Katharina von Thiel Blog Entry (Tehuti's Per On The Web 2.0)

Katharina von Thiel Blog Entry

Lady Katharina von Thiel
February 24, 2023, 3:00:40 AM

2/24/23: r/SketchDaily theme, "Free Draw Friday." This week's character from my anthro WWII storyline is Katharina von Thiel. She's not a new character, though she's newly acquired a name. She's a fellow Junker neighbor of the Dobermann family and shares a secret and some interesting history with them. There'll be more about her later in my art Tumblr and Toyhou.se.

Regarding her design, she's a standard poodle. I picture her as rather svelte and fair and that was the German breed that fit best. I'm iffy about her hairstyle; may need tweaking.

TUMBLR EDIT: You'll note the name Katharina von Thiel has never appeared anywhere in my blog. I've mentioned her plenty of times, however. This is the Junker neighbor of the Dobermanns who introduces Inga Dobermann to Josef Diamant and the Diamond Network; you can find a bit about that HERE, in Louis Dobermann's entry. More information about her has started emerging, and it turns out she has more history with Dobermann than I'd previously known. So, here we go.

In my story there are a decent number of the old Junker families that still reside on their big estates in the countryside. They've lost their noble status, their farms have grown much smaller or disappeared entirely, their property has shrunk and their prestige has waned. Much of this occurred after the Great War, though they were already on the decline in the years before it. This part of the countryside is mostly open fields with occasional rolling hills, stands of trees here and there (especially at property lines), forest and a small mountain range in the distance. Long dirt country roads that eventually lead to the city, though out here, it's very isolated, and really all the Junkers have to depend on is themselves. Even that much is often difficult, given how isolated they are from each other; the vast size of their estates, ironically, helps keep them apart. Although many of them are immensely wealthy, they're really on their own, and have to make do with what's on hand. They do occasionally gather in big groups at each other's estates for celebrations during which they catch up with each other, make new ties, and reestablish old ones, though these times are few, and the rest of the time they keep to themselves. Because of this, some of the old families, such as the von Dobermanns, are on the verge of dying out.

The von Thiel estate is a considerably smaller-than-average one--their house, standing atop a small hill, is more like a single-family mansion than the sprawling manor houses of the bigger estates--and they have plenty of property, but not much by Junker standards. They're probably a noble family without actual titles. The main good thing they have going is they're not too far away--within walking distance, perhaps a mile--from the von Dobermann estate. Since they're on a little hill, they can even see the von Dobermann manor, and the lights in its windows at night. The von Dobermanns, likewise, can see the von Thiel house in the distance. It's their relative proximity to each other that means they rely on each other's cooperation and friendship a bit more than the other Junkers. You can't be too choosy out here.

For this reason alone, the parents in both households decide to try to hook up their children--the von Dobermanns their younger son, Louis, and the von Thiels their only child, Katharina. Born a bit before the turn of the century, they're both around fifteen, and it seems like a decent, convenient match, especially with the old noble families worried about their lines dying out. Unlike the von Thiels, the von Dobermanns have a noble title--they're Freiherren, barons. Louis's older brother is actually the rightful heir, but he's kind of a roué, and hasn't shown much interest in settling down; Louis is the sensible one and seems like a good choice to continue the line, while Katharina would be "marrying up." Frau von Thiel and Frau von Dobermann are both excited at the thought of forming a more lasting alliance with each other, and having grandkids. There's one problem, though. Neither Katharina nor Louis is romantically interested in each other in the least.

Frau von Thiel is rather oblivious to the feelings and aspirations of her daughter, but Frau von Dobermann is far more in tune with her younger son. He's completely unlike the rest of his family, his parents, older brother, and uncle. The von Dobermanns are social butterflies who chafe at the limitations their isolation places upon them; they deal with this by making frequent, sizable charitable donations to various causes, primarily the betterment of the nearest city. This earns them more social visits from city representatives and big names, as well as many glowing letters and plenty of praise in the press. They're well known and loved for their good acts, but never turn down the chance to get a public event out of it. Louis...is not like that. HE chafes at social interaction of any sort, the more boisterous the worse, and prefers to just be left alone. He doesn't hate people, he just finds them bothersome to deal with. Frau von Dobermann noticed this early on, though it took years for her to really understand it, and pretty much nobody understands it except for her. When Louis was born, he barely even cried, as opposed to his much noisier older brother; at first his mother found this sweet (she even chose the softer, French version of the name Louis, rather than the harsher, German version Ludwig, based on this--"He doesn't look like a Ludwig, he looks like a Louis"--though technically he also has Ludwig as a middle name, a compromise between his parents), though the longer it went on the more alarmed she got. The doctor insisted Louis was just fine, though. He's always been quiet, reserved, standoffish, and serious, never smiling or showing excessive displays of emotion, including crying. Decent traits for a Prussian, but we're talking about a kid here, and a kid from a very extroverted family, at that. Frau von Dobermann spends quite a while trying to persuade the boy to mingle and chat with others, even encourages him to be rambunctious and stir up mischief with other boys his age when they have their big gatherings. Louis makes a few efforts, mostly to please her, but it's obvious he doesn't enjoy it, and he eventually starts resisting all attempts to get him to socialize. He may be the sensible one, but he's stubborn as well, and his growing resentment is also obvious. It finally dawns on Frau von Dobermann exactly what she's been doing to him--basically, coercing him into going against his nature--and although she really can't understand why anyone would be so reclusive, she vows to herself to do better by him. Although she still gently nudges him to at least "appear" at gatherings, she stops trying to push him into more intense interactions, and mostly lets him just linger at the edge of the crowd until he can excuse himself.

Mostly. The plan Frau von Thiel proposes for their children is just too promising to pass up. She shoves down the niggling voice urging her not to try this and goes along. The mothers inform their children of the date they set up for them, at the von Dobermann estate. Louis and Katharina are not thrilled, but can't protest; the day comes for them to meet (they've met before, though have never really interacted), and the two families gather. It's not one of the big gatherings, because all there are are the five von Dobermanns and the three von Thiels--but the older men retreat to the study to smoke and drink and chat, the mothers retreat to the parlor to sip tea and gossip, and Louis and Katharina are left on their own. The two teenagers, both done up and dressed in their best, just stand there awkwardly for a few minutes. Katharina attempts a smile, it isn't returned. More painful silence. Finally she speaks up.

Katharina: "Look, let's just be honest. I'm not interested in you." (Louis gets an odd look) "And you're not interested in me, ja? Obviously, though, our parents have other ideas. And they aren't going to let up until we do something. So...how about we put in a good effort, show we tried, prove them wrong, and maybe they learn their lesson. What do you say?"

Louis: (pensive but grudgingly persuaded look) "And how exactly do we do that?"

Katharina: "Well...we can start with you...showing me around this magnificent house of yours. I've been dying to see more of it."

Louis: "It's a house! What is there to see?"

Katharina: "Of course YOU'D say that, you've lived here your whole life. Me, I've barely gotten a look."

Louis: "So what are you interested in looking at?"

Katharina: "Well...I've heard you have a lovely solarium. How about we start there?"

Louis: (flustered sigh) (turns and starts walking)

Katharina: "Ah-ah!" (Louis stops and turns back; she loops her arm around his and smiles)

Louis: (looks disgruntled but resumes walking)

Louis and Katharina are polar opposites in term of social style, but at least they seem to get each other. He shows her the estate's solarium, a large glass-enclosed room toward the middle of the main part of the manor. The boxy manor house has wings and is about three stories tall; one story, the cellars where the laundry area and main kitchen and such are located, is partly below ground level due to the slope the manor is built into, and the solarium extends upward through the upper two levels, with elevated walkways/landings, benches and nooks to sit in, a fountain, and plants--loads of plants--including a decent-sized tree. There are even crickets chirping within it, and fish in the fountain. Despite his grudging attitude, Louis actually favors this room; it's a labor of love by his mother, and is carefully tended by the help staff. It's also very quiet and secluded, a good place to retreat to when one is overwhelmed. Katharina admires it for a bit, then they continue exploring. She insists on seeing his room and tut-tuts over how spartan his arrangements are, at least compared to the rest; takes a brief tour of the top floor with its huge library/study; then finally asks if the stories are true about the complicated network of hidden passages that supposedly wind through the house.

