Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
Monitor
Donor
Well, if you can get it into a fixed position, it is a nice bunker replacement (emergency variant) with strong anti-tank elements. If...
Personally I am curious as to why the USA got so quite all of a sudden. We had several parts with the American Soldiers but nothing about why the troubles stopped.
On the one hand Germany is a rival for the USA in this TL and we have had a "proxy war" between the two. On the other hand, Germany and the USA here are not too dissimilar in an economic sense as they want to trade and are also not (open) rivels in a political sense.
So what is the uniting factor here for the USA that in OTL was the USA Soviet Cold War?
That's assuming the troubles have stopped permanently and it wasn't just a papering-over of the cracks...
True, what was my point is that the Special Operations Group is a multi cultural unit that recruits from all ethnics and cultures of the USA and its suroundings. So Imo there should have been more talk about the problems in the waiting time between operations or as a hint about problems in the unit because of outside happenings. But we got nothing in any direction. Not that a programm was started to reduce tensions nor that the state or states opted for actions to surpress the troubles.
Not that the USA have to figure prominently mind, but we had all that build up with King and the econmics (was it a mill where the owner could not play black vs white becasue no blacks worked there any longer?) or the politicans talking about such and then suddenly we do not get any new information...
And while the USA is far less important then in OTL it is still an important player on the world stage, so the non mention is like a loose thread that itches and you want to play with it...
Tiger II was a waste of perfectly good steel.
Not that I'm saying it should have all been poured into Stug's or something. By the time it was being used any German steel used for tanks was a waste. The whole war was over but for the crying, however when you follow a mad Austrian painter into the whole affair, you can't see that.
Also yes, I'm talking OTL not TTL. In TTL it was a valid, if somewhat inefficient, design choice for the doctrinal realities.
Not that I'm saying it should have all been poured into Stug's or something. By the time it was being used any German steel used for tanks was a waste. The whole war was over but for the crying, however when you follow a mad Austrian painter into the whole affair, you can't see that.
Also yes, I'm talking OTL not TTL. In TTL it was a valid, if somewhat inefficient, design choice for the doctrinal realities.
In my opinion, the Tiger II was a good idea that was very advanced for the time, rushed into service before the impracticability of the design could be rectified. Had there been time for another 5 years of development and design, or if simpler engineering had been used it could have been a very good tank.
However, they didn't have 5 years, (they barely had 5 minutes), it was over complicated for what was actually needed and so it was a tank that promised so much, and yet delivered, (due to breakdowns), so little.
However, they didn't have 5 years, (they barely had 5 minutes), it was over complicated for what was actually needed and so it was a tank that promised so much, and yet delivered, (due to breakdowns), so little.
Started looking but I am now up to page 61 out of 504, and it is interfering with my reading of current posts. Can anyone give me a more accurate post?Way back in Thread II, if you start from the beginning of the thread and keep going
Part 111, Chapter 1834
Chapter One Thousand Eight Hundred Thirty-Four
11th February 1968
Warsaw, Poland
The Prime Minister was furious. For the last few years he had managed to keep the Emperor off their backs so that they could manage the country as they pleased, respecting the terms for the self-rule of Poland as laid out by the Treaty of Paris at the end of the First World War. Now, word had reached the Emperor of the revolt in Lesser Poland and he had been forced to cut short a State visit to Vietnam in order to deal with the matter. As soon as he had landed in Berlin, the Emperor had burned up the phonelines in a blistering call to the Prime Minister of Poland.
