18

They heard Madame Gertrude coming before they saw her. Madame Gertrude was yelling about the injustice of keeping her prisoner. She screamed that she would demand heavy retribution for her mistreatment at the hands of Wulfgard and his people. Madame Gertrude was pushed and pulled into Mairyn’s room by her four guards. She twisted and turned, trying to get out of their grasp. They stopped and held Madame Gertrude by the side of Mairyn’s bed that had Marlyn’s belongings laid out on the top of the blankets.

Madame Gertrude looked at Mairyn sitting up in bed and Madame Gertrude bared her teeth at Mairyn and hissed like a wild animal.

“You always caused me more trouble than you were worth. I should have drowned you years ago.”

Madame Gertrude’s hatred hit Mairyn like a storm and Mairyn turned her face away from Madame Gertrude. The woman’s face was contorted into an ugly mask of spite and loathing. Mairyn vowed not to look at her again. When Mairyn looked away from Madame Gertrude, Madame Gertrude looked at the surface of the bed. She gasped and tried to back away.

“I see you recognize these things,” said Wulfgard.

“Simple trinkets,” said Madame Gertrude.

“Not simple and not trinkets. We have brought you here so you could explain how you came to possess these things.”

“I bought them,” said Madame Gertrude.

“You told me they belonged to Mairyn and Lauryn’s mother,” said Flora.

“I lied to you,” said Madame Gertrude. “I was entertained by your attempt to collect these worthless objects for some sympathetic purpose. I spent many times laughing at you. Lauryn and I thought you funny and pathetic.”

“I think you are lying now.” Flora picked up the quartz amphora and the bowl. She held them in front of Madame Gertrude. “These items are very valuable. You would never spend your coin on such costly and to you, useless items.”

“They all came together as a lot. The man who sold them to me was down on his luck and selling them all for a few pennies. He said they belonged to his dead children.”

“Who was this man of whom you speak?”

“Just some beggar who approached me on the street and offered to sell me these things so he could feed his children.” Madame Gertrude tried to go sit down but her guards had her boxed in and would not let her move.
“You said these things belonged to his dead children before and now you are saying he needed money to feed his children,” said Petre. “Which is it?”

Madame Wulfgard scowled at Petre.

“Perhaps he had many children, stupid boy. How do I know? Maybe he stole them.”

“Enough,” said Wulfgard. “Gertrude, you know perfectly well who these things belong to. I saw you admiring some of them on several occasions.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” said Madame Gertrude. “Where would I have seen these things before I bought them from the beggar?”

“You saw them here, in this room, when it was occupied by my wife as her dressing room.”

“These never belonged to Geste.” Madame Gertrude sneered at Wulfgard. “Your memory is getting bad, old man.”

“I am speaking of Marlyn, as you well know. There is nothing wrong with my memory. I saw you standing in the room, on one occasion holding the quartz bowl and asking Marlyn where she got it and where it came from and on another occasion you were holding the cooper mirror looking at yourself in it.”

“You couldn’t have seen me do those things because they did not happen.”

“Yes, they did. I was standing in the doorway before entering the room. You did not see me, but I saw and heard you. You are not always good at hiding everything, Madame.”

“I forgot what they looked like, then, when I purchased them.”

“No, you are lying again. The bowl and amphora are one of a kind items, the design on the bowl is distinctive. You, who is always looking for more treasure for your coffers would not forget such a piece once you’ve seen it. I remember several times when you commented on the cloak she made and you tried to convince her to make you one, as a gift. I suppose you never keep this one because it is too small for you.” Wulfgard and Madame Gertrude stared at each other, while the other people in the room looked on.

“Why don’t you just tell the truth?” Mairyn whispered her question to Madame Gertrude.

“You. You are the cause of all of the problems we have been having,” said Madame Gertrude. “If not for you, Lauryn would be alive now.”

“How I am responsible for Lauryn’s death?”

“You are not, Mairyn,” said Wulfgard. “Gertrude, from where did you get my wife’s things?”

“You don’t have a wife,” said Madame Gertrude. “They are all dead. Such a great legacy you have. Dead women litter your life: two wives and a daughter, dead. I wish you joy in your dotage.”

Wulfgard stumbled and almost collapsed. Neemyn helped him to a stool. Petre filled a drinking horn with some wine and took it to Wulfgard. Wulfgard gulped the entire contents of the cup and held it out to Petre for more. After receiving a nod from Neemyn, Petre refilled the cup.

“Marlyn is dead?”

“Oh, yes,” said Madame Gertrude, “many years now.” She seemed to get so much joy from Wulfgard’s distress.

“You’ve known all these years and never told me?” Wulfgard looked at her like she had two heads.

“You never asked me.” Madame Gertrude looked like someone who enjoyed pulling the wings off of flies. “Maybe if you had been nicer to me, I might have told you sooner, who knows.”

“When did she die?”

“I am not telling you any more,” said Madame Gertrude, “unless of course you care to give me back the dowry payment I gave you for Mairyn.”

“That dowry belongs to Mairyn and not to me,” said Wulfgard.

“Well, perhaps your loving “daughter” will be generous and give it back to me so you can assuage your curiosity.”

“I will gladly return it all to you,” said Mairyn.

“No.” Wulfgard slammed his drinking cup on the table beside him. The wine sloshed out and soaked his sleeve. “You will not return your dowry. We will not allow this woman to steal anything else from us.” Wulfgard rose from his chair and approached Madame Gertrude. He stood in front of her so close that he could smell her fetid breath. “You have admitted to knowing more than you are telling us and you have admitted this in front of many witnesses.”

“So?”

“So, Smyth will go get Jondan and he will declare you criminal, thus enabling to confiscate all of your holdings. That should compensate all of us for the trouble you have caused.” Wulfgard gestured to Smyth to leave.