Many of the old Junker homes out here have these passages, though the von Dobermann estate is said to have some especially impressive ones. Louis obligingly opens up a panel in the wall to let her peer within; the passages aren't just a rumor, though he's used to them, he doesn't see anything too special. Katharina presses a bit, and finally he says, "Follow me," and heads back to the cellar. He picks up a lantern and opens an old, small door in a neglected corner and they step inside a tiny room which leads to a narrow vestibule; after a moment or two of walking the ceiling starts to lower, and Louis stops and shines the lantern within. He explains that the passage turns into a tunnel that extends far under the earth. Katharina is thrilled by this, insists they explore it; Louis protests vehemently--the tunnel hasn't been used or maintained in years, it could collapse, nobody would even know where to look for them if they ended up trapped. Katharina scoffs at him for being so cautious, grabs the lantern, crawls within. Alarmed, Louis follows, although he does manage to wrest the lantern from her and squeeze ahead to take the lead before the passage gets too small; and he grumbles for a good long while about how foolish this is. After some time, they both fall silent; the tunnel, which becomes small enough for them to proceed single file only, on hands and knees, is cold and damp and eerie, and continues for so long that they find themselves spooked. There's no way to go but ahead, however--it's nearly impossible even to turn around--so they do.

The passage starts to slope upwards so they almost have to climb, then at long last it starts to widen, and finally Louis clambers upright and out into a small enclosed area, helping Katharina out. There's a tiny door, which he forces open into a small cluttered storage room, having to shove something out of the way to open it enough to exit. Katharina exclaims, "My baby crib!"--it's the large object that was blocking the door. She recognizes where they are--they've emerged in the cellar of her house. They've been crawling for about a mile--the tunnel connects the two homes to each other.

Katharina is elated by this discovery; Louis, less so, considering they now have to head back, and their hands and clothes are filthy. They decide to simply exit the house and walk back via the long dirt road between the estates. Along the way they make a little smalltalk, finally comfortable enough with each other to do so, and even Louis admits the day wasn't entirely awful.

Then they reach the von Dobermann house. Their relatives have been searching for them since it was noticed they'd completely disappeared; an alert is called out when they're spotted approaching from afar, and by the time they get to the manor, Frau von Thiel has emerged and starts exclaiming stridently. She demands to know where they've been (Katharina tells her), what were they thinking going into a tunnel of all things, why are they so dirty, what were they really up to. She immediately jumps to the idea they must've been fooling around--"Mama!!" Katharina exclaims, mortified. Frau von Dobermann arrives in time for Frau von Thiel to accuse Louis of wheedling Katharina into following him into the tunnel ("Mama, it was my idea!" Katharina tries to insist), and calls him a bad influence. "Bad influence!" Frau von Dobermann exclaims back; "My son is a decent boy! An upstanding boy! Ask anyone, he hasn't gotten in trouble once in his life!" Frau von Thiel says, "There's always room to start! I knew I shouldn't have brought my Katharina here!" to which Frau von Dobermann, flustered, retorts, "This was your idea!!" This whole time, Katharina keeps trying to defend herself and Louis while her mother shouts her down; Louis glowers but stays silent. Everyone heads inside (Frau von Thiel ordering Katharina to follow her) and Frau von Thiel yells for the men; they appear one by one from their search, perplexed by her fit, especially since the teens seem okay. Herr von Thiel does remark, "Katharina, your clothes! What on earth happened--?" which leads to another tirade from his wife, insisting the two were acting inappropriately; when Herr von Thiel replies in confusion, "I figured we WANTED them to fool around, that's the whole point!" Katharina cries, "PAPA!!" while Louis grimaces and the others turn red. Although the men shake hands and wish each other a genial goodbye, and Katharina manages to offer a meek "Sorry, Louis," the two women part on rather resentful terms--Frau von Dobermann is more dismayed than anything, but Frau von Thiel is insistent her daughter spend no further time with a troublemaker like Louis. And thus the date evening ends.

(This incident is VERY VERY loosely based on an experience I had when I was young. Every year I had to attend Christmas family gatherings at the households of both of my grandmothers. I didn't mind visiting my paternal grandmother, it was just her and my weird uncle. My maternal grandmother's house was a NIGHTMARE for me--HUGE extended, boisterous family in this little country house. (Incidentally, I just realized the landscape was similar to that in my story; hm.) Never anywhere for me to sit. Nobody I was comfortable interacting with but my parents, who were always too busy chatting with everyone else--even my asocial dad. I would be asked, in my teens and up, if I had a job yet (never), if I had a boyfriend yet (never), then everyone would lose all interest in my existence and I would be ignored the rest of the night; I couldn't drive, so I was stuck there until late, when my parents finally decided to return home. It was utter MISERY to me, especially to always be reminded I was worth addressing only if I were contributing money or kids to society; every Christmas reminded me what a total social failure I was. I could go on and on about how awful it was for me to go through this every freaking year but you get the gist. One year, I escaped outside with the family dog, Max, and we went wandering down into the woods behind the house, even exploring by the creek I could never visit in summer as it was surrounded by poison ivy. (Yet more fond memories, ugh.) We spent a good long while out in the trees, the snow, the silence, the lowering light. We never went far, we came back before dark, but it was peaceful. It was nice. It was the ONLY time I'd ever enjoyed a Christmas gathering. I was in a really good mood, for once, by the time we returned to the house. Then my dad lambasted me for wandering off on my own--just SCREAMED at me there in the yard, me sobbing my eyes out, before taking us home. I know he was probably just worried about me, but damn what an overreaction; unlike with Louis, my mother didn't defend me or say anything comforting, either. (We are not a touchy-feely family, even hugs are very very rare.) What had been the best Christmas I'd had turned into the worst. I was SO glad when I got old enough to refuse to go, and spent a few Christmases alone rather than in that hell, before my dad got tired of going and stayed home too. Moving on...)

Louis, of course, is utterly humiliated; the experience just confirmed his opinion that people are too much trouble to deal with. His mother calls a servant to take his soiled jacket and trousers and while he sits in his undergarments with a glower on his face she joins him and, contrite, apologizes for pushing him yet again.

Frau von Dobermann: "I just...worry sometimes. Do you never feel lonely?"

Louis: (gives her a look)

Frau von Dobermann: "You don't have to answer. Silly question. But I worry you'll never find someone."

Louis: "If that happens, then that happens. What's the point of dwelling on something you can't change?"

Frau von Dobermann: "Is that really what you believe...?"

She still doesn't really understand, but promises anew that she won't push him again. Katharina, meanwhile, has to sit silently through her mother's diatribe, though most of her vitriol is directed at Louis for trying to corrupt her sweet innocent daughter (ehh, Katharina's fifteen, she's almost certainly not entirely innocent, but whatever); every time Katharina tries to explain that the entire debacle was her fault and Louis didn't even want to do it, her mother refuses to listen. She ends up punished anyway--after Frau von Thiel vows she will never visit "that Dobermann boy" ever again and Katharina protests, she's sent to her room. She lies in bed listening to her father trying to persuade her mother to ease up ("I thought you WANTED them to fool around with each other?" "AFTER marriage!--not NOW!"), without luck. The von Thiels go through the motions for the next few days, though there's an icy chill over it all. Katharina knows her mother's temper, knows she'll eventually get over it, though she also carries grudges and is unlikely to allow Katharina to visit the von Dobermanns again. And even though she isn't interested in him as a boyfriend, she did enjoy their little adventure, and makes plans to visit him on her own.

Louis is in his room one night when he hears a small knock on his wall. He stares at the offending spot until the knock comes again, then carefully steps toward it. He presses on a panel until it pops, then pulls it open a bit. Then opens it further. There's a very narrow passage behind his wall, and crouching within is Katharina--she smiles and waves. He steps aside to let her crawl out, dusting herself off.

Louis: "What are you doing in my wall??"

Katharina: "Hallo to you, too!"

Louis: "You know what I mean! Your clothes! You went through that tunnel again? Alone! What if you were trapped down there? Nobody would know where to look for you! What were you thinking--?"

Katharina: "Ah you're lucky I like you so much, you sound like my mother!"

Louis: (starts to retort, realizes she just said she likes him, blinks) "You haven't answered me, though. Why you came here like this? You're going to get yourself in trouble."

Katharina: "I already did, so don't worry about me, I can handle it."

Louis: "I don't want you getting in even MORE trouble on my behalf."

Katharina: "That's awfully kind of you, but we both know you didn't do a thing wrong. And don't worry. Mama needs some time to stew but she'll get over it, she always does."

Louis: "That still doesn't answer my question."

Katharina: "True...I came here to apologize. For getting you in trouble."

Louis: "Me? I didn't get in trouble."

Katharina: "Of course you didn't, you haven't gotten in trouble once in your life." (Louis looks disgusted) "I ruined your day, though. And got you yelled at. I didn't mean to."

Louis: "I could've said nein. You didn't make me do anything." (sits down)

Katharina: "Well...I turned it into an unpleasant experience. I guess that's why I want to apologize." (sits down beside him) "I take it you haven't had many pleasant experiences."