Wojciech Jaruzelski, the Defense Minister, had seethed with anger as Mieczysławm Moczar had attempted to place the blame for the events of the 6th of January entirely on him. Jaruzelski had turned around and said that if Moczar had better control over his men the rioting, burning, and looting that had occurred in Lwów on New Year’s Eve wouldn’t have kicked off this latest mess, not to mention his public statements… What no one dared to mention was the months earlier the subject had been how to keep the tax dollars from Lesser Poland flowing into State coffers while stymieing the rising political power of that same region. That meeting had not resulted in coming up with a plan and had devolved into the same argument that they had had for the last three decades. Many in the leadership of the Polish National Party had been present when a representative from the Soviet Union had promised not only the liberation of Poland but had suggested that a Greater Poland was a possibility. The Baltic seaports, the industrial centers to the south could be theirs if they had sided with Soviets. The older generation had sent that representative packing but not before the offer had caused a split within the party. Many among the present leadership had been among those who had felt that the offer should have been taken. Worse of all, the Germans had discovered evidence of that offer in the Soviet Archives. That was the reason why it was suspected that there were those within Bohemia and Silesia who were covertly supporting the worst of the agitators.
Now, they found themselves fighting against a rabble of students, assorted urbanites, and farmers. The entire time their neighbors were looking askance at what was happening within Poland. Word was that Lesser Poland was about to declare itself independent of Warsaw, this absurd notion of Galicia and Ruthenia made everyone in the room bristle with anger. The lines for the partition that they had fought against their entire adult lives were being laid out for all to see.
Tempelhof, Berlin
“You are retired for real this time?” Doug asked his father as he pulled the suitcases from the trunk of the car.
“I find that three acts over the course of my life is entirely enough” Sir Malcolm said he watched Boris carry the heavy suitcases into the house. “Having the time to see my son and grandchildren makes it worthwhile.”
Douglas opened the car door for his mother and Margot stepped out, the expression on her face suggesting what she thought of being a guest of her daughter-in-law for the next several weeks. It was noticeable that his parents had crossed some sort of line in recent years, becoming elderly. Him living on the far side of the Atlantic made that very evident in that he only saw them perhaps a few times a year. He could see that his mother looked tired and would probably want to get some sleep as soon as possible. It was just as well that Kat had business to attend to elsewhere this afternoon. While his mother had remained civil with her the last few times that Doug’s parents had visited, it was obvious that she was never going to even pretend that she didn’t dislike Kat.
“How are things here?” Sir Malcolm asked.
“I am not on assignment if that is what you are asking” Doug replied, “Last year’s assignments were bad, so I’ve been keeping closer to home for the last few months.”
“Is what happened in Albania really as bad as I’ve heard?” Sir Malcolm asked as he followed Doug into the house.
“It is unimaginably worse” Doug said, “Modern war with civilians considered targets by the belligerents. No one in their right mind would think that is a good thing. When I was in Tirana over the last days it had felt like the whole world was going mad.”
“I remember that feeling from the Somme when we were forced to break off the offensive and retreat as fast as we could manage” Sir Malcolm said as they walked up the stairs to the parlor floor with Doug holding his mother’s arm to steady her. “Our left flank left badly exposed by the collapse of the French at Verdun. The days that followed were really bad.”
That gave Doug pause. His father had never talked about the battle to hang onto the Channel ports that had been the lifeline of the BEF and how the Canadian Army had been credited with holding the line. That was until now. Some other line that Doug had crossed. That was when there was sound of running feet. Tatiana and Marie came in excitedly greeting Opa and Oma Blackwood. It couldn’t escape his notice that Marie was now almost as tall as he was. Marie being Marie, she was talking a thousand miles a minute while Tatiana was far more reserved. Jo and Suse were looking in from the stairwell out of curiosity.
“And just who is this?” Sir Malcolm asked when he saw Sophie peering around the door of Kat’s office.
“Our latest ward Sophie” Doug replied, “She’s a bit shy but will come around when she is ready.”
With that Sophie vanished into Kat’s office.
11th February 1968
Warsaw, Poland
The Prime Minister was furious. For the last few years he had managed to keep the Emperor off their backs so that they could manage the country as they pleased, respecting the terms for the self-rule of Poland as laid out by the Treaty of Paris at the end of the First World War. Now, word had reached the Emperor of the revolt in Lesser Poland and he had been forced to cut short a State visit to Vietnam in order to deal with the matter. As soon as he had landed in Berlin, the Emperor had burned up the phonelines in a blistering call to the Prime Minister of Poland.
