Chapter 6
Kassandra hurried up the winding marble steps of the grand staircase, Zoltan’s great cloak swirling about her.
So far she had been lucky. The only person she had seen since her arrival at the estate a few moment ago had been the footman.
He had informed her that Countess Isabel had not yet returned from the gala, another stroke of good fortune.
She made her way quickly down the corridor to her chamber, clutching the cloak tightly under her chin. It dragged at least a foot upon the floor behind her, frustrating any illusion that it might belong to her, but at least she was almost to her door. She reached out, grasping the ornate doorknob.
“Lady Kassandra, I’m so glad to see that you have returned! I was growing concerned about you. Were you able to complete your errands?”
Kassandra’s shoulders slumped, her hand falling from the knob. She turned around, forcing a smile to her lips. “Yes, Gisela, thank you,” she said evenly, as Isabel’s maid closed the distance between them. “Now if you will excuse me…”
Gisela’s sharp gaze fell from Kassandra’s face to the cloak she wore, a sudden frown creasing her forehead. “Milady, forgive me if I seem impertinent, but is that not the coachman’s garb?”
“Ah…yes, it is,” Kassandra answered, a story swiftly forming in her mind. She looked steadily at Gisela, forcing her voice to remain calm. “My cloak was caught under the wheel of a carriage earlier today and ripped from my shoulders. It was a shame, really, for it was completely ruined.”
“How terrible!” Gisela interjected, her eyes wide with shock. “Surely you could have been hurt, milady.”
“Yes, I suppose I was lucky,” she lied. It seemed this entire day was composed of lies, she thought guiltily. “I simply left it where it fell in the mud. Zoltan kindly offered me the use of his cloak for the rest of the day.”
Gisela clucked her tongue in sympathy. “Well, miss, at least you are unharmed. Is there anything I can do for you?”
Kassandra breathed an inner sigh of relief that her story had satisfied the inquisitive maid.
“Yes, Gisela. A bath would be very nice. It has been a long day.” Truly, she could hardly wait to bathe, to rid herself once and for all of the scent of that man! It clung to her, reminding her of him, when all she wanted to do was forget.
“Of course, milady. And I’ll bring up a warm brandy for you to sip,” Gisela offered kindly. She turned and bustled down the hallway.
Kassandra opened the door to her chamber, grateful to see the familiar turquoise and cream surroundings.
She was safe at last. She pulled the heavy cloak from her shoulders and laid it over a chair, then quickly stripped the soiled gown from her body, along with her remaining clothing, kicked off her shoes, and rolled the gray stockings down her long legs.
Hastily she folded everything together in one pile and hid it in a far corner of her closet, beneath a stack of oval hatboxes.
She would have to dispose of the gown later, she thought with distaste. It was damaged beyond repair, and besides, she wanted no further reminders of this disastrous adventure.
Kassandra pinned up her thick hair, then donned a robe of blue satin, absently tying the sash. Her reflection in the full-length mirror caught her eye and she paused for a moment, gazing at herself.
Strange, she didn’t look any different, she mused grimly. Yet she knew she would never be the same. Her only consolation was that there was little chance she would ever see the soldier again.
Vienna was a large city. People came and went like the wind, especially common soldiers, passing through the city on their way to the fighting in the East, or bound for their homes in faraway regions of the Hapsburg Empire.
“No, your secret is safe,” Kassandra whispered to her reflection. Even if she could never forget what had happened that day, it would be a memory of wanton passion that would surely fade with time.
A sudden chilling thought struck her, her eyes darkening to a deep violet hue. What if there was a child? It was possible…
She turned abruptly from the mirror, her slender fingers rubbing her aching temples. No, she could not think of it!
A firm rap at the door broke into Kassandra’s roiling thoughts.
“Yes? What is it?” she snapped, her emotions at a near breaking point. Then she shook her head, drawing a deep breath. It would not do for her to appear overly upset, for that would only encourage more of Gisela’s prying questions.
“It is only your bath, milady,” Gisela responded stiffly, as if affronted by Kassandra’s tone. But, observing the paleness of the young woman’s features, she relented. “Please, Lady Kassandra, if you would sit and rest until your bath is ready,” she murmured, gesturing toward the chair.
Kassandra nodded, following her suggestion.
She watched silently as Gisela opened the door wide for several maidservants, who carried in steaming buckets of hot water.
They returned again and again, pouring them into the large porcelain-lined tub set behind an oriental screen in a far corner of the room, until it was filled.
Then Gisela liberally splashed some perfumed oil into the water, lastly unwrapping a fresh cake of hard-milled soap and setting it in a dish on a low table beside the tub.
Assured that all was in order, she hurried to the door. “I will return in a few moments with your brandy. Enjoy your bath, milady.”
“There is no need to rush, Gisela,” Kassandra murmured. She smiled her thanks as the maid closed the door behind her, then she tested the water with her toe, the robe slipping to the floor as she stepped gingerly into the tub.
“Hmmm…” Kassandra murmured contentedly. The warm water felt so wonderful.
She lay her head against the tub, the tension gradually fading from her mind.
After a few relaxing moments, she rubbed the soap in a soft cloth until it was thick with lather, then ran it along one slim arm, luxuriating in the heady jasmine fragrance.
A sudden commotion in the hallway just outside her chamber startled Kassandra. She sat bolt upright in the tub, the soapy cloth slipping from her hand into the water. “What!” she gasped in surprise as the door burst open and hit the wall behind it with a resounding thud.
