The courtyard is quiet save for the distant sound of horses and men’s incoherent voices coming from the garrison. The castle embraces it by way of two wings extending from a central corridor. Doves peck at the hoof-trodden dirt. A bucket swings from the well’s axle, waiting for its next appointment. From the hill can be seen everything for miles.

“Siegfried, my friend,” says Frederick, acknowledging a nearby guard with a nod. “You have been good to me and to Pettau for many years. You possess profound gifts unlike any I’ve ever seen, not even in the courts of Vienna or Salzburg. To be a steward your whole life would be a waste, don’t you think?”
“My lord flatters me,” says Siegfried with a certain wariness.
“He does. Have you given any thought to my proposal?”
“About Petra?”

Frederick laughs. “That was an order, not a proposal. No. About serving castellan while I am away in the Holy Land.”
“My, your wife would hate it.”
“Does my wife rule Pettau? Besides, my brother is busy in Königsberg and my eldest son is still too young. He could use more of your guidance.”
“Yes, he loves Faramund too much.”
“So do you.”

Siegfried smiles. “You are serious, then?”
“I am.”
“Then what choice do I have but to feel honored and prepare myself as best I can?”
“Start by taking a servant. If you are to be noble, then be noble.”
“Ah,” groans Siegfried. “But that girl is too much trouble. My, whatever shall I do with her… ”
“For God’s sake, do what you want with her, Siegfried. You own her. There’s certainly no space for her here.”

The steward shows his lord a little defiance, shirks off the arm around his shoulder.
“I’ll send her home.”
“Then she will die,” Frederick tells him bluntly. “Or she will take the one path left open to a woman like that. Regardless, the parents won’t take her back in. You know very well why.”
“But I haven’t laid a finger on her!”
“They will not believe her even if she tells the truth.”

Siegfried, spurred by his desire to change the subject, is reminded of an important matter not yet discussed.
“So what of the pea farmer, then?”
Frederick stops walking. “You gave him his chances. If the family perishes, it cannot be helped. Too many things trouble you, Siegfried. Let this not be one of them.”