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Ehrhard Blog Entry |
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November 1, 2024, 12:00:32 AM 11/1/24: r/SketchDaily theme, "Free Draw Friday." This week's character from my anthro WWII storyline is Herr Ehrhard (last name--I think?--never given). (I say that as I can't recall at the moment if Ehrhard is his first or last name. 😳 ) He's the old chief of Louis Dobermann's help staff, and has been with the family since before Dobermann was born. He's deceased by the time of the main story but obviously plays a big role in Dobermann's formative years. There'll be more about him later in my art Tumblr and Toyhou.se. Regarding his design, he's a Rottweiler. TUMBLR EDIT: All righty, well...I'll work under the assumption that Ehrhard is a first name. I seriously can't remember which I intended it to be! :/ Given that Dobermann most likely refers to him by first name rather than last, as he's so close to the family, that's why I'll go with that. Herr Ehrhard already makes a brief appearance in a piece of writing: "Dobermann In Heaven," the afterlife scenario from Dobey's character profile: Dobermann nods, rubs his eye. Another soft knock comes at the door; he lifts his head, looks at it, then at her. "Are you ready?" she asks; he steadies himself and nods again, and they both stand and walk toward the door. Ilse opens it, just slightly at first; someone brushes past her into the room. Dobermann's father smiles from ear to ear--"Louis"--and gives him a hard, quick hug. Then, suddenly, his uncle Ewald, beaming up at him and patting his arm, and his brother Horst, hugging and clapping him on the back--"Knew you'd end up here!" He's so caught up in all their greetings that it takes him a moment to notice another person standing back in the hall, looking on; his face lights up when Dobermann looks at him. "Herr Ehrhard," Dobermann exclaims, recognizing the old chief of his help staff, who passed away some years previously. He's a bit surprised to see him there...but recalls the farm workers and washerwomen he saw outside, people who presumably once worked on the estate long ago, why should Herr Ehrhard not be here as well. His family take a step back to give him space as he approaches Herr Ehrhard. He holds out his hand and the older man clasps it, tears springing to his eyes; he'd never been particularly emotional, good old steadfast Ehrhard, taking control of the estate whenever Dobermann wasn't able to, never complaining once, loyal to the end, but he's emotional now. Dobermann squeezes his hand to let him know it's all right. Still, "Why are you here...?" he asks, "You have family, ja...?" Herr Ehrhard sniffles and nods. "Ja...I've been here so long, I could never say it, obviously, yet I always felt your family was my family. I was here when your father was young...and then you...and Fräulein Adelina...I wish only I could have stayed longer. I'm sorry you're here so soon, Herr Dobermann, yet I'm glad to see you. This is where I belong, if you'll have me." "Of course," Dobermann says, his throat hurting; Herr Ehrhard did as much work raising him and Horst as did their parents. "You're my family as well," he adds, and Herr Ehrhard gets a look that helps him understand; he may have been a simple servant, toiling doing nothing hugely important, just simple servant things, things that would never seem to matter in the grand scheme of things...yet they mattered to him, and to Ehrhard, and that's enough. He lets go of Herr Ehrhard's hand; Herr Ehrhard takes a step back. --Dobermann In Heaven Ehrhard's biggest role in the background story so far occurs while Dobermann is recovering in the military hospital and the Spanish flu is tearing through the country. Dobermann's never been the best at writing letters, so it's been quite a while since the family has heard from him, and given Germany's precarious position--rumors are rampant that they've pretty much already lost the war--the von Dobermanns (Dobey drops the "von" while serving) are increasingly worried whether he's even still alive or not. Horst and Ewald, Dobermann's brother and uncle, return from a visit to the city...within days, the entire von Dobermann family, and many of the help staff, have fallen ill with fever and coughing. Horst and Ilse, Dobermann's mother, hold out the longest, but finally admit they're too sick to remain at home; they load the delirious Ewald and Rudolf into the car and Horst drives them off to the city, an hour-long trip. Ehrhard, as chief of the help staff, is left in charge. Those servants/workers who have family elsewhere are released from service to return to them, while those whose entire lives revolve around the estate are allowed to leave to seek medical treatment where they wish. Despite their