The Secret Healer(29)
Kilian pushed Madlen gently back into the cottage and shut the door. Lost in thought, she took her seat.
“Have I done the right thing?”
She expected to hear him spit out an angry remark about Adelhaid, but he remained quiet for a while before replying, “I really don’t know. You know how much I despise bastards like Matthias Trauenstein. He rapes the maids and beats everybody under his service black and blue. He didn’t even stop at his own wife, though she carried his child in her womb.”
“Do you really think that she knew nothing about the trial?”
“I can well imagine it. After all, she never leaves the house. If he told the servants not to mention it, nobody would have said a peep.”
“But wasn’t she supposed to appear at trial?”
“With her charming husband pressuring her to lie? I wouldn’t be surprised if she refused and he immediately gave her another good thrashing.” Kilian shoved his soup bowl away. “I’m not hungry.”
“What should I do? Go to her?”
“Her trusted servant wouldn’t have come here if he feared that Matthias would be at home in the near future. You could have gone with him to at least see Adelhaid and listen to what she has to say. You could even convince her to go to the sheriff. In any case”—he paused briefly—“she wants to give you money to mitigate the injustice. This is your last chance. You gave everything you had to pay your advocate. It would only be right for her to compensate you for this.”
“It would allow me to be more independent from Heinfried’s every whim,” Madlen said, thinking aloud.
“Absolutely.”
Madlen stood up. “Will you accompany me?”
Kilian arose. “I would never let you go there alone again.”
On the way to the Trauenstein estate, they barely spoke, holding each other’s hands tightly the whole time. Only when she climbed the steps and knocked did Kilian let go. Their recent visitor opened the door, looking surprised. “Come in,” he said. “What a relief to see you.”
Madlen and Kilian entered together. Inside, everything was calm. Even the kitchen was completely silent. Except for the guard, it seemed there was no one home.
“Please wait here. I’ll go upstairs and inform her that you’re both here.”
Madlen nodded. An eerie feeling crept over her whole body. Was it because this house reminded her of what had just been done to her? She didn’t know. It wasn’t long before the guard came out of Adelhaid’s bedchamber and approached the hall landing. “You can come up now. But please, only you. That is her wish.”
Madlen looked at Kilian with hesitation.
“It’s all right,” her brother replied. “I’ll wait here.”
“One moment.” The guard went into the bedchamber again. Apparently, Adelhaid Trauenstein had called to him from her bed. When he emerged, he came back downstairs. “My mistress wants me to give this to you.” He approached Kilian and gave him some coins as Madlen climbed upstairs. “Your wait will seem shorter if you buy a beer for yourself in the pub across the street.”
Madlen turned to her brother. “Go ahead. I’ll come over as soon as I’m done.”
“All right.” Kilian put the coins in his pocket, opened the door, and left the house. As he did so, he realized that the guard latched the door shut behind him. He paused for a moment, wondering why he would be so overly cautious. Then he pushed the thought away and went to the tavern, where he ran into his friend, Hans, joining him and two other men his age at their table.
Madlen took a deep breath before entering Adelhaid’s bedchamber. It was as dark as the last time she was there; she could barely see a thing. “It’s me, Madlen,” she said tentatively, approaching the bed quietly. Adelhaid didn’t say a word; she seemed to be waiting until Madlen came into her line of vision. Or was she sleeping? “Adelhaid, can you hear me? Are you awake?” She tiptoed closer to the bed when suddenly the door behind her slammed shut. Madlen’s heart skipped a beat. The weak light from the open door had at least lit the room somewhat; now Madlen saw nothing but black. She gasped with fear. “Adelhaid?”
She heard a rustling, and even though she couldn’t see, she felt someone approach her. “Who’s there?” Suddenly, somebody grabbed her shoulders. She felt their breath close to her face.
“Well, well, who do we have here?”
Madlen gasped. Even though she’d never spoken to him directly, she recognized the voice of Matthias Trauenstein immediately. She closed her eyes. A trap! She would almost certainly pay for her mistake with her life. Her whole body began to tremble.