All necessities, including the basket, were loaded in the car. With such a short trip it seemed a waste, however, Klaus would be disappointed if it were left. I had drawn the long straw and was firmly in place behind the wheel, much to Franz's displeasure.
"Next time, besides, it is such a short trip, just enough time for a nap," Franz said, moving into a comfortable position, I just laughed.
"Don't get too comfortable, we need to get that wire off to The Earl. When we get to Jenbach, I will stop at the station there," I said, elbowing Franz.
He replied with a grunt and mumbled, "I fail to see how that affects my nap."
"Do you want to come to the house first or shall I drop you off?" I asked.
"No, my mother requested I stay with you tonight," Franz said.
"Then my mother will be expecting you for at least one night? Strange though, Father hadn't said a thing on our last call." Looking at Franz as I said it, I wondered if I should have asked Klaus if there had been word, but surely, he would have said something.
"Your house first then," Franz said.
Instead of obsessing about the lack of information, I turned my attention to the machine Henry had left with me. I had inspected it the other night, alone in the study. It seemed quite straightforward. I could only guess the function of some of the controls though. Without another machine or a manual, it would be hard to work out.
The highest peaks were hidden by ominous-looking clouds as the weather moved in. Since our arrival, we had only received a few scattered snow showers in the valley. We were due for a good round of snow, although I would be just as happy if it would wait. We could squeeze in a short ski trip while we were at Innsbruck. I admonished myself, thinking of all those people in work camps. The plot is playing out to seize my homeland. The tyrant breeding hate, desperately trying to push it throughout Europe. My thoughts turned dark like the clouds rolling along the peaks. So much senseless death and violence, for what? Because someone was a different religion, color, nationality, spoke a different language, wealthy? Why are we unable to look at each other and see fellow human beings? Navigating life carries enough pitfalls without trying to annihilate one another.
Therein lies the caveat though. The problem is not with the other race, religion, or nationality. It lies with the perpetrator, with their ego, shortcomings, trauma, wounds, and self-worth. When you break it down to the very base and look at the raw emotion of self-loathing being reflected in another human, there is almost pity. If only monsters wore signs that read, "I hate myself for (insert reason). Therefore, I will take that out on another human being in (insert the action) way." Alas, the monsters rarely show themselves in the way we believe until it is too late. The sciences of the mind were just putting out such theories and yet it all seemed too glaringly obvious.
Well, now, this is not any better a line of thought than worrying about Father and Mother. The miles sped by, and I tried to focus on the long-term goal of saving those that needed safety. What that looked like, how to accomplish it, the resources I would need, and deciding whether to return to Munich or stay in Vienna. So many forks in the road with no road signs to help. Germany would try to take Austria in the next few months, it was simply a matter of dates now. Convincing Kurt to leave would be folly. Our most valuable contribution would be continued intelligence, as Henry stated. Hopefully, we will be able to prevent bloodshed in some way. Vienna seems the logical choice for now.
"Please, God, when this is over, I would prefer not to attend Vienna again," I said under my breath.
"I would like to second that, God, Amen!" Franz added from where I thought he was asleep in his seat. Sitting up straight, we both made the sign of the cross at the Amen, and light laughter ensued.
There was a sense of excitement to be so close to Innsbruck. We were winding around KaiserJager Strasse, passing cross streets, just one more street, a quick left and there it was, my parents’ home. Yes, my home too, but for me, we just left home. The Meadows was home, Innsbruck was the vacation. Innsbruck meant theater, opera, dancing, dinners, socializing, University, Fraternity, mass at St. Jakob’s, uniting for common causes, Fatherland Front, skiing.
The Meadows meant comfortable days, runs, skiing, picnics, snowshoeing, hunting, horseback rides, sleighing, fishing, reading, hours in the library on chilly days with hot drinks and fresh baked treats, chess, or of late, planning the safe egress of peoples from Nazi brutality.
Pulling in through the gates and around the drive, Herr Liberman, Frieda's father, opened the front doors just as we stopped. Franz waved him away as he tried to open the car door for him. He immediately headed for the baggage in the trunk. We met him there to retain the small lock box.
"Herr Alexsander, Herr Franz, we are overjoyed you have returned home. Gräf Otto and Gräfin Alexsandra await you both in the sitting room."
