Red Magic by Juliette Waldron Page B

Theo
and Valentin—"
    Theodor had had a twin, another half
brother whose face Cat could not for the life of her remember. Valentin had
died sometime during her fifth year and Cat distinctly recollected watching
with dry eyed curiosity while Theo and the grown-ups had wept over his not very
large coffin.
    "—Upon that day," Lady von Velsen
was saying, in the flat monotone of someone speaking of things she'd far rather
forget, "Herman von Ployer congratulated me by saying that I had turned
out to be a better brood mare than I looked. That very night, contented with
having sired two sons, he returned to his townhouse in Passau, to the arms of the creature he kept
there. From then on, thank The Blessed Mother, I was
spared any more of his—attention."
    A thrill of horror went through Caterina.
She had never heard her mother speak like this, although she'd had a strong
sense that Lady Albertine hadn't liked her first husband. As a child Theodor
had lived much of every year with his von Ployer grandparents, but that wasn't
an unusual occurrence when a widowed noblewoman remarried. In fact, by law, her
late husband's family could have taken Theo away.
    "Listen to me, Caterina. I want you to
go to Heldenberg with Christoph and find out what the truth is. I think that in
spite of all his wanderings, he is by nature too warm-hearted and imaginative
to be like my brute of a first husband. But—" Lady von Velsen clearly in
pain, rubbed her forehead hard and subsided into the bed again, "if your
personal honor cannot endure what you find at Heldenberg, ride Star home and I
will do whatever I can to protect you."
    With those astonishing words, Lady von
Velsen collapsed into the pillows. Caterina started to speak, but her mother
waved her hand imperiously.
    "Open the box by my bed and take out
the golden chains. They can be broken apart by hand, and used as money. Utterly
astonished, Caterina silently did as her mother directed .
    "Good," said Lady Albertine,
watching Caterina settle them around her neck. "Now, not
a word to anyone. Call Hanna and go out. My head feels as if it's going
to shatter."

 
    * * *

 
    "Mama says that she has heard you
still have a mistress at Heldenberg."
    Her husband paused on his way into bed,
raised a dark eyebrow. Clearly he had been taken by surprise. Still on edge
from talking with her mother, Cat stepped forward and blurted, "Is it
true?"
    "No, Caterina, it is not." His
denial came without hesitation.
    "I will not stay if she's there."
    "Caterina, in the first place, I am
done with mistresses, as I have already told you. And in the second—do you
think I'm out of my mind? You, I think, are going to be quite enough for me to
deal with."
    As if this settled the matter, Christoph
threw off his morning gown and climbed into bed. As he settled in, he said in
an encouraging tone, "I know you're going to love Heldenberg, just as I
do. It's a horseman's paradise."
    His eyes had brightened. "Would you
like to ride out there instead of driving? You and Star could both get some
exercise."
    "Oh, could I?" Cat cried,
delighted at the idea.
    "You don't think it would be too hard,
do you, after all the time you've been kept out of the saddle?"
    "Too hard?" Caterina, imagining a splendid summer ride of many days, was well
on her way to forgetting how the conversation had begun. "My backside
might get sore, but that's nothing to worry—" Her voice died away,
apprehending the oncoming joke.
    "In spite of the Landrat's attempts to
educate you to womanliness, you still prefer astride, don't you?" She was
relieved when Christoph avoided the obvious.
    "Yes."
    "If you've still got a pair of
trousers, go ahead and ride that way. I've always thought it stupid to hobble a
talented rider with side saddle simply because she's female."
    "Papa thinks he cut up all my
trousers, but I do have one pair that he doesn't know about."
    "Good." She caught the sudden
flash of his smile. "I anticipate a splendid ride to Heldenberg