After travelling for a day and a half, with an unrestful
night at an inn, Anne-Christine van den Weezebeecke stood at
the entrance of Castle van den Weezebeecke. It was almost dark
and she saw the candle-lanterns, of the coach that had brought
her here, dissolve in the dusk.
She stood for a while, taking in the atmosphere that she
had known from her childhood but which she had lost when
forced to leave the Castle.
She didn't stay long though for, when the clouds dispersed
revealing the shining moon, she could clearly see the lane
with the double rows of chestnut trees. A thousand memories
raced through her head as she reached the Castle itself.
Here her attention was attracted to a notice nailed on the
front door. It was about an auction due to take place very
soon. As it was nearly dark, the only thing she could read was
the date on which the Castle was to be sold.
"The 26th, at nine o'clock in the morning," she said.
"That's the day after tomorrow. I must hurry".
From her basket she took out the large key which she had
constantly kept with her. The door opened without any problem
and Anne-Christine entered the Castle where her parents had
tragically died.
It took her a long time to light an old tinderbox. With a
simple candle in her hand, she walked through the rooms and
saw that most of the furniture had disappeared.
"Father must have sold it to pay his debts," she thought,
for she didn't feel that this emptiness was caused by
burglary. Luckily, the furniture she loved most, was still
there, as was the every day crockery in the kitchen.
In her father's study, his chair stood behind the desk, as
if he had left the room for a few moments. The desk was
covered with official papers, probably debentures and
claims.
"Could this have been the place where he died?" wondered
Anne-Christine, "here amid his debts?
She sat in the chair and began reading the first document
with concentration. After this, she took the second. When she
had read it, she left the desk and entered the living room,
taking her basket containing her clothes. She added some candles that she found, as
usual, in the upper drawer of the cupboard.
When she returned to her fathers study, she draped a shawl over her shoulders to keep
warm. She worked meticulously through the papers, one by one, while making
notes.
When the work was finished and the last candle flickered, nearly burning out, she
hurried to the first floor, where she found her chamber unchanged. She put the candle on
the chest, dropped on her bed and immediately fell into a deep sleep.
Anne-Christine awoke the next morning fully dressed and stiff. Nevertheless, she felt
that the rest had done her good. First she took a cold bath and then searched in her
wardrobe for new clothes.
"It looks like everything is still here," she said to herself feeling relieved. She chose a
dress that she loved to wear. She put a few guineas into the purse on her broad belt and
went out to see if she could buy some food at the house of the retired steward Ruyters.
She didn't even know if he still lived in the keeper's cottage.
A short walk brought her to the little house. From a distance, she could see the
chimney smoking and this eased her mind. She knocked on the side door, like she used to do when her parents sent her to deliver a message or fetch a hunting bag.
Steward Ruyters himself opened the door. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw
the daughter of his former master standing directly before him.
"Miss Anne-Christine, what a surprise!" was the only thing he could say and, as soon
as he realised it was really her, he invited her in.
"It has been a long time, Miss, and a lot of things have happened since our last
meeting," he said pulling a chair from under the table.
"Thank you, Ruyters," answered Anne-Christine as she took her seat. "I don't have
much time, for tomorrow the Castle will be sold. But I've come here to eat something,
for I had my last meal yesterday morning at an inn. I have some money to pay
you."
"Over my dead body, Miss," said the old steward. "It pleases me so much just to see
you here and I have bread and cold beef for you. I can make you hot soup too, if you
prefer."
"Anything will serve well at this moment," said Anne-Christine.
"I am so happy to see you again, Miss," repeated Ruyters sincerely. "This auction is
hanging above my head like Damocles' sword. You know how many years I've lived
here; old people are like old trees that one must not try to replace."
"I know, Ruyters. I've returned to try and prevent this auction, but it won't be easy.
Yesterday I went through all my fathers bills and the impression I got isn't very
rosy."
Despite Anne-Christine's carefully-chosen words, the old steward couldn't suppress
fresh hope.
"You mean it's not certain that the auction will take place?" he asked, while serving
Anne her bread and beef.
"We can only hope," said Anne-Christine, lifting her fork, "but to succeed, I have to
know everything that has happened recently."
The steward nodded understandingly. "You have become a real lady, Miss", he said,
"A real Lady of the Castle".
"Oh, but I am. The Castle is still mine, at least for this day. But please, Ruyters, do
tell me all you know," she said.
