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The steward bowed "As you wish You will be taken to your roouests that you will join theoczy, and signaled to Rogier "I will oczy followed the steward into Ravensberg

The Schloss was in the grand tradition of a century ago, and the current Graf had done his utoczy stood in the entry-hall that was flanked by two curving staircases that served to fra into the Great Hall Two suits of armor stood on either side of the staircases, and an elaborate chandelier in brass and crystal hung fro; only four candles were lit at present, and small puddles of wax on the marble floor revealed that this was a customary courtesy

"The servants&039; stairs are in the back, and there is another interior staircase, as well" The steward pointed to the gallery where the stairs met "Edelfonsus will take you to your roo"Coe his clothes He will be in the Rose Room, if you will take hiles came from the Great Hall, and Hyacinthie rushed forward She was arrayed in a fashionable dress of fine-spun wool the color of lilacs, with a high neck decorated with a narrow lace ruff; froe of her dress depended a soczy she held out her hand and curtsied "Welcoain"

"Fraulein," said the steward,it as much a reprimand as a servant could

"Oh, I met the Comte in Amsterdam I need not stand on cereer Need I?" This last was directly to Ragoczy

Ragoczy kissed her hand "It is a pleasure to see you, Fraulein, and to wish you happy"

Aware that the servants atching, Hyacinthie ive up my life to another so soon," she said, and cast a oczy "Mutze disapproves of me, don&039;t you, Mutze?"

"It is not for me to say, Fraulein," the steward answered stiffly

"But you don&039;t approve of this reception, not while Rosalie is stillYou think we should have postponed the celebration, and so do I But ers at Edelfonsus "Well, coallery"

"I think it better that Edelfonsus take oczy "I undoubtedly need a clean shirt and another pair of boots I should i to relinquish him, Hyacinthie said, "At least you caier is with me, and a coachan to ascend the stairs

"Not that Your friend isn&039;t with you" The sh her eyes remained cold

"Ah She is with her children at Scharffensee and will join oczy

Hyacinthie resisted the urge to stamp her foot "So soon?" She turned away

"I expect so," said Ragoczy, stopping so Edelfonsus could pass him and lead the way to the Rose Room

"Will her children be with her?" She could not keep the anger completely out of her question, but the smile remained firoczy, wondering what the servants would ," Hyacinthie oczy "You may decide to enjoy yourself while you&039;re here, Co for Madaoczy said at his allery "I shall return directly"

Hyacinthie curtsied "I&039;ll be waiting"

Ragoczy said nothing uided him down the main corridor to another hallhere he pointed to the three doors away from the tall, narros

"The second room is yours The room beyond is for your manservant One of us will take you to the Graf when you have readied yourself"

"That is very good of you," said Ragoczy, handing the young man a silver coin "Will my manservant be up soon?"

"Fiveby the side-stairs-they&039;re the nearest"

"Are other roo toward the third door

"That is for yourcompanion Upon her arrival" Edelfonusus blushed and took a step back

"Danke," said Ragoczy, and went to the center door, trying the latch carefully before letting hiood size, with a neat fireplace taking up one corner The bed was large with elaborate hangings in the color that gave the room its name, with a broad stool beside it to help him climb up into it The carpet had a pattern of roses worked into it, the sas Elaborate sconces with oil-lamps flanked the bed, and on the opposite wall there were two more sconces on either side of a tallwall, which included a -seat and three mullioned s that provided the roooczy walked over to the s, rereat-coat, and looked out into the s hillside to the east, all the while wondering what to do about the mirror, for he cast no reflection in it

A tap at the door warned hireat-coat over the end of the bench and sat down in the eier, in the company of two footmen, came into the chamber, took swift stock of it, then directed the servants to put the bags doay fro, "You have done good service I will attend to ht now "

The two footmen hurried out of the roooczy rose and caestured to the mirror "Not that it is not very fine: it is But I would rather not look at it; it is too disconcerting"

"I have a sheet I can put over it" Like all proper , since many hostelries were not inclined to use the best bed-linens for their guests

"If you are asked about it, ill you say?" Ragoczy unbuttoned his coat and began to remove it

"Probably that you may ht dae the mirror Since it is unquestionably valuable, I have taken this precaution" His soczy, putting his coat on the bed and unfastening his cuffs "I should change these, too If you will get out a clean collar and cuffs, and the ruby cufflinks?"

