Chapter 32

My alarm sent out a muted bray. I reached over and shut it off. The sun was up and streaming obliquely through my circular window. I stretched. I felt wonderfully alive and refreshed. I was luxuriating in this sense of well-being, when Johnny poked his head around the door and said rather forcefully, “Get up. Get dressed. We’re going to be late for breakfast. Come on — there’s no time to lose!”

He seemed harassed and agitated. When Johnny started ordering me around, one of his plans had unhinged in some way, and badly at that.

I got up and made for the bathroom.

Dress was casual for breakfast. By the time I was ready, Johnny was pacing back and forth. Robert sat waiting to the side, his eyes locked onto his master’s every move. His head swung back and forth like he was watching a tennis match.

When Johnny saw I was presentable, he said, “Remember. Say nothing. Absolutely nothing!”

I had no idea what he was talking about and said so.

“Please don’t tell me you don’t remember last night!”

“Not really,” I answered. “Not really at all. I feel terrific, by the way. I really do.”

“Oh God, as if I didn’t have enough problems.”

He looked up at the skylight for a moment beseechingly and quickened his pace. He said half to himself, “I can’t believe it…and there’s no time to go over the details…What a mess.” Stopping midstride, he said, “Remember, just say nothing. That’s all I ask.”

He turned to go and then spun back again.

“One other thing…If by some chance you have a sudden flash of memory, don’t react. Simply continue eating. We’ll discuss all this later. I am pretty sure everything will work out okay. At least I think so. Just keep calm and carry on. Got it?”

Johnny, followed by Robert, dashed down the stairs before I was able to formulate a reply. I felt a little slow on the uptake, like I was stuck in one of my childhood nightmares in which the teacher handed out an exam on complex mathematical operations I didn’t know, using notation I’d never seen. In the dream, I sat there in stunned disbelief as the students around me eagerly started writing.

Looking back on last night, I could remember most everything up until Johnny and I went upstairs. I did get a bit drunk. But other than that, my memory held no clue. I decided to take things one step at a time. I was hungry — therefore, food.

When there were guests at Rhinebeck, the first meal of the day did not have assigned seats other than John Senior and Anne, who manned the ends of the table. Both of them looked rested and refreshed as they read their separate copies of the Times, their usual morning routine. I found an empty chair next to Bruni and sat down. I said hello, and she murmured something unintelligible back. She appeared subdued and a little pale. I was promptly served a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon, which I ate ravenously. After a time, I noted something peculiar. No one had spoken for the entire meal. Elsa, to my left, was drinking her coffee with her gaze leveled at something in the far distance. Whatever she was seeing was well beyond the walls of the dining room. Bruni, to my right, stared at her plate and picked at her food, while the baron, sitting opposite Elsa, had his attention in the Financial Times. Malcolm simply ate slowly and carefully. Johnny, opposite me, looked about, covertly shielding his glances behind his coffee cup as he leaned one arm on the table. He needn’t have bothered. No one was looking anyway.

In the meanwhile, Stanley and company kept the food flowing and the coffee coming, but it was a lost cause. No one other than Malcolm and I were really eating.

I buttered some toast. Johnny peeked at me a little wide-eyed and then furtively glanced around the table. He was growing more nervous by the second. After a few minutes of this, Bruni slammed down her knife and fork with a clatter. We all jumped with the sudden noise, but other than Johnny and me, everyone else went back to whatever they were doing. With just a few rustles of morning papers and quick looks about to see what was the matter, all was again silent.

I had consumed most everything within reach when I felt Bruni pull my arm toward her. She leaned over and whispered very softly in my ear, “We need to talk, but not now and not here.” She let me go and picked up her knife and fork. She went through various cutting motions while once again eating very little.

After a few more minutes, Stanley came round with more coffee.

Malcolm dared to break the quiet. He said in a normal voice, which sounded remarkably loud, “Was it just me, or did something happen in the middle of last night? I mean, really.”

The room grew completely still. I looked about. Johnny froze while his eyes slid rapidly from side to side. Bruni turned even paler. The baron remained hidden behind his paper while Elsa slowly focused her attention in Malcolm’s direction. She smiled strangely, like she had just been caught watching something naughty on television. John and Anne put down their papers at the same time, while I noticed Stanley was very interested in the ceiling. Nobody said a word.

“Come on!” continued Malcolm. “I can tell something happened. You all look like you’ve been struck dumb. Out with it.”

Everyone at the table, other than Johnny and me, began speaking at once.

“Hold on,” Malcolm growled. “One at a time! First things first. Stanley, if it’s at all possible, I would like a little hair of the dog.”

Before Stanley could comply, John Senior said, “Since we seem to have passed over breakfast, why don’t we move to the library and discuss it there. And, Stanley, a pitcher might be in order.”

Stanley gave a “Very good, sir,” while the rest of us made our way through the double doors to the drawing room. I was about to grab another piece of toast, but Bruni took my arm. She seemed a little shaky, so I quickly decided to leave it be, but with some reluctance. The happy memory of those little triangles with no crust would enter my mind at odd moments over the years and remind me of home. I pulled my attention off them and moved it onto Bruni, who was clinging to me.

I inquired politely as we made our way to the library if she was okay, but she simply nodded. Johnny walked beside us. He had a strange half smile on his face. I had seen that look before. It was our innocent look. We had practiced for hours and hours until we had the look just right. Obviously, he knew exactly what had happened last night. He was now trying to deflect suspicion away from himself to the best of his ability. Growing up in a hyperperceptive household meant overuse of the look could mark it as a tell, so we put it on only under dire circumstances. Whatever had we done? I wondered idly if it was possible to be held responsible for something one couldn’t remember doing. I could have asked Bruni on the legal view, but we had arrived at the library. Besides, I wasn’t sure she was in good enough shape to answer.

