tomorrow.”

  “From the village? You can’t bring women from the village! We know them all. We don’t have any women like that! They’d never come. I mean, I suppose they might if we didn’t know about it and you paid them enough, but they would never come and do things like that with the nuns watching over them.”

  Mefist leant back and laughed. “What a delightful thought! Having the girls do their duty under the supervision of some of those kind old ladies you have in the Convent. I wonder what they would make of the whole process.

  “No, you have the wrong idea. They won’t be coming up by invitation. This is the Imperial Army. If we want something, we just take it. I’ll send the sergeant to round a few up. I do wish you’d reconsider. I would much rather have volunteers because then I won’t have to guard them. On top of that, volunteers are more likely to work with a will, and that way everyone is happier. Are you sure you can’t lend me some girls?”

  Therese rose to her feet. “Prince, you go far beyond the bounds of politeness, and of your religion. I will not have my Sisters thought of as girls for the use of any man who might fancy some diversion. Our vows are sacred!

  “Now, I’m going to bed. You can sort out your unpleasant problems by yourself.”

 
As she turned to leave, Mefist called out, “Sleep well, Mother! I’ll see you for breakfast.”

  Chapter 3

  Therese breakfasted alone in her office. Her night had been restless. She kept thinking of the changes that had happened so quickly, and worrying about the changes the new day would bring. The thought of the officers’ club still horrified her.

  She did not have much time for thought. Maria called for her. “Mother Superior, Prince Mefist requests your company in the refectory. Shall I tell him you can’t come?”

  “No, thank you, Sister Maria. I had better attend.” She rose sadly. “Don’t forget we meet at nine o’clock.”

  The castle workers were already standing in line when she got to the refectory. A small soldier with untidy hair was taking down their details. He jumped to attention as Therese came up.

  “Good morning, Mother Superior.” Mefist relaxed against a table. His uniform fitted him so perfectly, he might have been born in it. “This is Timko. I should imagine you’ll be seeing more of him. Back to work, Timko!”

  Timko grunted, “Your Honour!” and sat down again.

  “I had no idea how many foresters Egerhazy maintained. What does he do with them all?”

  “Oh, fire-wood, fences—I had never really thought about it. The forests are very large, and the sawmill has to be run, of course. Whenever we want something built in the gardens, it always seems to be the same men.”

  “Good, I shall borrow some, if you don’t mind, to help my men with the coach house. As soon as Timko has finished here, he is going to ask the carpenter for a sentry box—and don’t forget to requisition the paint, Timko. The sentry box will be the first thing the General sees, so it had better be properly made and painted correctly.

  “If it is all the same to you, Mother, I’ll have our cooking detail report to your cook. They’re sensible men, and they won’t mind being told what to do. They might even learn something, although I doubt it. We’ll need extra hands in the kitchen when everybody is here.

  “What else do we need to talk about? Office space. Do you mind if Timko shares some of Sister Maria’s space? That way he’ll be close to the telephone in case we get everything connected in the near future. I’m sure the General will want a proper signals room and antennae on the roof, all that sort of thing. He can worry about that when he gets here.”

  Mefist took her by the elbow and led her aside. “Mother Therese, could you please show me who should help us with the family apartments and the coach house? If I don’t have someone who knows their way around, there’s no telling the damage my men could do.”

  “Certainly, Prince. Mikhail is the outside foreman. We can speak to him about the coach house, and Fodor is the best person for the family rooms. He is assistant to the butler whenever the family is in residence. Let’s do it now.”

  They walked down the slow-moving line of servants. Mikhail was an old man, a carpenter, and he smelt of tobacco and pine shavings. He stood with his cap in his hand.

  “Yes, Mother, I shall get there directly. Just as soon as His Honour’s man has my name and number. Clear the coach house and make up bunks. They’ll have to sleep on straw for a while. We’ve got the timber, but it all takes time. I’ll get the men to it straightaway.”

  “Mikhail, the Prince wants a sentry box. You’d better start on that today. We must have it ready for when the General comes.”

  Mikhail thought about that. “I’ve never made a sentry box, Mother. I’ve been in them many times in the Great War, but I don’t know they’d be what His Honour wants.”

  Mefist smiled. “You don’t know the Imperial Army yet, Mikhail. We have instructions for everything. Timko will show you what we need.”

  Mikhail bobbed his head. “Thank you, Your Honour. I shall get right on with it myself.”

  They moved down the line to Fodor, a painfully thin young man in a white over-shirt and dark trousers. “Fodor, please help the Captain’s men prepare the family rooms for the General. I want all the good furniture in the cellar. What about the carpets, Prince? Do we put them back?”

