The Luck of the Weissensteiners (The Three Nations Trilogy) (27 page)

The Nazis didn't know exactly where Visser was hiding but they were able to narrow their se
arch down to the former Austro-Hungarian Empire and asked for his name to be on search lists in these areas. Some Hlinka officials had come to the manor house and had enquired about Visser’s whereabouts. The Countess declared that she believed that he had left a few months ago to relocate to Palestine and was unfortunately very likely to have been on the sunken ship Struma last winter. Shortly after that visit she had 'renewed her friendship' with the local police officer who - after another demonstration of the value she put on his kindness – could report that her version of events had been accepted as the confirmed official result of the investigation into the fate of Visser.

After an appropriate period of waiting to see if the search for Visser had indeed stopped she contacted him and offered him to come and stay with her and use her attic as his studio. The Dutch painter was not as grateful to the Countess as she had dared to assume he would be. He was prone to bad mood swings and excessive drinking and seemed to resent everyone at the
manor house for keeping him under house arrest. He kept himself only just under control when the Countess was present but took out his rage on pretty much everyone else without guard.

Edith had taken him aside a few times and had tried to make him see sense in a series of not so gentle
‘heart to hearts’ but to no avail. Visser also refused to paint while he was 'in exile' but in the absence of his usual occupation he was bored out of his mind and upset everyone by pacing through the corridors, talking to himself and swearing loudly. The Countess had scolded him several times about his attitude and tried to anger him into painting again but her efforts remained fruitless.

Jonah, too, had unsuccessfully attempted to calm down his friend and feared the man would become a liability to the Countess and a danger to everyone on the Estate by drawing attention to
himself.

Visser
's attitude was in crass contrast with Jonah’s who was very grateful for the risks her Highness was taking for them. He was not informed or well-connected enough to appreciate how big these risks were but he felt humbled and guilty for accepting her hospitality. Visser on his downward spiral irritated him and Jonah tried to avoid him wherever he could.

In the summer at last there was good news
on the Allied radio broadcasts. In one single week the Russians had smashed a campaign by Hitler and were now launching a well-equipped counter offensive. On top of that the Allied troops had landed on Sicily. The long awaited road to liberation seemed to have begun. No one doubted that this was going to be the end of Hitler and his Germany but it was a matter of time before the fruits of these proceedings could be enjoyed and everyone in hiding had to be patient and wait for the liberation to happen. How soon could the Allied troops bring the Axis Powers to their knees? Would there be a treaty or a total war as Hitler had announced? A revolution in Germany? A rebellion? Surrender? Everyone had a different opinion and everything still seemed possible.

The Countess
frequently invited Jonah and the ladies to her drawing room where she tried to continue her tradition of philosophical discussions. Together with her guests she regularly listened to broadcasts from both military leaders before discussing and analysing them. Visser often occupied the room next to them at this hour when he played depressing and mad sounding piano pieces without ever honouring them with his presence.

“Visser is a pure genius!” the Countess stated matter of factly one day while listening to his masterful play
ing. “Madness and genius are usually linked closely together. I so wish he would paint again and use all the anger he has inside of him and bring it onto the canvass. Can you imagine what kind of creations could come of his rage? This hammering on the piano is probably good for his moods too but when he is finished we have nothing to show for it. You and I are enjoying it but when the last note has died away it only remains in our memories. A painting would last for generations.”

“Oh,
your illustrious Highness!” said Jonah. “You are always so practical in your observations. I must say I don't care so much about that. I just want my friend to be happy again. He should be pleased to be in this safe place amongst friends and decent company. Instead he gives in to madness and misery and self-destructive habits.”

“People are all different,” injected Esther. “Not everyone has strength and discipline. Do you really have those qualities yourself? Because I suspect that you have chosen to be passive and you are trying to make your fortune by the way of avoidance and escapism. That suits your peaceful character and that is why your art is so pleasing and not very controversial. Your genius is
reined in by self-preservation and the responsibility of caring for your family. It is a miracle that you ever let your genius out enough to come up with your creative ideas that we so admire. Visser is different. He is a complete slave to his muses. He has no choice and no say in the matter. Painting consumes him and now that his physical body experiences boundaries and feels he lives in a golden cage his talent is rebelling or out to destroy him from the inside. You should not condemn him you should feel sorry for him.”

