For those who haven’t been following this blog, let me introduce it a little. I am currently blogging my 21st novel that has the working title Daemon. The novel is about Aksinya, a sorceress, who, to save her family from the Bolsheviks, called and contracted the demon, Asmodeus. Her family was murdered anyway, and she fled with the demon from Russia to Austria.
Aksinya, Natalya, and the Bockmanns are at Ernst father's, Graf von Taaffe's, estate for a New Years party and dance. They have been called to dinner...
They entered a large dining room and Ernst escorted Aksinya to the seat next to the head of the table. It was the seat usually reserved for the lady of the house. Ernst sat beside her and the Graf von Taaffe at the head. Natalya was seated by the Graf next to Ernst. Across from Aksinya sat her uncle and next to him, her aunt.
As soon as the first course of wine and appetizer was served, the Graf asked her, “I understand you are attending the gymnasium at Sacré Coeur.”
Aksinya touched her lips with her napkin, “My lady-in-waiting and I.”
“Yes, you made the acquaintance of my son there?”
“Through my aunt and uncle…”
“Yes, through your aunt and uncle. Your uncle is a very good friend of mine. Do you intend to continue your studies?”
“I would like to.”
“I understand you are as fond as my son of the ballet, opera, and theater.”
Aksinya tasted a bite of the appetizer. It was a small piece of hart in a light wine sauce. She took a sip of wine before she answered, “Yes, although I am still getting used to comedy. In Russia, not so many of the stories end without tragic consequences.”
The Graf laughed, “I thought we Austrians were dour.”
“I have not found Ernst dour at all.”
“That is good. Are you pleased with him?”
“He is pleasant to me.”
“Good. I intend for him to take over the business from me. Perhaps you can encourage him in this direction. He can’t continue to spend his life in frivolity.”
“Father,” Ernst complained.
“Now, Ernst, I simply state the obvious. Although I understand very well why you might want to spend every evening entertaining the Countess, I do wish you to be as serious as she is about your future.”
A servant removed the appetizer plates and another served the soup. Aksinya’s glass was filled with a new wine that was a little sweeter than the first.
You can make all you want of this--Aksinya is seated at the place reserved for the lady of the house. This place would usually go to the highest ranking woman in the household--it goes to Aksinya. Like I said, make of it what you want. The Graf honors the Bockmanns, but we could have guessed he would. He is interested in their support for Ernst in his courting of Aksinya. Plus they seem to be the highest ranking couple next to the Graf and Aksinya. The Graf also allowed Ernst to escort Aksinya to dinner. He introduced Aksinya as Ernst's suitor so it is natural that Ernst should escort her. These little plays have their place. They are the norm for the culture and are not random or by simple desire.
At the table, the responsibility of the man on the right of the lady is to engage the lady in conversation. The Graf begins immediately. His question is simple. Aksinya's answer is not as simple as it sounds. She tells the Graf that both she and Natalya are attending the school together. A small detail. The Graf's response is straight to the point--can you see, he wanted to bring up Ernst. We learn that Freiherr Bockmann is a good friend of the Graf von Taaffe. This shouldn't surprise us, but it does make everything become clearer about the past events.
The second point the Graf wanted to bring up is about studies. Ernst and studies, whatever could he have in mind? The Graf makes a statement that lets us know he is very familiar with the evening meetings of Ernst and Aksinya. The Graf's statement is simple, but it is a statement not a question. Aksinya answers thoughtfully. Note she does take a long moment to think through her answer. She acknowledges the Graf's knowledge and provides an attempt to turn the conversation. This gives me the opportunity to bring up the joke and point about being "dour." This was a part of Ernst and Aksinya's first event conversation. The Graf mirrors his son in the treatment of the subject. This shows the connectin between the two. Aksinya makes it personal: “I have not found Ernst dour at all.”
This allows the Graf to get to one of his main points: "Are you pleased with him?" Aksinya's answer allows the Graf to bring up his second point--this is about Ernst's life and work. Ernst isn't happy with the direction of the conversation. This is obviously a point of contention between Ernst and his father. The problem here is that the Graf has made a terrible mistake about Aksinya's dedication to her studies. Perhaps she wishes to study, but we know she doesn't. She is not a model student at all. She is in some ways as bad as Ernst. To use Aksinya as an example of proper dedication is not the best idea. Neither Ernst nor the Graf realize this. Aksinya might not even realize this. She is a dedicated student of sorcery and luxuria, but not of much else. Still the dinner continues and tomorrow, we shall see where the Graf's conversation will go.
