"Tell her to hop in," Dreeson said. "We can sort it out in Fulda better then we can out here in the middle of the road."
Liesel hopped.
"How's Emrich?" was her first question.
The rest of her questions were so numerous that Kastenmayer had to give up on making any more comments until they got into Fulda itself and turned her over to Andrea Hill.
Just Outside of Steinau
"Martin?" Cunz Kastenmayer said.
"Yes?" They were mounting their horses, having given up their seats in Henry Dreeson's ATV to Sergeant Hartke's wife Dagmar and her stepdaughter Gertrud.
"There's a familiar-looking female coming down the road. On foot."
Wackernagel looked back and emitted a hearty "Hell and damnation." Followed by, "Utt!"
Derek Utt turned around. "You want to take her with us?"
"Over my dead body," Wackernagel said.
Utt detailed a couple of his soldiers to return Liesel Bodamer to Fulda and the custody of Andrea Hill.
The motorcade moved on.
Frankfurt am Main
"At least we don't have to do it all over again on the way back," Cunz said.
Wackernagel smiled. "Would it be appropriate for us to pause and give thanks for life's small blessings?"
"Have you given further thought to the blessing I pointed out to you a few weeks ago? In regard to your luck in not having the company of either of my older brothers?"
"The junior pastor and the city clerk?"
"Precisely. We'll be at the inn in Steinau within a couple of hours. The Blue Goose, where we stopped coming down to Frankfurt."
Wackernagel nodded.
"Will you be spending the night in the family quarters again?"
"Do you care?"
"Oddly enough, yes." Cunz paused. "Also about the women in Vacha and Bindersleben. And the children."
Wackernagel winced.
"As will Herr Dreeson's wife. Although the mayor does very well, he still has learned German recently. He fails to grasp many of the nuances of how people address one another. The redoubtable Veronica does not share this handicap."
"Edeltraud would be very disappointed if I seemed to treat her coldly in the presence of influential associates."
Cunz shrugged. "It's your choice. Possibly your grave."
Fulda
"Well, of course you'll come with us, Wes. You and Clara. With me. After what you went through with Gruyard and von Schlitz and their thugs, it's the least I can offer."
Wackernagel, listening, saw a light. "Well, then. You don't need a guide going back. The driver knows the road now, and you have Utt's soldiers as an escort. I'll just rent a horse in Fulda, pick up some commissions, and go back to riding my regular route, rather than accompanying the motorcade all the way back to Grantville."
Cunz Kastenmayer smothered a smile.
Especially when Mayor Dreeson's reply was a firm, "Oh, no, Wackernagel. I couldn't see my way to letting you do that, after all the help you've been. We'll leave the soldiers who were riding in the rear ATV to ride back to Grantville. You and Cunz come right along with us, in the other car." He paused. "But how are we going to split up the couples? Ronnie and I can take the back seat of the front car, but that means that Wes will have to be in one and Clara in the other. No, wait. Cunz can ride in front, in our car. You can be in front with the driver of the rear car, and Wes and Clara in back. Unless Wes and I have business to talk. Then he can ride with me and Ronnie back with Clara . . ." Henry limped away.
Badenburg
Although Henry remained happily oblivious to nuances and Wes equaled his inability to perceive them . . . Veronica and Clara did not. Not at Vacha. Not at Bindersleben.
Not in Badenburg. Where it became fairly clear that not only did the courier have three wives, but also a girlfriend. While waiting for a problem with the engine of the rear ATV to be repaired, which involved bringing a part from Grantville, they observed Wackernagel making a delivery to the Sign of the Platter.
And flirting.
With Clara's niece, Helena Hamm.
So what were they going to do about it?
"Did you know about this, young Kastenmayer?" was not a propitious opening sentence for any conversation.
Cunz felt like he was about ten years old again. In school. Caught.
"Ah. Well, not about your niece. We didn't stop long in Badenburg on the trip outward."
"I am going to stop this. What is it at they say in the movies that they show in Grantville. The westerns?"
He grasped the reference immediately. "Head them off at the pass."
"Yes. Precisely. Find Wackernagel and get him in here. I am going to tell Helena. At once. Also, he shall know that if he does not leave Helena alone, if he does not comply, I will tell the other women. He is not going to ruin my niece's life, the wretch. The miserable, irresponsible, abominable . . ." She searched her vocabulary. "Creep. That is what Andrea would say. Creep."