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"But what a your guards with you," Balduin protested as he watched Ragoczy load the last of his cases onto his older traveling coach, stowing them on the shelf behind his seat and buckle theuards are needed here, as the Magistrate and I have agreed He has known of reed that it is satisfactory that I go, so long as I employ his coachood reason now to suppose that the robbers are getting no help froree of tolerance in uard, so," Balduin said with unaccustoistrate knows better He expects us back in five weeks, weather perone e of explanation, if it is not on account of weather He will know about bad weather" He gestured to Guion Charget, the Magistrate&039;s coach the harness on the four red-roan Ardennais cold-bloods "Hochvall is in no condition to take this journey, and so the arrangeistrate had not provided his" He got out of the coach and began to walk around it, ht and a little fog rising a hands-breadth above the slushin the air
"And you&039;re taking just the one coach?" Balduin frowned, searching for factors that ht require a delayed departure "Didn&039;t Herr Einlass inform you that he had another coach available?"
"He did, but I have already got two coaches on the road with Hero, which means three of them will return, and a dozen horses I have only one more coach and one more four-horse team in the stable, and I would not like to have to risk all my coach-horses for travel inter still upon us Youour absence This way you will have a vehicle and a teareat-coat cut in the Hungarian fashion, its broad collar concealing the stiffness in his shoulder; his clothes beneath were also Hungarian in style "You have my instructions, authorizations, and ier and I, Hildebrand, and Herr Charget should be sufficient to make this journey"
"Dietbold could also be spared With you away, it isn&039;t always easy to keep the footoczy, checking the straps on the boot of the coach "If Dietbold beco furniture"
Balduin sighed, his breath fogging before his face "If only I could convince you that there are good reasons to remain here another week at least"
"There may be excellent reasons, but the invitation is specific, and we are expected at Ravensberg by the twenty-ninth of March, and that gives us just fourteen days to get there," said Ragoczy "You will discover I have addressed most of your concerns in my instructions: very little is different than ent to Amsterdam last summer"
"But the roads were open in suer"
"And ere set upon by highwaylanced up at the pale clouds sht"
"But probably not until tooczy, "and with luck, we should be at least fifteen leagues along the road"
"A pity you don&039;t know Charget better," said Balduin, istrate vouches for himent" He continued around to the side of the coach and opened the door "Two fur rugs, a basket of brandy and cheese" These would be for Charget and Hildebrand, but there was no reason Balduin should know that "A box of books Trunks in the boot, and the presents for our host and for his niece, as a betrothal gift We are expected at the Old Wagon in Saint-Gingolph tonight, and so we olph and not all the road is cooczy&039;s reier, dressed for their journey, ca a leather-bound chest in his arms "Your medicaments," he explained as he prepared to clioczy, opening the door and letting down the steps "We should be back in five weeks to accommodate Lindenblatt If there is a delay, ill be sent Do not fret, Balduin The tiier took his place on the seat facing backward "Hildebrand is finishing his cream-roll; he will be out within five oczy asked
"It is," said Rogier, sketching a salute toward Balduin as Ragoczy climbed in beside him, flipped up the steps and shut the door
"I shall one, a full record of everything You and the Magistrate arded the coach balefully
"I thank you for that, and I wish you a pleasant end of winter Let us hope the last of the snow falls in March, not April, or May" Ragoczy gave a slight inclination of his head
Balduin returned the noddefeat "May you travel swiftly and safely to your destination, and return without incident" He stepped back and watched as Charget, wrapped in his coachman&039;s cloak and swathed to the eyes in mufflers, his broadbrimmed fur-lined hat crammed down on his head, came to the side of the coach and climbed up to the box at the veryon his hat as he ran for the footman&039;s perch at the back of the coach; he hauled hi thee-horses were fresh and theytheir way down the drive steadily, their harness jingling in the crispair, the sound of their hooves on the frozen road steady and firate, Jervois, who had run down fro his excite back and the coach went on through, the wheels leaving deep grooves in the thinuntil the bend in the road carried the coach out of sight and along the road to Yvoire
"In the suh Sorbeny to Montriond"
Rogier looked out theof the coach at the high peaks "But now they are all filled up with snow, and perilous It would take days to get there, if we could e it at all The horses would be worn out, and the coach would probably need neheels" He threw one of the fur rugs over his lap and knees, holding one out to Ragoczy, which he declined with a single gesture "Do you think, when the Allies withdraw froion to the French, or do you think the Sill keep it?"