Katharina may not be on the same wavelength Louis is, but she recognizes hurt when she sees it. Despite what everyone else (except maybe Frau von Dobermann) thinks, it isn't that he's simply an a**hole who hates people or thinks he's better than they are. (The most common reaction I myself get from other people, by the way.) It's just that every time he tries to interact with them the best way he knows how, it ends up backfiring, and he's become rather cynical. It literally pains him to put in too much social effort, especially for so little positive return. Best to just stand back, have everyone think he's a jerk, and retreat when he gets the chance. Katharina's had the chance to actually interact with him on a deeper level and now knows he's a decent person who actually cares about the effects his actions have on others; he's not selfish, he's not stuck up. What's more, lurking on the periphery of everyone else's interactions, he's become pretty good at sussing people out, observing them and reading them like books. He notices all the little things people do, while they're busy saying something else. Long story short, everybody has him all wrong. Including Frau von Thiel. Katharina's the only person besides his mother who really puts effort into relating to him on his terms; the result is that the two of them, while never becoming the couple their families had hoped, do become close friends, despite their vast differences in personality.

Katharina gets away with her clandestine visit, though crawling a mile through a tunnel and wandering around inside the walls of a house repeatedly isn't a feasible way to continue seeing him. Fortunately, Herr von Thiel is more sensible than his wife, and gently but firmly puts his foot down against Frau von Thiel and allows their daughter to see Louis again; Frau von Thiel is unhappy about it but can't do much. Frau von Dobermann bites down her frustration and even apologizes to her despite having done nothing wrong; she knows her son's friendship is more important than some bad feelings. Katharina was right; Frau von Thiel needs some time to stew, but slowly comes around, especially once it becomes clear Katharina and Louis really AREN'T fooling around with each other. (Her: "Well...what's this about, then? Is our Katharina not good enough for that boy?" Her husband: "Oh, meine Liebe, bitte, do just stop.")

Katharina and Louis remain friends through their teenage years. When they're around eighteen, tragedy strikes the von Thiel household; Katharina awakes coughing one night, and is alarmed to see smoke seeping into her room. She hurries out into the hall, where the smoke is thicker, and makes her way to her parents' room; she can barely find their bed, the haze is so thick, but they don't wake no matter how hard she shakes them and yells. Her family has a small help staff, but by now the smoke is filling everywhere and she figures they're unconscious--or worse--just like her parents, otherwise they'd be up by now; she can't see much, and is starting to get faint herself, and has to flee the house to get air. She does the only thing she can think of, and goes running off toward the von Dobermann estate--they're literally the closest source of potential help she knows. The night staff, startled by her sudden appearance, go to alert the von Dobermanns and the able-bodied men on the day staff; the von Dobermanns call for emergency services from the city, as well as the neighboring Junker estates, though it'll be quite a while before they can make it out there. The von Dobermanns remain behind with Katharina while the stronger workers from their household head out to the von Thiel house. The von Thiels have a well, naturally, but without fire services all the men can do is form a bucket brigade, which seems pointless; they opt instead to try to find anyone inside who may still be alive, and get them out. They manage to drag out a few of the unconscious help staff, but the guy who locates the von Thiels' bedroom returns coughing and emptyhanded. He shakes his head--they weren't breathing, they had no pulse. Chances are strong they were dead by the time Katharina found them. By now the house is so full of smoke that further rescue efforts are futile, and even going back in with assistance to retrieve the bodies is too risky. They retreat and look around the outside of the house to try to find the source of the fire, since they haven't seen any flames yet, just smoke. They finally locate a burning section at the back of the house and do their best with buckets of water from the well until the other Junkers start arriving, and then a fire engine from the city. (I have zero idea how fires were fought whenever this is exactly, I'm guessing post-1900 but pre-1914. I'm keeping it vague for this reason, but here's what Alamy brings up when you Google "firefighting early 1900s." Horsepower!)

The fire is eventually exterminated--most of the house survives intact, though there's enough damage to the back to require extensive repairs. The men at last retrieve the bodies of the rest of the help staff and the von Thiels and lay them on the grass; they succumbed to the smoke early on, never having any idea what was happening--the fire itself never reached them so it looks like they're still sleeping. The men bring the sad news back to the von Dobermann estate. Katharina and the von Dobermanns have been watching from afar, unable to see much except the smoke plumes and the lanterns of the men hurrying about; once the news reaches them, Katharina breaks down crying. Frau von Dobermann puts her arm around her and leads her away while the von Dobermann men, Louis included, mill about disconsolately.

Frau von Dobermann insists on Katharina staying the night, and orders a room set up. After Katharina is left alone, she sits on the bed crying until a soft knock comes at the door; it's Louis, and she's never seen such a look on his face. He keeps her company the rest of the night; Frau von Dobermann, not finding him in his own room the next morning, peers into Katharina's room, and finds the two there, sleeping; Louis is leaning back against the headboard with Katharina's head resting on his leg, both of them still fully clothed. Frau von Dobermann gently wakes Louis and he manages to settle Katharina on the bed and slide out without waking her; they exit the room together. Louis peers uncertainly at his mother--the two of them sleeping in the same bed is terribly inappropriate--but Frau von Dobermann simply smiles, touches his face, and murmurs, "You're a good friend, Louis."

Katharina awakens a while later and the help staff lead her to where the von Dobermanns take breakfast; they all rise and immediately start fawning over her (Louis keeps a bit of distance, of course), offering her their food, or whatever she'd like from the kitchens, anything at all. What's more, they've talked with the fire authorities: Funeral arrangements must be made, and the von Thiel house needs to be fixed up before it's safe to live in again. The von Dobermanns promise to take care of the former themselves, and while the other Junker families assist in repairing the house, Katharina and those who remain from her family's staff are to stay at the von Dobermann estate. Katharina tries to protest but Frau von Dobermann refuses to hear it--"You're not guests here, you're family. Family takes care of its own." Louis is left in charge of helping her settle in; as he leads her away, she hugs him tight, startling him; after hesitating briefly, he hugs her back.

Repairs and cleaning of the von Thiel house take a few months. During this time, Louis and Katharina pretty much live as brother and sister. Frau von Dobermann invites Katharina to continue to live with them when her house is finally fixed up, but she replies that, as the new head of the von Thiel household (really, the only von Thiel left), she has to return home and oversee what's left of the staff. She's basically an adult, now. She and the von Dobermanns share a bittersweet goodbye, although she promises Louis she'll still visit, and he's more than welcome to visit her as well. As he sees her off, Louis does something very unusual: He offers her a small but sincere smile.

Louis von Dobermann is now an adult, too, and Katharina's action spurs him on to prove it. He wants to do something with his life, something more than riding his family's coattails and tossing money about, yet has no idea what that something is. There's awful tension in the air, though, and when Archduke Ferdinand is assassinated he makes his decision and enlists in the army. This is pretty common for the younger sons of the poorer Junker families to do (the von Dobermanns aren't poor, but they are of very minor status), but Frau von Dobermann is dismayed just the same, urging him to rethink his decision--war isn't inevitable yet, he might not be doing any good--but what if war DOES come?--Louis is a peaceful boy, not a violent bone in his body, he's not a soldier. All this isn't even mentioning the prospect of him now HAVING to interact with lots of other people, his fellow troops, on a daily basis--there'll be no more lurking in the background. Louis is adamant, though; his older brother can stay behind and help continue the family, but he has a different path to take. He can't afford to just stay in the background. There must be something else, and right now, this is it.

Katharina isn't happy about the news, either, when he goes to tell her; yet she doesn't try to dissuade him, since she can tell how much it matters. He's long wanted to escape his family's shadow, and here's his chance to do something aside from throwing money around or making social appearances. She hugs him--he hugs her back--and insists he write, and look after himself. She promises to pay him a visit the moment he returns home, and pester him just like old times. Louis's family sees him off at the train station--despite his embarrassment and exasperation, his mother makes him take one of her rings with him, as a reminder to convince him to come home safely to them--and he casts them one last look as he gets on the train. All the von Dobermanns, mother, father, uncle, brother, offer small waves and smiles, though there are tears in Frau von Dobermann's eyes. This is the last he sees of them. The train pulls out and heads off.

Louis is going for military training, but it turns out to be a crash course. A mere month after the archduke's assassination, war is declared, and a few days later, Germany enters. Louis heads to the Western Front. Despite his difficulty with people, he excels at military service--the strict discipline and routine is easy for him, everything planned out, no need to wonder over how to react. Soldier life makes far more sense than social life. Although he refrains from extracurricular activities such as visiting the taverns and brothels--again earning him a reputation as a stiff prude--this is rather accepted and expected for a Prussian, and his military talents make up for it. He rises quickly through the ranks, ultimately achieving the rank of Hauptmann, captain; although he prefers to follow orders rather than give them, he's good at either. There's small one thing he does to try to fit in better among his fellow troops, however...every time there's a roll call and "Von Dobermann" is called out, he responds, "Dobermann. Here." Eventually, the "von" is dropped, and he's referred to as simply Louis Dobermann; another symbolic, yet meaningful, effort to step out of his family's shadow.