Wojciech Jaruzelski, the Defense Minister, had seethed with anger as Mieczysławm Moczar had attempted to place the blame for the events of the 6th of January entirely on him. Jaruzelski had turned around and said that if Moczar had better control over his men the rioting, burning, and looting that had occurred in Lwów on New Year’s Eve wouldn’t have kicked off this latest mess, not to mention his public statements… What no one dared to mention was the months earlier the subject had been how to keep the tax dollars from Lesser Poland flowing into State coffers while stymieing the rising political power of that same region. That meeting had not resulted in coming up with a plan and had devolved into the same argument that they had had for the last three decades. Many in the leadership of the Polish National Party had been present when a representative from the Soviet Union had promised not only the liberation of Poland but had suggested that a Greater Poland was a possibility. The Baltic seaports, the industrial centers to the south could be theirs if they had sided with Soviets. The older generation had sent that representative packing but not before the offer had caused a split within the party. Many among the present leadership had been among those who had felt that the offer should have been taken. Worse of all, the Germans had discovered evidence of that offer in the Soviet Archives. That was the reason why it was suspected that there were those within Bohemia and Silesia who were covertly supporting the worst of the agitators.
Now, they found themselves fighting against a rabble of students, assorted urbanites, and farmers. The entire time their neighbors were looking askance at what was happening within Poland. Word was that Lesser Poland was about to declare itself independent of Warsaw, this absurd notion of Galicia and Ruthenia made everyone in the room bristle with anger. The lines for the partition that they had fought against their entire adult lives were being laid out for all to see.
Tempelhof, Berlin
“You are retired for real this time?” Doug asked his father as he pulled the suitcases from the trunk of the car.
“I find that three acts over the course of my life is entirely enough” Sir Malcolm said he watched Boris carry the heavy suitcases into the house. “Having the time to see my son and grandchildren makes it worthwhile.”
Douglas opened the car door for his mother and Margot stepped out, the expression on her face suggesting what she thought of being a guest of her daughter-in-law for the next several weeks. It was noticeable that his parents had crossed some sort of line in recent years, becoming elderly. Him living on the far side of the Atlantic made that very evident in that he only saw them perhaps a few times a year. He could see that his mother looked tired and would probably want to get some sleep as soon as possible. It was just as well that Kat had business to attend to elsewhere this afternoon. While his mother had remained civil with her the last few times that Doug’s parents had visited, it was obvious that she was never going to even pretend that she didn’t dislike Kat.
“How are things here?” Sir Malcolm asked.
“I am not on assignment if that is what you are asking” Doug replied, “Last year’s assignments were bad, so I’ve been keeping closer to home for the last few months.”
“Is what happened in Albania really as bad as I’ve heard?” Sir Malcolm asked as he followed Doug into the house.
“It is unimaginably worse” Doug said, “Modern war with civilians considered targets by the belligerents. No one in their right mind would think that is a good thing. When I was in Tirana over the last days it had felt like the whole world was going mad.”
“I remember that feeling from the Somme when we were forced to break off the offensive and retreat as fast as we could manage” Sir Malcolm said as they walked up the stairs to the parlor floor with Doug holding his mother’s arm to steady her. “Our left flank left badly exposed by the collapse of the French at Verdun. The days that followed were really bad.”
That gave Doug pause. His father had never talked about the battle to hang onto the Channel ports that had been the lifeline of the BEF and how the Canadian Army had been credited with holding the line. That was until now. Some other line that Doug had crossed. That was when there was sound of running feet. Tatiana and Marie came in excitedly greeting Opa and Oma Blackwood. It couldn’t escape his notice that Marie was now almost as tall as he was. Marie being Marie, she was talking a thousand miles a minute while Tatiana was far more reserved. Jo and Suse were looking in from the stairwell out of curiosity.