"Your father was a good man," he began, "but playing cards became an unbearable
burden upon his shoulders. He used to play with the notables of Weezebeecke village: the
doctor, the mayor and the solicitor. The combination of alcohol and gambling made him
lose fortunes. The money he raised by selling the furniture wasn't sufficient to pay his
debts, so now the Castle itself will have to be sold. It is said that even then unpaid bills
will remain. That will make it particularly difficult for you to buy the Castle at the public
auction tomorrow. They say there is only one debtor. He has already obtained possession
of most of the debentures, but he also bought all the others, in order to obtain the title
'Lord van den Weezebeecke'. He will probably bid higher than anyone else for, as the
sole debtor, he can only fill his own pocket. Furthermore, a consul of a foreign monarch
seems to have visited the notary, but I can only guess what he may have discussed. The
notary is as silent as the grave, just as notaries have to be. Not so many bidders are
expected to attend the auction tomorrow. No commoner could ever think of purchasing a
Castle like Weezebeecke. There may be some spectators, but only a few serious bidders
are expected."
"Do you have any idea who this sole debtor is?" asked Anne-Christine between two
mouthfuls.
"That is only known by the bailiff who will lead the auction tomorrow. It will undoubtly be one of your father's partners at cards, of whom the doctor was the most
experienced," Ruyters answered. "Would you care for another cup of coffee,
Miss?".
"Oh, yes please, Ruyters," Anne-Christine said. "It is very complicated and I must
decide as to which of these noble gentlemen can be trusted to save the Castle. I don't
think that anyone deserves to obtain a castle without working for it, and especially not by
just playing a game. Perhaps I have enough money to buy the Castle myself, but still I
think it is unfair that the winner takes all, while my father died in sorrow. That is not
what you call friendship. After all it was the claims that killed my father. I discovered
that very easily by studying the papers last night. But... would you be so kind as to help
me, Ruyters?"
"Up to the limit of my strength, Miss," said the old man.
"Could you deliver a letter to the notary? I would like to ask him to visit me today, if
possible," said the young Lady of the Castle.
"If that is a contribution to the preservation of the Castle, then I'll be most willing to
do it, Miss," said Ruyters serving Anne-Christine another cup of coffee.
Anne-Christine spent the rest of the day arranging the Castle and straightening out the
chaotic administration of both her late father and her mother, who had died soon
afterwards. For the occasion she was dressed in her servant outfit again.
In the middle of the afternoon, Ruyters came to tell her that the notary would arrive at
9 o'clock that evening.
Anne-Christine continued working until she heard the bell of the front door ring. The
notary saw her, dressed like a maid.
"Please do take a seat Sir. The lady will see you soon," she said with a smile, for she
didn't know if the notary had recognised her.
When the notary sat down, Anne-Christine hurried to the first floor to re-dress as a
lady. After a short while, she could greet the notary for the second time. He could not
suppress a cry of amazement.
"You can put your hand to anything Miss, but for what reason did you send for me?"
he asked.
"Within 12 hours the Castle will be sold and I wanted to know what may be due to
me," she said straightforwardly.
"Unfortunately, there is not much due to you," the notary said. "If the Castle is sold,
the money will be used to redeem the debts. The buyer is allowed to call himself Lord
van den Weezebeecke. You may keep your name, but it will not be a title as it is now.
You will most probably have to leave the Castle and take only some personal necessities
with you."
These words made Anne-Christine shiver, but she tried not to show her
feelings.
"What are the possibilities left to me?" she then asked the notary.
"To prevent the auction taking place is not possible, Miss Anne. The auction was made
public weeks ago by the bailiff. Besides that, you will have to outbid the sole debtor who
will bid to amounts much higher than the real value of the premises, because his claims
surpass the value of the Castle and all that is left. While other bidders will only provide a
sum to the value of the Castle, the debtor can bid up to the total amount of all his claims
without losing any money. I am afraid I have to disappoint you. And what's more, I was
contacted by a consul of the Grand Duke of Transsyldavia. He seemed to be very
interested in hearing the price of the Castle and the total amount of your father's debts. Well, if sovereigns start to bid, then there is no place under the sun for even the
wealthiest person in Weezebeecke."
"You are being very open and honest with me, sir, by telling me all this. But perhaps
you could give me the name of this debtor, to enable me to try and persuade him not to
use his power this way. You may know that nights are the best times for these kinds of
activities," stated Anne-Christine.
The notary had to think for a moment.
"Confessions of guilt are negotiable, and I know they haven't left the village of
Weezebeecke so far. But I have to stick to my professional oath and not tell you about the
ownership of these claims. However, the number of candidates can easily be counted on
the fingers of one hand. I know these gentlemen quite well and it seems to me that I have
to disappoint you by telling you that the chance of doing business during this last night is
very slim. Maybe I understand your intentions. You may want to make an arrangement
under romantic circumstances tonight, an arrangement under which you will remain Lady
van den Weezebeecke. But I have to be honest with you, Miss. Your father's gambling
friends are old and your youth will not impress them as much as it would have done some
decades ago. There will not be much chance of a place as Lady of the Castle. But if you
wish, perhaps I could put in a good word for you so that you may remain in the Castle
after the auction. In the worst case, it may be just as a servant."
