Gérard Aschenbach felt a bit nervous at the thought of actually taking a walk in the park together with Katerina van Tassel, her chaperone, miss Forestgrove, and his young niece Liberteé Aschenbach.
It was not the company itself that made him nervous, but the thought of maybe making a fool of himself, in front of the most beautiful woman he ever had the pleasure to exchange a few words with. And his niece who would not let him forget that anytime soon. He could imagine the loud announcement: 'Guess what Gérard did in the park...' He shuddered at the thought.
Well, it was time now. Time to quit fussing in front of the mirror, and to fetch Libertée and walk to the house where Katerina lived.
The four of them were walking in a park near where Katerina's house. It was a very pretty park, and Gérard said it reminded him of the garden round the royal castle of Versailles. On a smaller scale though, and only one fountain instead of at least fifty.
After a while they got tired of walking and sat down on a bench under a huge maple tree.
Liberteé and miss Forestgrove got along very well, and they were busy talking about fairy tales and romantic horror novels. They were also comparing notes on the different lending libraries in New York.
Gérard and Katerina on the other hand were both a bit shy, so their conversation did take a while to start.
Gérard cleared his throat.
"Um..well..what is it like in that little village of yours, miss?" said he, and hoped this was a safe topic.
"It's rather small, but there are a magistrate, a notary and a doctor. There's a big forest and fields and a lot of sheep", answered Katerina.
"It's far away, isn't it?"
"Yeah, two days up the Hudson river with coach."
"I've seen the river. It's wider than the Seine."
There were a moment of silence again.
"What was Paris like?"
"The most beautiful town in the world. I was born there, in a house on the west side of the Seine. I grew up on its streets, just like any other Parisian kid."
"What was the Revolution like? I've read about it, but I'd like to hear what it was like."
"It started out hopeful, and got bad. My brothers, Albert and Bernard wanted to help create a new and better France, with education and equality for all, and cousin Adolphe was into that too," said Gérard in a low voice.
"Were you there when the Bastille was attacked?"
"Oh yes! I was only thirteen, but I wanted to be where history was made. My brothers took me to the assembly and I got to follow the discussions. It was a great time. Then the Revolution got bad."
"Yes, your father mentioned that."
"The crowd cheered as they entered the stand where Madame Guillotine was waiting for them. That's something I'll never forget. I was seventeen, and shortly after that, we decided to flee. We fled in scattered groups to Belgium, got together again in a small town just on the other side of the border. And then we got onboard a ship to America."
"I was one year old", said Liberteé, throwing in her two cents. "Mother decided to follow grandfather to America, because she wanted me and my brother to live in a place where one could say what one thought without getting killed for it."
They sat together on the bench, trying to think of something to say to end the uneasy silence brought on by Gérard's story.
"My father was beheaded by a headless horseman", said Katerina suddenly.
"What?" exclaimed Gérard.
Miss Forestgrove and Libertée perked their ears at this unexpected announcement.
Katerina finished telling the story, with the necessary edition needed to cover up some of the more conspicuous facts, such as the true identity of the horseman, and of the relationship between said horseman and notary Crane.
"And he has not been seen around since, but constable Crane moved to Sleepy Hollow a year later to fill the position as the new notary", Katerina concluded her story.
"Oh my! This really beats my gothic novels", said miss Forestgrove.
"And it's all true?", asked Gérard.
"Yes."
"That horseman, with sharp teeth and hair on end, sounds like something Father told me once, when I was a kid."
"About his brother Georg? Mr. Aschenbach told me about him."
"Yeah, or mad uncle Georg as we used to say."
Katerina let the subject drop, but she began to plan a surprise for the whole clan Aschenbach, including one 'mad uncle Georg'.
"Would you like to come out to my house in Sleepy Hollow this fall? You and your family."
"Well..*I'd* like to but I don't know about Father and Mother and my sisters and all the kids."
"My house is big enough for everyone, and I have the van Garret house too if it gets too crowded. The fresh country air will do everyone good."
"I'll ask Father and uncle Albrecht. I'll tell you to-morrow if they say yes or no."
That evening, after having returned home from the walk with the Aschenbach siblings and her chaperone, she sat down and pondered the situation.
She had now found out some more about Georg Aschenbach's family. They
were decent people, no doubt about that. Still, it gave her a little thrill to imagine the confrontation between her gamekeeper and his brothers, if she could arrange a surprise encounter.