Rogier had been unbuckling the straps on the largest trunk "It shouldn&039;t taketo find theoczy tossed his cuffs on top of his coat "The waistcoat see, I should think so I assu coat with the s-tail and the black-silk cravat?" Rogier asked as he pulled out the iteray un pumps" He unfastened his cravat and it, too, was added to the clothes on the bed As he reached for the discreetly frilled cuffs Rogier handed hireeted ier "The servants are abuzz about it"

"I will keep that in ier held out to him

By the tioczy was elegantly arrayed for the evening His appearance was all that could be wanted in good conificent ruby stick-pin in his lapel was restrained and in excellent taste His only other jewelry was his signet-ring marked with his eclipse device

True to her word, Hyacinthie aiting for hi stairways "One would never think you had been in a coach for days on end," she said in girlish approval "In Amsterdam, you were always turned out perfectly"

"Thank you, Fraulein That is very generous of you" He spoke quietly, aware that servants atching

Impulsively she reached out and took his arain Winter here is so dreary"

"Winter in Amsterda in off the North Sea"

"But A," she protested winsos to do Not like this place"

"Then you oczy as she escorted hi place"

"But to be married in order to achieve it," she said as if this was the first tiain omen must make" She sht another coach Mada her here" He slipped his arrasp as they neared the billiard rooht was a sht as she fell a step behind him; he should not have pulled away fro, but she decided he would pay for it, and pay a high price I will not be disregarded, she said to herself, and followed Ragoczy into the billiard roo to be introduced to the distinguished newcoistrate, of Yvoire, Swiss France, to Reinhart Olivier Kreuzbach, attorney at law, at Speicher, Rhenish Prussia; carried by er and delivered eleven days after it ritten

To the respected advocate R O Kreuzbach of Speicher, Rhenish Prussia, the greetings of the Magistrate E T Lindenblatt of Yvoire, Lake Geneva, Swiss France, as we are now designated on this, the 1stday of April, 1818

My dear advocate,

Pursuant to theyour client, Cooczy of this town, it isthe absence of the Co developion, to wit: that the two oczy while in the apparent act of robbing the estate, both have been identified One is Jiac Relout, a day-laborer fro, the other is Paulot Desarmes from Halle; his occupation is not known Each has said that the third en, another day-laborer fro, who has not yet been apprehended Both declare that they know nothing of the fourth man a few of the servants claim to have seen: I am inclined to think that the man is a product of confusion not observation

I have obtained sworn statements from each that they do not knoho on their own, and that they chose Ragoczy because his generosity suggested he had goods and livestock to spare Both swear that it was Paulot Desarements with the robbers so that they would not fear for their lives, for it has been the practice of the robbers to kill any known to be preying on the same travelers and estates that they consider to be within their domain That is the word they are purported to use: dohty men, and as ruthless as the barons of old Relout and Desarmes have requested the protection of the courts until the robbers are apprehended; they say they will not survive if they are released froht

At this point I would like to keep the guards at Chateau Ragoczy, not because I still have suspicions, but as an attempt to draw out those who help the robbers I am convinced that if I can lull these men into a state of sube of the court With the Coements, and unless you wish to protest my ploy, I will continue it, at least until such time as the Comte himself returns to advise , I feel it is to the benefit of everyone in the region to resolve this matter as quickly as possible; therefor I would be very e this subterfuge so that the worst crier to all of us finally ended

I look forward to your response and thank you for all assistance you can render in these difficult circuistrate, Yvoire, Lake Geneva

Swiss France