Je T'aime.

XXVIII. Frogs or Fairies

Marianna's apartments were located in an awkward spot. They were worked into the center of the palace complex in order to reduce some of the draft, but close enough to my mother's imperial apartments in case anything went wrong. They didn't contain the layout of a normal archduchess's apartments, but then again, Marianna was not a normal archduchess. I was convinced that the room used to hold china or a wardrobe, as it was so small, but Marianna never complained and didn't seem to mind. I supposed she figured it was cozy, and I could slightly see the appeal.

Marianna wasn't one for surprises. I showed up at her door sharply at noon, as she had requested. As I reached to knock, she already opened the door. "Hurry, hurry," she said, ushering me in. "You're letting all of the warm air out. For me and the plants."

Marianna returned to her jungle by the window. The window was so small that each plant competed for real estate, so some hung from the ceiling while others occupied the windowsill and a nearby table. She brushed a reaching vine aside and began to gingerly water her plants. Against the sun that came through the window, the flora flourished, and Marianna tended to them like their humble servant.

"Did you bring these all with you from Schönbrunn?" I asked earnestly, looking about the little room. Nearly every surface was stacked with books. There was a chart of the stars on the far wall. Assorted crystals and minerals were lined up around mirrors, and in every space it would fit there was a candle of assorted colors. Laying on the bed amongst a pile of shawls and cloaks was a glass case filled with delicately pinned vibrant butterflies. The air had a strange hint of some kind of herbal fragrance.

"Some, not all. Remind me, I have to re-pot this peace lily before she gets too rootbound." She moved to another plant with a small pair of shears and began to snip away at any overgrowth. She performed her tasks dedicatedly, though the lump in her back was pitying. "So, what did you want to see me for? Not everyone wants to come into the mad scientist's laboratory. Well, except for Herr von Born, but of course he's a scientist too."

"I wanted to ask you a favor. About that miniature. The ones Papa had painted for our future fiancé."

Marianna took a spray bottle and stood on her tip-toes to spritz one of her hanging plants. "What about it? It's in my jewelry box. I'm a spinster, I'm not going to be using it." She turned to the side and coughed into her elbow.

"Would you be mad at me if I said it was a miniature of me and I sent it off to this guy in Italy?"

Marianna turned and raised an eyebrow. "Does Papa know about this guy in Italy?"

"Papa wants me to marry him and I absolutely do not," I explained.

"Ah," Marianna said with a slick smile. "And your miniature is..."

"I gave it to Albert. And he left. Off to the front somewhere."

Marianna smiled with satisfaction. "There it is. Gave it to your Saxon captain. Sure, you can have it. Just don't get in any trouble, because I don't want it circling back to me. I'm an innocent party. I just sit up here and pin butterflies. Among other scientific things, but I won't bore you."

With excitation I opened Marianna's jewelry box. Between pearl necklaces and diamond bracelets I found what I was looking for. An image of Marianna, looking very able-bodied, though pretty as always, in a green dress holding a collection of flowers. "Do you think he'll notice?"

Marianna chuckled softly. "No. Unless he notices that it says Maria Anna on the back."

"What?" I turned it over to see the irritating gold script. "Do you have any black paint?"

Marianna was already laying a tube in my hand. "You're lucky I do."

As I was blotting out the name I glanced over onto the table. On the bottom of a glass jar with its legs in the air was some kind of experiment. "Is that a dead frog in a jar?"

"Herr von Born sent that up. We're going to dissect it later today. Did you know he wants to found a natural history museum?"

I looked around Marianna's cluttered space. "I think this is the natural history museum. Maybe he can move all of this to a location next to the art gallery Albert wants to found."