Chapter 21
21
Benedict woke early to escape the bedroom, tiptoeing to the wardrobe to remove a clean shirt before heading to the washroom down the hall. The change in Inga’s breathing made it obvious she was awake, only pretending to sleep.
Fine. The less interaction the better. Every muscle in his back ached from being slumped in the upright chair for the last seven hours. He awoke every few minutes throughout the night to shift to a better position, but he had no cause for complaint. The stiff-backed chair was the lap of luxury compared to what the soldiers in muddy trenches had to endure.
Icy water in the bathroom taps helped jolt him awake. He washed and changed into a set of fresh clothes, bracing himself for the day ahead.
Yesterday couldn’t have gone worse. The kaiser showed no interest in granting any of President Wilson’s demands, and it hadn’t been wise to call attention to his marriage to Inga. The publicity would make it harder to unravel. He’d already been through one bad marriage all the way to its bitter end and so didn’t want a repeat of that.
Everything felt different this morning as they arrived at Castle Pless. There was nobody to greet them at the stables with a taunting invitation for trapshooting. No servants in gold-and-scarlet livery, but only a single groom to look after their horses. Benedict helped Inga down from the carriage, glad to see she didn’t look so intimidated this morning.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. President Wilson had issued his final demand, and if the Germans didn’t concede, the ambassador was to sever diplomatic relations. Once that happened, war wasn’t far behind. Young men from all over America would be required to leave their jobs, bid farewell to their families, and pick up a rifle.
The groom directed them toward the rear entrance of the castle, but there was no way they would use the back door.
Benedict retrieved the scrapbook from the carriage before hurrying to catch up to the others as they walked around the side of the palace and up to the front entrance. The main door was a masterpiece of carved wood and elegantly forged ironwork. There was nowhere to knock or ring a bell. Guests arriving at the castle were expected or not received at all.
The scrapbook grew heavy in Benedict’s arm as the four of them waited. Mr. Gerard wore a pugnacious expression that did not bode well, but they’d already gone through the mannerly steps of diplomatic etiquette yesterday. The kaiser didn’t believe they would call his bluff, and it was time to make him believe.
The clicking of metal sounded from behind the castle doors, and a butler slowly pulled the door open. “His Excellency is not available today.”
Mr. Gerard lifted his chin. “Then we will meet with von Jagow, and he most certainly is available to the American delegation.”
Gottleib von Jagow was the Foreign Minister of Germany and more astute than the kaiser. Kaiser Wilhelm might risk a war over a matter of pride; von Jagow wouldn’t.
The butler gestured for them to come inside. They silently crossed into the light-filled foyer. Beside him, Inga made a tiny squeak as she caught sight of the grand staircase spiraling up the side of the great hall. Priceless tapestries and marble statuary added to the grandeur.
“I guess they couldn’t help themselves,” Inga whispered with a nod to the chandelier above, and he had to smother a laugh. Yes, in a world of gilded splendor, Inga immediately spotted the cluster of deer antlers fashioned into a light fixture.
They declined the butler’s offer of refreshment and were shown into the castle library to await von Jagow. It wasn’t any kind of library that Benedict recognized. There were only a dozen antique books with gilt lettering stored behind a glass display case. The delicate table in the center of the room was small enough to be easily carried away. The room was probably used as a ballroom more than a place to study, but he’d be willing to meet in an outhouse if it made progress toward peace.
He set the red leather scrapbook on the table before him and waited. Inga sat to his left, Ambassador Gerard and Colonel Reyes to his right. Six empty chairs faced them. Would the Germans even meet with them?
The door opened, and two men arrived. Benedict immediately rose to his feet. The slim man wearing a business suit was Foreign Minister von Jagow, while the older man in the army uniform was a stranger.
“Ambassador Gerard, we weren’t expecting you,” von Jagow said.
“You should have,” Gerard said. “We came all the way from Berlin to offer the kaiser a chance to salvage the situation we find ourselves in.”
Von Jagow gestured toward his companion. “Allow me to introduce General Erich Ludendorff, just back from the Eastern Front.”
This was a surprise. General Ludendorff was the military strategist already famous for trouncing the Russians at Tannenberg. He’d just been ordered to the Western Front, where the war had ground to a standstill. If America went to war, it was Ludendorff their soldiers would face.
“I’ll get straight to it so I don’t waste any of your valuable time,” Ambassador Gerard said. “I come bearing a final demand from President Wilson, insisting that the German Navy honor America’s freedom of the seas. We will view any additional German attacks on vessels carrying American citizens as an act of war.”
General Ludendorff smiled. “Consider the message delivered,” he said. “Forgive us if we do not tremble in fear. Our army consists of eight million soldiers, all of whom are equipped and mobilized. You have an army of two hundred thousand and a paltry sixteen battleships. We have the largest, strongest, and fastest fleet of submarines in the world. We have more U-boats than the rest of the world’s nations combined.”
Colonel Reyes lifted his chin. “Much of what you say is accurate, though the world is changing quickly. In the past year we have ramped up production of tanks, battleships, and weaponry. We have bottomless reserves of coal, iron, and oil, while you’re cutting down your forests for heat. Our population is clamoring for war, while yours is growing weary of it.”
It looked like General Ludendorff wanted to respond, but von Jagow cut him off. “Our quarrel isn’t with America,” he said earnestly. “All we ask is that you stop exporting munitions to our enemies. Keep to your side of the Atlantic, and we can remain friends.”
“We are no longer friends,” Benedict said as he slid the scrapbook Inga compiled across the table to von Jagow. Proof of decaying relations was emblazoned on every page of the book. “ That is what America thinks of the kaiser and his refusal to back down from firing torpedoes at civilian ships. President Wilson doesn’t want war, but he is up for reelection and is answerable to the people. President Wilson needs an unequivocal statement from you, backing off from submarine warfare, or he will lose the next election. And may heaven help us all if a warmonger is elected to the presidency instead of Wilson.”
Von Jagow opened the scrapbook. The foreign minister’s expression remained inscrutable as he paged through the clippings. General Ludendorff looked insulted. It didn’t matter. They needed to smash Germany’s belief that America was content to sit on the sidelines of this war.
“Show that book to Kaiser Wilhelm,” the ambassador said. “Our president will settle for nothing less than a reversal of the current submarine policy, or he will begin mobilizing for war.”
They stood. The meeting was at an end.