7. The Countess (continued)

Pardubice may have felt like a backwater to Countess Marie, but it was important enough for a cavalry unit to be stationed there and Helene Vetsera's brother Alexander Baltazzi was one of the cavalry officers. Alexander's (and Helene's) brother Heinrich was the father of two of the Countess's children.

Alexander built himself a house and stable and Helene and Mary often visited him. Countess Marie cultivated Helene's friendship which gave her an excuse to visit Vienna frequently.

Since the Countess was Rudolf's first cousin Mary pestered her to arrange a meeting with him. The Countess claimed to have resisted Mary's entreaties until finally, on November 5, 1888, she took Mary to the Hofburg to meet Rudolf. They celebrated this momentous event the next day by having their picture taken (left) and probably ordered multiple copies to distribute to friends.

Whether or not the Countess's reluctance was genuine, it quickly evaporated when she saw Rudolf's attitude toward Mary. The Countess took no time at all to sign on as Rudolf's and Mary's gobetween, the facilitator of their secret meetings over the next three months.

The Countess would have been insulted by the comparison but in reality her role was not much different from that of the procuress Wolf.