The Wandering Harlot (The Marie Series Book 1) Page 3

  Openmouthed, Master Matthis staggered to his feet and stared. “Of course I know him. He also worked for me. What’s the meaning of this, Utz? What is this all about?”

  The carriage driver sneered at him and laughed. “May God strike me dead if I’m not speaking the truth. I never would have said anything critical of Marie, but I know Counselor Rupert is a noble and excellent man, and I do not wish to see him rush blindly to his doom.” Utz glanced at the counselor, then looked back at Matthis. “I have slept with Marie several times myself. Moreover, I know a number of others who have slept with her and from whom she accepted money and trinkets in exchange.”

  Unobserved by the others, Utz Käffli poked Linhard in the ribs. Linhard swallowed, visibly shaken, then stepped to the table and raised his hand. “Excuse me, gentlemen, but my conscience . . .” He paused, took a deep breath, and spoke the following words so fast that those who heard him were stunned for a moment before realizing what he had said.

  “I have also slept with my master’s daughter!”

  It became so still in the room that one could have heard a pin drop.

  “Linhard?! You . . . you rotten scoundrel!” Master Matthis turned red and gasped for air, as if his collar were choking him. This just can’t be, he thought frantically. Marie behaved like an angel and never showed interest in men. A pounding, searing pain coursed through his head. “How dare you both. These are lies, nothing but lies!” Master Matthis exploded in a fit of rage, and tried to grab the carriage driver by the throat.

  The carriage driver stood up a bit straighter. “They are not lies, Schärer. I can prove what I say. The last time we were together, I gave her a mother-of-pearl butterfly.”

  Master Matthis sneered at him. “My daughter has no such jewelry.”

  “We will see.” Rupert beckoned to Master Jörg and Master Gero. “Gentlemen, I suggest we go to Marie’s room and look. If she should have a piece of mother-of-pearl jewelry in the shape of a butterfly, that would prove her guilt.”

  At Utz’s command, the secretary fetched a tallow lamp and lit it over one of the candles. Master Jörg took the lamp from him and pointed in the direction of Marie’s room. They stopped in front of her door and knocked. “Open the door, child. Your father wishes to speak with you.”

  Moments later Marie peered out sleepily, clad only in a thin nightshirt. “What has happened, Father?”

  “Marie, there are serious accusations against you,” said the linen weaver, answering for Matthis. “Some men here assert that you are no longer a virgin but have given yourself to the evils of the flesh.”

  Marie folded her arms over her breasts, for she was ashamed to be standing in front of the men so scantily dressed. “I swear by the Holy Virgin it is not true!” Marie looked at her father with pleading eyes, but Master Matthis ignored her, leaning against the wall and staring at the floor as if ashamed of his daughter.

  “Father, why are you turning away from me? Do you really believe I did such a dreadful thing?” Marie tried to run to his side, but the counselor blocked her way and pushed her to the other corner of the hall. Then he pointed at her room. “We will soon have the proof. Meister Jörg, Master Gero, you are neither witnesses nor accused, and I ask you therefore to search the room.”

  Shocked, Marie didn’t dare move as the two craftsmen entered the room and started searching her bed, the shelves, and her chest. Suddenly Master Jörg raised his hand with a shout. A white mother-of-pearl butterfly sparkled between his fingers. “Here’s the piece of jewelry! Utz Käffli spoke the truth.”

  Marie staggered forward and stared at the butterfly. “But it doesn’t belong to me. I have never seen it before.”

  Rupert pulled her back. “Denying it won’t help you now. You received this piece of jewelry from Utz Käffli for bestowing your favors on him.”

  “I swear that I never had an affair with that man!” Marie reeled in confusion at the unfolding scene.

  Master Gero pushed Linhard forward from his hiding place in a corner into the lantern’s circle of light. “Your father’s secretary also confessed that he lay with you.”

  Trying to hold back her tears, Marie put her hands to her face. “But none of that is true! In the name of Jesus Christ and all the saints, I am still a virgin.”

