Chapter 72: Interlude with a Prince

We arrived in the early afternoon, and I was tired. Being driven in a convertible at over one hundred sixty kilometers per hour was exhausting. Perhaps it would have been less tiring if I had done the driving, but it also would have taken another hour. We checked in, got the ‘Count de Winter’ upgrade, and within thirty minutes, were on our way to the Caracalla Therme. The baths were very close to the hotel.

We just walked over; there was enough time to check things out since they were open until 10 pm. After strolling through a pretty garden, the modern lobby welcomed us. There were inside and outside pools with warm to hot water, and we were advised not to stay longer than fifteen minutes at a time because the high mineral content might irritate our skin.

The huge ground floor swimming pool under the dome was spectacular, and some whirlpools invited you to enter; on the upper floor, there were clothing-optional saunas. Jenny grinned at me. “Shall we go now or later to the saunas?”

Looking at the people around me, there was no incentive to see them nude; additionally, I was not eager to display Jenny’s body to everyone.

“Let’s stay in the big pool for a while, and then we can either get something to eat, or you can book the spa for a few hours for tomorrow morning. We have to leave not later than eleven o’clock, darling.”

She was a bit disappointed to be prohibited from visiting the naughty places but chose the big pool and later our dinner. The pool was pleasant but very crowded, and the fun soon started to dim. Dinner was expensive and straightforward, but the sommelier recommended a fresh Rhenish Riesling to go with the fish, and it was very nice. Jenny recorded the label with her phone, and back we went to the hotel.

When Jenny closed the door, she was smiling.

“James, now we are alone, and I’ve some ideas about how we can entertain ourselves. Interested?”

Well, that was a splendid idea. After going through our bathroom details, calling Maureen, and getting a dressing down for why we were not safe at the Embassy, the night became very interesting.

The spa opened at 8 am, and Jenny had reserved two hours of pampering. That meant that I had to get up at seven o’clock, and I was never a happy, jump-out-of-bed guy. She ignored my grumbling, gulped her breakfast down, and vanished. I decided to call Maureen to complain about Jenny, but all I got was laughter.

“Darling, come back to reality. We’ll give our life for you, but a spa and shopping are vital to us. Be happy that she only took two hours! And stop grumbling - she does this only to be pretty for you.”

I harrumphed, and she added. “And for her, of course.”

It was evening in Sydney, and she told me about the children - two in the pool, one studying, and she didn’t know where the other two were but assumed that our young Polish live-in girls were taking care of them. Then it became serious. She wanted an update on the Lab and what our plans were to get public. I told her about our invitation by the Fuggers; she knew about it already (another two-hour phone call between the two?), had called them and was a bit jealous about us staying at the Babenhausen Castle and even more that Jenny had to go shopping for the formal dinners! I could have complained if I hadn’t known better, but I knew the hundreds of hours that Jenny poured into her work. Let her relax buying something - and often that something would lighten up my life!

Suddenly Jenny stormed in, furious and wanting justice.

“Count de Winter, do something. That guy giving the massage made comments completely inappropriate, and then he touched me in a way that I did not like. I warned him, and when he continued with that stupid grin and remarks about how pleasant he could be and touched me again, trying to take off my bra, I floored him. He was shocked when he ended up on the floor - finally, I could use my martial art! James, I had enough. I want to leave, and I want to leave now!”

That was an annoying surprise for me; this hotel was very traditional, and I expected perfect service. I was also furious; I hated the idea of someone touching my Jenny, and why did she not use a masseuse? We packed, and when we arrived at the reception desk, an elderly man was standing beside the young receptionist. I asked for check-out, and he approached.

“Count de Winter, I’m the General Manager of this hotel, and I have been informed that there was an incident at the spa. What happened?”

That was the man I wanted to see.

“My wife wanted a massage since we will be traveling to München and staying with the Fuggers at their castle.”

Rub it in!

“The guy giving massages spoke to her most inappropriately, and when he touched her, trying to take off her bra, she warned him and, when he insisted, put him on the floor. She has a fourth-degree black belt, after all. Sir, if I had the time, I would sue him and the hotel. You’re lucky that we have to leave, but you can be certain that we’ll tell everyone about this incident, and if I may say so, we have many influential friends. Now I want the bill and to leave this place.”

He was having a heart attack, to judge from the red color running over his face. He stuttered, tried to start again, and finally said he would investigate the unfortunate incident. They had my address and would resolve the case to our satisfaction. I asked again for the bill; he apologized once more and said there was no charge. I just turned away, but to my surprise, I saw Pavel standing close by. He shook his head when Jenny started to say something and walked away. They placed the luggage into the car, and when Jenny wanted to get the keys, I told her that I would drive. She was upset, but I was adamant.