We left Herr Liberman to deal with the rest of the luggage. Franz had taken possession of Bauer’s basket of food from the backseat and was peaking in it as we entered the house.
Next to the vestibule table stood Frieda, her face crimson, her lips pressed tight. She walked straight up to us. We both braced ourselves for what might come. However, to her credit, she maintained her composure.
"Allow me, Herr Franz," she said as she relieved Franz of the basket. She then turned on her heel and headed down the hall. I looked at Franz, he at me, and we both thought the exact same thing. It would have been better in the long run if she had slapped us.
Entering the sitting room, Mother and Father both stood and greeted us warmly as we crossed the room. Father gave nothing away, but Mother bore a look of repressed tension at the corner of her eyes. We were offered refreshments, everyone was seated, sitting room conversation began things. The weather, Frieda's safe arrival, the “miraculous recovery” of her mother, Mrs. Baumgarten's roses won again this fall, recovery of the local economy although slow was progressing. The conversation continued and time slipped quickly away.
"I am certain both of you would like to freshen up after your trip. We will expect you for dinner in an hour." Mother said it as a statement, which meant go upstairs, clean up and get dressed.
Dutifully, we did as we were told. Arriving upstairs in front of our rooms, I motioned to Franz. We both entered his room, shutting the door quietly behind us.
"Oddly tense, awkward even?" I asked in a hushed tone.
Franz looked around as if the walls were spying and replied, "Interesting, almost as if there is concern of being overheard?"
We stood uncomfortably for a few minutes wondering what was going on.
"See you in the dining hall shortly," I said in my normal voice. I headed toward the door. Franz nodded, and I slid out and crossed to my room.
Once there, I saw that everything had been unpacked, luggage had disappeared, and personal items were laid out neatly on the vanity. I walked over to the bed, rolled onto it, and lay staring at the elaborate tapestry on the canopy above. It matched the draperies pinned back to the headboard. My mind thumbed through all the conversation, postures, and sideways looks between Mother and Father. There was something amiss. My eyes followed the patterns above while my mind tried piecing all those things together. Then I suddenly recalled seeing the edge of some rough wood poking out from under a drapery across the room. There had been a few pieces of straw on the floor by it. At the time it seemed odd, but I naturally assumed it to be some new item collected by one of them. Packing crates, why were there packing crates hidden behind the draperies?
Where was Frieda? Normally she would have come in by now, ensuring my clothes were hanging properly, buttons, cuff links, shoes appropriately shined....
Well, I was probably running late. I undressed, moved to the bathroom, cleaned up quickly and began to dress when a familiar knock came.
"Enter at your own risk," I said.
Franz stepped in looking around a little surprised.
"Did you dismiss her already?" he asked.
"No, I haven't seen her since we arrived." I shrugged as I answered. We both raised our eyebrows.
"More intrigue is tantalizing, but when it is your daily fare, it isn't nearly as appealing in your safe places." Franz stated snidely. Laughter escaped my lips, and I did not try to suppress it.
"Did you happen to notice the packing crates behind the draperies?” Franz shook his head indicating he had not. The wheels of thought spinning. “Let us see if answers are on the menu, shall we?" as I finished my tie. Downstairs, we were indeed late arriving at the table.
Father gave us both the eyes but said nothing. We seated ourselves, placed our napkins properly and bowed our heads in unison. Father said grace, "Bless us, O Lord, and these, thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord, Amen." Protocols observed all around, we turned our attention to the meal. The soup was first served by Herr Liberman. Frieda would deliver items to the dining room, never looking once at either of us, leaving as quickly as she came. Which begged the question of where the missing servants might be? Dinner passed in much the same manner as our time in the sitting room. Somewhere between dinner and dessert, Franz tapped my foot subtly under the table. I looked up without moving my head and caught the direction of his gaze. In the far corner, there was a small wooden crate next to the cabinet holding the antique ornate China pieces passed down from generation to generation. The cabinet, it seemed, no longer held anything in it. There was a slight eyebrow raise, but we said nothing. We retired, not to the sitting room, but to the library, Mother joined us.
"Would anyone care for something?" Father asked as we were taking our traditional seats, everyone declined. An indication everyone was ready to get down to business without saying it. "Alexsander, Franz, we are leaving Innsbruck within the month. We shall pass the new year at the estate in Vaduz." Father paused, awaiting questions, there were none yet, and he continued.