Showing posts with label father. Show all posts
Showing posts with label father. Show all posts
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
A New Novel, Part 149 An Undefendable House
For those who haven’t been following this blog, let me introduce it a little. I am currently blogging my 21st novel that has the working title Daemon. The novel is about Aksinya, a sorceress, who, to save her family from the Bolsheviks, called and contracted the demon, Asmodeus. Her family was murdered anyway, and she fled with the demon from Russia to Austria.
You know the drill. This is the beginning of chapter 13 so it is time to transition and set the scene. The transition comes first...
The invitations from Ernst continued every week. During that time, Aksinya and Natalya had an unwelcome break from school for Christmas and New Years. It was unwelcome because Natalya wanted to study and Aksinya liked the privacy of her own house—the Freiherr and Freifrau insisted they stay at Grossbock during the holiday. Ernst came to collect Aksinya and Natalya at Grossbock for their outings. Occasionally he ate dinner with them. During the holidays, he escorted Aksinya to dinner and a concert, opera, ballet, or a play every other day. The Freiherr and Freifrau encouraged Aksinya, and Aksinya was certain her aunt and uncle encouraged Ernst. She had her own suspicions that Asmodeus also encouraged him. She hadn’t seen Asmodeus for a while and that worried her very much. Natalya simply went along with Aksinya and carefully watched Ernst.
Aksinya made it her practice not to drink as much as she had the night of Die Zauberflöte. She still enjoyed the wine and Champagne Ernst served her, but she was just a little more cautious. She loved to drink but she did not enjoy the aftermath, and she wasn’t certain of what she did or told Natalya in the privacy of her room when she was not sober.
Ernst invited Aksinya, Natalya, and the Bockmanns to the Graff von Taaffe’s New Years dance and party. Because of the distance to the estate, they were invited to remain over until the next day and brought their small trunks and nightwear. They rode in the Bockmann’s coupe for more than two hours into the country until they arrived at the Graff von Taaffe’s estate. The way to the house from the main road was down a long tree-lined carriage path. Aksinya would have continued to read her German novel except that Natalya pointed out their approach to the house. They caught occasional glimpses from the enclosed cab of the great house as they cut back and forth in the gentle climb to the mansion.
The house was large and very old. From a distance, it looked like a schloß, but had a little more modern appearance close up. That is, on closer observation, it appeared to be from the eighteenth century, which it was, rather than from the fourteenth century, which it wasn’t. The front was stone with a generous fresco of marble, and all three floors displayed a similar exterior. The access to the heavy oaken front door was from a set of modern marble steps, but in contrast, the lower floor showed tiny windows and the top floor a crenulated roofline. Aksinya could spot the iron roofing that poked above the tops of the decorative crenulations. The second floor windows were larger and more numerous, but still gave an impression of medieval depth, and the top floor windows were the largest, but the thickness of the stone facade prevented any visibility into them. Tall constructions at either end of the face of the mansion appeared like towers, but they were encompassed at the walls and not separate structures.
The mansion reminded Aksinya a little of her house in Russia. The outline and much of the ornamentation were similar. In Russia, however, the purpose was protection and defense. Her house had been defended many times in the past by the Counts Golitsyna. She, on the other hand, had abandoned it instead of defending it with her life. She shook her head. She wondered why that thought had suddenly stolen into her mind. The von Taaffe estate, on the other hand, gave no impression that it had ever been defended against any real foe.
You need to ask yourself this question: does Aksinya appear like a woman in love. If she does, I have failed miserably. On the other hand, if Ernst doesn't appear like a love-struck puppy, I have messed up the writing entirely. If you didn't get it before, you should now. The details in this transition give you many details about Aksinya and Natalya and, of course, Ernst. We knew about the relationship pushing from the Freiherr and Freifrau. We could have guessed that Natalya loves to study and Aksinya loves her privacy. I hope you are suspicious too about the interaction of Asmodeus in the whole affair.
We also see that Aksinya is trying to moderate her own behaviour. She hasn't been successful in the past and we know where this kind of thing goes anyway. I suspect she won't be successful now, but we shall see. Note, that Aksinya is concerned with what she might reveal to Natalya while she is drunk.
Now on to the main point of the chapter: Ernst invited Aksinya to his father's estate for New Years. He also, quite properly, invited Aksinya's aunt and uncle. This is the scene setting for the chapter. This occurs following the transition. I give you a bunch of information in a tight format. Notice that Aksinya doesn't care about the house, Natalya points it out to her. It is through the eyes of Aksinya we see the house of Ernst's father. The mansion is on a mountain top. I don't tell you this, I show you this through the travel on the road. I also use comparison and other techniques to describe the house to you. This description is a metaphor for the Taaffe family. So lets look at the details of that.
