Story: Dancing With My Soul. Chapter 11.

by Andy Engines

Noises crept into my dream and slowly my eyes opened to the dark unfamiliar room. My body was cold and my soul numb. The room was warm but fear rippled through me as if a stone had been thrown into my own personal lake. Creating havoc where before there was serenity. I was alone, or so it felt, for the first time in a long time. Slowly I reached, touching unfamiliar objects and finally finding the small lamp; light flooded into my room. It was stark, bare, devoid of emotion or character. It was more a cell than a room and an all too hard reminder that this was now my home. The only decoration was my uniform for the day; hanging neatly to attention on the back of the grey door.

As I entered the great kitchen it was the same but then it wasn’t. There had been no walk in the dark before dawn. The faces were all the same but even they were different. And then I realised they were all the same. Everything was the same. It was me that was different.

“Marije. Don’t stand looking stupid. Come Girl, take this.” I turned to the cook and she smiled as she offered a steaming cup of coffee. “Sit, get warm and drink your coffee. Breakfast will be a while yet and you need some energy.”

The morning started the same as it always did in the great house but then again it was different. As I cleaned and dusted the thought struck me that this wasn’t two days a week anymore. This was permanent. My thoughts were interrupted by a draft of new air, colder air and glancing to the door I saw a lady standing with the housekeeper, Mrs Delach. I had never seen her before but when I looked it was as if I had seen her a thousand times. Her face was so familiar and yet it wasn’t.  It was a face of a stranger and yet it was the face of an old friend. She was of indeterminable age, not a young lady but not ancient and stooped. She stood with absolute composure as she quietly talked with the housekeeper. Her clothes set her apart. She was elegant, stylish, neither fashionable nor unfashionable. She was…

“Girl stop gawking and come here.” Her voice rose slightly and cut through the air. It wasn’t a request.

Rising I walked across the room looking at the ground exactly as the old woman had taught me and when her feet entered my vision I stopped and curtseyed.

“Look up. I won’t bite.” Her voice softened and as I raised my eyes there was a feint hit of a smile reaching from her lips to her eyes. “So you are the new girl? She didn’t wait for an answer and I knew better to give one. “How is she shaping up Bisera?” I had never heard Mrs Delach’s given name before and for a second I wondered whom she was talking to.

“She is learning Madam… I have hopes for her.”

“Hopes indeed.” The Madams eyes had never left my own. “And you child. What are your hopes?” Her eyes sparkled as she spoke.

The silence lingered, made louder by my fear. “Marije, speak when you are spoken to… I am sorry Madam. She is still new to so much.” I glanced at Mrs Delach as she spoke.

“Shhh. It is ok Bisera. We all learn with time… Answer girl, what are your hopes?”

I had given up trying to hold her stare, my eyes fidgeting in embarrassment. “I don’t know Madam.” Came timidly from my lips.

“Hmm well if you work hard and apply yourself you may one day even be a ladies maid” She laughed gently. “You never know. Do all those things and one day you may even be my ladies maid. What do you think Bisera?”

“I think she has a lot to learn but one day maybe. She has potential. Time will tell.”

“I am sure it will. From ashes rises the phoenix does it not. Heaven knows this old house has risen again after such a painful time. We do what we do Bisera for the love of our own, do we not. And if we can do this then I am sure Marije here can rise to be whatever her heart desires.”

With a smile the Lady turned and left. Without thought I curtsied and lowered my head. When I looked up the doorway was empty.

“Please Mrs Delach. Who was that Lady.”

“Marije. Questions are not for a lowly maid…. You know of the curious cat?”

“Sorry Mrs Delach. It’s just I think I know her.”

The guffaw of laughter filled the room. “Know her? What makes you think that you silly girl?”

I could feel my face burning bright red. “I am sorry Mrs Delach. Its just I recognise her face.”

“And so you should girl.” Her face beamed into an amused smile. “You have been cleaning around her and her ancestor’s portraits all winter. Come…” She took my arm leading me. “Lunch will be ready.”

“Branco… Are you being serious? A goat.”

“Absolutely. What better way to discredit and ruin a person’s reputation than to leak insinuating evidence of him having carnal knowledge of a goat? And if needed photographs could be produced.”

“Ok. We crossed a line somewhere Branco. My first question would be why a goat and the second would be how would we get a man to do that. My third question remains… are you serious.”

“I will answer the third first. I am deadly serious. Why a goat? We are a rural people seen by many as backward in the ways of the world. A man such as the Chief Inspector is seen as progressive and intellectual. Better than a peasant. Better than a dim-witted goat herd. It is symbolic.” He turned his eyes to me. “I am sorry Valentina. Goat Herders have been known to have sex with goats; a term which is a twist of the name and the act is a huge insult. To a man such as the Chief Inspector-“

“Yes. Ok. I get it Branco. In just about any country in the world that would ruin a man. I don’t see this as an option I want to pursue right now but out of curiosity how would you make him do it?”

“How. Quite simple. Viagra and a gun to his head. If that doesn’t work threaten to rape his wife and burn his house down with his children in it.”

“STOP.” I was on my feet and the chair falling backwards. “Stop this. How can you even say such words.”

“Words Valentina. When you have lived to my age and seen people slaughtered. Families decimated. Parents killed and children raped. When you have witnessed the devil ravaging all you hold dear then you will understand. Believe me when I say I will do anything to protect my family.”

“But I am not your family… Mark…. I think-”

“Hold-“ Before Marks words could finish Mr Gaspar spoke quietly but forcefully.

“Valentina. I work for you. I work for Mark. My aim is to allow a young lady to be free. Falsely imprisoned at the whim of a stupid man who seeks only his own rise in the world. He has no honour. He has no respect. I mean no harm and no insult but in this instance you and more importantly Marije are family… because you are innocents.”

“And his wife and children. Tell me they aren’t innocent.”

“No harm would ever come to his family. I said threaten nothing more.”

The tension in the air was palpable but what amazed me the most was how the words had been said. He could have been saying a nursery rhyme to his grandchildren.

The room remained quiet whilst he calmly lit his pipe. Cherry drifted over the room.

“There are many who would be happy to make this happen. A small financial contribution and we would have no further involvement. Many things divide my country and I assure you we would need to take no part. Once he is ruined I promise he will crawl away into the nearest hole and hide. Our Inspector Novak would immediately step into the vacant role and the case would be dropped. Ruination of his reputation is our best option.”

James who had remained quiet turned and looked at Mr Gaspar. “Its not our only option. We could still show the case not to be worth prosecuting.”

“No. That option is dead before it lives.”

“How so?”

“He knows he will have a jury of 12 good people. Good local people. Good local people who will always side against a foreigner. We are a simple people James. If this goes to trial Marije will go to jail and I assure you that is not an option we want. Our jails are not quite what you have come to expect in America. They are brutal in their simplicity.”

This was madness, I couldn’t comprehend what I was hearing.

Marks voice brought faith back to reality. “Gaspar, James, Valentina good work and thank you. I agree with James’ leaning for now that we should look at more legal routes. Gaspar I understand and agree with your sentiment but I confess the methodology is unacceptable for us… Ok. Lets work harder. Look at every tiny detail again and see if we have missed anything. James, as a last defence and just so we are prepared look at past cases of US citizens detained in Croatia. I want every case and every tiny detail not just outcomes… People we have time… Turn every stone.”

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