"That will depend on how the withdrawal goes," Ragoczy said, taking note of the places the road needed repair "If there is no hostility, then I assuood portion of it"
"That ed to oczy
Rogier accepted this as an invitation to silence; he slipped his ar and prepared to nap as the coach howled along to Yvoire, stopping only briefly at the Town Hall to hand over a bond to Magistrate Lindenblatt&039;s secretary against Ragoczy&039;s return from Austria, assurance of the Comte&039;s swift return A receipt was prepared and notarized, and then the coach was on its way again, going east along the shore of Lake Geneva toward the village of Saint-Gingolph
The next day brought them to Riddes a little after dark; it took detere oczy and his servants were allowed to stop for the night at the Stag and Ra inns in the town
"We will need to go a shorter distance tooczy&039;s personal cases "In this weather, the toill close their gates at sunset"
"Yes; they will," said Ragoczy "And the horses are getting tired"
"Then a day of rest here et and Hildebrand are showing signs of inner chill," Rogier observed
"The weather is changing, and not for the better," Ragoczy said "By toier unrolled a thin mattress atop the hostelry&039;s bed; it was filled with a thin layer of Ragoczy&039;s native earth "Do you think it will last long?"
"The storoczy "I think we had better plan to re I have no wish to be caught on the road in a snowfall This is not a good stretch of road on which to be stranded: there are too ier "They would not find us until May"
Ragoczy reached for the small portfolio that held his maps "We will need to determine which of the passes are open and then decide which road is best"
Rogier saw that Ragoczy held his right ar it "How is your shoulder?"
"A little sore," Ragoczy ad"
"But you don&039;t," said Rogier in a blend of syoczy with a faint smile
"I&039;ier directly "You do not often reveal when you hurt, so it would see still," Ragoczy said
"So a day of light activity is welcoested
"For all of us The horses could use a thorough groo-I will attend to that tomorrow We et and Hildebrand will have soencies of travel for ht In thehe waited until his coachman and footman had breakfasted, then descended to the ht and the oczy went off to the stable to take care of the Ardennais tea around their hooves and retying the neat, braided knots in their black oczy went back to his rooes, beer, cheese, and a crock of preserved quinces
"I&039;ll arrange for fresh bread in the ier announced as he stowed the comestibles in the ha of the journey Their shoes are holding, their legs are in good shape Their travel-coats are clean, their harness is cleaned and oiled I&039;ve paid for extra grain for the his arm to exercise his shoulder "It will be another th back"
"And six ier wisely
"Very likely," said Ragoczy
The nextthey left Riddes at the back end of a stor eastward The road was three inches deep in snow-not so deep that the old berms on either side of it were lost in drifts, but sufficient to ht leagues, arriving at Unterleuk as the two church-bells of the town tolled the Angelus The next day they covered nine leagues, and the day after, ten News of an avalanche held theet decided which road to take into Austria, and as soon as as brought that the avalanche had been cleared enough for traffic toat Ravensberg thirteen days after they left Chateau Ragoczy The sun was producing a watery shine through a fil better weather ahead
"Very good ti all the factors; we have a day to spare," said Ragoczy as he cli courtyard shortly before three in the afternoon; he handed two gold coins to Charget and one to Hildebrand, saying to the young footive you an oint"
"Danke, Coet unwound his heaviest rooms hurried out from the stable "Be sure you check the on-side wheeler His hock is a little stiff, I fear"
"I have a poultice for that," Ragoczy told his borrowed coachet "He&039;ll need it"
"That&039;s Grenadier," said Hildebrand "His harness-partner is Hussar"
"And the leaders are Dragoon and Fusilier," said Ragoczy,out a few of their cases and baskets
Three footon for baggage They carooms unhooked the team and led them away to the stable
"I&039;ll coroorooms called back
Behind the footnified in his oczy a bow "On behalf of the Graf von Ravensberg, you areit was expected
"Five other guests are here before you If you will accompany me, the servants and your s" It was rude to stare directly at a noble guest, so the steward directed his gaze over Ragoczy&039;s left shoulder "They are assembled in the billiard-roooczy "But I will need twenty e clothes I would not want to expose von Ravensberg and his guests to all the grime of the road"