"Poor Gérard", she giggled to herself, "I'm really mean to you."
The summer had passed and the autumn was approaching, with golden fields, and a bit of red in the leaves on the trees. Georg had gotten used to being considered a part of the village community. Nobody objected to him never going to church or his habit of keeping his hand over his mouth. Good manners and good clothes had done the trick. Ichabod was happy for the villagers acceptance of Georg. Life was good.
One day, in late august, Katerina came to Sleepy Hollow with her guests. According to the village gossip there were two old men, with their wives, a nun, a young man and a couple of kids. There would have been more people coming to visit, had they not been busy with school and work in New York.
Ichabod was a bit disturbed by that. Normally Katerina would tell him when her plans involved Sleepy Hollow, but this he actually knew nothing of. He did not even know the names of the visitors. This too was unusual, because Katerina had always told him the names of her visitors, at least when they were invited to the van Tassel manor in Sleepy Hollow. It felt like there were trouble in the air.
The Hessian had not been around for the last couple of days, but that was because he was busy terrorizing a pair of poachers that were in the woods with flintlocks at the wrong time of the year. He could have hunted them down like game, but it was more fun making them really fear whatever that was in the woods.
Then, the day after Katerina's arrival to Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod received an invitation to dinner at the manor the same evening. Actually, the invitation was to both him and Georg. Since Georg wasn't around, Ichabod decided to go to the dinner alone. As much as he disliked those formal affairs, this was, he thought, a great opportunity to find out about those visitors. The whole village was full of rumors about the guests, and Ichabod had been plagued with questions about them. Now at least he'd be able to answer a few of them.
If Katerina didn't make him swear to keep silent about whoever he met at her place, that was.
The appointed evening came, and Ichabod walked up to the manor. He found himself half wishing for Georg to be there with him, and half relieved that he was not around.
Katerina introduced Ichabod to her guests.
"Mr. Aschenbach, this is Mr. Ichabod Crane. He's the notary of this place. Mr. Crane, this is Mr. Albrecht Aschenbach. Mr Aschenbach is a writer. He writes articles and essays for a Dutch journal."
"One have to make a living", said Albrecht with a smile. Ichabod studied him. A tall old man, looking like seventy, even if he was closer to eighty years of age. His hair was white and combed back to form a short mane. His eyes were somber and grey. Ichabod thought that he looked like Georg, but with a magnificent hook of a nose instead.
Katerina continued the introductions.
"Mr Aschenbach, this is Mr. Ichabod Crane. Mr Crane, this is Mr Claus Aschenbach. He is an artist. He is the one who painted portrait of me in the living room."
Claus looked exactly like Katerina had described him in her letter. There even was color spots in his face.
"Sister Hildegarde, this is Mr. Ichabod Crane. Mr Crane, this is sister Hildegarde of S:t Birgitta's Order." Hildegarde was the only one who did not shake hands with Ichabod, preferring to bow instead. Ichabod wondered if there were any other members of the Order in America.
"Dr. Aschenbach, this is Mr. Ichabod Crane. He was the constable I told you about. Mr. Crane, this is Dr. Gérard Aschenbach."
Ichabod had to blink twice before he believed his eyes. The young man in front of him was an exact copy of Georg, a young, blonde, sane clone. But the similarities began and ended with the looks. Where Georg's eyes always seemed to have a undercurrent of sorrow, Gérard's eyes shone with a quiet joy. It was a bit like comparing late October with early May.
After Ichabod had been introduced to Albrecht's and Claus' wives, and the two children; Libertée and Égalité Aschenbach, it was time for the dinner.
Ichabod did not notice much of the food, as he was too busy talking to Gérard about science.
"You do know that miss van Tassel knows quite a lot about potions?" Ichabod asked.
"Yes, and I keep asking her to teach me how to make them", answered Gérard. "Sometimes I feel that it is wrong to rule out the old ways of healing, before one has tested them to see if they really work."
"And if they work?"
"Then I want to find out exactly what it is that is the working ingredient."
Ichabod liked this guy, and was happy for Katerina.
Georg was on his way home to Ichabod. The poachers had been properly scared out of their wits, and would not want to enter the woods again for a very long time. He felt very pleased with himself. He thought Ichabod would be at home at this time of the day.