“Kassandra, what is this I hear of you almost being killed?” Isabel cried, sweeping into the room in great agitation.
She crossed the floor in a flurry, her velvet cape flaring behind her, her skirts swishing and swaying from her rapid movement.
“Oh, forgive me,” she murmured, blushing.
“Gisela didn’t say you were taking a bath.
” She moved to the other side of the screen, allowing Kassandra some privacy.
“I simply told Gisela—”
“I just met Gisela in the hall. She told me all about your terrible brush with death,” Isabel rushed on, clearly horrified by what she had heard.
She paced back and forth. “A carriage, you say. Did you see the driver, or the coat of arms, perhaps? We should report this to the authorities at once! Oh dear, what would Miles say if he knew such a thing had happened?”
Isabel paused for breath, glancing reproachfully in Kassandra’s direction.
“I thought you said you were going for a ride today, not into Vienna on errands—and Gisela said you refused an escort. Oh, Kassandra, I am simply stunned that you would go into the city by yourself! Especially with all the soldiers on every corner, now that the Imperial army has returned.”
Clearly exasperated, Isabel plopped into a nearby chair, a difficult task due to the stiff whalebone hoopskirt beneath her gown. She held her skirts down as best she could, her voice betraying her irritation. “This fashion is so impossible!” she blurted.
Kassandra could have laughed out loud, a welcome urge after such a day. Yet the feeling quickly passed, a sense of irony gripping her in its place. Yes, there had been soldiers in the city, much to her misfortune.
“If you will give me just a moment, Isabel,” she called out, rinsing the soap suds from her body.
With a sigh, she rose out of the tub and grabbed the thick towel draped over the screen, quickly buffing herself dry.
Then she snatched her satin robe from the floor and wrapped it about her.
Stepping from behind the screen, she was struck by the color of Isabel’s eyes, usually a lively blue but now so clouded with concern that they appeared more gray… flint gray.
That’s odd, Kassandra thought, a chill coursing through her. They were so much like…
Shaking her head, she dismissed the unsettling coincidence. She obviously needed a good rest, as soon as she appeased Isabel.
Kassandra sat down in the chair adjacent to Isabel’s. “I don’t know what Gisela told you, Isabel, but the incident was really nothing. A slight scare, that’s all. I will simply have to be more careful in crossing the streets.”
Isabel shook her head, her dark curls bobbing about. “But, Kassandra, venturing into Vienna by yourself—”
“If it will make you feel better, Isabel, I promise I won’t go there again, at least not without an escort,” Kassandra assured her, though she knew that would be a hard promise to keep.
Even after what had happened that day, she was still not willing to give up her independence.
She deftly changed the subject. “Now, enough talk about me. How was the gala? Tell me.”
Isabel’s worried expression immediately brightened, a smile of pleasure curving her mouth.
“Oh, it was truly lovely, Kassandra. I wish you had chosen to go with me. Their Majesties were so gracious and charming, and the amusements they had arranged were wonderful. The gala was outdoors, and they had shooting games. All the unmarried ladies present were given light guns to shoot at the prettiest of targets—Cupid, Venus, Lady Fortune—and those who had the highest points were given prizes from the hand of Empress Elisabeth herself. Why, look at this!” Isabel held out her right hand, upon her forefinger a gold ring set round with sparkling blue sapphires.
“It’s lovely,” breathed Kassandra.
“Yes, but most important of all,” Isabel enthused, “we received wonderful news at the gala. Prince Eugene of Savoy has returned to Vienna at last from the campaign in Hungary. That means Stefan will soon be home! He is probably even now in the city.”
Kassandra smiled. She had heard a great deal about Stefan von Furstenberg—his accomplishments, his bravery, his sense of fairness, and so much more—from Isabel, who clearly adored her older brother.
“That is wonderful news, Isabel,” she murmured, a wave of exhaustion assailing her. She would have loved to show more enthusiasm, but she was so tired.
“Oh, Kassandra, you must be exhausted,” Isabel sympathized, noting the faint shadows beneath the younger woman’s eyes.
She had to admit she was disappointed at Kassandra’s reaction to her news, especially after she had expressed such an interest in meeting her brother.
It was probably her trying day, Isabel reasoned.
After all, Kassandra had narrowly escaped serious harm.
Perhaps a good night’s rest would bring her round.
“Yes, I think I will go to bed early tonight,” she replied sleepily.
“Very well, then,” Isabel said, rising as Gisela entered the room.
“Your warm brandy, Lady Kassandra.” She set it on the table near the bed. “Will there be anything else? A light supper, perhaps?”
“No, thank you, Gisela. I’m really not very hungry.”
“As you wish, milady.”
“Sleep well, Kassandra. We’ll talk more in the morning,” Isabel murmured. She followed Gisela from the room and closed the door carefully behind her.
Yes, tomorrow she would tell Kassandra about the welcoming reception at the Hofburg to be held that evening for the victorious Prince Eugene and his officers. She only hoped that Kassandra would be more receptive to accompanying her this time—especially since Stefan would be there.
Finally alone, Kassandra took a sip of the brandy, the subtle warmth a soothing balm to her tormented thoughts. She walked around her chamber, snuffing out the candles, then climbed into bed.
Stefan von Furstenberg, she thought, a sudden thrill of anticipation coursing through her. If he was half the man Isabel had made him out to be, he was certainly someone she would enjoy meeting.
Kassandra unpinned her hair, the thick, burnished waves falling about her face and down her back. She yawned drowsily, laying her head down on the welcome softness of her pillows, and in only a few moments, fell fast asleep.