“You are a little melodramatic my love!” said Edith. “He is still a human with a rational mind. We all have to be able to limit the damage our primitive urges are capable of bringing to our lives. He is out of control and if no one can stop him he will drink himself to death or be found by the Hlinka Guard.”

“You are right Edith,” agreed the Countess. “He should reign in his madness. I can reassure you that the Hlinka Guard are instructed not to come near the manor house and they swore to turn a blind eye on us as long as we don't provoke them or draw attention to us in a way that cannot be ignored. Visser is on the brink of ruining that for us. However, he has promised me that he will not leave the Estate and with that in mind we can be relaxed about his current behaviour. Be assured my darling, he has a little bit of sanity left. Hopefully he will have exhausted himself with all the drama before it becomes too much or too dangerous.”

“I hope so. I really hope so!” Jonah said.

“If the Allies start making progress Visser will improve, I am sure of it. He must. Then we can all sigh with relief,” added Esther.

“I am not entirely sure of that,” said the Countess. “If the Bolsheviks take over the country I am going to lose everything and we all have to reconsider our options. Their way of running the country is far from free and liberated.”

“We don't know for sure if they will take over the government as well. They are harbouring our exile government in Moscow now. We could be back under Czech rule. That would mean no confiscations and comrade business but retaliation for the deserters,” Jonah predicted.

“That I could live with,” said the Countess. “The Czechs don't like the Hungarians much but I am not planning to run for office, so they should leave me alone. Apart from their taxes of course but I prefer the taxes to the confiscation.”

“A woman of your intelligence, such foresight and your many connections you must have planned ahead and taken precautions for all possible outcomes I presume?” Jonah asked.

“Of course I have,”
admitted the Countess. “A lot of my money is in Switzerland, but I needed to keep a large part of it here too. I will lose a lot either way I assume. It is always good to be prepared for all eventualities. I will leave the country ahead of the Allied troops to avoid looting or violence from the Red Army. I am in the possession of a French passport and Edith and Esther will try and escape with me to a hopefully liberated France. What plans do you have Jonah?”

“I am afraid I have not made any plans,” replied the weaver. “How could I? The Russian have killed so many Jews,
I find it hard to believe that communist ideology has changed that culture of hatred. I would find it hard to live under their rule. They can't take much money from us but we could fall from one pogrom into the next. Would you believe the languages we speak best are Russian and German – both countries firmly in the hands of our enemies.”

“You are widely believed to be a German Jew, is that not true?” asked Edith.

“Officially I am only known as a German. Not many people know that I and my family are Jewish. We are in fact from the Ukraine. We came before the big wave and might have gone unnoticed. However, our names are on those lists at the administration, so somebody must know we are Jewish – how I do not know,” Jonah contemplated.

“Don't ever worry about those lists, dear Jonah. I keep wiping them clean,” the Countess reassured him.

“I know and I feel humbled and eternally indebted to you for it. How will I ever be able to repay your kindness?” said Jonah woefully.

“You already have. Good friends are hard to come by and I know I
can always rely on you, even though I have no need to call in favours from you yet.”

By September the Allied forces landed on mainland Italy and according to their radio transmissions
made steady progress. The Czechoslovak government in exile was calling its citizens to armed resistance and partisan activities against the 'illegal' government of Slovakia. To arrive at the perception of a change of luck in the war was however very difficult in the quiet and peaceful life of Slovakia. Hunger and food shortages increased, mainly due to the uncompromising demands of the German army and civilians, but the war still seemed thousands of miles away and for the people at the manor house it was natural to question if the propaganda of the Allies might not be an exaggeration after all.

The only thing that had a direct impact on the little community was the rumour that Hitler had increased pressure on
President Tiso to deliver the Jews to Poland he had promised for so long. The administration was again busy compiling lists and taking bribes. According to the sources the President had no intention of fulfilling his promise to Hitler and was still using his presidential exemptions generously. The Countess however warned Jonah that her influence might soon not be enough to save his family anymore and she proposed that she would get him and his family new passports.

“I appreciate the offer your i
llustrious Highness, but this seems incredibly risky. I cannot believe for one moment that we could fool a border patrol or police officer with forged documents. There must be so many dodgy passports in circulation these days that the proper ones are too easy to distinguish from the fake ones,” he said, refusing her offer.

“You are always such a pessimist when it comes to thinking about your future prospects,” the Countess
gently scolded him. “Remember I am moving in artistic circles and the trade we are talking about is full of artists. I am only buying from the best and I would bet you that even Himmler himself could not tell the difference between these artefacts and the real thing.”

