It is about a five-hour ride to Blassenheim. A groom accompanied me. I did not speak a word, made all sorts of speculations about my father's decisions and tried to visualize my future. I arrived sooner than I had expected.
The manor is a large, multiple building with a huge forecourt. Father's old majordomo, Jonas, greeted me at the gate.
“Mylord,” said the old man, “I have orders to hand over to you this entire castle and all that is in it, and I shall account for everything. And if you want to count me with the inventory, I will serve you for the rest of my life. I have grown old with your family and I would not like to leave now.”
“Well, my old man, in that case you are keeper of my household,” I said to him.
“I knew it! I knew it! The moment I saw mylord, I told myself, I can tell that the young Baron is going to keep me on. I knew it!”
“Please, show me to the stables.”
I found three beautiful riding horses, one of which was my light sorrel which had become my favorite since it had carried me to the beautiful Glossen.
I could go on and fill a book with the hundreds of thoughts and feelings that befell me, but I will not do it. I will leave it up to my readers to fantasize about my father's magnanimity.
“Tomorrow I expect guests, Jonas.”
“I know. I have ordered the baking and I will wake the cook and his helper very early in the morning.”
“The whole household is in perfect order?”
“Yes, as long as you want to stay here and then it is up to you whatever changes it pleases you to make. The cellar is very well stocked and I recommend myself for its supervision. Do you wish to order a bottle of burgundy or champagne?”
With every one of the old man's words I heard new proof of my father's goodness.
Soon it was ten o'clock in the evening and I was still sitting in my favorite little room, the one with the low ceiling, looking out over the flower gardens, when the old man returned and announced that there was a lady in a light carriage at the gate who had asked to see the keeper of the manor. He had rushed outside to meet her and the lady had acted very strangely, and finally ordered him to ask the Lord for quarters since she had been surprised by the sudden darkness. He had asked for her name and she had given it to him, but it sounded so strange and foreign that he had not been able to understand it correctly.
The carriage drove up in the courtyard and I told the old man that he should have shown her a room and kept me out of it. I was embarrassed and did not know what to do.
I went downstairs; the old man, holding two lights, walked ahead of me.
A lady, her face covered by a heavy veil, squeeked a never-ending stream of excuses, laced with complaints about the discomforts of travel, till my ears started to ring.
Excusing myself that I had not yet been installed long enough to properly accommodate a lady traveler, we followed the old man up the stairs. He led us into a room and left to make further preparations.
I became very embarrassed because the lady suddenly stopped talking and I had no idea what I was supposed to say.
The old man brought a bottle of wine and some pastry and left again.
“Would you, please… my dear lady… do you… please, make yourself comfortable.”
“My coachman will bring my things in…”
“I will make arrangements.”
The old man appeared with her coachman; they brought in a small travel locker, and left.
“It is unpleasant, terribly unpleasant, that the lout drove me in the wrong direction… my chambermaid…”
“If you will allow me, I would like to ask you to please feel at liberty telling me when I may expect the honor of wishing you a pleasant rest.”
“Oh, in about ten minutes, no more than ten minutes; it is already terribly late!”
Nobody was more pleasantly surprised than I. That voice had become so repulsive to me that I did not have the slightest desire to lift up that veil and see her face.
I added five minutes to the ten, and if it had been of any use I would gladly have added another five. Finally I reentered her room. There was only one light burning; she had taken the other one into the adjoining room.
I paced up And down. Suddenly something or somebody gave me quite a start by grabbing me from behind. I turned around quickly and gasped…
My beautiful Frau von Glossen in her rose-colored gown!
“This is a surprise. Right, my dear Baron?”
I embraced her.
“Angel! And you were able to distort your voice in such a repulsive way that I felt nothing but unpleasant emotions!”
“They must have disappeared by now.”
I was so overjoyed that I did not know where to start.
“I am so glad that you are pleased. But first, please, dear Baron, call your old man so he can see me and then tell him to get my chambermaid who is waiting outside at the gate, and have him show her where she can sleep, and… and… then we are alone.”
My dear Jonas entered. His mouth fell open, his hands clasped together and he almost called out, God protect us!
I informed him.
“I see, I see,” said the old rogue, “I'll put that girl to bed so she won't have any desire to listen at the door.”
The girl came in and was dismissed.
“But my dear, beautiful lady, what gives me the pleasure…”
“Here, read!”
She handed me a letter and I recognized my father's handwriting:
“If it pleases the beautiful Lady von Glossen to greet the young Baron Karl von H. as owner and resident of Blassenheim Castle and possessions, she will also find me there with a small party of intimate friends. His father is of the opinion, my dear and beautiful lady, that he has rendered a welcome service with this letter to you, as well as to his son.
W. C. von H.”
“The old fox has smelled us out. But you really do not mind that, do you, dear Baron?”
“I am so happy, I cannot find adequate words.”
I am glad to hear that, my dear boy. With a message like this one, how could I wait till tomorrow. I simply had to wish you the best of luck since surely no one more than I is overjoyed with your good fortune.”
She kissed me without stopping and I was delighted to look at this beautiful female and play with her marvelous bosom.
“Of course I would like to know everything that has happened since the last time we saw each other and I am dying to find out precisely what brought you this good fortune; but I promise to save my curiosity till tomorrow. Come, my good-looking young man, into your room and I promise you that I will do anything in my power to see to it that your first night in your own house will be a most memorable one.”
“Angel of love, what else could it be with your arms around me and my head resting between your beautiful breasts?”
She kissed the words off my lips.
It was the end of August and the nights were cool.
My old Jonas knew his job; a pleasant fire glowed in the fireplace of my bedroom. It was nice and warm; a fragrance filled the room.
I truly could not give a proper reason to you, dear reader, unless it was that my father's indulgence and my shattered nervous system caused me to experience every little excitement with triple force. I was sure that I had experienced every delight with my beautiful von Glossen at play, in embraces and with kisses. But I had never yet experienced the delights that were now in store for me. The feeling and the delight with which I touched her beautiful body, the tenderness with which I drank love's nectar from her lips, delight of delights when I pressed her against my body. It was not a fury of passion but a tenderness of quiet love which transported our spirits into a realm of joy.
We had undressed, laid down upon the cloud of our down mattress. Firmly embraced, lip upon lip, our very breath changed from mouth to mouth, and not a sound was uttered. We rested that way for a long time.