“And just who is this?” Sir Malcolm asked when he saw Sophie peering around the door of Kat’s office.
“Our latest ward Sophie” Doug replied, “She’s a bit shy but will come around when she is ready.”
With that Sophie vanished into Kat’s office.
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Great use of real life OTL people in the Polish government, from what I understand that IOTL Stalin and the subsequent Soviet leaders did not trust the "True Believers" in the satellite countries opting instead for those who had enough ambition to lead and the sense enough not to stray from Moscow.
I still think that the lack of response from Germany over the ethnic cleansing in the Balkans has made the Polish government overconfident that they can carry out their aims in Lesser Poland without interference from Berlin.
Louis Ferdinand is doing the right thing in putting on his King of Poland hat in trying to talk some sense in to the Polish government because if he has to put on his Emperor of the German Empire hat the next time he talks to them they won't like what comes next.
With no Holocaust ITTL and with official, legal, and unofficial discrimination in Poland there should still be in Warsaw and other Polish cities large Jewish Quarters (Ghettos) that might make a tempting target for the Polish government to provoke violence by the Poles against their Jewish neighbors in order to distract the people.
Speaking of unnecessary provocation, Margot may be just too old and tired to start anything with Kat and that will make Kat very concerned about Margot's health and will try anything to help her.
I still think that the lack of response from Germany over the ethnic cleansing in the Balkans has made the Polish government overconfident that they can carry out their aims in Lesser Poland without interference from Berlin.
Louis Ferdinand is doing the right thing in putting on his King of Poland hat in trying to talk some sense in to the Polish government because if he has to put on his Emperor of the German Empire hat the next time he talks to them they won't like what comes next.
With no Holocaust ITTL and with official, legal, and unofficial discrimination in Poland there should still be in Warsaw and other Polish cities large Jewish Quarters (Ghettos) that might make a tempting target for the Polish government to provoke violence by the Poles against their Jewish neighbors in order to distract the people.
Speaking of unnecessary provocation, Margot may be just too old and tired to start anything with Kat and that will make Kat very concerned about Margot's health and will try anything to help her.
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I'd say the Kaiser started out using irony, sped through sarcasm and into unveiled menace. Something along the lines of "Pull your bloody heads in and if you can't fix this peacefully, I'll find someone who can!"
The political version of:
"It's HIS fault!"
"NO! It's YOUR fault!"
"'Tis not!"
"'Tis so!"
"How do we keep the Golden Goose producing a shitload of Golden Eggs, WITHOUT having to give the goose better conditions?"
"I propose picking it up by the neck and beating the crap out of it in order to increase egg production"
"Umm... I don't think that would work, it might kill the goose. Can't we just ignore its complaints and hope things just stay the same?
"It wouldn't DARE die on us! We're too important!"
This explains why the BND keep such close tabs on the Polish independence groups. Their current legitimate leadership in the Nationalist Party were all Communist sympathizers and/or stooges who would have stupidly handed Poland into Stalin's psychopathic grasp, thinking they were attaining Poland's (and their own) Glorious Destiny. Since that failed, they've now morphed into TTL fascists, loudly proclaiming that Poland should be for the Poles and only the Poles, including the bits that might have been Poland several centuries ago and the bits that might coincidentally have half a dozen Poles living in a house somewhere.
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Di
Ditto Belorus & Ukraine (if independent of Russia) & Russia (if they aren't).
From what I understand what the German Empire consist of it is Germany with the Kaiser as Head of State and is the Emperor of the Empire itself, Poland is an independent Kingdom with the Kaiser as the King and Head of State, Bohemia is an independent Kingdom with its own King as Head of State, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are independent Principalities with their own Princes as Head of State, Slovakia is a Protectorate that has autonomy to run its own domestic affairs and it's own Armed Forces but otherwise Berlin can over rule them in rare cases and the Emperor is the Head of State, Samoa and the islands of the Northern Marianas, Marshals and the Carolinas are the German Pacific Islands and the Kaiser is the High King.