former noble status, the von Dobermanns have always been generous to their help; Ilse departs with the stipulation that the estate and its property be left open and accessible to those of the staff who need it. There's plenty of food, resources, and lodging available, so that's no concern. The von Dobermann estate has no on-staff doctor, so Ehrhard calls the nearest country physician he knows to come see to those who have nowhere else to go. The physician is already haggard from visiting the neighboring estates; this strange new illness is simply everywhere, it's frighteningly fast working (Ewald, for example, fell horribly ill within a day), and unlike previous flus, it's mostly targeting healthy younger people. The doctor's work is simply never done. He comments on how Ehrhard is doing--Ehrhard isn't sick at all despite his proximity to everyone else, though by now he's getting worn out--and recommends that he wear a mask to protect himself going forward. He gives all the sick staff members what help he can, tells Ehrhard which are likely to pull through and which aren't, and heads off on his way. Ehrhard heads to the laundry and fetches a stack of Frau Ilse's linens. Takes to them with a big pair of shears. Calls all the help staff and laborers who are healthy enough to be up and about to come to the front entrance and line up, spaced apart. He and a couple of maids hand out the makeshift masks he cut out, making sure everybody has a pair--"Wash and switch them out every day! Clean mask every morning! Cover nose AND mouth as long as you're in another's company! Come and see me if you ever need a new one. Cough into your arm--wash your hands--no spitting! If you have a fever or cough, leave your work to someone else, and you'll be put up in a room to recover. Together, we defeat the germ!" Ehrhard orders--and the spread of the virus wanes. This comes too late for the von Dobermanns, however; Ehrhard receives word from the city hospital that they've all succumbed, with Ilse going last, still crying out for "my boy, my baby boy in the army." Ehrhard waits until he's alone in his quarters before he collapses, weeping. He's not given to crying or emotional things...yet the von Dobermann family has been his whole life for decades. An orphan, he served on the estate farm as a boy, as an adult was promoted to the in-house staff, and eventually made it up to chief of the help staff. He served Herr Rudolf and Herr Ewald his entire time there, and Frau Ilse when she came to live in the household, and helped raise sons Horst and Louis from the very start. They may be...may have been...Junkers, while he's just a servant, yet they've always been kind to him--especially the charming, sweet-mannered Ilse, who was always grateful for Ehrhard making sure she felt welcome when she married into the family--so now, he literally feels as if he's lost his own family. He spends a brief while shut in his room, cries himself out, washes up and puts on a brave face, pens letters requesting information on Louis's whereabouts, heads back out to mail them and see to the estate. It's all he can do for now. Ehrhard admittedly has little hope left. He keeps his ear to the ground, and knows that the "Flanders fever" is ravaging the troops just as hard as the civilian population. Louis may be lousy at keeping in touch but surely he would have written by now. He's always been the odd man out in the family, quiet and withdrawn and aloof compared to his much more sociable and expressive relatives, and for this reason Ehrhard always tried to give him his space, sensing he needed it; as a result, the two of them have never been especially close, and Ehrhard can't say he really even knows him well. He actually feels a bit resentful, having seen Ilse's worry firsthand, that Louis hasn't kept in better contact. And he feels guilty that he feels resentful, because who even knows what's become of Louis?--he could be lying dead in a trench, or coughing his lungs out in a hospital cot himself. Every day Ehrhard waits for news, is increasingly discouraged when none comes, and keeps looking after the estate. At last: Two telegrams arrive. Other members of the help staff gather anxiously as Ehrhard looks them over. He's confused: The first, from the family attorneys, informs him of two large monetary donations they've approved from the family's funds; a formal letter explaining the situation will be forthcoming. The second telegram is addressed from a military hospital. Everyone holds their breath as Ehrhard silently reads it; he lets out his own breath, eyes growing wet, and says, "He's alive...Herr Louis is alive." The help staff ripples with relieved gasps and murmurs. Ehrhard reads the telegram aloud; it explains that Louis Dobermann was severely injured in a shell blast