"The Nazi party is firmly entrenched in Austria's political landscape. Spies are everywhere inciting sedition, reporting on fellow countrymen. Both of you are well aware of the plight of our country and the dark days it will inevitably face going forward." He paused, went to the liquor cabinet, found his favorite liquor, and poured a few fingers before replacing the bottle. He left the cabinet open and took a small sip before continuing. Something passed between him and Mother, and he returned to pour her a smaller amount, delivering it into her hand then kissing her forehead.
"Above all, I will keep my family safe. Something I see as impossible to do remaining here. Franz, we prefer your parents to speak with you, but as you are here, and we are in the thick of it, your family will be accompanying us to the estate." Father looked Franz straight in the face waiting for questions. Franz simply nodded; Father took this as his cue to continue. "The bulk of both family’s assets are now out of Austria's hands, as we soon will be. We would urge you both to follow us as soon as possible. I understand how important your work is to you both. Please consider the possible cost it may exact. The price is one neither of your parents’ wishes to see you pay." He stared hard at us, took another swallow, set his glass down and retrieved some papers bound in leather jackets. There was one for each of us. "You will both find sufficient assets to keep you well in this country, or any other. We pray you join us soon; however, provisions are made for you both, regardless. Alexsander as you know, The Meadows is yours, there are several documents in the study I will need your signatures on, both of you as soon as we are done here. I would caution you both to keep Klaus and his family foremost in your mind when bringing danger to your door. My dear, would you like to add anything?"
Mother took a sip from her glass, cleared her throat, and began her obviously practiced speech.
"Although it pains me to leave either of you behind, we are aware of the work you are trying to do on Austria’s behalf. As important as it seems your family is equally important. I beg of you both to follow us as soon as possible. We have decided to leave this house provisioned sufficiently for use, but all our staff have chosen to accompany us. Your father has indicated the need for you to choose your own staff for security purposes. Of course, you both understand why we must bring everyone away from here. Those who can travel to Vaduz without an escort have been sent ahead to prepare for our arrival. Franz, you who are so very much my son too, your mother and father will shutter the Innsbruck house indefinitely. You are to share this house with Alexsander as you see fit. We pray the allure of this lunatic will pass over quickly and we will be home in time to open the houses up for summer." She finished, shaking her head from side to side just slightly. Acknowledging her disbelief of the events happening in her life.
Franz stood, slowly walked over to Mother, and kissed her hand, saying, "You are as dear to me as my own mother, Auntie, thank you." He headed for the cabinet, pouring two rather generous portions of schnapps, then placed a glass in my hand without inquiry and returned to his seat, taking a bracing swallow from his own.
"Father, do you believe Vaduz will be safer than here? Lichtenstein is an easier target than Austria, perhaps it would be better to acquire a property in Switzerland?" I asked.
"It would seem so, Alexsander, however Lichtenstein is comfortably under the Swiss umbrella. An umbrella painted very clearly neutral with no tolerance for transgression. My sources to date are still reliable. Lichtenstein and Switzerland are both resistant to Hebrew immigrants, as are most in the current climate. Still, there will be no hesitation if they are with our family." Father exuded the confidence of his alliances, many of those through blood relation.
The whole situation brought my blood to boil, and my voice burst forward despite itself.
"The Fatherland Front, the Christian Social Party, even the damn Social Democrats are fighting tooth and nail to keep Hitler at bay." Everyone stared at me as my train of thought raced out of the station. "We have the utmost faith in your conclusions, Father. However, I am compelled to point out the Chancellors' continued diplomacy with President Motta to allow, at the least, Tyrol to fall under this same umbrella with no encouragement from the president hereto. The knowledge is not salon talk, but the interference from Reich pawn Guido Schmidt has undermined every effort with Switzerland. If the Swiss will bow down when Austria is on the verge of being led to the slaughter, who is to say the umbrella of neutrality is not a ruse to mollify Hitler? Falling before the curtain of fascism when push comes to shove. I believe Motta will protect Switzerland at all costs, but Lichtenstein may well be a piece on the board he is willing to sacrifice."
Father stood his ground, his wheels turning as he took in the information.