“Jenny, you are very upset, and driving at 180 kilometers per hour in your state of mind could be dangerous. I’ll drive.”

She started to argue, but I just looked at her. Finally, she accepted, and I helped her into the car, and we drove away, back onto the autobahn to München.

I drove fast also, but I was more careful considering the danger to my driver’s license. Jenny was slowly calming down and even started to laugh when she remembered when she placed the guy on the floor.

“James, you should have seen the face of the guy when he hit the deck. The powerful blond Adonis being put down by a little girl from down under! I almost kicked him where it would hurt most, but I decided to place duty - leaving on time - over the pleasure of satisfying my fury and then having to stay to explain and sign documents. James, I’m a very rational woman, and you should be proud of me!”

Now I was also laughing and confirmed that I always was very proud of her, in the past, now, and forever. At least as long as she remembered who her Lord and Master was! That caused more laughter, and she promised that she would always keep this in mind. Then she grinned.

“My love, you’ll always be the one I’m living for, the one I would die for, the one who fills my heart and soul, but there will be moments when female priorities are different from male ones. Will you forgive me for these moments?”

There was no way to look at her, now driving at 200 kilometers per hour. But I heard the sincerity in her voice and nodded. “Always, my love, always.”

We drove to the address the Fuggers had sent me, and there it was - Castle Babenhausen. You needed a lot of imagination to call it a castle - it was more a set of traditional buildings three stories high, with steep tiles roofs (snow can be heavy), arranged in a square around an open space in the middle. There was a church attached, and the opening in one of the corners led to an extensive and pretty garden. We drove to the main entrance, parked the car in a surprisingly big parking lot (and even more surprisingly, it was almost completely filled up), and rang the bell. A butler (it had to be a butler judging from his austere black uniform) opened the door, and I announced ourselves.

“Miss Mary Ann Parker, James de Winter. I assume that we are expected?”

He nodded. “Sir, Prince Fugger is expecting you.” He led us through the grand entrance hall, passing a ticket counter, and into the private area of the museum. There was a foyer and a closet room - it was grandiose; wide corridors, oiled hardwood floors, carpets and oil paintings of knights and landscapes on the wall, long dark wooden boards on the floor, and finally a wide door. He opened it, and Adalbert was sitting in a comfortable chair, looking up when we came in. He got up immediately and shook my hand.

“James, it’s wonderful to see you again. And here is the lovely Miss Parker - welcome to our home. I’ll advise Gertrude.”

He told the butler to call his wife and then came back to us.

“James, thank you for bringing Miss Parker. Gertrude was fascinated by her when we met in Elk, and she has asked me several times when she could meet her again.”

He turned to Jenny and extended his hand. “Miss Parker, once more - welcome to our home. I’m certain that you’ll like it here.”

Jenny shook his hand and smiled. “Prince, thank you for the welcome. We’ve been running around the last days under a lot of stress, and I’ll enjoy the company to relax.”

The door opened as Gertrude rushed in. “Miss Parker, how wonderful that you’re here. When I heard that you’d be coming, I was so excited!” They hugged in the way women would express their feelings for a friend, and Jenny was visibly moved.

“Miss Parker, how long can you stay? I’ve organized lunch and dinner with friends, and we can go shopping in München if you want.”

Shopping? The emotion in Jenny’s eyes was changing to interest.

“Princess, I insisted on coming here - James didn’t want to bother you, but I remembered the few days we had together in Elk and the way you showed me how to stay alive in these elevated social circles. I love to be here, Princess.”

Adalbert looked at his wife and turned to us.

“You’ll stay here for some days, and we have discussed this before. It will be rather awkward to hear ‘Prince’ and ‘Princess’ all the time. This means that I’d have to call James ‘Count de Winter’, too. Can we just use our first names, please?”

The two ladies smiled and hugged again; formalities were resolved. Then Gertrude turned to me. “Hi, James. You are well, I hope?”

Finally, it was acknowledged that I was in the room also!

Adalbert grinned. “James, this is life. Accept it!”

Before I could say anything, Gertrude took Jenny’s arm and dragged her away.

“Mary Ann, Maureen called us and told me about your problems in Poland. Let the men handle this - you have more important things to resolve. What dresses did you bring? One dinner will be rather formal, and you need to be dressed up. The other one is just among friends...” They left, and when they were at the door, the last words I heard were “ ... there is this boutique in München that has the most astonishing dresses...”