“I could never repay you in any case,” continued Jonah in his refusal. “There
are five of us in this family now, some of whom look suspiciously Jewish. The Gestapo are locking up suspects and hold them behind bars until they have confirmed passport details from their respective registry offices. You are having naïve notions about the efficiency of the German administration. Even in war times they are never neglectful and their systems work like clockwork.” Jonah protested.

“As far as the money is concerned
, my dear Jonah, you can repay me with your art. I want to see more of that in any case and I must make sure that it will be continued. It is the privilege of my status as wealthy muse of the arts. It has always vexed me to be an admirer but never a maker of art myself. To save gifted artists is the closest I will ever come to the miracle of its creation,” the Countess assured him. “As for the registry offices, I am not in the least naïve my dear Weissensteiner. The Allied bombings have destroyed several of these during the last two years.

The Gestapo may have other means of checking your data but it would never be as straightforward and easy as you fear. My contacts have
been in the business for some time and they know which registry offices are the best ones to use on a passport. Leave it to those professionals and worry about the colour of your next carpet instead. That is much more suitable.”

“All the money it must cost you, just for a putz like me,” he called out in despair.

“You must never call yourself that, Jonah,” Esther burst out. “It sounds to me as if you already believe all the negative things the Nazis are saying about you and the Jews, as if you agree with them yourself. Your humble demeanour usually does you credit but you must not take it so far and think that you are less worth than anyone else.”

“Do you have any preference for your new name dear Jonah?” asked the Countess.

“What about Weber?” suggested Jonah.

“A weaver called Weber. O
h that does not sound great,” said Edith dismissively.

“Well
, we will have to think of a good German name soon,” concluded the Countess.

The New Year started with a terrible shock for everyone on the Estate. Early on New Year’s Eve Jonah had left home to invite his melancholic friend Visser to party with them in the cottage. Nobody should be on their own on such a big night and the Dutchman's silly sulking behaviour had to be challenged. Jonah knew that Esther and Edith had decided to have an intimate dinner to bring in the New Year and so it was likely that the Dutch painter would be drinking alone in his rooms, indulging in self-pity and misery. Jonah found Visser's door locked and was informed by the service men that he had not been seen since breakfast – something not unusual for the recently so withdrawn odd resident of the Estate. Jonah made a lot of noise banging at the door and shouting but the stubborn man seemed to ignore him.

“I am getting tired of his attitude!” admitted Edith who had arrived at the scene to investigate the sudden noise. “He is surrounded by people he can trust and who want to help him but he keeps us locked out.”

“If only life was that black and white,” contradicted Jonah. “It can take a lot of strength to accept help. Once someone lets in the devil of depression it is hard to escape. It is just like an addiction. I have seen my share of capable people succumbing to it. I fear that Visser has done something stupid.”

“What do you mean by that?” Edith asked alarmed.

“I think he might have decided to leave us. Find a partisan group and join the resistance,” Jonah guessed. “He hated being so powerless.”

“He told me himself
that he was a big coward and too afraid to fight,” Edith said.

“We should get that door unlock
ed and see,” Jonah suggested. “Maybe he is just drunk and asleep on the sofa. In any case he should not be on his own when the clock strikes twelve. It is time he came out of that ditch he has driven himself into.”

“You are right. I will get the
housekeeper to open up for us,” Edith agreed.

After a short while the correct
key was found. Jonah entered the living quarters of his fellow Jew and called out his name but found both living room and bed chamber empty. Edith found Visser hanging by a rope from an attic beam in his studio. The body was already cold.

Immediately, a
ll sense of festivity was gone. Jonah sent for the Countess who was the only one who cried at the sight of the dead painter. Edith and the housekeeper helped the weaver to cut the man down.

“Let's not waste any time,” said the Countess, who had quickly overcome her shock and was the first to think practically. “We better bury him right away. Now that he is dead it is better to get rid of all evidence that he ever stayed here. I will have a service man dig a hole in the woods and send
for you once we are ready to say goodbye to our dear and foolish friend.”

“What an idiot!” Edith hissed. “Our liberators
are coming. They are so close - it can only be a matter of time. Why would he do this now?”

“He probably didn't believe it was really going
to happen,” Jonah guessed. “It has been almost a year since the big victory of Stalingrad and the Germans are still holding their own.”