and is currently in hospital, but he's expected to fully recover. He received the letter from Herr Ehrhard regarding the family's situation. A telegram from the family attorneys should arrive as well; he'll return home as soon as he's able. The second telegram is signed L DOBERMANN. The message is typical Louis Dobermann: Terse, to the point, emotionless. Still. It's confirmation that he's alive, and that's all Ehrhard was hoping for. He sits down as the rest of the staff disperse, and drops his head in his hands, nearly overcome by both relief and sorrow. A letter arrives from the family law firm. The donations, to the city management and to the local hospital--both of which have been overwhelmed by the pandemic--were requested by Louis Dobermann; another donation will be made to a town in the nearby mountains. The von Dobermann family has a long tradition of charitable acts, especially toward the city and the mountain town which they often visited; they even had their family burial plot set up in the latter. It's no surprise that Louis should follow in their footsteps. Another telegram then arrives, stating merely that Dobermann is being released from the hospital and is on his way home. Ehrhard sets to work immediately, overseeing the staff as they get everything in order for his arrival. He sends off the family chauffeur and car to pick Dobermann up, and everyone waits, barely able to contain their anticipation. Quite a while later, the car returns...except Dobermann isn't alone. Ehrhard greets Dobermann--limping and leaning on the strange woman's arm--warmly, clasping his hand, eyes brimming with tears. Apologizes profusely for his loss, but welcomes him back. Then casts the strange woman--who seems barely able to conceal her own confusion--an inquiring glance, then back to Dobermann. "And...this is...?" he ventures, since nobody is explaining anything yet. Dobermann introduces Inga...his wife. All eyes promptly go wide; the help staff's jaws drop. They just as quickly recover themselves, though Ehrhard is briefly at a loss for words. Aloof, asocial, standoffish Louis--with a wife? He never even mentioned a wife in his telegram--how long has he known her? Who is she, even? Ehrhard shrugs off the hundred questions he has; Dobermann asks to speak with him privately, which catches him a little off guard, so he instructs a maid to show Frau Inga to the parlor for a drink or a snack, and Dobermann says he'll get back to her soon. Ehrhard follows him to the study, leaving Inga behind, looking just as perplexed as he feels. Once in his study, Dobermann dismisses the last few of the staff hovering nearby, leaving only Ehrhard and himself. He then lets out a breath and leans over his desk, hand pressed to his middle. Ehrhard hastens around the desk, gently grasps his arm--"Here, here"--and helps him sit on a nearby couch. Fetches him a drink and waits as he sips at it a little. He'd barely paid mind to the way Inga held firmly to Dobermann's arm the entire time they spoke; it's obvious now that he's still weak and in quite a deal of pain. Dobermann lifts his head and says to Ehrhard, "Tell me. About my family." Ehrhard hesitates, uneasy; "You can speak freely with me," Dobermann says, "I'd like to know what happened." So Ehrhard quietly, haltingly explains how the illness tore through the household, sweeping the family before it; he mentions how the city doctor who treated them described Frau Ilse's last days, how she died still calling out for her boy in the army. "They thought she was delirious," he murmurs, "your brother was there, in another room, yet she insisted he was in the army. She wasn't delirious, though. No one there even thought of you." It's true--Dobermann has spent his life in the background, unnoticed, easily forgotten--so of course nobody at the hospital remembered him. As Ehrhard relates this, he lowers his head, looking vaguely crestfallen; at first Ehrhard assumes he feels hurt to be overlooked, yet Dobermann simply says, "I should have written," and he realizes that Dobermann doesn't care what everyone else thinks, he just wishes he had been there for his family. Dobermann pulls himself together after a moment of awkward attempted reassurances from Ehrhard, and starts asking questions about the estate--the finances, daily household management, whether his father left any directives or not. After answering a few, Ehrhard understands what's happening: He's trying to figure out how to run the estate, from scratch, all on his own--something that, as the younger son, he's never had to deal with before. On the one hand, Ehrhard is touched, that he can set aside his obvious grief to deal with practical matters so soon...on the other hand, he's skeptical that Dobermann is up to the task. Even Herr Rudolf had Ehrhard