Page 79 of The Grand Mistletoe Assembly
Wolfgang’s small staff of three welcomed the new baroness in the fine German holiday spirit, with fragrant spruce and holly with bright red berries and spiky leaves. Apparently, they were made to believe the couple had married—or they were significantly more discreet than she’d ever known servants to be. They’d even tied juniper with dark blue berries and gold ribbons all over the wooden railing that led to the master’s chambers on the first floor.
There was only one bedroom, which didn’t please Sophia, but they had a plan and little time to implement it, so she didn’t complain. The butler, who was also the footman and secretary for the frugal salary of one and a half people, followed Wolfgang and Sophia up the stairs, carrying Sophia’s only bag to her new bedroom. He eyed her suspiciously as she halted in front of the young fir that was propped up in the bedroom. Not only was it positioned dangerously close to the mantel, they’d also decorated it with shiny glass balls and metal rings holding lit candles. On the very tip of the tree was the figurine of an angel holding a star. Sophia marveled at this monument to German Christmas tradition.
The butler smiled and walked backward to leave the room, his head inclined. Wolfgang clearly knew how to be stern with the help and put them in their place.
Wolfgang beamed at her. “This is a Christmas tree. We always had one, and I’m glad to have the chance to share one with you this year.”
* * *
Later that afternoon,the allegedly newly-minted baroness placed her hand in Wolfgang’s arm and walked with him to the Pearlers’ house. Except she wouldn’t call this a house at all, for it rose from the side of Green Park into a majestic four-story building.
“I wouldn’t mind taking this house once we get rid of the Pearlers,” Wolfgang mumbled to Sophia. He seemed to be himself around her, and she felt flattered by his honesty.
“We have to overthrow the owners first.” Sophia righted her upswept hair before they ascended the steps to the large double doors. Even their entrance was imposing. Much more suitable for royalty.
Once inside, Sophia deflated. If the opulence of the anteroom alone was any indication of the Pearlers’ wealth, she, and probably even Wolfgang, were out of their depth. Ming vases with intricate paintings, French tapestries, mosaic parquet inlays, and ebony side tables lined the first room she saw. And she had a sinking feeling, the ballroom and dining room would top this elegance with ease.
“Oh Sophia, dear, there you are!” Rachel Pearler approached her carrying a little girl across her hip, a small creature in a frilly gown and a collar of … was that Belgian lace?
“Oh, how adorable! Who’s this?” Sophia feigned interest in the child. Little girls with fussing mothers made her sick, but she knew the way to a mother’s heart was by complimenting her brood.
But Rachel busied herself with welcoming Baron von List. She was most attentive.
“I thought you hoped for a kiss under the mistletoe by a prince at the ball?” Rachel whispered to Sophia.
“I never said I hadn’t identified my prince yet,” Sophia answered with a sly smile. The kind that formed bonds between women. She had to take down Rachel, and this was but one of her opening moves. Hopefully, Rachel was just a minor piece.
“Oh, my sweet little darling,” an elderly woman called as she drifted across the hall. “Granny has some rugelach for you. Come here.” Clearly, this grandmother was smitten with the child at the expense of her manners. Her attention was on the bustle of the tiny person.
Eve Pearler. Sophia recognized her immediately. Her hair was pale but her coiffure impeccable. Her elegance irritated Sophia, who’d trained tirelessly to achieve a fraction of this allure as a dancer. It seemed to come naturally to the Jewish matriarch. How unfair!
* * *
“Oh Greg, join us!”Rachel Pearler waved when … was that Gregory Stone in the hall?
Gregory peeked through the doorway of the drawing room and groaned. “Oh List, not you again!” He gave a boyish smile and reached out to greet him. “And you found your companion, I see?”
“Indeed, I have. This is the Baroness von List.”
“I didn’t know you’d wed since we last played.” Stone placed a reluctant kiss on Sophia’s outreached hand.
“Naturally, I wouldn’t burden you with matters of the heart when you have to concentrate in a game against an opponent like me,” Wolfgang said smoothly.
“You must tell me where your family’s holdings are,” Eve said. “I hear the Baltic Sea is marvelous in the summer. Are you quite homesick and wish to return to the Holy Roman Empire with your new bride?”
“It’s neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire,” Rachel said to Stone.
“I beg your pardon?” List turned to Rachel. “Were you quoting Voltaire for my benefit?”
She blushed and whispered to Eve in hushedjüdisch Deutsch, Yiddish, “Er kukt aoys vi a valf. Es iz nit nor zeyn nomen.” He looks like a wolf. It’s not just his name.
“Ich bin weder ein Wolf, noch ein Raubtier, seien Sie versichert.” Rest assured, I am neither a wolf nor a predator, List added in perfect German.
“Entschuldigen Sie, ich habe nicht erwartet dass Sie mich verstehen.” Excuse me, I didn’t expect you to understand. Rachel responded in such polished German, it almost knocked Wolfgang out of his boots. He thought Jews only spoke their own dialect. But her German pronunciation was perfect. Natural, even. Her lilt native. He had a sinking feeling there was more to this woman than he’d expected.
She folded her hands primly and nodded at Eve. “Greg, if you’re staying for dinner this evening, would you mind terribly if our new acquaintances joined?” Not a hint of German accent in her English. List humphed.
Stone bowed and called for the butler. He was oddly at home in the Pearlers’ majestic home. This irritated Wolfgang. He was too close. Almost like a rook who had the queen’s back.