“The Soviets are on their way,” Edith contradicted.

“The Red Army has not really come
that far yet. According to reports the Germans have pushed them back a few times and nobody knows how much reinforcement Stalin really can pull out of his hat. I can appreciate that Visser got frustrated and doubtful,” said Jonah. “I am getting a little impatient and worried myself. If a giant like Russia has not got the means to crush Germany then who has?”

“Fear is no reason to end it all,” said the Countess
adamantly.  “Maybe a few years ago one could have understood it when there was no movement at all but now is simply a ridiculous time for this, when there is so much more hope than there ever was for liberation. I could slap him. I really could. How could he do this to us?”

“Maybe he just had enough of living like this,” Jonah said, still trying to get into the
mind-set of the painter. “Having to run and hide for no other reason than for being a Jew. He has done it for years. Perhaps it is not so much a surprise that he did it now but that he has not done it long before.”

“We are so close to the end!” cried Edith in frustration.
“So incredibly close. We all know that Hitler can't win this war. I can't pretend that I liked the man but it is such a stupid waste of a life.”

“We will have to go through his papers tomorrow morning to see if he has left a will or any instructions for
his paintings and his estate,” suggested the Countess. “Jonah would you like to help me with this? I think he would have wanted you to do him that honour.”

“Of course
your Highness,” replied Jonah. “He may have left us a note to explain his behaviour. For now I would like to retreat and join Alma and my children for their celebrations. They must be worried where I have been. I left them quite a while ago. I will be back here tomorrow morning. Would you be able to wait for the funeral until then? I will send for someone who can recite the Jewish prayers for the occasion.”

“Thank you, Jo
nah. Please send everyone my regards and best wishes. I shall be waiting for you tomorrow morning.”

Back at their little house by the lake Wilma naturally had the strongest emotional response of the Weissensteiner family to the sad news even though sh
e hardly knew the painter. Even Alma’s calming embraces and soothing words could not cheer her up. Wilma had not even liked Visser, a pretentious and egotistic fake of a person she thought, who at best was stimulating in conversations but at worst was incredibly irritating and toxic for a pleasant atmosphere. It was the abrupt, inappropriate and senseless timing of his suicide that upset her and stirred up her feelings of anxiety once again.

The recent news about the
progress of the war and its likely near end had helped a little for her to get over her sad state and her constant fears for Egon. She had only just started to feel a surge of optimism. The sudden death of Visser brought back the issues of mortality and the unpredictability of war. Everyone of course was worried about Egon, not just Wilma, but it had become an unspoken rule that nobody would talk about him until there was any concrete news.

Greta dressed Ernst and took him over to the
manor house to get him away from her sister's hysterics. She hoped that Edith and Esther would be kind enough to let her join them for the evening, now that their plans for a quiet celebration had been ruined, and indeed the two lovers were delighted to have Greta’s company as a distraction from the seriousness that had befallen them. Esther ran towards Ernst and embraced him for a long time, flung him up in the air, sat him down on the top of the piano and then sat down herself to play and sing his favourite tunes.

Edith ordered a bottle of champagne to be opened for the occasion.

“You only live once. Enjoy!”

“Thank you Edith but I must not get drunk. I am not used to alcohol you see and I have to keep it together for my little boy here,” Greta explained.

“Of course,” agreed an already tipsy Lady Edith. “Drunken people can be so vulgar, we shall try and avoid that at any cost. It would be too unbecoming for someone as elegant and beautiful as you. “

“Thank you, t
hank you. You are such a flirt,” said Greta laughing, already feeling a little better.

“Yes I am,”
admitted Edith. “I shall tell you another thing. We will not give in to that miserable Dutch man and his attempt to spoil the evening. What was he thinking making such a dramatic exit! We must not talk about him any more tonight. After all, it is New Year’s Eve and the New Year can only be an improvement upon the last. Despite Visser's stupid fears and anxiety we have reason to be optimistic. Let us rejoice in that feeling and let’s not get melancholic over this.”

“I appreciate that,” Greta agreed. “I had to get Ernst away from all the crying at our house. He is already growing up in such sad times. We try to stay positive but we are a family of melancholic and worried people. I wish I could spare him all this grief. I remember being a young girl. I was always cheerful and carefree. We
had our share of problems but my sister and I, we managed to smile. I wanted life for him to be like that, to be able to be a child and a happy one at that. Our circumstances have kept us alive and well fed but I could not protect him from the sadness. It is a miracle he has kept his cheery outlook this much.”

