BETRAYAL OF DIGNITY
Part 21
For the Duchess
The train station in Swane was bustling with travelers, leaving little room to move about. Count Weiss had barely made it in time for the train. As he rushed toward the first-class compartment, a familiar face caught his eye. Although the young man's curly black hair had grown longer, there was no mistaking his identity.
"Aren't you one of the servants from House Thisse?" Weiss asked.
The young man, dressed in rather shabby attire, was about to walk past Weiss when he halted and gave a slight bow.
"Good day, my lord."
"I am afraid I do not recall your name."
"My name is Gilles Watteau."
Weiss smiled warmly as he belatedly remembered Gilles's name. The lad had played a crucial role as a witness in the Duchess's trial.
"Are you also boarding this train? Where might you be headed?"
"Well..."
As Gilles hesitated, the stationmaster's voice boomed through the station, urging passengers to make haste. "The train to Windsbury is about to depart!"
"Let us continue our conversation on the train," Weiss suggested, gesturing toward the platform.
Weiss led Gilles into the first-class compartment, leaving Gilles no chance to reject his offer. After summoning the stationmaster to pay for Gilles's fare, he even ordered a bottle of wine.
"I am on my way to visit my uncle in Windsbury. I feared it would be a tedious journey, but it promises to be more enjoyable with your company. Are you on leave, by chance?"
After a moment's hesitation, Gilles replied succinctly, "I have decided to leave House Thisse to embark on new ventures."
"I see. Embracing a new challenge is always commendable. When did you resign?"
Weiss had returned to Swane immediately after the trial had concluded. Naturally, he would not have been informed of the dismissal of a servant at Castle Birch.
"Two months ago."
Weiss maintained a pleasant demeanor as he asked, "Have you secured new employment? I am sure you have, given the diligent worker that you are."
"With the harvest season approaching, I'm considering heading south."
A shadow of confusion crossed the Count's face. "Did His Grace not send you off with a splendid letter of recommendation? How peculiar. I would have expected you to quickly secure employment with such an endorsement."
As far as Weiss knew, the Duke was a man of principle, dispensing rewards and punishments with impartiality. He would have ensured generous compensation for a loyal servant who had provided an alibi for the Duchess. Yet Gilles appeared haggard, as though he had been facing hardship, which troubled Weiss.
"Nobles tend to hesitate when it comes to employing servants with impure intentions," Gilles explained.
"Ah, I understand now." Finally putting two and two together, Weiss clicked his tongue. The false testimony that the Duke had asked Gilles to provide was likely the cause of his predicament. No noble would welcome a servant who spied on his master's private moments; the idea would have been particularly abhorrent to discerning noblewomen.
"I am managing all right," Gilles assured him. "His lordship provided me with sufficient compensation."
Unless it was enough to sustain a comfortable life indefinitely, no amount could be considered adequate. Moreover, realizing that the future of such a promising young man had been compromised, Weiss couldn't help but feel apologetic.