and his own veritable army of lawyers and servants and whatnot to deal with daily affairs; honestly, the von Dobermanns spent most of their time socializing. Granted, this had a practical function in that it means the family has lots of connections...and Dobermann is definitely NOT skilled at socializing. The estate's already started receiving letters, telegrams, and calls concerning Dobermann's return, and they're only bound to explode in volume soon. Ehrhard tells him he doesn't need to worry about it all just yet, he's only just come home, he's not expected to do everything at once, just try to rest and recover--and spend time with his new wife--first. Dobermann asks that he continue handling things while he does so; Ehrhard promises. Dobermann fetches Frau Inga from the parlor and they head off to his private quarters. Ehrhard finds some of the help staff huddled in the hallway whispering excitedly; the maid who'd been seeing to Inga is telling them how she had no idea that her new husband is a former noble, and very rich. Seems Dobermann was withholding info from just about everybody. The servants express their own doubts, not about Dobermann, but about this interloper--who is she, how did she end up here, what did Dobermann see in her, why did he never mention her, how can they be sure she's not some sort of huckster trying to wheedle him out of his money? While Ehrhard shares some of these suspicions, he admonishes the others over such unprofessional behavior, tells them to stop gossiping--no matter what their opinion of her, Frau Inga is now Freifrau Inga, and their boss--and get back to work. Whatever Dobermann or Inga requests, it's their job to do it, same as before. The estate is to return to its previous functions now that the war is over and its owner is home. The next day, a deputy to the city mayor arrives for a visit with Dobermann. Ehrhard sends a servant to fetch Dobermann, as he's still in his quarters, presumably sleeping late; yet it's Inga who comes out to speak with the visitor; she asks the servant a few quick questions about the man as she straightens her dress and hair, then heads into the parlor to meet him. Despite his surprise and confusion, he talks with her instead, and when he departs, he confides in Ehrhard how impressed he is with "that charming young lady Herr Dobermann's brought home with him!" Ehrhard hadn't known until now that Inga, not Dobermann, met with him, and cringes inwardly; she's no Junker, she must have no idea what she's doing, why is she presuming to take Dobermann's place? He heads to the parlor, rehearsing a painfully gentle rebuke in his head, yet all he gets to say to her is "Frau Dobermann..." before she stands up with clasped hands and addresses him. Inga: "Herr...Ehrhard, ja?" Ehrhard: "Ja." Inga: "You're the head of the help staff?" Ehrhard: "I am." Inga: "I wished to apologize if I was presumptuous. Herr Louis is sleeping late and I didn't wish to wake him." Ehrhard: "I assumed." Inga: "While you're here, I wondered if perhaps you could fill me in on a few things...? I'm not sure how long my--my husband is going to need to recuperate, so it might be best for me to be prepared to meet whoever else might visit." Ehrhard: "You...wish to handle the visitors?" Inga: "I'm sure Louis is more than capable of handling letters. I could at least shoulder some of the social calls. From what I understand he's...never been quite the best at social things, has he?" Ehrhard: "Ahmm...nein, chatting with others has never been his strong suit." Inga: "Well then. Perhaps I can make myself useful. If Herr Baer or any others wish to speak with Louis, you could have them meet with me instead for now--? At least until Louis is back on his feet." Ehrhard: "Herr Baer--?" Inga: "Ja...the mayor's deputy, that young man I just spoke with." Ehrhard leaves his little meeting with Inga, feeling immensely befuddled. He'd fully intended, despite his orders to the help staff, to tell Frau Inga to stay in her lane and let the men handle the important things...yet she's so well spoken, and has such a charming smile and demeanor, and seems to know exactly what she's doing--she even remembered the deputy mayor's name while Ehrhard forgot it--that all such plans fled his mind and he forgot everything he meant to tell her. He actually feels a bit like she bewitched him, almost. He tries to shake off the feeling; no matter what his own opinion, she really does seem good at handling people, which Dobermann is not, and he'd rather she take on this chore while Dobermann is recovering; maybe afterward she'll recede back into her place and all will return to normal. That never quite happens. Even following Dobermann's recovery from his wounds, he insists on keeping Inga at his side, asking for her input and advice