From my interpretations the Empire is much more closely tied together then the British Commonwealth of Nations with free trade, custom unions, defense pacts among other things.
There could be an overarching Empire citizenship where everyone is a citizen of the Empire while also being a citizen of their own country, it could allow for free travel inside the Empire without the need for passports or visas, there is no requirement for job visas for citizens in order to take a job in other parts of the Empire as shown by the number of Poles working in the shipyards of Danzig, Hamburg, Kiel, and the number of Poles in Berlin presumably as construction workers.
If I am wrong please feel free to correct me as I would rather expose my ignorance in public then remain ignorant in private.
From my interpretations the Empire is much more closely tied together then the British Commonwealth of Nations with free trade, custom unions, defense pacts among other things.
There could be an overarching Empire citizenship where everyone is a citizen of the Empire while also being a citizen of their own country, it could allow for free travel inside the Empire without the need for passports or visas, there is no requirement for job visas for citizens in order to take a job in other parts of the Empire as shown by the number of Poles working in the shipyards of Danzig, Hamburg, Kiel, and the number of Poles in Berlin presumably as construction workers.
If I am wrong please feel free to correct me as I would rather expose my ignorance in public then remain ignorant in private.
Part 111, Chapter 1835
Chapter One Thousand Eight Hundred Thirty-Five
16th February 1968
Los Angeles, California
If it wasn’t already obvious, the First Special Forces Group, Fort Drum, and the countryside that surrounded it was hardly representative of America. Ritchie had heard it referred to as what would happen if the U.S. Army had built Disneyland only slightly less attached to reality. The Special Forces teams had to be exactly that, a team. The sources of tension in the larger society couldn’t exist within the team otherwise they wouldn’t be a team for long. Getting off the plane in Los Angeles had been a reminder of that for Ritchie and even before that when he had been at the airport in Rochester. While it wasn’t as bad as the violence that had roiled the country back in the 40’s and 50’s, there was a noticeable tension in the air. Coming home was a bit of a calculated risk, he knew that his old friends in the Detective Bureau would eventually come knocking and that he had better be on his way back to New York before they came in force.
Ritchie’s mother had gotten tired of him sitting around the house watching television with his nieces and nephews. So, she had told him that he had no choice but to go to an event at her church on Friday evening. “Go and spend time with other people your own age” was how she had put it as she had badgered him into going, and as was her nature, telling her no wasn’t an option. It was a bit of a misnomer that it would be with people his own age. The people at the event his mother had insisted he go to were mostly younger than he was, at twenty-seven he was hardly an old man by any means, but the reality of what his mother had been about was on full display in that it was a singles mixer. Oddly, the event was being thrown by the Church in the recreation room. Considering that it was the first time that Ritchie had been on Church grounds since he had last been in California and some of the things he had been up to in the meantime, he was half amazed that he didn’t burst into flames.
“Richard, your mother said you were coming” Father Martinez said as soon as he walked in.
Ritchie remembered him from two decades earlier and had a hard time squaring that with the stoop shouldered man he was talking to now.
“She apparently knew before I did” Ritchie replied.
Martinez smiled at that but then his expression darkened as he saw something across the room.
“Excuse me” Martinez said before crossing the room and arguing with a young woman who had been standing with her friends. They were too far away for Ritchie to make out the words, but the exchange grew heated and the young woman stormed out.
“What was that about?” Ritchie asked as Father Martinez came back.
“None of your concern and I am sorry that you had to see that” Martinez replied, “Tell me about what you’ve been doing, the Army if I understand correctly.”
As if what Ritchie was wearing didn’t already let the whole world know that was the career that he had made for himself.
“Staff Sergeant in the Army Airborne” Ritchie answered.
“That sounds wonderful” Martinez said as Ritchie wondered what had transpired just a few minutes earlier.