Katharina, back home, gets a rare letter here and there but Dobermann isn't much of a writer. She understands, and just hopes he'll make it back okay, though the war drags on far longer than expected. She goes about her daily business, engaging with the von Dobermann family at their social gatherings, finding her own footing as a socialite; although not nearly as well known as they are, she does become rather well liked among the Junkers and their friends, and known for her wit. One day when she goes to pay the von Dobermanns a visit, one of the help staff answers the door--normal--but he opens it only a crack, and seems to be trying to keep a bit of distance between them. His face is pale, haggard. He softly lets her know it's not a good time to visit; quite a few people in the household, including all of the von Dobermanns, are very ill. Whatever it is, it's contagious, and they wouldn't want Katharina getting sick, too. Despite her worry, Katharina leaves, though she asks him to tell them she's there if they need any help. The servant promises, then shuts the door. Katharina walks back home, pensive. Stories have been spreading of an outbreak in the city--a new, particularly nasty influenza--but the von Dobermanns are active, healthy, and relatively young, surely they'll pull through.

I'm not sure which news reaches Katharina first since it's all around the same time, but there are two big things. One is that an armistice is declared; the war ends but Germany is left in quite a poor situation, needing to eliminate most of its military and pay immense reparations. The other news regards the von Dobermanns. Katharina receives a telephone call from the chief of the help staff: Not long after she attempted to visit, the von Dobermanns' health took an abrupt turn, and they were taken to the city to receive medical attention in hospital. From there, things rapidly went downhill: First Dobermann's uncle succumbed, then his father, then his brother. Frau von Dobermann held out the longest, gasping at the doctor if he knew where her son was; he told her her son was there, in another bed, but she kept insisting he wasn't--"My baby boy is in the army." The doctor assumed she was delusional; later that night, she passed away as well, still asking where was her son. Seemingly in an instant, the von Dobermanns are wiped out, gone as completely as Katharina's family; she breaks down sobbing on getting the news as if they were her own family, since in a way, they were. The worst thing of all is that although the war is over, there's been no recent word of Louis. He may be dead, as well.

Katharina visits the city and notices the great deal of activity taking place--city workers in masks spray-disinfecting the streets, others picking up litter and washing surfaces, still others posting health notices with instructions on how to avoid the flu. Despite the circumstances, there's a hopeful note in the air, and lots of excited chatter. Katharina asks somebody what's up. Someone made an exceedingly generous monetary donation to the city, she's told, and to the hospital as well; the funds are being used largely to combat the influenza. There's enough money to add an entire new flu ward to the hospital. Katharina asks if they know who donated the money, and is stunned to hear the answer: the von Dobermann family.

That can't be right; she wonders if someone has pulled a joke that's kind and cruel at the same time, and heads back to the von Dobermann estate. The chief of the help staff speaks with her: Following the devastating loss of the von Dobermann family, he sent off a telegram, and then a letter, in the dim hopes that Louis, whom they hadn't heard from in a long time either, was still alive. He had no idea where he was, or if the messages would reach anyone. There was nothing left to do but wait. The days passed. And then--the attorneys overseeing the von Dobermann finances received a telegram with instructions regarding two donations to be made, to the city and to the hospital. A signed letter followed, and the donations were authorized. The von Dobermann estate received a brief letter as well: Louis was wounded shortly before the armistice was reached. The letter told them about the money to be taken out of their account, and that Louis--injured, but alive--will return as soon as his health is good enough. Both letters bear the signature LOUIS DOBERMANN.

Despite all the awfulness, Katharina is overjoyed to learn Louis has made it, and will be returning soon. She asks to be notified once he does, and can barely stand the wait. While she does, though, she reaches the decision that she won't visit him first thing upon his return, even though it's agonizing; because she knows he'll be getting a swarm of other visitors, while he's still dealing with his injury and his loss--he'll be inheriting all the social connections his family left behind--and she doesn't want to add to that; she'll give him a few days. The call at last comes about his return, but something the servant tells her makes her pause in surprise: Louis hasn't returned alone. He's brought a wife home with him.

All the servant can tell her is that the woman's name is Inga, the marriage apparently took place while Dobermann was in hospital, and she's very beautiful. Oh--and the help staff are just as surprised as Katharina is. Dobermann gave no notice in his letter that anyone would be returning with him. Judging by Inga's reaction when she arrived, she too had had no idea what to expect--Dobermann hadn't told her he's a Freiherr, and an insanely rich one at that. It's a bizarre situation all around and nobody knows what to think; while on the one hand the staff are happy Dobermann isn't alone, considering the loss of his family, on the other hand...they don't know a thing about Inga. She's obviously upper class, but she's not a Junker, she's an outsider. The staff can't help but murmur among themselves about why she's there and what she might be up to.

Katharina is suspicious as well--Dobermann isn't the sort to get married on a whim, to a woman he likely just met. What's going on? She manages to put off visiting him for a day before she can't take it anymore, and heads to the estate. The servant who answers makes her wait while he goes to ask if Dobermann is up to seeing her--just as she'd thought, he had to deal with a constant stream of visitors his first day back. He returns, has her follow him; Dobermann is fatigued and in moderate pain, still dealing with his injury, and Inga has been helping, including even speaking to some of the visitors in his place. She's the one who instructed the servant to let Katharina in. Katharina pushes down her suspicions and goes to the parlor where the Dobermanns (she has to get used to that term) are waiting; they both stand up to meet her. She heads straight to Dobermann and gives him a big hug, seeming to surprise him; she says, "I'm so glad you're back--but I'm so sorry," and finally lets him go. He has a vaguely awkward expression; Katharina turns to the woman standing next to him and says, "And you must be Inga." Inga blinks in return, also surprised.

Aside from looking well bred, she's nothing like Dobermann, with dark hair, dark complexion, dark eyes; still, she's quite beautiful and graceful, soft but well spoken, and seems to have quickly adapted to being the wife of a Freiherr. Katharina's a good judge of people; she finds her suspicion quickly melting as the three of them share a few words. Dobermann seems comfortable with Inga--his initial awkwardness simply his worry over how she and Katharina would react to each other--and Inga is skilled at saying just the right thing when Dobermann falters. She knows when to speak up and when to keep quiet and let Dobermann speak, and she knows when to give him a nudge. And once Katharina introduces herself as Dobermann's friend--despite also tossing out that their parents tried once to set them up--she relaxes and smiles, not seeming threatened or jealous in the least. They talk for only a few moments before Katharina excuses herself to leave Dobermann in peace for a while longer, but she departs just about convinced that Dobermann made the right choice: Inga is exactly who he needs at his side right now. Whether the mysterious woman will make a decent lasting marriage or not remains to be seen, but Katharina is hopeful. She hates the thought of Dobermann being alone.

She visits the Dobermanns--just the Dobermanns, no more "von"--over the following days, getting (re)acquainted. Dobermann met Inga while she made the rounds of visiting wounded soldiers in hospital to boost their morale and offer a bit of company. Dobermann had been deafened by a shell blast; Inga taught him how to sign, and they communicated that way until his hearing returned. They'd found themselves developing feelings for each other; Dobermann offered her his mother's ring, which he'd still been carrying with him, and a chaplain married them in the hospital. It was an uncharacteristically abrupt decision on Dobermann's part, but seems to have been the right one. Inga never talks much about her own past, but does mention enough to make it clear she was relatively well off on her own--thus her ability to visit the troops without any known job or source of income--and has no surviving family, either. So in this, the three of them are strangely alike. Although not an outright extrovert, Inga is very socially skilled, and easily wins over everyone who talks with her; she's incredibly charming. Katharina senses a certain "slickness" to her interactions, quite measured and careful and perhaps even sly--Inga definitely knows all the right buttons to push to get what she wants--yet can't sense any malice or manipulation directed at Dobermann himself. If anything, like Katharina, she appears to want to protect Dobermann from others. Katharina finds that she doesn't even care what Inga's ulterior motives might be--as long as she's looking after Dobermann, that's what matters.

Much of what happens at the Dobermann estate, Katharina hears secondhand. They bring in someone to live with them, another wounded soldier Inga had met in hospital; lower class, unemployed, poor, also without family, he's fallen on hard times, and the Dobermanns let him stay with them while he overcomes a morphine addiction. His name is Gunter Hesse, and while Katharina--and Dobermann as well--have mixed feelings about him, Inga considers him a good friend, and his temporary stay becomes long term. Inga becomes pregnant, but falls seriously ill around the time the baby is due; Dobermann takes her to the city hospital and essentially leaves the estate in Hesse's hands. Katharina visits a few times to make sure nothing funny is up; she doesn't trust this new outsider despite Inga believing he's trustworthy. Hesse is still dealing with the aftereffects of his injury (much more severe than Dobermann's) and addiction; he's weak, haggard, shaky, and walks with a crutch, but seems sincere and open enough when Katharina speaks with him. He's allowed the chief of the help staff, very trusted by Dobermann, to take over most of the estate dealings, and his worry for Inga is plain, perhaps a bit excessive. Katharina still doesn't entirely trust him--she senses a vague bitterness lurking under the surface--but it doesn't appear to be directed at the Dobermanns--so she departs again, sure that he has no ill intent for the estate.

