Archduchess Marianne attempts to speculate about the nameless Danish envoy and his possible mission in Vienna. The name of the County of Rantzau reappears in the narrative, dropped casually by the competent Mademoiselle Juliana. It was part of the Duchy of Holstein, situated in the remote borderlands of the Holy Roman Empire, next to the Danish frontier.
The immediate background of this small and seemingly insignificant county was quite criminal in nature, involving a bitter rivalry between two brothers — the count and his sibling — a murder by a shot in the back, a fugitive captured after several months in hiding, and his subsequent death under mysterious circumstances in prison — very conveniently for the King of Denmark, who promptly annexed the heirless county. Quite a nice little intrigue for another piece of fiction, is it not?
As if that were not enough, there may have been another — minor but rather scandalous — side motive hidden within the tragic fate of the murdered count. True, it does not play a role in the present narrative, yet it was too striking and fascinating to overlook entirely. Without revealing too much, I shall only mention that it will be referred to again in the very last chapter. And I do wonder whether the reader will now be tempted to read ahead… 😊
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