on almost everything; even when he resumes meeting with officials, she's always there, with her winning smile and modest demeanor and carefully chosen words. For a while Ehrhard and the staff have seriously mixed feelings; he learns that the suspicion that Inga must be some sort of witch or enchantress runs far deeper than just his own silly superstitions, and some of them are a little resentful for her presuming to speak in Herr Dobermann's place. Still...Inga goes out of her way to treat the servants and laborers with kindness and compassion, deferring to them on matters about which they know better, and it isn't too long before she's won all of them over. Ehrhard realizes that what they'd all mistaken for witchcraft or duplicity in the Dobermanns' interactions is in fact simply love; Dobermann trusts Inga in everything, and Inga would do anything for her husband. Nothing else matters. Ehrhard notices that Inga does have another side...not a mean streak, but a sort of steeliness right beneath the surface. She may come across as gentle and polite, but she's not to be messed with. Ehrhard gets word of a visiting official harassing one of the maids one day; she claims he threatened to extort her if she told on him. Inga happened across the two and asked what was going on; the official gave his version of events while the maid was quiet, then Inga asked for her version. When the official attempted to interrupt her, the maid recounts, "Frau Dobermann gave him such a look," said she was speaking, and nodded for her to continue. The maid says she was going to lie and insist everything was fine, yet ended up pouring out the entire story; Inga looked at the official again, and "It's like he was a weed just withering away under that stare," the maid says. Inga told the official to leave, and that he was no longer welcome on the estate. When he attempted to appeal to Dobermann, Dobermann simply repeated Inga's comment, and threatened consequences if he returned. Ehrhard gets the chance to see Inga's withering stare--it's nothing overtly threatening, not even a disapproving glare, he can't describe it even if he tried--literally all she does is lower her eyebrows a fraction and refrain from blinking or smiling. Rather, it's something in her eyes that conveys such a deep sense of disapproval and contempt that no words can capture it. She doesn't use this look often, but Ehrhard knows better than to try anything when she does. Another, similar thing Ehrhard notices is that Inga is perfectly capable of, and willing to, manipulate others--namely, men--when need be. She just naturally seems to have an effect on the opposite gender without even needing to try; men will fall over themselves to accommodate her, whether she hints that she'd like them to, or not. And far from being ignorant of such knowledge, Inga is fully aware of this, and occasionally makes use of it. This bothers Ehrhard a little at first--he worries that she will use, or has already used, this technique on Dobermann himself, and indeed, an unintentional use of this is likely what won him over so quickly. Ehrhard never catches her intentionally manipulating her husband, however; she always includes him in anything she plans, requests his advice, and defers to him in important matters. If anything, it appears that Dobermann enlists her aid in influencing male visitors when suitable; Inga's charming demeanor easily disarms and puts people at ease, making it much easier to negotiate with them. It's rather fascinating watching the Dobermanns collude in such a manner, like two spiders conspiring to trap a fly. They seem uninterested in using this tactic for any particularly ill purpose--Dobermann appears most motivated to simply avoid having to deal with the slew of social interactions his family were known for--so Ehrhard sets his concerns aside; as long as Inga isn't using Dobermann without his knowledge, he has no real concern in the matter. For a while, Ehrhard is more concerned about Dobermann's run of the estate. Although he helped raise the von Dobermann brothers, he was never especially close to Louis, who mostly kept to himself while his brother got the attention. Indeed, Ilse ended up spending more alone time with Louis than anyone else. He always avoided interacting with everyone at the lavish parties and gatherings the von Dobermanns were famous for, hiding in corners or behind his mother when young, keeping to the side of the room or retiring altogether when older; no wonder nobody at the hospital could ever remember hearing about him. He never stood out, never established himself as a von Dobermann, before joining the army and practically disappearing; Ehrhard wonders sometimes if he enlisted just to get away from his family obligations (Louis dropping the "von" from his