"Well, that would at least be something. I will have to work anyway. If it isn't here, it
will be somewhere else. How can I thank you, sir?" asked Anne-Chistine.
"I shall tell you. It is my desire to attend the auction tomorrow morning and perhaps
you will allow me to spend this night in bed with you," he replied bluntly.
Anne-Christine wasn't quite prepared for the way in which the conversation was
developping.
"Tonight is my last night as Lady of the Castle. It is not my wish to keep you away
from your pleasure, sir, but will you allow me to spend the first half of the night alone,
as Lady van den Weezebeecke? I shall put you to bed in the maid's chamber and halfway
through the night I shall come to you. You know that a Lady isn't permitted to do the
kind of things a servant may do once in a while."
The notary was very pleased with this solution. "You were very attractive as a maid
and so half a night is sufficient" he said with a smile. "Where can I find my
bedroom?"
"The servants slept in the former vaults, where it is now very comfortable. I won't put
you on bread and water," she added jocularly. "I'll show you the way immediately, for
my day has been long and busy. Tomorrow will be a day full of tension and I am afraid
that even tonight you will not allow me to have all the rest I need."
"Quite right, miss," the notary confirmed. "Even at my age, which is perhaps
somewhat older than yours, I am in good shape, physically and spiritually. Two things
that go together, in my opinion. Sorrows induce haedaches, I used to say. Luckily,
nowadays headaches are far from me," he said in a good-humoured voice. "But I am truly
sorry that I cannot help you solve your problems in a better way."
The notary let himself be guided by Anne-Christine to one of the little maid's
chambers and on arrival approved of the simple but clean upholstery.
"The bed is a bit on the narrow side, but I don't mind, because that will make you lay
very close to me after a few hours," he said.
"That also seems inevitable to me", admitted Anne-Christine, looking at the bed,
"However, I have to go now. May I wish you a very pleasant first part of the night," she
added naughtily. She then shut the door and carefully closed the three big locks on the outside. After that, she hurried to her bedroom where she jumped straight into her bed in
order to regain as much strength as possible for the thrilling hours ahaed.
Late in the morning she awoke, startled.
"I overslept and the auction may start at any moment", she realised, and she was
right.
Within a quarter of an hour, the bailiff was ringing at the front door. Anne-Christine
was only just dressed and went to show him in.
"I apologise, Mylady," the bailiff said, "I know I shall probably make you very
unhappy by doing my job, but my work follows the course that is set out by our
laws."
"I do not hold you personally responsible for this," Anne-Christine said, "And if you
have no objections, I should also like to be regarded as a potential bidder."
"There is no objection to be found in the law. However I do fear that you will meet
with other restraints on your way."
After the bailiff's words, the doctor of Weezebeecke made an appearance. Anne-Christine showed him in. The physician was surprised at meeting a Lady of the Castle at
this late stage.
"I regret very much that you have to go through this whole affair," he said
sincerely.
After him, only Ruyters arrived and even after half an hour, no new possible bidders
showed up.
The bailiff then took action and started his speech to the audience of three.
"We are gathered here at the auction of the Castle van den Weezebeecke, to fulfill the
demands of the law and redeem the debts belonging to the Lord van den Weezebeecke.
The Castle will be sold to the highest bidder. Who will be so kind as to start the
bidding?"
"One guinea," said Anne-Christine.
The first offer is one guinea," the bailiff repeated, "who offers more? Maybe you,
Sir?" he said, addressing the doctor.
"No, not me. My curiosity alone brought me here. I am much too old to keep such a
castle in good condition. Fifty years ago this opportunity would have been most welcome
to me, but now I do not even want to think of such a burden."
Ruyters, when it was his turn, also had to admit that he had not contemplated being a
serious bidder.
"No more bidders," the bailiff said. "The Castle is thus sold to Lady Anne-Christine
van den Weezebeecke, who remains the owner for the price of one guinea. The sole
debtor, the notary of Weezebeecke, is hereby refunded entirely and 'til eternity."
Neither of the other men could believe what they heared. "Why didn't he turn up
then?" they mused.
Anne-Christine grabbed her purse, took out the guinea-piece that she owed and quickly
gave it to the bailiff. His task was now over and he had nothing more to do.
"The official papers will be sent to you in a week," he said before he left.
"I will tell you, Sir," said Anne-Christine to the doctor, after she was sure that the
bailiff could no longer hear her.
"The notary was indeed most anxious to attend the auction. At this moment he is
actually here, in this castle. However, he couldn't take part in the bidding because his
sorrows caused him to have a severe headache. Perhaps you would be so kind as to take
care of him for a while? He is in the maid's chamber with the three locks on the door. Ruyters will show you the way."