“For such a young mother you seem very mature, my dear Greta,” said Edith.

“I guess the times have made me so. You use the word mature, I would call it less naïve and more pessimistic,” Greta said full of thought.   

“The times have made most people miserable and depressed. Few have the spirit that you show every day,” Edith contradicted her.  “Maybe you have lost some of your childlike qualities and grown up into someone more realistic. Your attitude is still admirable and a credit to your character. The man who left you was a complete idiot.”

“I am not sure about that,” Greta admited.  “Maybe he was an idiot or maybe a complete genius. I don't know what has become of him and if he did the right thing or not in the end. I don't even know if he is still alive.”

“What was he like?” asked Edith. “Why did he leave you?”

“To cut a long story short, he was a principled German but he could not cope with having a Jewish wife under the Fuhrer’s rule,” Greta summed up. 

“If what he saw in you was only a Jewish wife than he missed a lot of other strings to your bow,” declared Edith.

“Thank you for your kindness. My guess is the main problem between him and me was that we were both very young and naïve when we got married. We met in his book shop and we had this common interest in literature and philosophy that drew us together. Reality is different from fiction and theory. In the outside world we had to earn a living and bring up a child. We had little time for our hobbies and interests. We could have been a great couple if we had been allowed to live in a world where labels like Jew and Aryan don't have any meaning or consequences and where what attracts you to your sweetheart will always stay at the centre of your relationship,” pondered Greta.

“My dear girl, I can see how those labels have complicated your life but they must not mea
n everything. Look at me and Esther,” replied Edith. “She is no Jew but she might as well be one for all the abuse she gets. She is so beautiful but everybody sees – let me use your phrase – the label Jew on her. Now I am indisputably Aryan, and yet that does not stop us from being together. We both wear the label of homosexuals. As long as we cover up the labels that does not matter either. There are always ways to at least try and make the fairy tale become a reality. Your husband could have tried to keep the spark alive, to keep literature and discussion at the heart of your life together. Did he try? Did you?”

“I don't kno
w,” Greta admitted. “Maybe we both could have tried harder. When I married him I thought it would be for the rest of our lives. I would have tried harder if I knew that time was running out for us. I saw the situation only as temporary. There would be time to rekindle the spark of our philosophical and intellectual connection once the children were older or when we would be living back in town.”

“He must have said how he felt at least?” suggested Edith.

“We never spoke about our situation that much. When he left he did not tell me the truth. He claimed we would reunite as soon as possible but then divorced me through the German courts. I only found out much later from his relatives that he had done so. I have not seen or heard from him in years. I can guess why he did what he did but I might never know the truth. I am just grateful that I have my family around me. The past is the past and there is no use in dwelling on it. I need to remain happy and composed for the sake of my little boy.”

“I admire you for your resolve.
” said Edith. “Let us look to the future! I for one feel very happy about the progress the war is making. I am rather hopeful that there will be more reinforcements for the Allies who will force Hitler to his knees before long. They say there are partisans against the Germans in all the occupied territories now. Maybe the Red Army does not even need to come here at all. It is not beyond the means of possibility that the German Reich will collapse and surrender before it comes to an invasion.”

“You are taking an extremely optimistic viewpoint dear Edith,” Greta replied. “I wish I could share your sentiments but I think we wi
ll be seeing a struggle for some time to come. I am just praying that everything stays the same and as stable as it has been for us.”

“We
have been very lucky,” Edith said thoughtfully.

“Do you think when the Reds come that we will be able to continue our lives as we are now?” Greta wondered.
“You and Esther, us Jewish weavers on the Estate of a Hungarian Aristocrat. How do you think it will all turn out for us?”

“The Russians are a deeply
anti-Semitic people,” Edith started to explain. “Very intolerant. If I was you I would not trust their slogans of everyone being equal. They always hated Jews and they will not change from one day to the other. The same goes for us. There has never been a tradition of tolerance for same sex couples in Russia and I doubt their new ideas of equality will ever go this far. I intend to escape to a liberated France as soon as I possibly can, preferably as far ahead of the Soviet troops as I can muster. Soldiers of any nation can be savages and women can never be sure that they will be left alone. The Soviets have a dreadful reputation in that regard and I am not going to take my chances. You can imagine my disgust at the mere thought of that.”