name feels almost like a slap in the face). He isn't so sure that Dobermann has what it takes to run the estate and pick up where the family left off. Yet slowly, bit by bit, Dobermann pulls the estate back out of its torpor, and starts to get things running again. He hires new workers for the manor and for the farmland (Ehrhard noticed how grief stricken he looked when informed of how many of the help staff had died), puts craftsmen to work fixing up sections of the manor that have fallen into disrepair, orders certain parts of the farm to return to production. Inga takes over the old solarium, Ilse's former pride and joy, which has been abandoned since her illness and passing; using Ilse's old diaries, Dobermann orders seeds and seedlings, and within months the once lush gardens are budding anew under Inga's care. The farm never returns to its fully functional state--it hadn't been used even under Rudolf's ownership--but it does start producing enough small goods such as eggs and dairy that the Dobermann estate can sell or trade them with neighbors. The social connections that had withered in the family's absence are restored, largely due to this trade, Inga's diplomacy, and especially Dobermann's continued donations. The von Dobermanns were well known for their generosity with charity, and Dobermann is no exception, as his initial offerings to the hospital, the city, and the mountain town proved. The estate receives numerous letters and visits; once he's recovered from his wounds, Dobermann doesn't turn them away as Ehrhard had rather expected, though Inga is the one who does most of the talking. City officials present Dobermann with honorary titles, including Watchman of the City, and an accompanying cap (Dobermann privately grumbles to Inga about having to wear "that f**king hat"); Ehrhard overhears when one shows him plans for a memorial statue of him in the city square, to which Dobermann bluntly replies, "You will not build that statue as long as I'm alive." He still maintains his distinctly asocial attitude, yet successfully balances it with managing the family estate; Ehrhard finds himself pleasantly surprised by just how well he manages to step up and assume responsibility. The Dobermanns take in a guest, Gunter Hesse, who Dobermann had rescued from the battlefield during the war; like Dobermann, he was released from military service after the Armistice, and left to recover from his injuries. Unlike Dobermann, he's poor, and had no money or home or people waiting for him. Inga met both men in hospital and convinces Dobermann to bring him back to the estate to continue his recovery from morphine addiction. Ehrhard has mixed feelings about their new guest, and senses the same from Dobermann; Hesse's recovery is slow, but he manages to get clean. When Inga becomes pregnant, then falls seriously ill as she goes into labor, Dobermann hastily--and inexplicably--puts the estate under Hesse's control, and leaves with Inga for the hospital. Hesse and Ehrhard are left befuddled; Ehrhard actually feels a bit resentful about the snub, until Hesse admits he has no idea why Dobermann left him in charge, he doesn't know what he's doing. When Ehrhard dares to suggest that Dobermann acted purely out of haste and lack of thinking, Hesse says, "Probably true," and suggests in turn that, as the actual chief of the help staff, who's been left in charge before, Ehrhard should continue with this, and Hesse will defer to him. Caught off guard by his honesty, Ehrhard offers to let him deal with visitors and letters for now, and the two reach an agreement. Dobermann and Inga return some days later with a newcomer, baby daughter Adelina. Looking just like her mother, she's the first girl born to the family line in quite a while, and everyone is immediately smitten with her. Ehrhard hasn't dealt with an infant since Louis's childhood, so feels rather discouraged that he has no idea how to help Inga out when Adelina becomes colicky and cries constantly; Dobermann is busier than usual handling all the estate's social matters without her, and also doesn't know how to handle the situation. Oddly, orphaned, unmarried, childless Hesse is the one to come to the increasingly frazzled Inga's rescue; more than once Ehrhard comes across him taking the squalling baby for walks around the manor when he can't sleep at night, singing her lullabies. Ehrhard notices Dobermann's discomfort at Hesse being better at handling his child than he is, though he doesn't interfere, knowing Inga needs the rest. As the child grows older, she comes to refer to Hesse as "Uncle Gunter," and only he and Inga refer to her as Lina. Dobermann briefly loses track of toddler Adelina on a family visit to the city. He hadn't been a particularly affectionate father in the first place, yet