Chapter 24: Letters of Recommendation
While Bruno was visiting his father in an attempt to convince the man to help him perfect his blueprints and introduce them into service over the following years. Heidi had a meeting of her own within the building which housed the members of the Bundesrat and their offices.
The family she was born into as the illegitimate daughter of a mediatized Prince was complicated to say the least. But such was the nature of nobility. The von Bentheim family was split into two separate divisions.
Heidi was born the bastard daughter of Prince Gustav von Bentheim-Tecklenburg, and due to the nature of her birth her relationship with that side of the family was strained to say the least. However, her relationship with the von Bentheim-Steinfurt half of the family was actually quite good.
A windfall in her youth gave Heidi the opportunity to befriend the young Princess of the von Bentheim-Steinfurt family. Who she was distantly related to. Though they referred to themselves as cousins, their actual family relationship was far more removed than that.
By mere chance, she had saved the young Princess's life, and in doing so not only gained the favor of such a powerful noble family, but a lifelong friendship with her distant relative. It was the father of said cousin who Heidi was visiting today.
After all, the man's family was heavily involved with the High Command of the German Army. With his son being a member of the Information Division, and his younger brother being a general in the Central Division.
Heidi sat across from her distant uncle, who had a warm smile on his face. He was surprised to see the young woman, who he considered like his own daughter, to be visiting him at this time. But it was most certainly a welcome surprise at that. One which he could not help but give voice to.
"I'm glad to see your marriage to the Junker boy has been a happy one. And I am sure he is the reason you are here correct?"
Seeing as how the man wanted to get straight to business, Heidi immediately nodded her head, no longer standing on ceremony as she made her request of her favorite uncle.
"Uncle, your brother is in the Central Division am I right? If I'm not mistaken, he has some degree of power over whose applications to the Prussian War College are accepted, right? Bruno may not meet the minimum requirements of having served five years in the Army as a commissioned officer. But he has more than proven himself in the field during the Boxer Rebellion. Would you please-"
The young woman was stopped by a motion of her uncle's hand. He did not appear angry that she was trying to use her connections to help her husband climb through the ranks of the Army more rapidly than his peers. After all, such was the nature of politics. Instead, he quickly surprised Heidi this his response.
"Say no more... I'll be frank with you, though you are not allowed to repeat what I'm about to say outside these doors. The Central Division has already received two letters of recommendation for us to push your husband through the application process.