Chapter 29
June
3rd,
2012
Zurich
Still wondering how Konrad had
been able to obtain a real French birth certificate and papers for
his son, Guntram finished to dress his baby with simple trousers and
a shirt.
“Now Kurt, this is serious. I
have to get you inside this long, pristine, truly white christening
gown.”
“Dada!” he blurted out
happily.
“One world and you rule the
world,” Guntram said with a smile. “I really need your
cooperation with this.” He displayed a large lace christening dress
in front of the baby's luminous eyes. “Konrad must have been a very
large baby no matter if he was baptised at eight months old. We only
need to leave the strings lose and it fits you perfectly, Kurt.
Please, be gentle to this dress. It has been with the Lintorff family
for three generations.”
Kurt watched with a frown how
his father slid the dress over his head but the mother of pearl
buttons in the cuffs caught his attention until Guntram tried to put
a lace bonnet over his head. With a furious gesture, the baby removed
and threw it to the floor.
“Come on, Kurt. It's just for
an hour,” Guntram pleaded but the strong pout in his son's face
made his resolution falter.
“All right, it's really not
necessary to put one on. You're not a small baby any longer,” he
conceded and picked him up in his arms.
His heart accelerated its
beating when he saw from the windows in the foyer the people gathered
in the interior courtyard. He took a deep breath but couldn't move
forward as his mind was in blank about what he would tell to all his
friends and relatives. So many people, no matter how nice they were,
simply made him panic.
“Here
you are. The ceremony starts in ten minutes. Pater
Bruno will baptise Kurt after the Mass and it will be only us.”
Konrad informed him with an even voice, briefly touching Guntram's
arm to take him away from the trance he seemed to be suffering. “I'll
take him,” he added pointing at the baby squirming in Guntram's
inert arms.
“All right,” he answered
nervously, fighting against immobility.
“You only need to stay for the
ceremony, Kitten. Leave the rest to me, but I doubt anyone would care
about us once they see Kurt. We are not the hottest stock in the room
any longer, remember? My charm vanished the day Georg took over,”
he joked.
Guntram forced a smile, although
it came out like a snort, and was glad to be saved from a moment of
unease by Klaus and Karl bursting in the foyer and their laughters
when they saw their little brother.
“That's a girl's dress!”
Karl snickered.
“It's a Christening gown and
be quiet or I'll show pictures of you two wearing something very
similar,” Konrad growled and both boys became very serious at the
threat.
“Let me carry, him,” Konrad
said and took the baby in his arms to confidently walk toward the
crowd.
Guntram looked at his back and
took his boys hands to follow him, fearing he would be assaulted but
the collective gasp he heard was addressed to his son as people
surrounded Konrad, proudly showing his new heir.
Suddenly he was grabbed from
behind and kissed on the cheek. Doing his best not to push away the
person he turned around and recognised Elisabetta von Lintorff's back
as she kept hugging him against her chest.
“My dear boy, you have no idea
how much we all missed you,” she said visibly moved. “Tita is
dying to see you, but she's inside the chapel.”
“Hello, Elisabetta,” he
stammered. “I...”
“You have the most beautiful
child I've seen in many years,” she immediately said when she
realised how difficult it was for Guntram to speak. “You will sit
next to me during the ceremony,” she added hugging him once more
before she dragged him away from the crowd.
