“I see.”
“Yes, Miss Pleydell. There is only one thing we can do and that is wait and see.”
My concern for him had made me pay little attention to the mystery which occupied everyone’s mind.
Who had fired the shot which had obviously been intended to kill him?
He had been there in the clearing alone, exposed to view. Someone must have taken a shot at him from the shelter of the trees.
There had been a great deal of activity in the neighbourhood recently because of the Schutzenfest which was shortly to be held and the sound of shots could be continually heard. People were shooting everywhere.
Could it have been a stray bullet which had hit Dr. Adair, maybe from some young man or woman who was not accustomed to using a gun?
The bullet was examined. It was common enough and there was little to be learned from it. Who would have wanted to kill Dr. Adair? He was not an inhabitant of the place. He was not even a resident doctor only a visiting one.
Fraulein Kleber’s practice range had not been far off. Could it really have been that someone who had been trying to hit that had missed so widely?
It seemed the most likely explanation.
Enquiries continued but no one came forward with a solution to the mystery. Investigations found nothing suggesting that anyone had tried to murder Dr. Adair.
A week passed a week when my hopes had risen only to be dashed and to rise again. He was still alive. Dr. Kratz said he clung to life with a tenacity which was amazing. He was aware of me and I knew he drew great comfort from my presence. When I was not with him, Eliza took over. I was amazed at the care with which she did this. She was fiercely protective of him; she, who had hated him so intensely, was determined that he should recover.
At first we had feared that he would be paralysed. I tried to visualize what his life would be he, the most active of men, to be confined to his bed. I vowed that I would look after him and dedicate my whole life to him.
But his fierce determination had its effect. Within a week he could move his legs; and within three he was walking with the aid of a stick.
Meanwhile enquiries were proceeding. No one admitted to having fired that shot. But was it possible that someone could have done it without being aware of it?
I took brief walks in the forest Eliza and the Head Deaconess insisted that I should for my health’s sake. I wanted to spend every minute at his bedside; but I did realize the wisdom of what they said.
My walks invariably took me to the clearing; and one day my thoughts turned to Gerda and what had happened to her. She said she had met a devil in the woods; she had been seduced and nearly lost her life when she had taken the potion to get rid of her child.
I remembered talking to her grandmother. I had not seen Frau Leiben since I had returned to Kaiserwald. The door of her cottage had always been shut. I began to wonder then. I had thought Damien might have been that devil in the woods. Was that possible? Just suppose it was?
Just suppose Frau Leiben knew? Suppose she had fired that shot . for revenge?
No. The man I knew would never have taken advantage of a simple girl.
But would he? I was not sure. The miracle was that if I were it would make no difference.
The idea haunted me and each day when I took my walk I went to the clearing.
I thought of Frau Leiben, devoted to the granddaughter who was not like other girls . the simple girl dreaming as she walked with her geese.
How Frau Leiben would have hated the one who had betrayed her granddaughter! I could well imagine her vowing revenge. Had I not sworn revenge on the man I believed had cost my child his life? Yes, I could understand Frau Leiben’s emotions.
The cottage was actually in the clearing. She could have shot him from one of her windows. It would have been easy for her.
One day when I was passing, the door was open. I went over and called:
“Frau Leiben.”
She came to the door. She stared at me for a moment, then recognition dawned.
“Why … if it isn’t Fraulein Pleydell. So you are back with us, then.”
“I have been here for only a short while. I haven’t seen you before.”
“I’ve been away. I’m only just back. I’ve been visiting. There’s been an accident here … while I’ve been away.”
“Yes. Dr. Adair was shot.”
“Who shot him?”
“It’s a mystery.” I looked at her steadily.
“Someone had a gun and .. “
“There’s always shooting going on at this time of year. But we’ve never had accidents before.”
“It seems rather far-fetched to imagine a stray bullet could do that.”
She showed admirable self-control if she were guilty. She said: “I couldn’t believe it when I heard.”
“How long have you been away, Frau Leiben?”
“A month … perhaps a little more. I’m only just back.”
I pictured her returning to the cottage. Did she keep a gun in the house? Most of them did. They shot the pigeons which they ate. There were foxes who raided the fowl houses and it was necessary to shoot them. She could have looked from her window and seen him. I could imagine her in an access of fury taking her gun and shooting him. It could so easily have been done. Then she could have lain low. Who would know when she had come back? She had a perfect alibi.
“It’s a shocking thing,” she was saying.
“And Dr. Adair. I heard that he was recovering.”
“Yes,” I said.
“He is.”
“Did he have any idea who …?”
I shook my head.
“Come in for a moment, will you?”
I entered the cottage. The first thing I noticed was the crib with the baby in it.
“I brought him back with me.” Frau Leiben’s face was creased in tenderness.
“Isn’t he a little angel?”
I went over and looked at the child.
“Whose baby is he?”
“Gerda’s.”
“Gerda! Where is Gerda?”
“She’s travelling round with her husband. They don’t settle long, though. They’ve got a nice little cottage about forty kilometres from here. That’s where I’ve been. They’re not there much. It’s the wandering life for them.”
“So … she married.”
“Oh yes. I never thought it would happen.”
“Her husband.. You might remember him. He’s Klaus, the Pedlar. He was always fond of Gerda and she of him. He was always one to go his own way and always will be. Gerda suits him. She asks no questions. Neither of them is like other people. She seems more sensible with him and he seems softer … more gentle. He looks after her. He’s bright. He’ll do well. He is doing well. Gerda’s happy. She’s with him all the time .. travelling the roads. Gerda’s contented. She has someone to care for her. I did my best. You see, her parents went off. They didn’t want her. That can do something to a child. She couldn’t make any headway with her lessons like the other children did. She was always dreaming.
And then there was that time . Dear me, just to think of it frightens me. There she was to have a child . my little Gerda. “
“Does Klaus know about that?”
“He knows a good deal about it. He was the one. It was his child. He never denied that.”
Floods of relief swept over me. I had been so sure that I should find the solution here . but I had dreaded doing so.
I said: “But she talked about meeting the Devil in the forest, I remember. We thought it was someone she did not know.”
“It wasn’t like that. She knew she shouldn’t have done what she did. I was always warning her. I expect I didn’t do it properly. I told her it was sinful and that the Devil tempted, girls. She thought it was the Devil in Klaus tempting her. You can’t imagine how muddled Gerda gets. She could never work anything out for herself. In her mind it was the Devil coming to her through Klaus, you see. That was what was on her mind.”