17th February 1968
Tempelhof, Berlin
Watching the rain drum on the pavement of the street far below from the window seat was a reminder that the damp climate of Berlin didn’t agree with Margot any more than staying in the same house where her son and daughter-in-law lived. At the same time, she was still embarrassed by the fact that years earlier she had stayed in a hotel room that must have had listening devices installed. She had made some comments about Katherine and the late Kaiserin, next thing she knew she was banned from Germany for a few years. Malcolm had been less than thrilled to learn what had prompted that. Unknown to either of them was that Katherine had been pregnant at the time and Margot should have paid heed to the stories about what happened when Katherine was backed into a corner. Malcolm had said that she had gotten off easy, but Margot hadn’t felt that way at the time.
Now, the better part of two decades later Katherine was the Fürstin of Berlin, whatever that was. Douglas and Katherine’s oldest children, Tatiana and Malcolm were about to turn seventeen. Margot couldn’t pretend to understand her grandchildren. She did appreciate that Douglas had named his son after his father and apparently young Malcolm had overcome his early difficulty in learning to read. Tatiana though, she seemed to be cut from the same cloth as Katherine. It was obvious that bothered Katherine somewhat. Margot had witnessed Tatiana needling her mother until she earned a sharp rebuke and afterwards the girl had the same smug look on her face that Margot had seen Katherine wear too often. Marie, the younger daughter seemed too frivolous to be real. She was always wearing various costumes and at nearly the age of twelve one would have thought that she had outgrown that sort of thing. Apparently, Marie had not.
Then there was the realization that the room that Malcolm and Margot shared was directly across the hallway from the room belonging to Asia Lawniczak. Far from being the quiet raven-haired girl who Margot had met years earlier, Asia was prematurely grey and had been locked in a battle with Heinrich, her four-year-old son. It seemed that it had been decided that he was old enough to have his own room and was having none of it. The three girls who Katherine had taken in were an odd bunch. Margot remembered Josefine, she had blossomed into a radiant beauty which was difficult to square with the plain child she had been a decade earlier. Margot had been surprised to learn that Suse was nearly twenty, she had assumed that she was younger than that. The joke had been flying around the house that Suse was finally turning five meaning that she was born on that odd 29th day in February that only came every four years. Sophie was harder to get a read on, she seemed to be scared of her own shadow and…
Marie poked her head through the door.
The shape of her face had changed over the last couple years and it was clear that she favored Douglas. Marie no longer looked like a little girl and it was clear that she was well on the way to becoming a young woman. The long red hair that framed her face left no doubt of who her mother was. As she stepped into the light from the window, Margot noticed a shocking detail. Marie bore an uncanny resemblance to what she had looked like six decades earlier.
“Why do you hate me?” Marie asked earnestly.
16th February 1968
Los Angeles, California
If it wasn’t already obvious, the First Special Forces Group, Fort Drum, and the countryside that surrounded it was hardly representative of America. Ritchie had heard it referred to as what would happen if the U.S. Army had built Disneyland only slightly less attached to reality. The Special Forces teams had to be exactly that, a team. The sources of tension in the larger society couldn’t exist within the team otherwise they wouldn’t be a team for long. Getting off the plane in Los Angeles had been a reminder of that for Ritchie and even before that when he had been at the airport in Rochester. While it wasn’t as bad as the violence that had roiled the country back in the 40’s and 50’s, there was a noticeable tension in the air. Coming home was a bit of a calculated risk, he knew that his old friends in the Detective Bureau would eventually come knocking and that he had better be on his way back to New York before they came in force.
Ritchie’s mother had gotten tired of him sitting around the house watching television with his nieces and nephews. So, she had told him that he had no choice but to go to an event at her church on Friday evening. “Go and spend time with other people your own age” was how she had put it as she had badgered him into going, and as was her nature, telling her no wasn’t an option. It was a bit of a misnomer that it would be with people his own age. The people at the event his mother had insisted he go to were mostly younger than he was, at twenty-seven he was hardly an old man by any means, but the reality of what his mother had been about was on full display in that it was a singles mixer. Oddly, the event was being thrown by the Church in the recreation room. Considering that it was the first time that Ritchie had been on Church grounds since he had last been in California and some of the things he had been up to in the meantime, he was half amazed that he didn’t burst into flames.