following this incident, he starts to withdraw, putting some distance between himself and his daughter. Inga and Hesse notice; so does Ehrhard. None of them are able to convince him that his fears of putting Adelina in danger are unfounded; Ehrhard privately stands up to him to protest his behavior, something he's never done before, but is dispirited when Dobermann curtly dismisses him afterwards. Dobermann's never been one to act hastily or irrationally, so Ehrhard can tell that the incident rattled him badly, and no amount of reasoning can talk him out of it. Ehrhard and the others can only look on sadly as an invisible wall goes up between father and daughter, with little Adelina unable to understand why her father suddenly keeps his distance. Ehrhard quietly continues his work running the household behind the scenes, though he can't help but feel that a sort of barrier has arisen between Dobermann and himself as well. He feels like he's failed the family, in being unable to help patch up the relationship between Dobermann and Adelina. He witnesses as Adelina, unable to get closer to her father, and sometimes overlooked by Inga as she helps her husband deal with estate matters, turns to Hesse for the attention she needs. There's no duplicity on Hesse's part--he too seems concerned that Adelina's parents aren't focusing on her enough--yet in lieu of their attention, he looks after Adelina for them. She runs to "Uncle Gunter" with every problem, after every upset, with everything she wishes to share, and he's always there to answer. And so of course, when Hesse--still bitter and disgruntled over his treatment by the army following the war--latches on to ideas put out by the rising party of the National Socialists, Adelina latches on as well. Hesse is actually mortified when Inga requests that he refrain from sharing such ideas with Adelina; he hadn't actively done so, she was really just that observant. He promises to keep his opinions to himself. Ehrhard is unsettled by the increasingly tense political situation. Although a good, devoted, traditional German, he doesn't care for the growing hateful rhetoric, and is left aghast by the description Dobermann gives one evening of a nationalist rally he and Hesse encountered on a city visit. He tries to take some comfort in the fact that Dobermann appears just as disgusted as he is--"F**king Nazis!" he fumes, "What's this point of brushing off half the population as not German enough?--dig deep enough in their family trees and I bet they're even less German themselves, get rid of all the non-Germans and you end up with nobody!--sounds like an EXCELLENT plan!"--though their opinion seems to be in the minority, and it's getting dangerous to speak out against the regime. Ehrhard has to admit, when Dobermann asks him, "Have you ever seen anything like this before?" that no, he's seen the old nationalist German spirit of course, though never anything quite like this. He inquires, when Dobermann falls silent, what he's thinking; Dobermann replies with great reluctance, "I'm thinking history repeats itself...I can't help but think war." It seems like an unbelievable prospect--Germany is still recovering from the last war, how could another come so soon? Yet that's exactly the direction things seem to be taking; once Dobermann makes his comment--and Ehrhard knows he would never suggest such a thing lightly--Ehrhard keeps his eyes open for signs, and starts seeing them. All the little pieces fall into place; the Reich begins annexing its neighbors with the help of the Soviet Union, yet then makes the abrupt decision to invade the USSR itself. Ehrhard, Hesse, and the Dobermanns listen silently as the attack is described on the radio; Dobermann says simply, "This is it." The USSR and the Reich turn on each other, and a battle front opens in the east. Hesse decides to reenlist--not in the army, but in a relatively new paramilitary group called the Waffen-SS. Ehrhard, as secluded as he is on the Dobermann estate, has never heard of them, though Dobermann has--and has a very poor opinion of them--while Inga seems very ill at ease with Hesse's involvement with the group. Most concerning of all, though, is Adelina's reaction: She's heartbroken at the thought of losing "Uncle Gunter" to the war, and can't be consoled. After Hesse's departure she falls into a deep depression, spending much time alone in her room; she's never had any friends of her age, and is schooled at home by tutors, so Hesse was the only actual friend she had. The two good things that come of this are that, firstly, Adelina is no longer inadvertently exposed to Hesse's political beliefs; and secondly, Dobermann, noticing her fragile state, finally puts in the effort to get a little closer to her as a father. He takes her out with