The house is large and very old. Likewise the Taaffe family. It looks like a castle (that's what a schloß is). It is more modern close up. So Ernst is like his father's house. It has the appearance of age and the past, but close up, he is modern (in terms of a noble). The other details likewise relate to the building and the family. The contrast between modern and ancient between old and new. The description of the house also shows the windows are tiny on the bottom with thick walls and wider with the same thick walls at the top. This indicates the potential secrets and privacy of the family. You know there is a depth and many secrets here, but I don't reveal any of them. There are secrets especially about Ernst, but I haven't shown them to you. You might ask about how Ernst became involved in sorcery. You might wonder about his mother--we'll see that later, and his father.
The next comparison is between Aksinya's house and Ernst's father's house. It reminds her of her house in Russia. Take this metaphor to the full point. Ernst's house is a facade; Aksinya's house was used for defense. This is a foreshadowing to what I mentioned before. Do you think Ernst can release Aksinya from her curse? What do you read from his father's house. Akinsya tells you that in spite of her power and her desires, in her well protected and defended house, she could not defend or protect it. The end tagline about the Taaffe's estate is this: The von Taaffe estate, on the other hand, gave no impression that it had ever been defended against any real foe. So what do you think? Tomorrow, the arrival.
You know the drill. This is the beginning of chapter 13 so it is time to transition and set the scene. The transition comes first...
The invitations from Ernst continued every week. During that time, Aksinya and Natalya had an unwelcome break from school for Christmas and New Years. It was unwelcome because Natalya wanted to study and Aksinya liked the privacy of her own house—the Freiherr and Freifrau insisted they stay at Grossbock during the holiday. Ernst came to collect Aksinya and Natalya at Grossbock for their outings. Occasionally he ate dinner with them. During the holidays, he escorted Aksinya to dinner and a concert, opera, ballet, or a play every other day. The Freiherr and Freifrau encouraged Aksinya, and Aksinya was certain her aunt and uncle encouraged Ernst. She had her own suspicions that Asmodeus also encouraged him. She hadn’t seen Asmodeus for a while and that worried her very much. Natalya simply went along with Aksinya and carefully watched Ernst.
Aksinya made it her practice not to drink as much as she had the night of Die Zauberflöte. She still enjoyed the wine and Champagne Ernst served her, but she was just a little more cautious. She loved to drink but she did not enjoy the aftermath, and she wasn’t certain of what she did or told Natalya in the privacy of her room when she was not sober.
Ernst invited Aksinya, Natalya, and the Bockmanns to the Graff von Taaffe’s New Years dance and party. Because of the distance to the estate, they were invited to remain over until the next day and brought their small trunks and nightwear. They rode in the Bockmann’s coupe for more than two hours into the country until they arrived at the Graff von Taaffe’s estate. The way to the house from the main road was down a long tree-lined carriage path. Aksinya would have continued to read her German novel except that Natalya pointed out their approach to the house. They caught occasional glimpses from the enclosed cab of the great house as they cut back and forth in the gentle climb to the mansion.
The house was large and very old. From a distance, it looked like a schloß, but had a little more modern appearance close up. That is, on closer observation, it appeared to be from the eighteenth century, which it was, rather than from the fourteenth century, which it wasn’t. The front was stone with a generous fresco of marble, and all three floors displayed a similar exterior. The access to the heavy oaken front door was from a set of modern marble steps, but in contrast, the lower floor showed tiny windows and the top floor a crenulated roofline. Aksinya could spot the iron roofing that poked above the tops of the decorative crenulations. The second floor windows were larger and more numerous, but still gave an impression of medieval depth, and the top floor windows were the largest, but the thickness of the stone facade prevented any visibility into them. Tall constructions at either end of the face of the mansion appeared like towers, but they were encompassed at the walls and not separate structures.
The mansion reminded Aksinya a little of her house in Russia. The outline and much of the ornamentation were similar. In Russia, however, the purpose was protection and defense. Her house had been defended many times in the past by the Counts Golitsyna. She, on the other hand, had abandoned it instead of defending it with her life. She shook her head. She wondered why that thought had suddenly stolen into her mind. The von Taaffe estate, on the other hand, gave no impression that it had ever been defended against any real foe.
You need to ask yourself this question: does Aksinya appear like a woman in love. If she does, I have failed miserably. On the other hand, if Ernst doesn't appear like a love-struck puppy, I have messed up the writing entirely. If you didn't get it before, you should now. The details in this transition give you many details about Aksinya and Natalya and, of course, Ernst. We knew about the relationship pushing from the Freiherr and Freifrau. We could have guessed that Natalya loves to study and Aksinya loves her privacy. I hope you are suspicious too about the interaction of Asmodeus in the whole affair.