“Richard, your mother said you were coming” Father Martinez said as soon as he walked in.
Ritchie remembered him from two decades earlier and had a hard time squaring that with the stoop shouldered man he was talking to now.
“She apparently knew before I did” Ritchie replied.
Martinez smiled at that but then his expression darkened as he saw something across the room.
“Excuse me” Martinez said before crossing the room and arguing with a young woman who had been standing with her friends. They were too far away for Ritchie to make out the words, but the exchange grew heated and the young woman stormed out.
“What was that about?” Ritchie asked as Father Martinez came back.
“None of your concern and I am sorry that you had to see that” Martinez replied, “Tell me about what you’ve been doing, the Army if I understand correctly.”
As if what Ritchie was wearing didn’t already let the whole world know that was the career that he had made for himself.
“Staff Sergeant in the Army Airborne” Ritchie answered.
“That sounds wonderful” Martinez said as Ritchie wondered what had transpired just a few minutes earlier.
17th February 1968
Tempelhof, Berlin
Watching the rain drum on the pavement of the street far below from the window seat was a reminder that the damp climate of Berlin didn’t agree with Margot any more than staying in the same house where her son and daughter-in-law lived. At the same time, she was still embarrassed by the fact that years earlier she had stayed in a hotel room that must have had listening devices installed. She had made some comments about Katherine and the late Kaiserin, next thing she knew she was banned from Germany for a few years. Malcolm had been less than thrilled to learn what had prompted that. Unknown to either of them was that Katherine had been pregnant at the time and Margot should have paid heed to the stories about what happened when Katherine was backed into a corner. Malcolm had said that she had gotten off easy, but Margot hadn’t felt that way at the time.
Now, the better part of two decades later Katherine was the Fürstin of Berlin, whatever that was. Douglas and Katherine’s oldest children, Tatiana and Malcolm were about to turn seventeen. Margot couldn’t pretend to understand her grandchildren. She did appreciate that Douglas had named his son after his father and apparently young Malcolm had overcome his early difficulty in learning to read. Tatiana though, she seemed to be cut from the same cloth as Katherine. It was obvious that bothered Katherine somewhat. Margot had witnessed Tatiana needling her mother until she earned a sharp rebuke and afterwards the girl had the same smug look on her face that Margot had seen Katherine wear too often. Marie, the younger daughter seemed too frivolous to be real. She was always wearing various costumes and at nearly the age of twelve one would have thought that she had outgrown that sort of thing. Apparently, Marie had not.
Then there was the realization that the room that Malcolm and Margot shared was directly across the hallway from the room belonging to Asia Lawniczak. Far from being the quiet raven-haired girl who Margot had met years earlier, Asia was prematurely grey and had been locked in a battle with Heinrich, her four-year-old son. It seemed that it had been decided that he was old enough to have his own room and was having none of it. The three girls who Katherine had taken in were an odd bunch. Margot remembered Josefine, she had blossomed into a radiant beauty which was difficult to square with the plain child she had been a decade earlier. Margot had been surprised to learn that Suse was nearly twenty, she had assumed that she was younger than that. The joke had been flying around the house that Suse was finally turning five meaning that she was born on that odd 29th day in February that only came every four years. Sophie was harder to get a read on, she seemed to be scared of her own shadow and…
Marie poked her head through the door.
The shape of her face had changed over the last couple years and it was clear that she favored Douglas. Marie no longer looked like a little girl and it was clear that she was well on the way to becoming a young woman. The long red hair that framed her face left no doubt of who her mother was. As she stepped into the light from the window, Margot noticed a shocking detail. Marie bore an uncanny resemblance to what she had looked like six decades earlier.
“Why do you hate me?” Marie asked earnestly.
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