TS 3 Chapter 23

Chapter 23 

Guntram de Lisle's diary 

January 12^th, 2015

Christmas holidays are over and the boys are back in school -the most marvelous invention in human history-. Since the holidays started on December 22^nd all my time had been taken hostage by Klaus, Karl and Kurt... and the cousins shipped by Carolina to us. At first, I thought that it was a good idea to have two little girls of their age around, but Maria and Carolina are quite handful and then, we added little Marco, 13, who did his best to become gang leader but was left out of the game by Kurt in less than a week. That added some frictions to the whole thing. 

It was a whole day long fight; just as if you were trapped -with no parole- inside of a Tom and Jerry's cartoon... but all the children cried the day Albert's children were sent back to Italy. My own cousin took a leave of absence the moment he saw the Italian Lintorffs in full. It was too much for Eberhard's nerves. I still don't know how Friederich could cope with Konrad, Albert, Armin and Ferdinand every summer and even get them to do some “cultural stuff”. 

Truth to be told I haven't done much in the past months. The first weeks after I returned from hospital, I didn't do much besides reading a bit and sleeping the whole time. I only was up when the boys were coming to do their homework and stay with me until bedtime. I guess I was depressed over my father's doings and recovering from the heart surgery. Leaving the bed was already a huge task for me. I felt beaten after doing the smallest thing, like going to the toilet or eating a full meal. The best I could do was to lay down and let the boys show me their things and help them a little. They were sent back to the house at 8 p.m and I was asleep at 9 p.m. 

TS 3 Chapter 22

Chapter 22 

October 8^th, 2014

Zurich 

The half an hour car ride had been almost a trial for Guntram. Perhaps arguing with Konrad in the morning, during his brief visit before work, had had something to do with the feeling of absolute misery Guntram was experiencing when the large Mercedes parked in front of the summer cottage outside the castle. 

“Why don't we go to the main house?” he asked Anke, the nurse, sitting next to him. 

“Stairs, too many stairs,” the woman answered shaking her head gloomily. “You can't climb them and you won't want to be all the time trapped in the bedroom.” 

“Why are you always so bossy?” Guntram couldn't help to blurt out. 'She nearly drove the chauffeur mad with all her remarks. Don't go there, be careful, don't speed. This man is going to resign tonight.' 

“Because I'm your nurse and I clearly told you I didn't want to see you ever again in my ward. You didn't pay attention to me and now I will set things right,” she answered and Guntram sighed. 

'That was like fourteen years ago. Now I see why Konrad was saying she's like a Panzer.' He looked helpless how the poor bodyguard was shushed away by the lady when he tried to open the door for Guntram. 'Poor Martin, he's on her wrong side now.' With difficulty, Guntram managed to stand up and before she could say something for moving around without help, he greeted Monika, who quickly placed herself between the young man and his nurse. 

“I'm so glad to see you on your feet again,” Monika kissed Guntram effusively and ushered him to the house before he could say anything. 

“Am I staying here?” he asked once he was inside and one of the maids took his coat away. 

“The Duke ordered this house to be fitted for you, darling. The stairs it that old house are too much for anyone. They're everywhere.”

'Kicked out like an old dog,' Guntram thought but only forced a smile for Monika. He crossed the small foyer to enter in the cosy living room where he and Konrad used to come in the early summer to read while the boys played outside. 

TS3 Chapter 21

Chapter 21

September 11^th, 2014 

London 

'Kostya may have inherited Galina's genius but he certainly inherited Guntram's obsessive constance for perfection,' Constantin sighed loudly when the child started again to bang the piano in the nursery upstairs. 

'Hannon, number twelve now.' Constantin recognized the set of scales the child played for the thousandth time that morning. 

'Guntram was depleting ream after ream when he was obsessed with achieving something; nothing that the cleaning lady couldn't take away and make us all happy.' Constantin took away his eyes from the freshly printed papers he was getting out of the laser printer standing next to him. The headache gave him nausea but he stubbornly focused on the reading, doing his best to ignore the music coming from the room upstairs. 

He was very sorry to have bought the piano for Kostya. 

'Now I know why nobody ever wrote a novel about Mozart's neighbors. They all moved away after a week.'

'I'll give a bonus to that stupid music teacher if she can persuade him to play something different, like a tune or something.'

TS 3 Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Guntram de Lisle's diary 

September 5^th, 2014 

It's been quite a week but at least Konrad and I smoothed some of the issues between us. I did exactly as he told me and the portrait was sent to London on Tuesday. Ostermann was happy about it and glad it was all over. He was beginning to doubt my ability to finish it and to be honest, I also. But it was like with Stefania's painting; finished in seven days by sheer miracle. I worked on it during the nights I couldn't sleep because Konrad was at the hospital. It's not a masterpiece, but the falcon looks great; if we could just cut that part and frame it, we would have a winner. 

On Wednesday, Gulya phoned me to tell me how happy she was. She had “framed” and was placing it over the mantelpiece for everyone to admire it. I was a bit puzzled because I swear I paid for a frame and said something like “didn't you like the one I chose?” 

No, she loved it but the “other”; the drawing was too delicate to have it unprotected. I swear I lost my wits there. 

“The oil with Merlin goes directly to the Modern Arts Museum in Abu Dhabi, darling. I'm putting the nude on display!” 

I couldn't speak and she spilled the whole story; she had shown photos of the thing with the mean parrot to Altair and he said something like “a beautiful depiction of a lady; it would look fantastic at the new Museum; we're associated with the Louvre and looking for new things and artists”; and so on.

The thing was sold on the spot on Wednesday night and shipped to UEA because it's so “classical” and “maidenly” that it complies with all Islamic regulations for having Western Art hanging from their walls. 

Shit! Konrad will kill me when the father of the model sees the virtues of his daughter spread all over the marble mantelpiece.