(I'm not sure if Katharina ever learns of Hesse's background, but he shares something in common with her, too--he lost his parents in a fire, albeit when he was just a baby. I sure have lots of orphans in this story, hm.)

Some days later, the Dobermanns return, this time with a tiny baby girl. Adelina--called Addy by her father, Lina by her mother--was born sickly, with whatever Inga's ailment was, and for a time it wasn't certain whether they'd pull through or not. Dobermann, still aching over the loss of his family, hadn't left their sides. They've both recovered, and while Inga is weak and tired, Addy has quite a set of lungs, squalling loudly and often. She obviously doesn't take after her father, either with her vocalizing or her looks. Inga quickly ends up frustrated, trying, without success, to calm the colicky baby down; even Dobermann's insistence that it isn't her fault doesn't convince her. Hesse is the one to settle Adelina down (he, too, calls her Lina), carrying her through the house with him as he limps around and sings her lullabies, unable to sleep at night; this is the only thing that works, and oddly, Hesse seems to act more like a doting father toward Adelina than Dobermann himself does. This is exacerbated when Addy gets separated from her parents on a visit to the city; although Dobermann finds her safe, the incident rattles him so badly that he starts to distance himself from her. The increased demands for his time from city officials and other authorities add to the rift that forms between him and his daughter; Inga often has to help Dobermann out with this, and so Addy is left in Hesse's hands. Although Hesse adores "little Lina," over time his influence over her becomes more apparent, with her calling him "Uncle Gunter"...and then latching on to even darker things.

Katharina has her own life, she doesn't get to see Addy much, though as the girl gets older and the two meet in passing on social occasions, she sees creeping signs that things aren't quite right. The political atmosphere has been getting tense, and Addy makes rare but noticeable comments about how badly Germany was treated following the Great War; on one occasion she mentions how the Jews hurt Germany, and Inga quickly steps in to shush her and lead her away. It's a bizarre thing for someone so young to say; Addy lacks any strong sense of spite, and her comments sound exactly like she's simply reciting something that was told to her. Katharina has an idea who the source is. Hesse is always polite and civil when she speaks with him, but that malevolence lurking under the surface is even more obvious now, at least to her; recalling what Inga's told her about how poorly Hesse was treated after the war (the military basically cut him loose and left him with an addiction and very little support), Katharina can understand his spite, yet not why he's aiming it where he's aiming it. She says nothing, though; because by now, saying something like what she's thinking would be going against growing public opinion...and it might be dangerous, as well.

The National Socialists have assumed power and when war breaks out, Hesse heads off again, this time to the Eastern Front (events regarding Germany and Russia play out differently in this timeline and the war starts sooner, though I think they were still briefly allies before), fighting not for the German army this time but for the group that soon becomes known as the Waffen-SS. Katharina asks a few guarded questions, gets her suspicions confirmed; the SS is aligned with the Nazi Party and one of their big beliefs is the exact same one Addy had naively been parroting. Without "Uncle Gunter" around anymore, Addy is disconsolate, though doesn't have to deal with his unintentional indoctrination.

Dobermann had been let go by the army the same as Hesse; he chooses not to reenlist, to stay with his family, yet finds himself on the receiving end of lots of Nazi attention anyway. The city has made him a sort of unofficial "mascot," naming him Der Wächter der Stadt ("Watchman of the City"), and city leaders are always vying for his attention--now, Nazi officials join them, insisting on meeting him and seeking his good graces. Although he keeps a neutral public demeanor, privately, Dobermann confides in Katharina how much he despises the Nazis and their requests. He's realized the same thing she has, that to directly oppose them is dangerous, and he can't afford to jeopardize his family; while he makes a point to avoid donating to any Nazi causes that directly espouse violence (he does aid a Lebensborn maternity home), this is difficult, and he pretends to mull over the requests they make to use his property. The Nazis have caught wind of the tunnels and passageways the Junkers have known about for ages, and want to use these in the war effort. Some Junkers oblige them...others hold out. Dobermann is among the latter. He's already angry about the "nonsense" Hesse unwittingly fed his daughter; he doesn't want the Nazis anywhere near his house. He has no choice but to let them visit, yet resists letting them get much closer. He and Inga always part on decent terms with them, but his promises to think over their requests are just a stalling tactic. Money, of course, helps with the stalling, though he seems to realize this can't go on forever. He and the other Junkers who dislike the Nazis put on a kind face for the Third Reich but secretly hope the war ends soon and things go back to the way they were.

Hesse is wounded again and returns from the front, transferring to something called the Allgemeine-SS. They don't fight, but they do investigate crimes against the Reich. Hesse no longer espouses his beliefs around Addy or the Dobermanns, but this just makes him even more potentially threatening, the fact that he's learned so well to hide his malevolence, even from those closest to him; Katharina and Dobermann know it's still there, but Addy and especially Inga seem blind to it. Hesse's position does assist Dobermann somewhat, in helping to hold the pushy Nazis at bay; knowing the Dobermanns have an SS officer living with them (part time now, as Hesse has his own place in the city), they're a bit more circumspect. Nevertheless, Dobermann takes an odd, drastic step: He requests some Wehrmacht troops, unaffiliated with the Nazi Party, to help guard and patrol the grounds of his estate. (One of them, Helmstadt, later effectively takes the place of the old chief of the help staff, who's probably passed on by then.)

Dobermann is especially pensive when Katharina visits him one day. Despite his efforts, officials have been growing suspicious about how faithful he is, exactly, to the Reich. Although he despises it, he takes the advice to invite an influential Nazi official to his home and "make nice." The Nazi in question is SS-Obersturmbannführer Ernst Dannecker, who runs the labor camp which has been set up near the city. Dobermann, and especially Inga, can hardly stand him; fortunately, Dannecker isn't stupid, he quickly figures out he's not there to be friends, and he and Dobermann reach an agreement to scratch each other's back, their social arrangement lending each other an air of credibility--Dannecker makes it look like Dobermann has an in with the Nazis, while Dobermann, being immensely popular among the city folk, gives the unpopular Dannecker slightly more of a good impression. It's Dannecker's job, however, that leaves Dobermann with an especially bad taste in his mouth. He tells Katharina about the labor camp. Katharina thinks that's bad enough, but according to Dobermann, it's even worse: They don't just subject prisoners to hard labor. There are other camps, where they do even worse things. He doesn't want to go into detail, but he's heard rumors--and seen some proof--that the Nazis have far darker plans for what they call "subhumans," plans that don't involve simply deporting them or making them work in camps. When Katharina presses, he says that the "showers" in certain camps serve a completely different purpose, a purpose tied to the crematoria the camps also possess: "So those things are burning the bodies of the dead," Dobermann says quietly; "tell me, if they were burning only those who died naturally, why does the smoke come out of the chimneys nonstop?" He points out the increased activity of the trains which the Junkers can hear whistling in the distance at all hours of the day and night: "Those cars aren't full of cattle," he says, and leaves it to Katharina to put the remaining pieces together.

Katharina trusts her own chief of help staff implicitly; he keeps her up to date on things going on in the city since he handles most of what she needs from there. He only confirms Dobermann's comments that the Nazis are up to something awful, and word also spreads among the Junkers. Most of them are dismayed, though don't wish to sully or endanger themselves getting involved; despite her high opinion of him, Katharina feels Dobermann is in this group, who dislike what's going on but decide to keep to themselves. She isn't much different herself until while out hunting one day on her property, she encounters a man lurking furtively among the trees; when he sees her he tries to run, but soon collapses. Going to inspect him, she notices just how horribly emaciated he is, his striped clothes far too big on him. He begs her to at least shoot and kill him quickly. Katharina tries to calm him down, and urges him to return to her house with her; this takes some convincing (the promise of food motivates him most), then some time, with Katharina having to help him walk; she keeps an eye on their surroundings the entire time, suddenly understanding why everyone is so tense and afraid lately.