Ichabod wasn't.
There was a note left by Ichabod on the kitchen table though, together with a written invitation to dinner at Katerina's place. Well, Georg thought, I do look rather presentable now, so I guess I can go up there and see how Ichabod is doing.
A maid went to Katerina to tell her, in a very low voice, that another guest had arrived.
"Who?"
"The game-keeper, Georg Aschenbach."
"Let him in."
Georg Aschenbach entered the dining-room.
Claus and Albrecht, who had been sitting with their backs to the door, turned around to look at the newcomer. Hildegarde paled as she realized who the man in the door was. She may not have seen him since he was ten years old, but she recognized him at once. It was her lost, mad, brother Georg. But he should be at least sixty by now. How come he hasn't aged Hildegarde mused.
The children had fortunately been sent to bed an hour ago, so there were only adults in the room. No need to subject the kids to whatever might happen.
Georg walked slowly to the table and sat down beside Ichabod. Everybody in the room felt that something was not quite right. Georg's age for one thing..
"Hello", said Claus. "You haven't changed much." Claus didn't manage to keep the tremor out of his voice.
"You have, Cain", replied Georg.
The conversation between the three brothers deteoriated from there.
No-one else but Hildegarde could follow the argument since the quarrelers were shouting in German, and not High German or Low German, but the dialect spoken in the area of S:t Radegunda. She heard Georg accuse his older brothers of their neglect, of their cowardice. Claus and Albrecht defended themselves, but one could see that whatever Georg said, it hit home.
Gérard tried to follow the argument, but had to give up since he had never been taught that particular German dialect. Now he began to suspect that this was because his father did not want him to know when he was cursing.
Ichabod never was one to manage to keep his cold in situations like this. He tried in vain to pull Georg away from the others, but Georg didn't budge nor lift a hand against his brothers.
Katerina began to think that maybe she had really messed things up.
Hildegarde ordered everyone out of the room.
"This is something that should have happened fifty years ago", the nun said calmly.
"What are they saying?" asked Ichabod.
"A lot of things." Hildegarde pushed him out of the room. "This is between Georg and our brothers."
"That was low, calling me Cain", said Claus in German.
"How were we to know?" added Albrecht.
"Why didn't you ask yourselves why we never wrote?" replied Georg.
"We were young, naive! How were we to know?" said Claus.
"You could have at least wondered why!"
"We know! And we have been living with it since!" answered Claus. Albrecht nodded in agreement.
"And so have I!"
"Well.."Claus bristled, "you didn't have to live like *that*! Like a bloody homicidal maniac!"
"What I did with my life concerns only *me*."
"Father would have been so ashamed to see you like a mercenary, like a paid servant, paid killer!"
"Father is *dead*!" Georg yelled. "I don't think you even cared about what happened to me, and to Ermengarde, and Karolina."
"Don't take their names in your mouth, you filth."
"Filth, right?" said Georg with a sudden cold fury. "Not even worth a letter to the Academy at Christmas? Not even worth an excuse for abandoning me in a place where they *trained* killers? That's what they did at the Academy you know. That was the only education I ever got. In killing. Oh yeah, you've treated me well."
Albrecht bit his lip. Claus blushed. And it was so silent that one could hear the conversation going on in the other room.
"Well", sighed Georg. "Some unexpected family reunion, right?"
"Never thought we'd see you alive again", said Albrecht.
To the surprise of the two old men their younger brother began to laugh.
Georg laughed so hard that he had to sit down. Albrecht and Claus looked at him, then at each other, then back at him.
"What's so funny?" asked Albrecht.
"Well," said Georg, "I'm dead!"
"Don't be silly."
"That's the truth."
"You are joking!"
"No."
Still giggling Georg decided to give his brothers the worst chocks of their lives. He grabbed his head with his hands and twisted. There was a sickening ripping sound, as Georg lifted his head from his shoulders.
Claus was the first one to react. He screamed. Albrecht fainted.
When the others heard Claus's scream they opened the door and rushed into the room. They saw the two old men beside themselves with terror, and Georg were were nowhere to be found.
Ichabod looked under the table and saw Georg lying on his stomach, covering his head with his hands. He had put his head back in place, and the regeneration of the flesh and hair had just finished.
"What happened?" whispered Ichabod.
