the Ring (1980) by Steel Danielle

Author:Steel, Danielle [Steel, Danielle]
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2010-12-12T15:08:21.375000+00:00

Chapter 22

At the end of Christmas week, at Manfred's insistence they went shopping in downtown Berlin at Grunfeld's. He had to buy her more clothes. Captain von Rheinhardt was pressing him to come out of hiding to rejoin his comrades of the Reich.

Was he angry, Manfred? She looked concerned as they drove downtown, but Manfred only patted her hand and smiled.

No, but I suppose I've gotten away with being a hermit for as long as I'm going to. We don't have to go out every night, but we should start accepting a few invitations to dinner. Think you can stand it?

Sure. Can we go and see General Ritter's transvestites? She looked mischievous and he couldn't suppress a laugh.

Ariana, really!

They staggered out of the store three hours later, so burdened by a stack of boxes, they could hardly get to Manfred's car. Another coat, a little jacket, half a dozen lovely wool dresses, three cocktail dresses and a ballgown, and a divine little dinner suit that looked like a man's tuxedo, except that instead of trousers there was a long narrow skirt with a slit up one side.

And in honor of her mother's memory there was also a long, slinky dress in gold lam+!.

My God, Manfred, where am I going to wear it all? He had spoiled her rotten. He felt as though he had a wife again, a woman to spoil and cherish, to dress and protect and amuse. They were in no way strangers to each other, and she was more at ease with. Manfred than she had ever been with anyone in her whole life.

She had many places to wear the clothes. They went to several concerts at Philharmonic Hall, an official reception at the Reichstag for the Parliament and favored officers stationed in Berlin; there was a party at Bellevue Castle and several small dinners near them in Wannsee, where other officers had sought quieter quarters than they would have found in the heart of town. Little by little, Manfred and Ariana became an accepted couple, and it was understood by everyone that they would marry after the war.

Why wait, for God's sake, Manfred? Why not do it now? A fellow lieutenant took Manfred aside at a dinner party one night.

But Manfred only sighed and stared down at the simple gold signet ring that he wore on his left hand. Because she's so young, Johann; she's only a child, He sighed again. And these are special times. She should have the opportunity to make that decision in normal times. And then, shaking his head slowly, If we ever see normal times again.

You're right, Manfred. Times are not good. For that reason I think you'd be all the wiser to marry Ariana now. He lowered his voice conspiratorially. We can't hold out forever, Manfred.

The Americans?

Johann shook his head., I'm a lot more worried about the Russians. If they get here first, we're dead. God knows what they'll do to us, and if we even survive it, they may ship us all off to camps.

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