I loved this room. It always felt cozy and safe. This morning, in spite of the fineness of the weather, the curtains were closed and a fire burned in the grate. The room was a welcome sanctuary for those who had consumed too much the night before. We all took seats in a rough circle. Johnny was on my left and Bruni on my right.

Mr. Dodge said, “Malcolm, since you started this, why don’t you begin.”

“Well, ah…very well. The dinner was superb, and the wine, one of the best drops I can remember. I retired somewhat early for me, but I was looking forward to a good night’s sleep, having traveled all of yesterday. Around two or three, I awoke. I don’t know what precipitated that exactly. I felt a sense of unease. Something was not right. I lay there, my senses alert, when I heard what I thought was heavy breathing. Since I was the only one in the room and it was dark, I was disconcerted. So much so, I decided to remain where I was. I heard voices and then silence, followed by another voice that had a peculiar raspy quality, but I could not make sense of what it said. Then silence again, followed by a muffled thud. I tried to get back to sleep, but that was hopeless. I was wide awake. I put on my robe and opened the door to go downstairs for a nightcap. To my surprise, there was a dark man sitting in a chair at the end of the hall. He told me curtly to get back in my room. I had no idea what to make of it, but I did as I was told. Does anyone know who that was? I’m sure he wasn’t a figment of my imagination.”

At that point, Stanley wheeled in a cart with several tall glasses filled with ice, a large pitcher of Bloody Marys, and a small pitcher of consommé next to a bottle of vodka. “Hair of the dog, as requested: Bloody Marys and Bull Shots. Baroness, what may I offer you?”

Once we had all been served and Stanley was leaving, Mr. Dodge asked, “Stanley, do you happen to know why there was a gentleman sitting outside in the hallway last night?”

“It was Raymond, the chauffeur, sir. For protection.”

“I see. Thank you, Stanley.”

Stanley ghosted out.

“Do you always post a man outside in the hall at night?” asked the baron.

“Off and on, particularly when we have important guests such as yourselves in the house,” replied Mr. Dodge.

“Very good. No hanky-panky.” The baron chuckled.

Johnny and I looked at each other. Stanley was not taking any chances, which was a comforting thought.

“So, did you go back to sleep?” asked the baron of Malcolm.

“Well, I read for a bit, and then I must have slipped off. It was a strange night and seems to have been for others as well, am I not correct?”

“I slept like a baby,” said the baron. “How about you, Elsa?”

Elsa smiled and purred, “I had a most provocative dream. I was taken from behind by a beast. I never saw my penetrator.”

There were various sounds at this revelation. Johnny choked, and Bruni gave a quick intake of breath. The baron roared with laughter. Anne laughed as well and said, “Oh, Elsa, you’re just impossible.” John Senior smiled and shook his head. Apparently, this type of comment was typical of Elsa and expected by those who knew her well.

“A beast?” blurted Malcolm, who was not among that select group and had turned rather pink.

“Okay,” she said with her marvelous German accent, “a demon then. It was singularly fulfilling. I love sleeping in this house!”

At the word demon, I choked on my Bloody Mary as a host of images that had been missing from my memory of the night before came flooding back. Johnny and Bruni slapped me on the back. I coughed some more to cover my shock at my new awareness and croaked, “Bit of pepper…caught in my throat.”

I took my time recovering. No wonder Johnny looked the way he did. We seemed to have experienced a containment issue. Before I could begin to process this new insight and its implications, the baron asked me, “So, how about you? How was your night?”

“I had one of the best sleeps I can remember.” A statement that was actually true.

“And before that?”

“An extraordinary evening. Truly memorable.”

At that moment, I recalled there was more, much more. On that realization, I put on my best innocent face.

“Anyone else?”

John Senior and Anne looked at each other and held hands. Anne ventured to say, “John and I had a most…enjoyable evening. We did wake up in the night for no apparent reason. However, we eventually went back to sleep.”

Elsa gave them both a long look and then turned to Bruni, “And how about you, Brunhilde?”

Bruni colored but said in an even voice, “I don’t recall having woken in the middle of the night, but my dreams were troubled. I rarely remember them, but these were particularly vivid. I had several, which is unusual for me. I don’t give much credence to dreams in general, so I’ll leave it at that. I would feel uncomfortable relating them, but the fact that they occurred with such a life of their own was distinctly different from the norm.”

Malcolm nodded. “Thank you. And you, Johnny?”

“Well, I didn’t get much sleep last night, which in itself is unusual, so I suppose I would have to conclude it was a strange night all around. On another note, I would like to say that this Bloody Mary puts a better spin on things. How about we all toast to a new day and a fresh start?”

We hoisted our glasses in response.

Mr. Dodge concluded by saying, “Yes, and it’s a beautiful day outside. Take advantage of it, if you can. Lunch is at one. In the meanwhile, Anne and I have some household duties to attend to, so you’ll have to excuse us. Why don’t we all meet in the drawing room at twelve thirty? By the way, my mother, Mrs. Leland, should arrive sometime this afternoon, along with my half-sister, Bonnie. Hugo, what do you plan to do this morning?”

“I have some calls to make and some business matters to go over with Elsa and Brunhilde,” he said, looking at his wife and daughter and then back at his host. “Can we make ourselves at home here? I will have to get my briefcase.”

“Of course. You won’t be disturbed, but if you should need anything, the bell is to the left of the fireplace. Stanley will attend to you. How about you, Malcolm?”

“I will catch a few more winks upstairs lest my traveling catch up with me tonight, if you don’t mind.”

“Fair enough. Boys?”

Boys was a moniker I felt certain we would never outgrow when we were together in this house. Johnny answered for both of us. “We will be attending to Robert by taking him on a long walk.”

“That’s it then.”

We went our separate ways.