We also see that Aksinya is trying to moderate her own behaviour. She hasn't been successful in the past and we know where this kind of thing goes anyway. I suspect she won't be successful now, but we shall see. Note, that Aksinya is concerned with what she might reveal to Natalya while she is drunk.
Now on to the main point of the chapter: Ernst invited Aksinya to his father's estate for New Years. He also, quite properly, invited Aksinya's aunt and uncle. This is the scene setting for the chapter. This occurs following the transition. I give you a bunch of information in a tight format. Notice that Aksinya doesn't care about the house, Natalya points it out to her. It is through the eyes of Aksinya we see the house of Ernst's father. The mansion is on a mountain top. I don't tell you this, I show you this through the travel on the road. I also use comparison and other techniques to describe the house to you. This description is a metaphor for the Taaffe family. So lets look at the details of that.
The house is large and very old. Likewise the Taaffe family. It looks like a castle (that's what a schloß is). It is more modern close up. So Ernst is like his father's house. It has the appearance of age and the past, but close up, he is modern (in terms of a noble). The other details likewise relate to the building and the family. The contrast between modern and ancient between old and new. The description of the house also shows the windows are tiny on the bottom with thick walls and wider with the same thick walls at the top. This indicates the potential secrets and privacy of the family. You know there is a depth and many secrets here, but I don't reveal any of them. There are secrets especially about Ernst, but I haven't shown them to you. You might ask about how Ernst became involved in sorcery. You might wonder about his mother--we'll see that later, and his father.
The next comparison is between Aksinya's house and Ernst's father's house. It reminds her of her house in Russia. Take this metaphor to the full point. Ernst's house is a facade; Aksinya's house was used for defense. This is a foreshadowing to what I mentioned before. Do you think Ernst can release Aksinya from her curse? What do you read from his father's house. Akinsya tells you that in spite of her power and her desires, in her well protected and defended house, she could not defend or protect it. The end tagline about the Taaffe's estate is this: The von Taaffe estate, on the other hand, gave no impression that it had ever been defended against any real foe. So what do you think? Tomorrow, the arrival.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
A New Novel, Part 137 Don't Try to Negotiate with Bolsheviks
For those who haven’t been following this blog, let me introduce it a little. I am currently blogging my 21st novel that has the working title Daemon. The novel is about Aksinya, a wondrous sorceress, who, to save her family from the Bolsheviks, called and contracted the demon, Asmodeus. Her family was murdered anyway, and she fled with the demon from Russia to Wien, Austria.
Aksinya and Ernst are in the Red Room of the Palais Coburg Hotel. Aksinya just finished grilling Ernst about his military service and his service as a noble. Now Ernst wants his turn...
After he had taken a couple of spoonfuls, Ernst dabbed his lips, “I told you a little about me. Now, I would like to know something about you.”
Aksinya leaned a little over the table.
Natalya cleared her throat and made a sign with her fingers.
Aksinya scowled and sat up straight, “Why would you want to know about me? I am nothing.”
“Ah, but you are not nothing. You are a Countess from Russia and a very intelligent woman.”
Aksinya lifted her chin, “Then I will tell you, I am perhaps more worthless than you. My family and people were everything to me. Now, my family is dead, and I abandoned my people. How am I supposed to be a countess when I have no one to look to me?”
“Indeed,” Ernst smiled, “I am willing to apply for that position.”
Aksinya snarled, “Don’t make fun of me.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. How did you escape alive from Russia? Your aunt and uncle told me a little.”
“My father knew the Bolsheviks would visit our estate. He chose to confront them. He thought he could talk to them, negotiate with them.”
“He was wrong?”
“He died because he was wrong. My mother, sister, brother all died with him because he was wrong.”
“And you?”
“I was at the guesthouse.” She took a deep breath, “I didn’t trust them.” She glanced up, “The Bolsheviks. I knew it wouldn’t work out well. I was so afraid my family would die. Afterward, I escaped with the Lady Natalya to Wien.”
Ernst put his hand over hers. His eyes bore into hers, “There is much more to this than you are telling me.”
Aksinya pulled away her hand, “And I will not tell you any more.”
Aksinya and Ernst are eating the soup course. Aksinya was in control of the conversation before--Ernst preempts her now. The fact that Ernst wants to know something about her and she believes he is not going to ask about sorcery, excites her. She leans over the table, and Natalya reminds her of her manners, and possibly that in her dress she is overexposing herself. I wanted you to see this about Aksinya. Her decorum is perfect, but she does have her moments. Ernst likely thought her indecoroum was wonderful--not just because she might be overexposed, but because she showed interest in his question.