  “Not unless you want them destroyed! All that marching and stamping to attention. I try to put a stop to it inside, but it seems to be part of our nature. Shout at a soldier, and off he goes without troubling his brain at all. Put canvas covers down, Fodor, if you have them. If not, see the sergeant and get some tarpaulins from the trucks. I don’t want to destroy those beautiful floors too. I have to be able to look the Count in the eye after the war.”

  “I beg your pardon, Your Honour, but do you want the books to stay in the library?”

  Mefist thought for a moment. “Yes, why not? Soldiers spend most of their time lounging around doing nothing, and the books will help. I’ll have the General issue an instruction about it. Better take anything valuable away, though. I don’t suppose anyone would steal, but you never know. They might borrow a stack of books just to lift their beds higher off the floor.”

  Mefist led her on. “So we’re expecting the nuns shortly. I don’t think we have much for them to do at the moment. Tell me, who is your deputy? Sister Brigitta?”

  Yes, she supposed that Sister Brigitta was her deputy. Therese admitted to herself that Sister Brigitta should really be given a role or a title. It was just that she found the woman so repellent. Hard-faced, bitter, grasping. Therese could not imagine leaving juniors in her charge. Brigitta stood behind her whenever the Bishop visited, and at her side for every service in the chapel. For all that, she knew less of the day-to-day running of the Convent than Sister Maria.

  “I suppose you could call her my deputy. Why are you asking?”

  Mefist shrugged. “Oh, just in case. So I know who to turn to if you are not available. Now, I’m expecting Sergeant Grossner with the girls soon. I’ll send them straight up to the servants’ hall when they come. Perhaps you could bring Maria to register them?”

  “Prince, I thought about this all night. I do not want my Sisters to have anything to do with those women. They can take care of themselves! We will not be involved.”

  “Mother Therese! I’m surprised at you. Of course they can’t take care of themselves. I expect they’ll be very upset, and I don’t think Sergeant Grossner is the man to take care of them. He’d probably line them up and shout at them. You’ve got to help them. They will have no one else to turn to. If we are not kind to them, we might find them jumping out of the windows, God forbid!”

  His objections surprised her. She had not imagined that he would care. She knew very well that the women had souls the same as anybody else, so she compromised. “Very well. We will come and register them. But that’s all. Nothing else. Once they are registered, we shall leave and never go up to that floor again.”

  He seemed pleased with her. “Of course. As you like. Just help with comforting them. After all, they will be leaving their families behind, and I am sure they will be very lost. Leaving fathers, husbands, babies. It will be a big blow, I’m sure. If you don’t mind, I’ll send some other Sisters up as well, just to help them through the first hours.”

  “Prince, you can’t do this! You’ll kill them! Get your women from somewhere else, but please, not from the village. You’ll destroy everything. When you leave, what’s going to happen to them? Do you think they’ll just be able to go back home? You may as well line them up in the courtyard and shoot them now!”

  Mefist stiffened under her attack. “Mother Therese, this is war. There’s nothing you or I can do about it. The Army needs women, and it will have women. Like it or not, I have to take them where I can find them. Where there’s fighting, people suffer. Soldiers and civilians. Some suffer more, some less. You have never seen a village that has been fought over. Or a battlefield. Or a starving refugee column. Be thankful that we are only talking about taking the girls in and giving them good food and a comfortable bed in return for two or three hours of work every day. At least they and their families are still alive!”

  Chapter 4

 
Sick at heart, Therese led Maria up to the servants’ hall. They sat in silence and waited. Therese reflected that authority could be a very lonely thing.

  A noise on the stair, and Therese waited in despair. Then black headscarves rising out of the stairwell let her relax again. It was the Sisters that Mefist had said he would send. They sat quietly at the table. Therese realized with a start that none of the older Sisters had come. Timko, or maybe Mefist, must have selected only the younger, prettier ones.

  Therese thought about what she must do. She rose and moved to the head of the table. All eyes turned to her. “Dear Sisters, we are living in very bad times. The Imperial Army is here and is controlling Montebello Castle. I no longer have a say in what is happening.

  “I am sorry, but there is nothing I can do. Soon they will bring a group of women up from the village. They are taking them from their families and will make them live here.”

  Therese was at a loss. She had intended to spell out the full awfulness of what Mefist intended, but now, looking from face to face, she just could not do it. “It is a great sin taking women from their families, and God knows I would stop it if I could, but I can’t. You have been sent up here because the women will be very upset. It is our job to help them bear the pains that life brings and help them in their hour of need.

  “Be kind to them…” Her voice broke. “Sister Helena, please sing for us.”

  Sister Helena lowered her blue eyes. “Mother Superior, what shall I sing?

  “Start with Ave Maria, and then you may choose a favourite hymn and we will help you.” God help us! she thought. Please, get me through this trial. Jesus and all the Saints, help us all.