  “Denial won’t help you now! You besmirched my honor, and I insist on a trial in order to establish the gravity of your sin!” The counselor turned his back to Marie as if he couldn’t bear the sight of her, and he pointed at Master Matthis.

  “In accordance with the laws of the holy church and the kaiser, a woman accused of fornication is not allowed to reside with honorable people. Your daughter must spend the rest of the night in the dungeon. Master Gero, please call the steward of the castle and his bailiffs to take this fallen woman away.”

  The harsh words of the counselor broke the silence that had been spreading in Master Matthis’s head, and he began howling like a wounded animal. “No! No! This is my house! I won’t allow you to take my daughter away.”

  “Do you intend to disobey the law of the kaiser?” Although Rupert’s voice had not become any louder, those standing around him winced as if being lashed by a whip.

  Mombert Flühi attempted to mediate. “Moderate your anger, Counselor Rupert, and let us discuss the matter. I have known Marie her whole life and cannot imagine she would become a woman of loose morals without any of us noticing.”

  Rupert’s face remained as frozen as a mask. “I will let the court judge.”

  Mombert wasn’t ready to give up. “But if this is all a mistake . . . if Marie is indeed still a virgin . . .”

  “I will have her examined by an honorable matron tomorrow morning, and if she is still a virgin, the carriage driver and the secretary will be cast into the dungeon as slanderers while I will have a glorious celebration of my marriage to Marie.”

  “We cannot object to that,” Master Jörg affirmed. “Counselor Rupert is a man familiar with the laws and knows what should be done.”

  “Father! No! You mustn’t allow them to take me away. Do you really think I am as evil as these liars assert?” Marie seemed to be struggling for air.

  She didn’t understand the turn her fate had taken. She desperately sought help from her father, but he just kept staring at the floor while mumbling something incomprehensible. Counselor Rupert seemed to take pleasure in damning her. Marie wondered in despair why he believed the statements of the two men more than he did her own.

  She looked at her two accusers. Linhard turned his head away at once, but Utz grinned and ran his tongue back and forth between his broken teeth. The man frightened her, and Marie quickly turned away.

  Master Gero returned almost at once with Hunold, one of the city bailiffs. Hunold stood more than a head taller than the men around him. His arms were bigger than the thigh of an ordinary man, and his abdominal muscles were as thick as ropes. He grinned broadly, seemingly enjoying the situation, and bowed to Counselor Rupert.

  “Always at your service, sir.”

  “Carry this woman to the dungeon. I’ll see to it that she is charged tomorrow.”

  Hunold glanced lustfully at Marie, then took a rope from his belt, tied Marie’s arms behind her back, and pushed her toward the stairs. As he squeezed past her father, Master Matthis raised his head as if awakening from a bad dream and reached out to the bailiff.

  “Take care of my daughter and see she has everything she needs. I’ll repay you handsomely for that.”

  Hunold’s gaze, however, wandered from the owner of the house to the counselor, whom he looked at questioningly. Rupert Splendidus nodded crossly and gestured vigorously for the bailiff to take the girl away, then descended the stairs. Stopping in the entryway below, he looked up at Matthis Schärer who was leaning on the railing and gasping. “You will understand that I can no longer be your guest. We shall see each other again tomorrow i
n court.”

  Master Matthis uttered a few incomprehensible sounds before his voice became clearer. “Go! Get out as fast as you can. And don’t forget to take with you the swine who sullied my house, or I’ll lose control of myself and throttle them.”

  He staggered toward Linhard who was still leaning on the wall, exhausted. At that moment Linhard sprang back to life, ran down the stairs as if the devil were after him, tore open the door, and disappeared into the dark night.

  Rupert followed him at a leisurely pace. At the courtyard entrance, he reached for the lantern he had set there but didn’t light it until he was outside in the street. Looking around, he saw Utz appear at the next corner, pulling Linhard after him.

  An evil smile played around Rupert’s mouth as he asked, “You know what you have to do now?”

