Jacob's ladder
Chapter 11: Anna Bruckner

Luis grasped the tower rails andlooked blindly at the opposite end of the square. He tried to interpret what he had seen in afavorable light, but a fixed idea hammered his brain, which he could notexplain away: Gonzalo and Maurice had been mates. They had worked together beforeentering Lady Borland’s service. Was it possible that she had been duped to thepoint that both men engaged to protect Luis from Blatsov were actually agentsof the man in black? Lord Wellington’s aide-de-camp had recommended them, butGonzalo was proof that he could make a mistake. Maurice had helped him a lot,had got him out of Brussels against all the efforts by Napoleon to recapturehim, but what was his real goal? Had he brought Luis to Aachen to put him inBlatsov’s hands? He needed to confirm his suspicions before it were too late.

In a state of confusion, he walkeddown the tower stairs and went out of the cathedral, but did not dare cross thesquare and pass before the pub where the two men had gone into. Was it possiblethat he have been mistaken and taken for Blatsov someone who resembled him? Buteven while he was grasping at this hope, his inmost mind had no doubt: the manhe had seen and his mortal enemy were one and the same. His bearing, his way ofwalking, everything was the same. He knew Blatsov too well; he had had very goodopportunities to notice, while he was being pursued.

Trying to be less conspicuous, he walkedall the way around the square, took a side street and went back at the inn asfast as he dared. Although night had fallen, he would escape immediately.During the long days of their journey from Brussels, he had matured his projectof going to Montsegur to replace Charles. Up to now, he had not mentioned it tohis companion. It was time to put it in practice.

For an instant, he thought of leavingwithout going to the inn, but rejected the idea for two reasons: he wanted torecover the pistol he had picked up in the battlefield, which was hidden in theroom, and he wanted to take some coins from Maurice’s purse, because he wouldnot be able to travel far without money. Maurice had said that the money actuallybelonged to Lady Borland, so Luis considered himself entitled to use it in hisown benefit.

As soon as he arrived, he took thepistol and put it in his pocket. Then he searched Maurice’s belongings, butcould not replace the purse. Obviously, he had taken it when he went out. Just atthat point, the door opened and Maurice came in. Fearing to see him come with Blatsov,Luis turned frightened, but the man was alone.

“What are you doing?” asked theBelgian with a strange smile which confirmed Luis’s worst suspicions.

“I’m looking for the purse. I needmoney.”

“What for?”

“That’s my business. Where have youbeen?”

“I went to speak to a friend, someoneI know in Aachen who can help us, but couldn’t replace him. We’ll have to stayhere a few more days.”

Luis now knew that Maurice was lying.

“You haven’t answered my question,”continued his companion. “What do you want the money for?”

“I’ve told you it’s my business.”

“It’s my money. I won’t give you anyunless you tell me what you want it for.”

“It’s more mine than yours, itbelongs to Lady Borland.”

“Oh, ho! In that case, I’ll give younothing. I wouldn’t anyway, for you won’t leave this room again.”

“Why?”

Maurice moved before the door and againexhibited his strange smile. The boy shuddered.

“You must meet someone here.”

“Blatsov.”

“You know?”

“I saw you with him. You havebetrayed me.”

“I don’t like that word. I haven’t betrayedyou, you are not my boss.”

“I know: a spy works for everybody.Both sides must believe that he is their man.”

“You are quoting someone. Who saidthat?”

“Gonzalo.”

“Not bad. It’s a good definition. IfI had time and paper, I’d take a note. It may come useful.”

Suddenly Luis took the pistol fromhis pocket, cocked it and aimed at Maurice. Surprised, the man looked at theblack mouth of the weapon, which he had not known was in the boy’s possession.

“Give me the purse and let me go.”

“Are you going to kill me, after all I’vedone for you?”

“What have you done? Saved me from anenemy to deliver me to a worse one? I don’t want to kill you, but I’ll do it ifit’s the only way. Give me the money!”

Maurice seemed to surrender, put hisright hand inside his pocket, took the purse and offered it, but when Luis cameto take it, he hurled his left hand toward the pistol and tried to wrench itoff. Luis fought to keep his grasp, and in the subsequent struggle the weaponfired accidentally and shot the Belgian in his face. Disfigured and bleeding,Maurice fell dead, while Luis leant shuddering against the wall to keep fromfainting. He felt uncontrollable nausea, knelt on the ground and emptied the wholecontents of his stomach.

When he recovered, his sight blurredby his tears, he remembered the imminence of Blatsov’s visit and suspected thathe scarcely had any time. He took the purse from the corpse’s fingers andprepared to leave but, as he passed near the vomit pool, his attention wasattracted by something small and gleaming, in the shape of two straight polesand four unequally separated echelons, and he recognized Jacob’s ladder.

With shaky fingers he took theamulet, cleaned it in the wash-basin with a little water, strung it in a threadfrom the clothes of the dead man, hung it around his neck, opened the door and preparedto flee from the inn. Just when he was coming at the entrance, he heard thesteps of a man outside. Fearing that it could be Blatsov, he ran to the backyardand got out through the back gate. Two blocks away, he dared look behind, butnobody was following him. He walked slowly and cautiously until he reached theoutskirts of Aachen. Once in the open field, he felt safer, for he would beable to detect his pursuers farther away.