"Payback" answered Georg, with grim satisfaction.
Katerina spent the rest of the night, and the following morning, explaining herself to the present members of the Aschenbach clan. When Claus and Albrecht had calmed down, Katerina apologized to them and Georg.
"I just wanted to see what would happen. I never thought the truth would shock you like that. I am sorry."
"Well", said Gérard, "This might be a rather inconvenient time, but I have a question I'd like to ask you."
"Go ahead", said Katerina.
Gérard walked over to her and then got down on one knee. The whole room knew what kind of question he would ask.
"Miss van Tassel, would you like to make me the honor of becoming my wife?"
Katerina was stunned. This man, the nephew of the Hessian Horseman, the witness to her vanity and fondness of intrigues, actually wanted to marry her. She thought about it for a couple of moments.
"Yes."
Katerina sat in front of the mirror in her room at the van Tassel manor. In the mirror she saw a bride, dressed in the latest fashion from Paris.
Something old; that was the gold chain, worn by her mother at *her* wedding. It now hung around Katerina's neck, telling everyone of her wealth.
Something new; That was the wedding dress, sewn in New York by the very best seamstresses after the latest Parisian fashion. The silk in the dress was of best quality to be found in this part of the world.
Something borrowed; The crown resting in a box on her bed. Gérard had told her that it was a family heirloom, and that it was a family tradition for the brides to wear this crown at their weddings.
It was a large, old crown made in silver with small gold leaves hanging from the upper parts of the crown. The crown had been slightly altered by a jeweler to fit Katerina's head. When Katerina looked at it for the first time she thought it looked very heavy. She had told her future mother-in-law, and she had agreed with her.
Something blue; Her engagement ring, in silver with a blue stone. Gérard had given it to her when they got engaged a couple of weeks after the 'Georg incident.'
Gérard's mother entered the room.
"You are very beautiful," said old Mrs. Aschenbach. "My son is very lucky."
"Thank you."
"Are you ready for the crown?"
"I guess so."
"It is a heavy piece. I wore it when I married Claus, so I know."
"It looks old."
"It is old. From the seventeenth century, I was told."
Mrs. Aschenbach picked up the crown out of the box and held it up in the sunshine. The sun sparkled in the golden leaves.
"You will look stunning in this."
Then Mrs. Aschenbach put the crown on Katerina's head. The veil kept the hair from getting tangled up in the intricate silverwork of the crown.
"It's heavy," said Katerina.
"I know."
The wedding ceremony were to take place at the van Garrett manor. It was a beautiful spring day exactly ten months after Gérard's proposal.
The decision to not have the ceremony at the church had been a topic of discussion among the pious citizens of Sleepy Hollow. When it had been explained to the inn-keeper, the greatest gossip in the area, that Gérard was Catholic, the public opinion had changed to 'why don't he change his religion then?' Later this changed into 'well, as long as there's a good party, who cares?'
The ghosts at the graveyard were happy that the road to the van Garret manor passed the church so they could have a look at the bride, and the groom. Baltus was still against the idea of the hessian's nephew marrying his dear little girl. Too bad she did not appear to be able to hear him when she was visiting his grave.
At the inn, Gérard was getting very fussy and nervous. He, a young doctor, was to marry a rich heiress. All he had to offer her was respectability and himself. Was that really enough?
His friends who had come all the way out to this remote place tried to cheer him up by telling him that he was a fool if he backed out now, and that Katerina was very pretty.
At last it was time.
Katerina sat on her horse, with her head held high. The crown shone in the sunshine. Everyone who saw her thought she looked like she came right out of a fairy-tale. She rode through the village, and past the graveyard. The ghosts clustered at the fence to see her. Soon she was at the van Garrett manor.
The whole Aschenbach clan was there, as was most of the population of Sleepy Hollow. The magistrate would perform the ceremony, but the new priest would be holding a speech at the party afterwards. It was the only compromise that could be accepted by everyone involved in the arrangements.
Gérard was there too. As was Ichabod and Georg. Katerina drew a deep breath. Gérard walked to her and offered his hand. The bride dismounted from the horse. The bridegroom held her close.
"I'll stand by you."
"And I by you."
They smiled at each other.
"Let's do this right", said Katerina.
They walked inside to meet the waiting magistrate, and were followed by all of their families and their friends.
And then they all lived happilly ever after.