Colonel Berry

Chapter Forty-Six

As David and Maria ascended the stairs toward their suite, she asked, "Will Hans still honour the ten percent commission?"

"Yes, he confirmed this to me when we met on Monday. And with the increased prices, if General von Heeringen's estimate of the quantity is close, I should receive nearly the same as the last deal."

Maria giggled. "And the Ambassador questioned whether there would be sufficient. You've still not told him the amount."

"In the beginning, I suggested that I turn over the commissions to the Crown, but he said that's unnecessary." David shrugged. "He told me if I wished, I could use the money to cover my expenses, so I needn't submit reimbursement claims."

"But, that was early on, when the amounts were small."

"True. But still more than sufficient to fund both mine and the men's expenses. Cover our travel, meals and accommodation."

"And to purchase the Daimler and the Lancia."

"Yes, when I finally realised how dangerous it was having them owned by the British Government." He grimaced. "Scary now thinking about all the times we crossed the border without their checking the vehicle papers. It would have been so easy for us to be caught."

David opened the door for Maria, and as he followed her into the suite, she asked, "You need to purchase the Château d'Yquem for Wilhelm. Is there enough money left?"

"Yes, certainly. There's nearly a hundred and thirty remaining. Far more than sufficient."

"I had thought the wine would be more expensive."

"No, considering the prices Nikolaus Valckenberg asked for his older trockenbeerenauslese, I estimate they should be between fifteen and twenty Francs a bottle. Three to four hundred for a selection of twenty."

Maria stopped and turned, a puzzled expression on her face. "But there remains only a hundred and thirty."

David laughed as he pulled her into a hug. "Indeed, a hundred and thirty. A hundred and thirty thousand."

"Oh! Why so much?"

"The major part is from the sale to the Fifth Army. Then there are the commissions from the shops in Mannheim, Pirmasens Worms and Schaffhausen, and the ongoing commissions from their reorders."

"But, the travel expenses? For you? For the men?"

"A little over five hundred, so far." He shrugged. "It's pocket change in comparison."

"Seems I need to learn what things cost; you always take care of these matters." She stroked his beard. "Will you continue keeping knowledge of this from the Army? It seems such a huge amount to hide."

"I've discussed this with the Administrative Officer, and he told me that technically, it's not theirs. I earn it through my own work as I perform my duties for the Army, and this work doesn't detract from those duties. In fact, my playing salesman both enables and enhances them."

Maria nodded. "And your success is based upon your education and experience from before you joined the Army. Not from anything they've taught you."

"True. He had mentioned that as well. He said it would be similar to what many in the British Army do; work on the side to supplement their meagre pay. They're allowed to do this, as long as it doesn't interfere with the performance of their duties."

David leaned down and kissed her, then he pointed to her books. "You need to continue reviewing for your exams."

"And you must draft a proposal about the new mission. Interrupt me if you need help. I'm so excited about it."

Küsnach, Switzerland – Thursday, 18 May 1916

On Thursday morning, David and Maria drove down the Aar Valley, and after a pause in Bienne for a lunch meeting with Hans, they continued to Zürich and through it to Küsnach. Maria sighed as her grandparents lakeside estate came into sight, and she pointed to the boats. "Have we the time to go sailing? It's nearly a year since we've done that."

"I was just thinking the same. I would love to."

A short while later, after greetings from Michael and Mary, the four sat on the patio enjoying wine and the aromas of dinner cooking as they caught up on events from the past few weeks. Having found no convenient way to introduce his mission, David finally said, "I must collect twenty different vintages of Château d'Yquem."

Michael looked up from his glass. "Whatever for?"

"Part of my deal with Prinz Wilhelm." David explained the watch sale and the commitment he had made, concluding with, "The wine serves as a guarantee of payment, but more, as an ongoing relationship with Wilhelm. I don't know where it will lead, but the possibilities are too promising to pass up."

Michael chuckled. "Dealing with the devil. Consorting with the enemy."

"The enemy's son. He doesn't want this war any more than we do. But that aside, I've thought of going to Lyon, Macon and Dijon to search in the wine shops, hotels and restaurants."

"You'll find none there. The French are very regional with their wine; the restaurants and shops offering little but the local production. In the Rhône you'll find only Rhône wines, in the Burgundy, only Burgundy, in the Loire, Loire, and so on." Michael shrugged. "The major exception to this being that Champagne is available throughout France."

David nodded. "So, we'll have to go to Bordeaux?"

"Yes, that would be my first choice. The château will have far lower prices than the restaurants; most of them triple the prices, some even quadruple." Michael paused and raised a finger. "But it's a long and tedious trip from here. Well over a thousand kilometres and five trains. I'll write Eugène and ask him to send a price list of his old vintages. You can order and have him ship it here."

"Who's Eugène?"

"Comte Eugène de Lur Saluces, the owner of Château d'Yquem. As a youth, he had fought as a cavalryman in the Franco-Prussian War, and he later commanded an Artillery squadron. Both he and his wife are full of stories, and we've enjoyed their hospitality on several of our trips."

"That would be an excellent way to begin. Would he have vintages from before the turn of the century?"

"Rather unlikely. He's had no difficulty selling his wine." Michael chuckled. "He told me he continues to raise his prices, trying to find the point of resistance. I had asked to buy more of the 1904 when I discovered how superb it is, but none was available."

"So, we may have to go to Paris, after all. My contact in London had mentioned it as a good source."

"Yes, it is. It's another exception to their regionalism. Its wealth, culture and huge tourism have fostered an extravagant lifestyle, and they offer a broad selection of the finest wines from all of France." He grimaced. "But now with the war, they will have lost most of the wealthy foreign travellers."

David nodded. "I was told this has caused a few of the finer restaurants to close, and others are struggling. He thinks they can be convinced to sell some of their older wines at little more than their costs."

"True. As it would be with some of the upscale restaurants here in Zürich, like Schweizerhof and Storchen, and Hotel Adler. They also suffer from the drop in tourism."

"Would they have any Yquem?"

"They may. We don't dine out anywhere near here, so I don't know their lists." Michael tilted his head up as he made an exaggerated inhale of the aromas coming from the kitchen. "With Murielle's cooking, we'd be crazy to."

David smiled. "Do we need to go down and select wine for dinner?"

"We do."