It was night. The waning moon had notyet appeared, but the sky was clear and the stars gave some light. He decidedto walk till the end of his strength. His nerves were strung and he would have foundrest or sleep impossible. Getting his bearings by the Polar star, he took theway south. He still intended to travel to Roussillon and wanted to get as farfrom Blatsov as possible.

He walked the whole night and thenext morning. He had left with an empty stomach and no food. At about noon, he felttoo weak and had to stop. He was just passing near a farm. With an effort, hejumped the fence, ran to the barn, fell on a heap of straw and was soon sleepingdeeply.

When he awoke, it took him some timeto remember where he was. He noticed that he was starving, that it was night againand that he was covered by an unfamiliar rug which he did not remember to have used.Just then, two persons started speaking in French outside the barn. When heheard his own name, he shuddered and started listening to the conversation.

“His name is Luis García. He is aboutsixteen, with a dark complexion and middle height. He was seen yesterday inAix-la-Chapelle, but he has escaped, and we think that he may have come in thisdirection. If you can tell me something which will help us to replace him, youwill be rewarded with money and the eternal gratitude of the emperor.”

Luis recognized the voice; he hadheard it often: the speaker was major Gérard. The voice of the woman who answeredwas instead totally unknown.

“This part of Rhineland does notbelong to France.”

“Not for long. If you know what isgood for you, you’ll want to get his gratitude by not protecting his enemies.”

“I’ve never heard the name youmention. If this boy comes in my house, or if someone meeting your description passesby, without stopping here, I’ll send you warning. How can I do it?”

“One of my men will come once a dayto get your news. Most ways are watched, but we cannot cover them all. We need thehelp of the farmers. Good-bye. We may meet again.”

The major rode away at a canter,leaving Luis in the deepest depression. With both Blatsov and Gérard after him,how would he be able to arrive safely at Montsegur?

“Any moment,” he thought, “this womanwill come in the barn and report me. Perhaps I’d better surrender! If I mustfinally fall in their hands, why suffer? But whom should I surrender to?Napoleon will kill me, so that I won’t escape again. Being in Blatsov’s handswould be worse than dying. No, I must keep fleeing and God’s will be done!”

The light of the waning moon throughthe barn door was suddenly darkened by the shape of the woman. “This is theend,” thought Luis, who remained still and tried to hide among the straw. Thewoman, however, whose face and expression were hidden in the darkness, camenear him, sat on the ground and spoke in French:

“How are you, boy?”

“You knew that I was here!” he exclaimed.

“Of course! Who did you think hadcovered you with the rug? It’s summer, but nights are cold.”

“Then why did you not deliver me toGérard?”

“My name is Anna Bruckner,” she said,as though that explained everything; but noticing the boy’s confusion, sheadded: “I’m German, not French. If Napoleon is pursuing you, you are my friendand I’ll help you.”

“Thanks. I am...”

“No names, please! Thus I’ll be ableto swear that I don’t know if so and so has been here. Are you hungry?”

“I’d eat a horse!”

Anna laughed.

“I cannot give you a horse, but Ihave some other food. Don’t move. I’ll bring it here. I’d like to give you myhospitality, but you must not go in my house, otherwise I’d have to report you.One must fulfill one’s promises.”

When the woman left the barn, Luisgave thanks for such an unexpected help. Whenever he had felt cornered, God hadsent him somebody, an innkeeper, a woman like Lady Borland or Anna Bruckner,even a traitor, like Maurice. When Anna came back with a few black flour piesand a dish of hot broth, he ate voraciously and could not speak for a longtime, while she took advantage of the opportunity to tell him about her lifeand enlarge the explanation of her attitude toward major Gérard.

“I was not born in this place, I comefrom Westphalia. Five years ago, I fell in love with a farmer from Rhineland,married him and came to live in this house. For a year we were very happy, but thena patrol came and took my husband to serve in Napoleon’s army. This country hadbeen a part of France for just fourteen years. Neither my Hans nor me felt verypatriotic. When he was killed in the war, my indifference toward Bonapartebecame hate. I’d do anything to make him fall. That’s impossible, I’m toounimportant, but I can help with small things like this.”

“If you knew who you are helping,”thought Luis, “the importance which Napoleon gives the amulet, and thesuperstition which makes him associate it with the success or failure of hiswars, you’d be very much surprised and would not consider your vengeanceunreachable. But I must not tell you this.”

When he finished, Luis gave Anna thedish and cutlery, stood up and prepared to say good-bye. The woman went out withhim to the farmyard.

“Go now, while it’s dark. In twohours, the sun will rise. Don’t trust the ways, walk across the fields in thenight and hide by day. You’ll be safer, the less people see you. Take thisbundle with food; it will help you. It’s not much, because I’m not rich, and keepingthe farm alone is difficult, but I keep working in memory of my Hans: the farmwas his life.”

Luis knew that offering money for thefood would not be well received; therefore he just repeated his thanks. Beforeletting him go, however, Anna took his arm, brought him before the door of thehouse, and said laughing:

“You must stop before my door;otherwise I’d have to report you. One must fulfill one’s promises.”

The light of the moon let Luis noticethat the woman was around thirty, but looked much older. With an impulse, hewent near, threw his arms around her neck and kissed her on the cheek. Then heturned around, ran to the fence, jumped and followed on his way to the South.