1636: The Viennese Waltz by Paula Goodlett & Gorg Huff & Eric Flint

Author:Paula Goodlett & Gorg Huff & Eric Flint [Goodlett, Paula & Huff, Gorg & Flint, Eric]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, azw3
Tags: Fiction, Alternative History, science fiction, Action & Adventure, General
Publisher: Baen
Published: 2014-11-04T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 22

The Reception and the Gifts

July 1635

The Hofburg Palace, Vienna

“Charming,” Empress Mariana of the Austro-Hungarian Empire murmured. Judy the Younger curtsied quite well, she thought. Not that the others were bad at it, but it was clear that they lacked practice and seemed a bit uncomfortable. Judy did it with style and not the least bit of embarrassment or pugnaciousness.

As she recovered from her curtsy, the young woman winked at Mariana as if sharing a delightful joke and the empress of Austria-Hungary was hard put not to laugh out loud. The receiving line was dull, but not quite as dull as usual. Mariana had been reminded that these things were supposed to be fun, even if they rarely were.

Prince Gundaker’s bow could be measured with one of the new micrometers, it was so rigid. The rumors of a blowup at the Liechtenstein house were apparently true.

Moses Abrabanel was his usual reserved and cautious self. But Mariana could tell that he had things to tell. It was shaping up to be an interesting evening.

The receiving line being finished, some gifts from the new arrivals at court were offered. Bolts of fabric, some of the new paisley prints with the double eagle of the Habsburg crest woven into the fabric. Then it was time to circulate before dinner. Mariana got several versions of the events at the Liechtenstein house over the next fifteen or twenty minutes. She decided to see what the up-timers had to say and spotted Judy the Younger. Not surprisingly, Judy shone like one of the new light bulbs in a dark room. Mariana made her way to Judy, dispersing a bevy of young lords by virtue of her rank. And when she had Judy alone, she simply asked, “What happened that has Gundaker so upset?”

“We’re barbarians destructive of the good social order.” Judy grinned. “But I’m sure Prince Gundaker has already told you that.”

“I don’t think he put it quite that way, but that was the gist, yes. So are you barbarians?”

For the first time that evening Judy the Younger put on a serious mien. “It probably depends on where you’re standing, Your Majesty, whether it’s us or you who are barbarians. I understand that John George of Saxony indicates his readiness for another mug of beer by dumping the dregs of his last one on whatever servant happens to be handy. Did you know that?”

Mariana was surprised by the sudden turn of the conversation. “Yes, I am aware of it. An unpleasant quirk, but John George is an unpleasant man.”

“To us, the way John George treats his servants isn’t all that different from how you treat yours. Tell me, Your Majesty, were you to find yourself visiting a court like John George’s, would you then request a second drink by dumping the dregs of the first on a servant’s head?”

“No!”

“Neither would we. Prince Gundaker felt that my sister saying ‘thank you’ to a serving girl was an offense against the natural order of the world. In order to punish Sarah, he dismissed the servant.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.