The thin man is wearing a yellow star on his shirt. He's terrified of Katharina's chief of staff, but the two bustle him inside and into the cellar. Katharina makes sure he doesn't eat too fast, letting him take his fill before asking what happened. He explains that he and some others escaped from a train while it was stopped; as far as he's aware, the others were gunned down, and he's the only one who made it. They'd been in the labor camp and were being transported to another one; he believes they were to be exterminated, something which often simply takes place at Dannecker's camp instead. Katharina exclaims that she thought it was just a labor camp; the man replies, "It doesn't mean they don't still kill us, Fräulein," and says that he suspects his injured leg was why he was sent off on the train. Usually, people like him are just executed via firing squad in the labor camp; learning he could be heading to a camp with "those showers" was too much, so he ran. "Showers...?" Katharina echoes; "They trick you," the man says, "make you think you're just going to take a shower. Then, the gas comes out." Until now Katharina hadn't known what exactly Dobermann was implying when he mentioned showers; the truth is far more awful than she'd thought. She promises to keep the man safe, though she isn't sure for how long she can do so.

Katharina is used to confiding in Dobermann about problems, but this is an especially tricky one--and even though Dobermann despises the Nazis, she isn't sure how deep his dislike is. He knows about the gas chambers, yet hasn't taken any action. The presence of Hesse and the Wehrmacht troops on his estate complicates things further, plus, she has NO idea what Inga's stance is. Even after Inga shares some unusual news with her--that Dobermann returned from a visit to Dannecker's camp with a Jewish man in tow, a prisoner he apparently rescued from execution in the nick of time--she still isn't sure what to think, since they do still allow Hesse to stay with them, and Inga seems to think highly of him. As much as it pains her, she doesn't think she can trust Dobermann with her secret, and agonizes over what to do; SS officers have made a habit of occasionally visiting the Junker homes, and she worries they'll find her guest. They do arrive one day and perform a perfunctory search, but don't seem convinced that they'll find anything, so they don't look too hard; after settling her nerves, Katharina goes to ask Inga if she knows what's up. Inga replies that there's been a prisoner escape from the labor camp--Dannecker was killed. Of course the SS is rattled. Katharina's relieved they didn't search harder, but even more worried they might return. She knows she could meet the same fate the prisoners do if she's caught.

At a gathering, she overhears two of her fellows holding a private conversation; the man seems reluctant about "a problem" which the woman urges him to resolve. She rebukes him when he declines to get involved. The phrasing is such that Katharina is convinced they're talking about the prisoners in the camps and trains; once the woman is alone she makes some smalltalk, soon hinting that she overheard the discussion. The other woman is very suspicious until Katharina mentions that she has a problem of her own she needs to deal with, but doesn't know how. The woman asks a few guarded questions; where is the problem?--has she had the problem long?--how does she wish to handle the problem? When Katharina denies that she wants to eliminate the problem, just wants to take care of it, the woman promises to help, though she'll need to see the problem herself. Katharina reluctantly invites her to her home, and leads her to see her guest, who reacts with despair, believing Katharina has sold him out. The other woman tries to reassure him. She can and will help get him to safety, she promises, but she needs some help from Katharina first--she needs to make use of the passages to and from her house. Katharina is mystified; she knows of only the one connecting her home to the Dobermann estate. Oh, there are others, the woman assures her--she knows, because she and several of the other Junkers have been plotting them out on maps in their effort to shuttle Jews and others to safety through the countryside.

This is the first Katharina has heard of a resistance network against the Nazis--but she's in. She lets the woman look around the cellar and locate another passage she had no idea existed. Turns out her house is too distant from the others for the passages to currently be useful, though they can be improved upon (some lead not between houses but into out-of-the way, concealed locations in the wilderness), and the resisters plan to do so even while they lead Katharina's guest away. She does worry if she made the right choice, not knowing where he'll end up, but decides she has to take a risk.

In time, this resistance effort among the Junkers connects with another, budding effort among escaped prisoners and refugees themselves--including the man who led the escape at Dannecker's camp, Josef Diamant. When Katharina learns of this, she knows she made the right choice. She even gets to meet Diamant himself, going under the nickname the Jack of Diamonds. He's standoffish and skittish at first, for obvious reasons, but seems sincere about his intentions. When he learns of what Katharina's already done, he thanks her, and says she can use him as a contact if necessary. He's surprised when Katharina offers her hand, but shakes it back.

Late one evening, Katharina's chief of help staff comes to her and says Inga Dobermann is there and wants to speak with her; she's brought some eggs (the Dobermann estate has some farm animals and they're known for the high-quality eggs and dairy they produce in small amounts) but seems distressed. Katharina invites her to sit in the parlor and talk privately. Inga is reluctant to say why she's there, but finally, haltingly asks to see the Jack of Diamonds. Katharina is struck mute--she's never had ANY indication that Inga or Dobermann know anything about Josef Diamant or the Diamond Network. When Katharina asks why she's asking that, Inga says Tobias Schäfer told her to--the Jewish man her husband rescued from the camp. He's been illegally serving as the Dobermanns' in-home physician. Why would he tell her to ask that? Inga says the rumors Dobermann has been telling her have her distressed and she wants to help; she hesitates again, then pulls off her locket, opens it, and shows Katharina something hidden inside, behind the family photo: a Star of David pendant. Although nonpracticing, Inga is Jewish. She exclaims, "Only you and he [Dr. Schäfer] know! And I pray I don't regret it!"

Katharina is dumbfounded by all this news--especially by the fact that Dobermann has no idea about this side of his own wife--but pushes down her bewilderment, instructs Inga to put the necklace away, and tells her to make up an excuse to return in two days--then, she can meet the Jack of Diamonds. Inga is surprised by her choice of words--"It's a man?"--but Katharina shuttles her out, wishing her goodbye. She calls the chief of her help staff back. Everyone in her household is in on her activities with the Diamond Network--and now, it's obvious the Dobermann household is connected as well, through Tobias Schäfer. (Schäfer wouldn't have suggested Inga should ask Katharina about the Jack of Diamonds unless he was aware Katharina is part of the Network, something he could have learned only if he were connected--or if he were compromised by somebody else, such as Hesse. Katharina takes a chance that somehow Schäfer made a Network connection on his own, and she can trust him as well.) Inga confirmed that Dobermann himself is NOT in the know, however, and though it pains her still, she knows she has to keep Inga's secret from him. She instructs her chief of staff to get in touch with Diamant regarding a new potential contact. He's stunned as well--"Frau Dobermann??"--but obeys. Inga just doesn't seem like the sort to be involved in this kind of business, yet here we are.

Diamant shows up at Katharina's home as requested--dressed in an SS uniform. "Why are you looking like that??" Katharina exclaims; he replies it's one of his more useful disguises, as most people will go out of their way to avoid interacting with an SS officer. He asks about Inga; Katharina confirms she should be on her way, and asks in turn about Schäfer. Diamant confirms that Schäfer was recruited by the Network some time previously when, similar to Katharina, he stumbled across an injured Network member trespassing on Dobermann land. Some members of the Dobermann help staff, including one of the Wehrmacht soldiers, are in on it and have already been shuttling refugees through the estate's passages, but the main household itself--Dobermann, Inga, Adelina, and Hesse--have no clue. When the chief of help staff says Inga has arrived, Diamant goes to sit in a dim room just off the parlor and observe her for a moment as she talks with Katharina. Inga seems to be getting cold feet already, agonizing over the thought of possibly endangering her family through her desire to act against the Reich; Diamant speaks up to say, "You can still back out, if you'd like." Inga is startled to see this guy in an SS uniform listening in, and alarmed that Katharina has apparently sold her out; "You wanted to see the Jack of Diamonds!" Katharina retorts. She introduces Diamant, who asks Inga to sit so they can talk--if she wants to help, he can tell her how. Inga reluctantly does so, and despite her obvious fear, she listens. By the end of the evening, she too has been tentatively recruited by the Diamond Network. Refugee activity, and usage of those passageways, picks up, as the Dobermann manor fills a big gap that had previously existed in the escape network. There are reasons both the Diamond Network and the Nazis have been so very interested in gaining access--well, thanks to Inga, not Dobermann, the Network wins out.

Much of the rest of that story, including how Inga's direct involvement in the Network ends, is in Dobermann's entry linked above. Let's pick up that night that Inga is brought to Katharina's house. A detail has since changed; Diamant doesn't bring Inga to Katharina's door to be let in, rather he takes her into a passageway, then down to the cellar and into the tunnel leading between the houses. Inga never knew about this tunnel. Diamant takes the lead, Inga in the middle, Lukas Mettbach in the rear; at one point Inga halts, crying, and Diamant, who's more about results than anything, snaps that they have to keep hurrying. Oddly, it's Lukas--not exactly a paragon of empathy and patience himself--who snaps back at Diamant to give her a break, she's just been shot, outed as a Jew, and then violently separated from her family. He sits behind Inga and coaxes her to take a few breaths to calm down (the claustrophobic atmosphere doesn't help any) before they continue and eventually exit into Katharina's cellar. Diamant cautiously enters the house, making the others wait, and tracks down the chief of the help staff. Needless to say he's quite startled to find somebody wandering around the house, but hurries to fetch Katharina once he learns the Dobermanns are involved. Katharina's in bed, in her nightgown, but wakes up quickly and follows him to Diamant, who leads them to the cellar entrance where Lukas and Inga are waiting. She's shocked by Inga's appearance--disheveled, eyes red and face wet from crying, covered in dirt, blood seeping through her sleeve--but she's not the panicky sort, and once Diamant tersely explains the situation, and asks her to take Inga in, she goes into action.