him when he inspects the estate and the farm buildings, and even shares some of the old stories his mother once told him as a child. Ehrhard feels a bit of relief, which he shares with Inga, that father and daughter manage to at least slightly repair their damaged relationship, even if it took a war to do so. By now, Ehrhard is quite old; he'd started his job as chief of the help staff while Rudolf was still young, was there to witness Louis's entire life, and now Rudolf's granddaughter, Adelina, is close to coming of age. Although his job consists mainly of supervising the other servants and advising them what to do, he's grown tired and has slowed down. He doesn't need to ask for a respite, which would be too humiliating for him anyway; Dobermann lightens his duties. He recognizes that Ehrhard has served the family faithfully his whole life, giving them everything he has, and he's earned a rest. Ehrhard would be too embarrassed to retire completely--serving the Dobermanns is his entire purpose--so he continues in his capacity as help staff chief, albeit with limited hours. Dobermann, uneasy about repeated requests from Nazi officials for access to his property, ends up taking an unusual step that bears on Ehrhard's position: He hires a handful of soldiers from among the ranks of the Wehrmacht and puts them to work moonlighting as guards on his estate, his single stipulation being that they're not registered members of the Nazi Party. It's an odd solution, but seemingly effective; the Wehrmacht guards are more loyal to Dobermann, who houses, feeds, and pays them well, and treats them better than the army, than they are to the Wehrmacht itself, and do a decent job keeping the Nazis at bay. Ehrhard has to admit, Dobermann has learned the arts of diplomacy--and subtle manipulation--quite well; turns out money is still just as great a motivator as always. One evening, Ehrhard wishes the Dobermanns goodnight, and retires to his room early after supper; he's more tired than usual, and hopes to get a decent sleep to get him started early the next day. He doesn't appear at breakfast the next morning; by noon, the maid who typically cleans his room approaches Dobermann, anxious that he won't answer her knocks. Dobermann goes to Ehrhard's room himself, knocks, then advises that he's coming in. He and the maid find Ehrhard still in his bed, appearing asleep, though when Dobermann reaches down to gently shake him, he withdraws his hand a bit abruptly, then presses his fingers to Ehrhard's neck. The maid notices the way Dobermann's shoulders sink; he stands straight and quietly instructs her to tell Inga to contact the nearest doctor who comes to serve their household when necessary. "No hurry," he murmurs, which tells her all she needs to know; her eyes filling with tears, she hastens off nonetheless, to pass along the request and let the others of the staff know the news. Everyone on the main staff--both Ehrhard's fellows serving in the manor, and the farm laborers outside--grieves the loss terribly; he's been a staple of the estate for so long, it's difficult to imagine the place without him. Even the Wehrmacht guards are subdued. Dobermann is hit hardest of all; Ehrhard may have always felt that there was an ocean of distance between them, yet Dobermann grew up with him always there, Ehrhard always respected his space, and he had a far bigger impact on him than he ever knew. The most painful thing of all, Dobermann confides in Inga, is that Ehrhard felt like the last real connection he had to his family even after they were gone, as Rudolf and Ilse practically considered him a member of the family themselves. He decides that, as Ehrhard was an orphan with no relatives of his own, he should be interred in the von Dobermann family plot in the mountain town, near the Junkers he served for so long and so faithfully. It's the only decision that makes sense. Ehrhard is buried not far from Rudolf, Ilse, Ewald, and Horst. Dobermann, Inga, and Adelina attend the funeral and mourn him just as he once mourned the von Dobermanns. Back at the estate, Dobermann calls the house staff together, and offers the position of chief to one of the older Wehrmacht guards, Sergeant Alger Holt; Holt, caught off guard, thanks him for the offer yet declines, so the role goes instead to a newer, younger soldier and Junker, Private Konrad Helmstadt. As the staff disperse, Dobermann takes Holt aside to speak with him privately. He says that, although from the same social class and already quite efficient and devoted to his work, Helmstadt feels a little bit off to him; "I know you prefer to work from the background," he says, and asks Holt to keep an eye on Helmstadt for now. Holt nods and gives his word. [Herr Ehrhard 2024 [Friday, November 1, 2024, 12:00:32 AM]] |