  Utz laughed. “We’ll take care of everything, just as you wish, but first I’ll have to convince this coward that he has to play along.”

  Rupert glared at Linhard. “Are you going to back out? Don’t forget it was you who hid the butterfly in the girl’s room. If you cross us, I’ll have you broken on the wheel for perjury, fraud against your employer, and a few other crimes.”

  Linhard was visibly shaken and raised his hands, pleading. “No, sir.”

  “Then do what Utz tells you. Now go! I’ll see you tomorrow in court.”

  The counselor turned around and walked off without saying good-bye. Utz lit a pine chip, held it up in his left hand, and with the other hand pushed the secretary toward the shore of the Rhine.

  IV.

  Marie felt as if she were a ghost hovering outside her body and looking down in disbelief at what was happening. Was she really being dragged and pushed through the dark streets, barefoot and in a thin nightshirt? This could not be happening.

  Clenching her teeth, she prayed softly that she would wake up and find herself back in her own bed, but no Baby Jesus or saint came to her aid. At first she was relieved when Hunold pushed her to the floor in the tower dungeon and bound her arms in an iron ring, for she thought the nightmare had come to an end. Surely she was about to wake up in bed, cuddled in her warm quilt and thinking of something to dispel the terrible dream.

  Time passed, though, and all she could feel was the damp cold creeping in from the hard-packed dirt floor, and all she could see was an impenetrable darkness without any moonlight. She slowly began to understand this was not a nightmare and that she really had been accused of immoral behavior. Since the rope around her wrists bound her to the ground, she pulled her legs up, put her head on her knees, and tried to pray, but her words were drowned out by her violent sobs.

  Over and over she asked herself why the two men had lied. She had rarely had contact with the secretary, since he was usually caught up in business matters and was often traveling. Had the carriage driver thought all this up in order to humiliate her? But the two men knew they would have to swear to their assertions before a cross and a judge.

  Thinking about what would happen the next day, Marie felt reassured. A matron would examine her in the morning and determine Marie was indeed a virgin. Linhard and Utz would be revealed as slanderers in court, and Marie would be exonerated.

  Once she had convinced herself that she was not in danger after all, Marie wondered why Counselor Rupert had been so quick to believe the two men’s assertions. Did he regret signing the marriage contract, and was now happy to have found this way to withdraw his offer? Or was he just stunned by the sudden accusations? No doubt he now realized his hasty reaction would lose him a fortune, and he would want the truth to come to light. It was in his own interest to help her now.

  Just then, Marie heard someone sliding the bolt aside and inserting a key in the lock. It was her father and her fiancé coming to get her! So this was all just a cruel prank or horrible misunderstanding. The key turned very slowly, almost silently, and the door opened without a sound. Outside someone was whispering, and a light appeared as if several torches had been lit.

  Marie looked expectantly toward the door. To her disappointment, Hunold appeared in the opening, grinning and holding a torch. Turning around, he pulled Linhard forward and gave him a shove that sent him stumbling across the room. The secretary’s face was twisted in a terrified grimace. The bailiff stepped aside and Utz entered. The carriage driver placed his torch in a ring, looking at Marie as if he wanted to devour her with his eyes. Feeling ill, Marie turned away as Hunold closed the door, locking it behind him. Then he placed the torch over Marie’s head.

  Marie was frozen with fear and sat up as far as her fetters permitted. “What do you want from me?”

  Hunold bent over as if to grab her, but the carriage driver pushed him aside and looked Marie in the face. “You don’t want Linhard and me to commit perjury tomorrow in court, do you?”

  Marie crawled back toward the wall. “I don’t understand . . .”

  “Don’t worry, you will in a moment.” Utz forced Marie onto her back. Then Hunold walked over to Marie and ripped her nightshirt off as far up as her neck. At that moment Marie began to scream. “No! No! For the Mother of God and all the saints, you cannot do that! You are violating God’s commandments.”

