Behind the Veils: Revealing Mata Hari by Rebekah Villon
Part 2: The Marriage
headmaster of her school. At 18, an unwanted burden on relatives,
The story of Mata Hari is shrouded
with no prospects, she responded to a personal ad placed by Captain
in mystery to this day. There are
Rudolph MacLeod of the Dutch Colonial Army. Although he was twice
competing
her age, the two were engaged just days later and wed four months
and
contradictory
stories, and everyone, including
after that.
Margreet herself, had different motives
for
misrepresenting
the truth.
Heady Days in Amsterdam Captain MacLeod came from a good family and enjoyed wealth and high social standing in Amsterdam at the end of the 19th century. He was a descendent of the MacLeods of Skye and the son of a Baroness, and the Netherlands was in the first prosperous blush of the industrial age. The Rijksmuseum, Concertgebouw, and Stadsschouwburg had revived the city's cultural entertainment, there was a world exhibition in 1895 on the Museumplein, and Margreet threw herself into all of it. She enjoyed the fashionable clothes and lush lifestyle she could now afford, and with her quick wit and good humor, she was well liked and popular in society. With this popularity came the first hint of trouble in the marriage. Rudolph, who had initially been attracted to Margreet's open sexuality
My approach has been to sift
and flirtatious nature, was a jealous husband. He frequently became
through these different stories
angry and accused her of behaving inappropriately.
and try to present the version
In January of 1897, the couple welcomed a son, Norman-John MacLeod.
that I find most probable, but
And just a few months later, the family boarded a ship for the Dutch
there are truths and facts that
East Indies, where Captain MacLeod was stationed.
we may never fully understand. This is part two of a six-part
The Sea Crossing
series exploring the life, loves,
The couple traveled to Malang on the SS Prinses Amalia. This trip might
and legacy of the legendary
not be worth mentioning, except that it was apparently on this journey
Mata
Margaretha
that Margreet learned that she had contracted syphilis, presumably
Geerdruida Zelle. In part one,
from her husband, and that they had passed the disease on to their
we
infant son. At the time, medical treatment for syphilis consisted of
Hari,
born
explored
childhood
of
the
pampered
Margreet
in
Leeuwarden, followed by the sudden
devastation
of
giving mercury, a treatment that we know today is toxic, and arguably worse than the disease.
her
family. She was sent to live with
Life in Indonesia
a relative, and then at 16 caught
While building a new life in Java, the marriage continued to deteriorate.
in a scandal with the married
Rudolph openly kept a mistress, which was accepted practice at the