Katharina puts her arm around Inga, bustles her upstairs. Checks her wound, finds that it's minor--just a deep graze--they can tend to it later. Takes her soiled clothes away while Inga showers off the dirt, and gives her a robe to wear while she bandages up the wound and then sets her down to go to work on her hair. Inga is going into hiding, and that includes altering her appearance; she's known for her long dark hair, and that's about the only thing Katharina can change. She cuts it much shorter--Inga trying not to cry the entire time--then washes it again, and bleaches it blond. When Inga sees her new, vaguely Aryanized appearance in the mirror, she breaks down weeping. Katharina tries to console her--"It won't always be like this. It has to change, sometime"--but Inga is just heartbroken that she didn't get to say goodbye to her family or even to Hesse. Katharina rummages around and brings out a maid's uniform; this will be Inga's disguise. It's not ideal for her to remain so close to home, but Diamant doesn't trust anyone else to be able to keep her safe. Katharina vows to do everything she can for her.

Her chief of staff visits the city the next day, listens around. Returns with the bit of knowledge he's gleaned: Dobermann has reported Inga as dead, and the Allgemeine-SS will be investigating the alleged crime. Hesse has been tasked with leading the investigation. Katharina is filled with dread while Inga shows mixed feelings; on the one hand Hesse is a skilled investigator, on the other hand he's her friend. It's difficult for her to believe, even now, that he would ever be a threat to her or her family. Katharina tries to convince her otherwise, but Inga turns out to have not ENTIRELY misjudged him: Hesse deliberately downplays the investigation at Dobermann's request, citing a need for the family to have privacy and respect at such a trying time. The SS pins the blame solely on the man she killed despite him being a member of the Nazi Party, and Hesse closes the case early. Katharina's initial impression of him was correct--he loves Inga--so despite it conflicting with his job, he goes along with Dobermann's request for discretion. Dobermann obviously picked up on his feelings too, and used them to his and Inga's advantage.

This raises questions in Katharina's mind. Why is Dobermann going to all this trouble, jeopardizing his own position and deceiving the Third Reich so much, if he's so unwilling to be involved? He'd had no clue Inga is Jewish, and none of them knew how he'd react--he's shown no malice toward the Jews, yet, aside from Dr. Schäfer, he's shown no interest in helping them, either. Yet here he is, manipulating the law to make sure Inga stays safe. He's always been a goody-two-shoes, don't-get-involved, don't-draw-attention type, so this is highly uncharacteristic of him. Inga, as well, is tormented--she's just about certain that her husband hates her now, and even Katharina can't convince her otherwise. It's already been established that Dobermann and Inga shouldn't take the risk of meeting each other, as Dobermann's actions could be closely monitored despite Hesse's efforts, so he has to go through Katharina for news, and naturally he can't visit her as often as previously. When he shows up at Katharina's door shortly after (he's been informed, probably by Lukas, of where Inga was taken), Katharina instructs Inga to stay upstairs and out of sight while she goes to talk to him. He's standing in the room waiting for her and acknowledges her with a nod when she greets him and asks if he's well. Katharina can tell from the look in his eyes, though, that he's deeply hurt, and she's likely lost a lot of his trust, which was pretty hard to earn in the first place. Considering how close the two of them have been, for so long, she feels guilty.

Dobermann: "Is she here?"

Katharina: (nods)

Dobermann: "Is she all right?"

Katharina: "She's fine. She misses you and Addy. Louis...I'm so sorry. I wanted to tell you, so much, but I didn't know if I could trust you. With everything else, ja, but with this, I really didn't know. She didn't know, either. She says she would've done it differently now, but back then it didn't matter and then it was too dangerous. She only wanted to keep you and Addy safe. She never meant to hurt you. I understand, I accept it if you're angry with me, but bitte, don't be angry with her."

Dobermann: "I just need to know you'll keep her safe."

Katharina: "I'll do everything I can, I promise."

Aside from nodding and adding he may need to stop by after a while to sort out a few details, that's all Dobermann has to say; he turns to go and Katharina sees him to the door. Katharina is saddened to have lost her dear friend's trust, especially after he's already been through so much, but there's nothing else to be done for it. After he exits she heads back upstairs to check on Inga. To her surprise, Inga is standing at a window, crying; Katharina hurries over and pulls on the drape.

Katharina: "Inga! I told you! You have to stay away from the windows, someone might see you!"

Inga: (crying) "I had to see him."

Katharina: (peers out the window, sees Dobermann walking away back to his estate) "He saw you?"

Inga: (nods) "He signed at me."

Katharina: "Signed...? What did he say?"

Inga: "He said..." (starting to cry again) "He said he loves me."

"I told you," Katharina insists, pulling shut the drapes, to which Inga nods and replies, "I believe it, now." Inga had signed back that she loves him as well, after which he turned and kept walking; it's the last direct interaction they have for perhaps a few years. The whole time, Katharina keeps her promise to her childhood friend; on the surface she respects the Reich, parroting, "Sieg heil!" whenever encountering Hesse or any other Nazis, while helping the Diamond Network and hiding Inga in plain sight (albeit with lowered head) as her new maid.

Diamant brings her surprising news which gives her hope: Dobermann had caught his kitchen staff assisting a group of refugees through his manor. Rather than order the usage of his property by the Network to stop, however, he merely pointed out another passage previously unknown to the Network, and told them to use that instead as the other might have been compromised. In effect, he's allowed the Network to continue their activities even in Inga's absence. He doesn't seem interested in getting further involved until Diamant contacts him; while he expresses distinct hostility toward Diamant himself (telling him, upfront, that despite his actions taking Inga to safety, he hates Diamant for separating them), it soon becomes clear he has no opinion whatsoever of him being a Jew--the only thing he's upset about is the breakup of his family. Diamant informs him he can't afford to stay uninvolved any longer--Inga's involvement has put an end to that--and he's already shown his hand by letting the Network keep using his property, while continuing to hold the Nazis at bay. Dobermann is obviously angry but he keeps quiet and listens while Diamant explains that he can best help their efforts by deflecting attention from them and turning it toward himself: Continue the social calls and gatherings with Nazi officials, to give the impression that he's on their side--meanwhile the Network will spread a few rumors to bolster a sinister reputation for him. In short, be loved and feared, both at once, and provide a cover for what's going on behind the scenes at his house. Him being a supposed mourning widower will only help with this impression. Dobermann literally is grieving, plus dealing with Addy (she isn't in on the plot, so believes her mother is dead), so he resents this plan, but doesn't reject it; Diamant can tell he's weighing his options and at least thinking it over. He doesn't outright commit to it, but Diamant's operatives keep him informed of events at the Dobermann estate, and it sounds as if Dobermann is following the plan. He's taken up Inga's mantle and continued her resistance efforts.

Katharina and Inga are elated (though of course also worried) by this news. Although they still have to keep more of a distance than previously to keep Nazi attention away from Katharina's household, Katharina and Dobermann meet now and then, and while he's still rather distant, the chilliness between them thaws a little bit. He was deeply wounded by Katharina's actions, but is willing to forgive. She keeps him updated on activities on her own property throughout the war, and offers him encouragement (which Addy mistakes as romantic interest).

Katharina's dislike of Hesse grows into hatred when rumor spreads that he's the one responsible for the murder of another Junker whose house then mysteriously burns down--reminding her of her parents' death. She worries greatly about his influence over Addy, who even expresses hope of marrying an SS officer someday. Addy's discouragement regarding her own looks--dark hair, dark complexion, dark eyes just like her mother--is especially heartbreaking, considering how close she was to Inga. She repeatedly expresses the longing to look more like her Aryan father instead. More than once Katharina discreetly tries to get through to her, but is always thwarted. She's informed when a Wehrmacht sergeant who takes up residence at the Dobermann estate is revealed to the Network to be a Jewish-American spy working for the Allies; although she doesn't know him well enough to trust him, she hopes Stephen Gerhardt can help keep Addy safe, and helps keep him in touch with the Network herself.

Events outlining how things come to a head, ending up with the Dobermanns at last reuniting with each other, are in the Dobermanns' entries: Louis and Inga. I don't know yet that Katharina plays any major role in any of this, though she's of course on hand when Diamant shows Addy that her mother is still alive, and when Inga leaves to return to the Dobermann estate. She remains home, I believe, so doesn't witness their actual reunion (they stare at each other for a moment, then Dobermann wordlessly embraces Inga, hard, tears coming to his eyes), or their flight to the nearby mountains as the Nazis advance on their estate.