"Alexsander, Franz, your efforts are not unappreciated in any monarchist household. The danger you have put yourself in these last years does not go unnoticed. The war and make no mistake, we understand this as its own war. The battles you are fighting every day, buys Austria precious extra time." He paced for a moment, finger in the air warning everyone to allow him his thoughts before continuing. "There are no guarantees we will not settle into Lichtenstein only to face the tyrant full on. However, it is the best chance I can offer any of our families to escape what I am afraid, no, what I know, from all your hard work, will be the horror of war. These last years we have prayed those that forced us into acquiescing to the Treaty of St. Germain would hold to their word and not leave us defenseless in the face of tyranny. Whether they turn from us due to the atrocities of the Great War, or as I believe, their fear of the Reich, is not for debate. The fact is, they have turned away from us. France, England, or America could have intervened at any point since 1934. They not only abandon us, but my colleagues tell me they whisper we are complicit with that little madman. I believe as you both, Austria will fall, and God protect the Chancellor and all Austrians when it happens." Father concluded his views.
"History, I fear, will tell a much darker story than the truth. In all the research being done in the background, we find that although all Austrians are still seeking positive results from these last twenty years, less than a quarter of the country believes Nazism will help. In Tyrol, it is far less than that, as much of Tyrol and the far South continue to be Monarchists. The Chancellor continually reaches out to anyone, even the tyrant to the South, for help, but he is rebuffed at every turn. He has become the anvil being beaten by the hammer; his tempering is failing with every stroke." Franz spoke from the heart, a heavy sadness in his words.
A reverent hush fell over us, a silent salute to a man we all cared for and respected. One who had only Austria's best interest at heart but was far too kind for the job before him. Every one of us would continue in our ways to support him though, until the end and after.
"Franz, your mother asked you to stay with us while you are here. The house is in disarray it seems. They will be over in the morning," Mother said, breaking the spell, the compassion showing clearly on her face.
"Thank you, Auntie, your home has ever been my second home." Franz's voice gave no hint of the sadness I knew he would feel not being able to go home. With another generous swallow of Schnapps, I could almost hear him saying "Damn Nazis!" in his head.
The rest of the evening's conversation involved the logistics of moving an entire household. Seven families in all had met and agreed to work together. If the Nazi presence continued to increase, or lasted for a length of time, anything left or stored could easily be lost. Several held properties in Switzerland, several in Lichtenstein, and those that did not have a property in either location was offered homes on the aforementioned estates. The few that were not relatives were long-standing business associates or brothers in arms from days gone by. All were financially tied to each other. Everyone with Jewish servants or relatives was taking not only themselves but their families with them.
The Von Grünne's estate was here in Innsbruck with a sizable house in Mayrhofen. Much of the furnishings were being transferred to the Mayrhofen property, the rest were being sent to the guest houses in Vaduz.
"Paperwork is the last thing I would care to attend to, however, let us be done with it," Father said.
Mother spread kisses to cheeks, hugs, and wishes for a good night's sleep as she excused herself. Then the men proceeded to the study. A few papers were an understatement. There were directives, deeds, letters of credit, business transfers, note transfers, and the list went on. Father's agent had already "witnessed the signatures," and Franz and I made a joke of thanking his invisible presence each time we signed until the joke wore thin and the paperwork overtook all of us. Father was exceedingly tolerant of all of it, as he was of our choice to remain.
"Father, are you certain you have left something for you and Mother?" I jested as we finished singing the last.
Father sat back heavily in his chair, sipping the last of the drinks from our earlier time in the library.
"Originally, I set out to build on a substantial amount of inherited and earned wealth. Enough to support both of our sons and their heirs and so on. When we lost Otto, it did not detour me from my original intention. Franz simply took Otto's place over the years. You are both my sons, and you will have the wealth I built for my sons. Our family has a vast number of holdings you still know little of, either of you. Trust me when I tell you, I would never allow your mother, who is also the love of my life, to want for anything. She shall suffer no hardship if I draw breath. That includes my brother and sister-in-law, your parents, Franz." He stood, came around to both of us in turn, and shook our hands, slapped us on the back, and said. "I would never condone the frivolous spending of money! Though, you two gentlemen should go support the local economy tonight, while there is one. No one will be waiting up, so if you do grace the house again tonight, do not wake your mother!" With that, he gingerly crossed the study, and went out the door.
Franz and I stood in the study staring after him.
"Who was that?" he asked.
"I haven't the foggiest idea," I replied shaking my head. "Change into your street clothes, I'll meet you in the vestibule," I said, already heading toward the hall.