  Utz and Hunold nudged each other and doubled over with laughter. While the bailiff was still holding his belly, the carriage driver pointed up at a small opening just below the ceiling, warning Hunold against making so much noise. Then he stooped, slapped Marie in the face, and stuffed a dirty rag into her mouth so that now she could only whimper.

  Still laughing, Hunold jumped on Marie.

  Her world seemed to fall to pieces. Silently she called on God and all the saints. Why are you allowing this? she asked, What have I done that you are punishing me like this?

  Hunold finished, rolling off her, and Marie doubled up, overcome by a wave of nausea before Utz forced himself on her. Afterward, her whole body was wracked with pain. The world around her seemed to have been transformed into a pitching and rolling ship, and all she wanted was for the surrounding ocean to open up and devour her. Through a veil of tears she could see Utz and the bailiff walking toward Linhard, who was holding on to the door and trembling all over.

  “Now it’s your turn,” they told him.

  When the secretary said nothing, Hunold grabbed him and forced him toward Marie.

  “I don’t know . . . I can’t . . .” Linhard stammered.

  “Are you going to perjure yourself tomorrow, or back out and betray us? Either you go along with us, or your corpse will be floating down the Rhine tonight.”

  Utz kicked him so hard, he fell down on top of the girl.

  Marie struggled to catch her breath and tried to push Linhard away, but Utz placed his foot down so hard on her right leg that she thought the bone would break. Marie’s feelings suddenly transformed. Just a moment ago she had been awash in a sea of despair, but now rage built up within her and she felt pure hatred for the first time in her life. The carriage driver and the bailiff were crude, conscienceless characters, but the secretary had served in her father’s house for many years and was something like a member of the family. His betrayal hurt her so deeply that if she could, she would have torn him to shreds with her bare hands. At the same time, she wished she were dead.

  Linhard stood up, turning his back to her as he buttoned up his trousers. Utz spat on the floor, ignoring Marie. “We’re done here. What do you say we go to Guntram Adler’s and share a tankard of beer?”

  “Yes, but at your expense. The little secretary looks like he could use a stiff drink.” Hunold opened the door, pushed Linhard outside, and waited until Utz had walked past him with the torches. Then he pulled the door closed and locked it carefully.

  Inside, it was once more as quiet and dark as the grave. Marie could feel the cold creeping into her body, more so than before, but not enough to soothe the burning inside her. She struggled to sit up, laid her head on her fe
ttered hands, and pulled her knees up to her chest to make the pain easier to bear.

  She wondered anxiously what would happen now. People wouldn’t ask if she had been violated, but they would instead issue blame and speak ill of her. Even if her father offered her weight in gold, no honorable man would seek her hand in marriage, not even a poor fellow like Michel. The best her father could do would be to marry her to some drunk like the sheepshearer Anselm, for whom the wine he could buy with her dowry would be more important than her virginity and reputation.

  Marie kept thinking about the men who had first slandered her, then destroyed her life so brutally. She no longer asked why, but, almost choking on her hatred, she yearned to see the three men punished, whipped, and then driven out of town amidst shouts and jeers. Impatiently she waited for the morning to come when she would be examined by an old woman from Constance and the truth would come to light. She tried to seek solace from the Holy Virgin and the saints in order to escape the madness that had come over her. But her anger choked every prayer on her lips.

  V.

  The first rays of dawn shone through the window bars of her cell when she heard a key turn in the lock and the bolt slide back. When a powerfully built older woman entered, Marie began to cry with relief. It was the widow Euphemia who lived three doors away from them and had known Marie since birth.

  The woman placed her torch in the ring above Marie’s head, put her hands on her hips, and looked down at the figure lying at her feet. Without saying a word, she bent down, seized Marie’s legs, and pulled her forward. Marie stiffened instinctively as the widow inspected her, then stood up with a cruel laugh. “Now you see what you get when a girl grows up without a mother.”

  Marie panted between clenched teeth. “Utz the carriage driver, Hunold the bailiff, and Linhard our secretary, came to the dungeon and violated me. Euphemia, you can see how much I was hurt. I was still a virgin until the men attacked me. You must testify to that in court.”