Natalya's correction puts Aksinya off--so she answers tartly and deprecatingly. In the theme of the nobility, Aksinya evaluates herself with the same harshness she applied to Ernst. Ernst is smitten--his response is heartfelt, but Aksinya can't accept it. He applies to place himself under her fealty--that could only be a joke to Aksinya. She is angry already. Ernst should hold his tongue. Instead, he asks about Aksinya's escape from Russia. That is the last subject Aksinya wishes to discuss. She is agitated enough to answer, and we and Ernst learn much more about Aksinya than we knew already.
I took this situation right out of the history books. Aksinya's mother is based on a real member of the Russian nobility who was murdered by the Bolsheviks using exactly this ploy. They came to the house and asked to talk to the head of the house. The family came outside where they were shot to death. The lesson--don't try to negotiate with Bolsheviks.
In response to Aksinya's information, Ernst tries to comfort her. He places his hand on hers. Since she does not have a glove on, this is a very intimate gesture. She appropriately pulls her hand away. Ernst doesn't realize the minefield he stepped into. He gets out thankfully alive. Tomorrow, Ernst bravely keeps up the conversation.
Aksinya and Ernst are in the Red Room of the Palais Coburg Hotel. Aksinya just finished grilling Ernst about his military service and his service as a noble. Now Ernst wants his turn...
After he had taken a couple of spoonfuls, Ernst dabbed his lips, “I told you a little about me. Now, I would like to know something about you.”
Aksinya leaned a little over the table.
Natalya cleared her throat and made a sign with her fingers.
Aksinya scowled and sat up straight, “Why would you want to know about me? I am nothing.”
“Ah, but you are not nothing. You are a Countess from Russia and a very intelligent woman.”
Aksinya lifted her chin, “Then I will tell you, I am perhaps more worthless than you. My family and people were everything to me. Now, my family is dead, and I abandoned my people. How am I supposed to be a countess when I have no one to look to me?”
“Indeed,” Ernst smiled, “I am willing to apply for that position.”
Aksinya snarled, “Don’t make fun of me.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. How did you escape alive from Russia? Your aunt and uncle told me a little.”
“My father knew the Bolsheviks would visit our estate. He chose to confront them. He thought he could talk to them, negotiate with them.”
“He was wrong?”
“He died because he was wrong. My mother, sister, brother all died with him because he was wrong.”
“And you?”
“I was at the guesthouse.” She took a deep breath, “I didn’t trust them.” She glanced up, “The Bolsheviks. I knew it wouldn’t work out well. I was so afraid my family would die. Afterward, I escaped with the Lady Natalya to Wien.”
Ernst put his hand over hers. His eyes bore into hers, “There is much more to this than you are telling me.”
Aksinya pulled away her hand, “And I will not tell you any more.”
Aksinya and Ernst are eating the soup course. Aksinya was in control of the conversation before--Ernst preempts her now. The fact that Ernst wants to know something about her and she believes he is not going to ask about sorcery, excites her. She leans over the table, and Natalya reminds her of her manners, and possibly that in her dress she is overexposing herself. I wanted you to see this about Aksinya. Her decorum is perfect, but she does have her moments. Ernst likely thought her indecoroum was wonderful--not just because she might be overexposed, but because she showed interest in his question.
Natalya's correction puts Aksinya off--so she answers tartly and deprecatingly. In the theme of the nobility, Aksinya evaluates herself with the same harshness she applied to Ernst. Ernst is smitten--his response is heartfelt, but Aksinya can't accept it. He applies to place himself under her fealty--that could only be a joke to Aksinya. She is angry already. Ernst should hold his tongue. Instead, he asks about Aksinya's escape from Russia. That is the last subject Aksinya wishes to discuss. She is agitated enough to answer, and we and Ernst learn much more about Aksinya than we knew already.
I took this situation right out of the history books. Aksinya's mother is based on a real member of the Russian nobility who was murdered by the Bolsheviks using exactly this ploy. They came to the house and asked to talk to the head of the house. The family came outside where they were shot to death. The lesson--don't try to negotiate with Bolsheviks.
In response to Aksinya's information, Ernst tries to comfort her. He places his hand on hers. Since she does not have a glove on, this is a very intimate gesture. She appropriately pulls her hand away. Ernst doesn't realize the minefield he stepped into. He gets out thankfully alive. Tomorrow, Ernst bravely keeps up the conversation.
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