should be friends. Just imagine splitting an entire clan like this.”
Her parents sent each other a telling glance. Villemo was always able to add a subjective perspective to things.
“I agree. It seems totally unnecessary,” said Kaleb. “It’s all about honour and respect.”
Villemo was on tenterhooks all the way to Copenhagen. A yearning and a hunger pushed her to try to persuade the horses to hurry. She tried using her own talent for psychic communication – if she even had that ability, of course. Maybe Dominic had not left yet? Maybe he was waiting at the quay – so that they could say goodbye to each other?
‘Oh, please hurry, hurry ...’
Copenhagen was like a beehive. People rushing to and fro, carrying heavy trunks or piling tall loads onto their carts, all this in order to take their most precious possessions to safety if the Swedes happened to arrive. They still had a vivid recollection of Carl X Gustav.
The soldiers, however, were calm. They knew that Denmark was on the offensive. The army was ready to go onboard and sail to Helsingborg.
There was hectic activity in the harbour. It took some time before the family reached the vessel, which was to sail them to Norway, and then began the negotiations with the skipper. They weren’t the only Norwegians who wanted to return and crossing the Kattegat in these troubled times could be risky. Besides, the waters off Bohuslän had long been known for its privateers. And such people had always been able to profit from wars when scared rich men tried to bring their fortunes in safety to another country. At such times, boarding a ship could be very lucrative.
“I’m worried about old Brand,” Gabriella said as they were waiting on the quay. “This is a big strain on him.”
“Brand will take it all in his stride,” Kaleb said. “He’s as tough as a mountain fir tree. I’m more concerned about Anette. She’s not used to travelling under such primitive conditions. The rest of us – Mikael and Andreas, Eli, Niklas, Mattias, Hilde and the three of us – we can take quite a lot. The same goes for you, Gabriella, although you seem so slight and frail.”
Villemo wasn’t listening to what they said. She was agitated and had nobody to talk to, nobody that would share her concern for Dominic. With her heart beating in her chest, she sauntered casually down the quay. Maybe she would catch sight of him behind that pile of barrels?
“Please don’t go too far away Villemo,” Kaleb shouted. “We must be ready to go onboard the minute we’re asked to.”
“No, no. I won’t go far away.”
Then she reached the barrels. The harbour labourers shouted in a Copenhagen accent that was virtually impossible for her to understand. She circled the barrels and was on the look-out along the other side of the quay. Just as many people and just as many ships. But no Dominic. An attendant stood there with a large notepad in his hand. Now and then he would jot something down. Villemo walked over to him. She was out of sight of the family now. She had to be quick.
“Excuse me, my good man,” she said, lowering her eyes modestly.
The man turned round impatiently and caught sight of an absolutely charming young woman in a light-blue summer dress and with bobbing, auburn curls. And her eyes were unique! Fascinating! Had he seen them somewhere before?
He immediately became gentle and compliant and almost melted. He bowed politely, forgetting for a while the noise and bustle around them.
“Excuse me for troubling you but has a ship for Sweden departed today?”
The small eyes in his red-veined face could hardly look away from her ample bosom in her low-cut dress. Villemo had become quite buxom while at the same time keeping her trim waist. Besides, she was a fine lady.
“To Sweden? A ship left here this morning for Malmö with the last Swedes onboard.”
Villemo’s heart sank. But maybe he hadn’t reached Copenhagen by then?
“Oh. You didn’t by any chance notice whether my brother was with them? As you can hear, I’m Norwegian. We got separated as children and now we’ve established contact again only to be separated by this terrible war.”
“Your brother? Then I know where I’ve seen those golden, sparkling eyes before! I saw a man with such eyes before. But otherwise I wouldn’t say he resembles you, Miss.”
“No, he’s got dark hair.”
“Well, then it makes sense. Then it was him. Only I don’t think he’ll be going to Sweden.”
Villemo’s heart jumped. “Oh, is he still here? Where?”
The man bowed once more. “I’m sorry to have to tell you the bad news, but the guards took him.”
“Pardon me?”
“He’s a man in his prime and fit for fighting, so they asked for permission to see his papers. Well, I just saw it all from a distance so I wasn’t able to hear what was being said. But they asked him to follow them.”
“Where to?”
“Up to the Citadel, I believe. They walked in that direction. That’s where prominent prisoners of war are taken. And he appeared to be a V.I.P.”
The King’s courier ... Well, of course, they had taken him!
“Oh, my dear brother. But his heart is in Norway, you see, he poses no threat to Denmark’s security. I must see if I can settle this misunderstanding. Who can I speak to about this?”
This was the first time that Villemo had ever tried using her female charm to obtain something. She was quite shocked at herself, at how easy it was and the fact that she hadn’t had any scruples about it whatsoever.
The attendant scratched his head. His men, who were standing behind him, were beginning to get impatient. “It must be Colonel Crone. If he’s still in active service, he’s getting on in years.”
“Would he be at the Citadel?”
“Somewhere in the vicinity, yes.”
Villemo took out her wallet and placed some coins in the man’s hand. “Thank you for your assistance,” she said with her most charming smile. “Maybe I can still save my innocent brother. And that was the last ship to Sweden?”
He bent forward and whispered in her ear, “I believe another ship will be leaving – at midnight. But that’s a secret. And that will definitely be the last ship.”
She thanked him once more and hurried back, now more agitated than ever before. She had to clench her fists to prevent her hands from shaking.
She couldn’t say anything to the others. That wouldn’t do. Aunt Anette would be completely out of her mind. So Villemo would have to act on her own.
The others had begun to look for her.
“Mum,” Villemo said slowly. “I’ve thought such a lot about Grandma. Seeing her stand there – in a nation that is about to go to war - really hurt. She’s so old ... and maybe I’ll never get to see her again. And after all, Grandma asked me to stay. Won’t you please allow me, Mum? I’ve just spoken to some noblemen who will be going in the same direction with their wives. I can travel with them.”
“Back to Gabrielshus?” Gabriella exclaimed, both touched and concerned. “But, my dear child. What do you think, Kaleb?”
Her Dad bit his lip. “Couldn’t you have said something while we were still there? But she will be taken good care of there ... and her reasons for going back are good. What do you think? Should we?”
“I know that my mother would be delighted,” Gabriella said cautiously.
After they had exchanged a few words, Villemo was finally given permission. She heaved a long sigh of relief. She didn’t want her clothes, which were packed together with everyone else’s. She only took with her