“Imagine being exiled from here with no possessions,” said Flora.

Madame Gertrude gasped and collapsed to the floor.

“You would not, could not, do such a thing to me.” Madame Gertrude grabbed at Wulfgard’s ankle.

Wulfgard pulled back out of her grasp. He gestured to Smyth to wait.

“I make no promises,” said Wulfgard. “You have caused a great deal of trouble and many people will want retribution, but perhaps you can help yourself by speaking the truth, freely and completely.”

“What do you want to know?” Madame Gertrude was whimpering on the floor, snot running down her nose. She wiped her nose with her hand.

“Tell me what you know of Marlyn’s death. When did she die?”

“Marlyn died sixteen years ago.”

“Are you saying she died shortly after she left here?”

“Yes.”

“How long after leaving here?”

“About six months.” Madame Gertrude answered Wulfgard’s questions exactly as he asked them, not giving any information he did not ask for.

“Was she at home with her parents when she died?”

“Yes.”

“Can you not give more information than just answering yes?” Petre was frustrated and angry.

“I do not know what Wulfgard wants to know.”

“He wants to know everything.” Petre went back beside Mairyn’s bed, stroking her hair again.

“Petre, I thank you for your concern, but we will get our answers, even if we must be here all night and even if Madame Gertrude does not eat or drink or sleep until we are satisfied.” Wulfgard smirked at Madame Gertrude. He refilled his drink cup and took a long draft of it while looking at Madame Gertrude. She whimpered again and sat on her bottom.

“You take your time answering my questions, Madame,” said Wulfgard. “We will not disturb you until we have dragged everything out one simple question at a time. Or, you could tell us the story in full.”

“As you say,” said Madame Gertrude, “I saw these things in Marlyn’s room here when you brought her home. We were all younger then and I tried to befriend Marlyn. She was quite simple and believed the best in people. While you were gone on your last trip, we became quite close, which you never knew. Her parents came on their visit. There was some trouble. Marlyn did not tell me what it was but she was very disturbed. She did tell her parents and they thought whatever it was bad enough that she must go home with them. It took them several days to convince her to leave you but they did prevail. They packed up all of her belongings and took her back home.” Madame Gertrude cleared her throat. “Can I have something to drink? I am quite parched.”

“When you are done with your tale. The faster you tell it the sooner you may drink.”

“Once she was home, Marlyn wrote to me. Her parents had forbidden her to contact you, but she missed you and thought I could give her some news of you. She invited me to visit. So I went to see her. Her parents would not deny her this. By the time I got to her parents’ estate, she was already eight months pregnant. I stayed with her during the last weeks of her pregnancy. We became very close. While she was heart broken that she could no longer be with you, she was happy that she was having your children. Finally she went into labor, but it was no going well. She was a small woman and her belly was swollen much larger than most women get when they are with child. She was in labor almost three days before giving birth to twin girls. Marlyn had lost a lot of blood and she was very exhausted, physically and emotionally. She knew she was dying. She had me gather together the things you see on the bed. She told me to take her daughters and these things and bring them to you and see that I always played a role in raising them. I promised, and then she died. Her parents were sad. It was easy to convince them to allow me to take the girls, especially since there were witnesses that it was Marlyn’s last wish. And so I took them and did exactly as she asked.”

“Are you saying that Mairyn and Lauryn are my daughters by Marlyn?”

“Yes, Lauryn was your daughter and now she is dead.”

“You are a cruel woman, Gertrude,” said Flora. “You have kept these girls away from their father and now one of them can never get to call him so.”

“I did exactly as Marlyn instructed me. I brought the babies back to their father, but she never said to give them to him. He has known them almost all of their lives. Marlyn told me to be instrumental in their upbringing and I was exactly that.”

“You did what she said but not what she wanted. You know she never would have wanted you to raise them as you did.” Flora shook her head at Madame Gertrude. “You took what she said and perverted it for your own profit and your own ends, for some sort of game of revenge.”

“She should have been more careful who she trusted. She trusted Wulfgard and look where that got her.”

“You are a despicable woman,” said Petre.

“Like I care what some poor boy with no parents thinks of me. You are forced to live on Wulfgard’s kindness and falsely call him Uncle when you are no blood relation.”

“What does that mean?” Petre looked from Madame Gertrude to Wulfgard. “Is this true, Uncle?”

“The woman, who I called sister, was not really my sister from my mother and father. She was the daughter of a very close friend of my mother’s. Your mother and I grew up together from babyhood and I always called her sister and I always thought of her as my sister. My parents legally adopted her when she was a baby. So while I am not your Uncle by blood, I am your Uncle by law and by choice. That is all that matters. Do not let this spiteful woman poison our relationship. Do not let her win another victory for evil. Agreed?”

Petre nodded his head.

“We will discuss the particulars of your heritage later in private,” said Wulfgard.

Petre nodded again.

“I am confused,” said Mairyn.

“I am not surprised,” said Madame Gertrude, “You never were too bright.”

“Shut your stinking rotten mouth.” Petre rushed to Madame Gertrude but was held back from her by Smyth and Briin. “You are not fit to speak to Mairyn. Do not address her again.”

“Petre, please come back and stand beside me.” Mairyn waited until he had come back to her side. She looked at Wulfgard. “I am really your daughter, is that what she is saying?”

“Yes and now we know why you reminded me so much of Marlyn. We chose to be daughter and father and now we really are father and daughter.”

“But so many years have been lost and you will never be able to get to know Lauryn.”

“I will always regret not paying more attention to Lauryn and not caring for her more. But I could not get close to her. We did not get along. I do not know if finding out she was my daughter would have made a difference to either of us or to how we felt about each other.”

“It may have made some sort of difference to Lauryn,” said Madame Gertrude.