(Aside. A recent development on account of me ACTUALLY LOOKING AT A FREAKING MAP 😳 is that these mountains are NOT the foothills of the Alps as was originally intended. Although it's never stated where, specifically, The Trench Rats takes place, my best guess, based on my painfully limited knowledge and vast artistic license, is that it's set in the countryside outside the unnamed city that is likely a highly fictionalized version of Berlin. Based on the presence of all the Junkers I assume the setting is eastern Germany, not far from Poland; other details that reinforce this theory are that Hesse goes off to fight on the Eastern Front in the Waffen-SS; the Germans expect the Red Army to reach them first and are surprised when Americans arrive instead; Boris and his fellow Red Army deserters manage to reach this part of Germany on foot; and Klemper, who grew up on a small farmstead, speaks fluent Polish, which he explains he learned from listening to itinerant farmhands his father often employed. All of this points toward east Germany, which was traditional Junker territory. Now the problem here is that the Alpine Fortress which plays such a big role in the final story arc, Ultima Thule, is of course in the Alps...in SOUTHERN Germany (actually Switzerland/Italy/Austria). 🤦‍♀️ Try as I might, I couldn't find a way to "extend" the Alps, however fictionally, up as far as "fictional Berlin" without straining credulity too much. Therefore, the characters must have to travel quite a way to reach the Alps, which may or may not contradict details I've given previously. (E. g., the scene where Dr. Schäfer, at the Dobermann estate, "feels" the vibrations of the collapse of the Alpine Fortress--this MIGHT still happen, though, as I once noticed a window decoration just barely tapping against the glass although no traffic had gone by--turned out that around the same time, an earthquake struck many miles away in Canada. If that's possible, then IMO it's possible someone as sensitive as Schäfer can "feel" the fortress's collapse--at least, to me it doesn't strain credulity as much as MOVING THE ALPS.) Aside from the conflict taking place much further away from the main story location than I'd thought, this fact doesn't alter the story too greatly, otherwise, that I know of. The mountains in the main story have always been presented more like a smaller mountain range anyway, heavily wooded and not perpetually snowbound, including lots of winding roads and places of residence--Ludolf Jäger has a home slightly up in them, plus I believe Castle Schavitz is slightly up in them/near their base as well, plus I think but am not sure that the "lakeside cottage" Hesse brings Sophie to late in the story is nestled somewhat up in them, plus there's the unnamed "mountain town"--an actual town/small city, not a hamlet--which the Dobermanns, Diamant, and Gret Dannecker move to at the end. So these are not high, snowy mountain peaks. Tl;dr, I just never pictured MOUNTAIN mountains in this location, always instead some sort of low, old range of forested hills/small mountains. I always thought they must be foothills of a higher mountain range. To discover these cannot be the Alps is fine, I guess, since they don't look like the Alps (granted I have not seen the Alps). So, there is this week's sorry geography lesson, back to the entry...)

Anyway, as I was saying, Katharina (at least in the current version) isn't on hand to witness this, and only learns of it afterwards. She's relieved to learn the entire family is safe, although she does miss them. The Dobermanns decide to remain in the mountain town that gave them refuge (similar to the city, I believe Dobermann or his family was a benefactor here as well at some point--maybe some of his help staff hail from here?--so the townspeople are grateful), so their estate, after briefly being seized by the Nazis, passes into the hands of what remains of the Diamond Network after the war ends. They keep what help staff decide to remain, and for a time the manor becomes a sort of base of operations for them reuniting displaced people with their families and helping to restore property to its rightful owners. Although the Dobermanns spend most of their time in the mountains, one or more of them return now and then to see how things are going; Katharina greets them at such times, always happy to see her old friends finally together again. It's a mildly idyllic time, but unfortunately it doesn't last long.

I've already mentioned the Ultima Thule story arc, which involves the characters heading to the Alpine Fortress to defeat the final Nazi holdouts. They're successful...but at a painfully high cost. Dobermann loses his life in a fall, and although his body is recovered before the Fortress collapses, it's a crushing blow to the others, but especially to Addy and to Inga, the latter of whom had only just been reunited with him for about a year. For them to hold on so long only to be separated again so soon is...heartbreaking. Addy is devastated, but there are no words to describe what Inga goes through. In the earlier days of their marriage, Dobermann had referred to her as his North Star or simply "my North," as she was the guiding force in his life, the one who always knew just what he should do; without her, he felt lost, rudderless. Now, Inga is the one to feel lost and adrift. She sinks into a crushing depression, spending much of her time simply lying in their bed staring off into space. It falls on Addy, who before now was always the naive, immature one, to step up and handle things. She's been shielded and overly protected her whole life, painfully sensitive to her perceived shortcomings compared to her "perfect" parents, but her mother and father taught her well, and loved her deeply even when they themselves faltered; she draws on this now and pushes down her sorrow, taking on her family's affairs (with Gerhardt's help) now that her father is gone and her mother is too numb to act. She quickly earns the reputation her parents, and her grandparents, left behind. It's easy for her to get overwhelmed sometimes though, and Gerhardt has to comfort her at the end of the day when the weight of it all hits her. This was supposed to be her family's time, a happy time; she feels cheated that it was taken away from her so abruptly.

Katharina keeps in touch as well, showing up at the estate when Addy visits. The two become relatively close. While Dobermann was alive and Inga was in hiding, Addy had often suspected he and Katharina had feelings for each other, judging by how close they were and how she'd often come across Katharina holding his hand while whispering to him. (She was in fact reassuring him about Inga's wellbeing and urging him to hold on.) She knows better now, and Katharina helps her out with the remaining business of the estate. Word reaches residents of the city and they're saddened by the loss; Inga isn't ready to deal with it yet, so Addy handles the letters and messages and well-wishers who visit her now as they once visited Dobermann. Addy has always been somewhat shy and uncertain how to deal with others--growing up overly protected and spoiled on a Junker estate, an only child, homeschooled, and without other children to socialize with--but she doesn't suffer from her father's near-overwhelming anxiety and desire to just be left alone; she learns how to deal with people as her mother did. The well wishes and expressions of sympathy for her parents, over time, turn into gratitude and praise for her. Dobermann once stepped out from under his parents' shadow and she now steps out from under his, though the old von Dobermann legacy is never quite forgotten.

Independently of each other, Katharina and Dr. Schäfer--the latter of whom moved into the city following the war's end--discover the way in which the city folk decided to honor Dobermann's memory. Inga had been invited to a ceremony but had politely declined to attend, being too full of grief; Addy decided to stay with her. Some time following, Addy and Gerhardt meet Dr. Schäfer in the city, and he excitedly tells them they need to see something. He leads them to the city square, where a statue has been erected; the base has been there for quite some time, since before the war, but now it's finally been finished. It's called Der Wächter der Stadt, and even with just the plaque, and not the statue, Addy would have understood the significance. Following his donations to the city and the hospital, the city honored her father by conferring on him an honorary title of Inspector, as well as a new unofficial nickname, Watchman of the City; he was given a watchman's cap with the word WäCHTER on it as a symbolic gesture. Addy still owns the cap, which her father usually wore when interacting with city officials yet privately derided as "that f**king hat" when they weren't around. He wears the same cap in the statue they've made of him, now watching over the city square. Addy knows he would have despised the statue (in fact, this was why its construction was put off for so long, when Dobermann was first shown plans for it he warned, "I don't want to see this thing built as long as I'm alive"), but it brings tears to her eyes to see how loved he still is. She returns to her mother, convinces her to visit the city as well; Inga resists at first but finally goes. The sight of Wächter der Stadt makes her cry as well. Although she's still crushed by her grief, she realizes she's not the only one hurting, and the knowledge of just how deep the people's respect for her husband is helps pull her up a little bit. Slowly she starts to re-engage with the world, and that includes with Katharina and the remaining Junkers. Dobermann was important to them, too.

Katharina is on hand, still living on her own estate, over the years as Addy and Gerhardt marry (Addy combining their names so the von Dobermann name doesn't die out with her) and have twin sons, naming them Louis and Diepold (the latter named after Hesse's middle name); as Inga continues her new life with Diamant by her side; as Inga's health declines, her memory fading (she mixes Diamant up with Dobermann toward the end), before she too passes on; then as Louis and Diepold Gerhardt von Dobermann, young men now, return to the old Dobermann estate, hoping to restore the semi-neglected manor to its former beauty. Katharina, by now elderly but just as sharp as ever, is glad to meet the young men who look and act so much like Louis and Inga in some ways. They ask if she can help them out, by telling them what it was like before. Katharina replies that of course she would love to. She says the house once had a lovely solarium...they can start there.

[Katharina von Thiel 2023 [Friday, February 24, 2023, 3:00:40 AM]]

The Trench Rats Character Info