The Ring (23 page)

Some questions in the right ears turned up the first item on his shopping list. He brought it home to Ariana two days later, and she squealed with glee.

Manfred, I love it! But aren't you keeping your Mercedes? It was an ugly gray Volkswagen, three years old now, but when it had been made in 1942, it had been one of the first. The man from whom he had bought it insisted that it was reliable and useful. It was just that he no longer needed it, having lost both his legs in an air raid the year before. Manfred did not tell Ariana the reason why the car had been up for sale. He simply nodded quietly and opened the door for her to get inside.

Yes, I'm keeping my Mercedes. And then after a moment, Ariana, this one is for you.

They drove around the block, and he was satisfied that she could handle the little car fairly well. For a month now, he had been teaching her to drive his Mercedes, but this was a much easier car to drive. He was looking serious as they pulled back in front of their house. Ariana easily sensed his mood. Quietly she touched his hand.

Manfred, why did you buy it? She suspected the truth, but she wanted to know from him. Were they leaving? Were they going to run away?

He turned to her slowly with a look of pain and worry in his eyes. Ariana, I think the war will end soon, which will be a relief for us all.

Before he could go on, he pulled her into his arms and held her tight But before it ends, my darling, things may get very rough for us. Berlin may be taken. Hitler's army isn't going to let go easily. It isn't going to be another Anschluss, or like when we took over France. The Germans will fight to the death, and so will the Americans and the Russians' This last bit may be one of the bloodiest battles of the war.

But well be safe here together, Manfred. She didn't like it when he was afraid, and she could tell now that he was.

Perhaps, perhaps not. But I don't want to take any chances. If anything happens, if the city falls and is occupied, if something happens to me, I want you to take this car and get out. Go as far as you can. He said it with an iron determination and there was sudden horror in Ariana's eyes. And when you can't drive anymore, leave it and start walking.

And leave you? Are you crazy? Where would I go?

Anywhere you can get to. The closest border. Maybe Alsace, and from there, you could make your way into France. You can tell the Americans you're Alsatian if you have to. They won't know the difference.

To hell with the Americans, Manfred. What about you?

I'll come and find you. After I've sorted things out here. I can't run, Ariana. I've got a duty to uphold. No matter what I am an officer.

But she shook her head emphatically, and then she reached out and clung to him, holding him more tightly than she ever had before. I'm not leaving you, Manfred. Never. I don't care if they kill me, I don't care if all of Berlin comes down around my ears, I'll never leave you. I'll stay with you until the end, and they can take us away together.

Don't be so dramatic. He patted her gently and held her close. He knew that what he was saying was frightening her, but it had to be said. It had been three months since Christmas, and the situation had worsened considerably. The British and Canadians had reached the Rhine and the Americans were in Arbrucken. But as long as you're so determined not to leave me ' He smiled down at her gently. He had decided to take Johann's advice. It was possible that for her safety it might make a difference, and for that reason he had decided not to waste any more time.

As long as you are so hopelessly stubborn, young lady, and we seem to be in this together and for good he grinned down at her "do you suppose that I could induce you to marry me?

Now? She stared at him, shocked. She knew how strongly he felt about waiting, but as he nodded, she smiled, too. She didn't look any further for a reason than the look in his eyes.

Yes, now. I'm tired of waiting to make you my wife.

Hurray! She held him tight and pounded him happily on the back, then she pulled away again, her head tilted, her eyes bright and childlike, her mouth in a broad smile. Could we have a baby right away?

But this time Manfred only laughed. Oh, Ariana, darling ' do you suppose that could wait just a few months until after the war? Or do you think I'll be too old to be a father by then? Is that why you're in such a hurry, little one? He smiled down at her gently and she returned a smile in answer and shook her head.

you'll never be too old, Manfred. Never. And then, pulling him tightly into her arms again, she closed her eyes. I will always love you, my darling, for the rest of my life.

I will always love you, too. He said the words, praying that they would both survive what lay ahead.

Ten days later, on the first Saturday in April, Ariana walked slowly down the aisle of the little Maria Regina Kirche just off the Kurf++rstendamm on the arm of Manfred Robert von Tripp. There was no one to give her away; there were no bridesmaids, no matron of honor. There was only Manfred and Ariana, and Johann, who had come to witness the event.

As she walked down the aisle of the lovely church toward the elderly priest waiting for them at the altar, Manfred could feel the light pressure of her hand on his arm. She had worn a simple white suit with broad shoulders that set off her own tiny frame. Her golden hair was swept up in a soft roll that framed her face, and she had artfully tucked in a soft cloud of veil behind the roll. She looked prettier than Manfred had ever seen her as she walked down the aisle. Miraculously, he had been able to find a number of white gardenias; she was wearing two on her lapel and one in her hair. Also, on this most special day, she was wearing her mother's intricate diamond signet ring on her right hand, as well as the engagement ring he'd given her on her left.

The wedding ring, which Manfred had bought her at Louis Werner's, was a narrow band of gold. At the end of the ceremony he slipped it on her finger and kissed her with an enormous feeling of relief. It was over, they had done it Ariana was now Frau Manfred Robert von Tripp, and whatever happened to Berlin, that would offer her some protection. It was only now that it was over that he thought of his first wife, Marianna, who seemed so much older and stronger than this delicate girl. It was as though this were part of another lifetime. He felt bonded to Ariana as he had to none other, and as he looked into her eyes, could see that she felt the same way.

I love you, darling. He said it to her softly as they got back into his car. She turned to him with a smile that lit her face from within, and she knew that they had never been happier as they waved to Johann and drove away toward the Kurf++rstendamm in the direction of the restaurant where Manfred had promised to take her for their honeymoon before going home. Ariana glanced back over her shoulder once at the church, just as they reached the Kurf++rstendamm and turned. There was an enormous thundering and explosion all around them, and Ariana clutched in desperation and terror at Manfred's arm. She turned just in time to see the church explode in a million pieces behind them, and Manfred stomped hard on the gas, telling her to crouch on the floorboards lest debris from the other buildings shatter the windshield and cut her face.

Stay down, Ariana? He was driving and lurching terribly to avoid pedestrians and fire trucks streaking by. At first Ariana was too stunned even to react, but then, as she realized that they had escaped death by only moments, she softly began to cry. But they were almost in Charlottenburg before Manfred would pull over. And when he did, he reached d+|wn to her gently and pulled her into his arms. Oh, darling, I'm so sorry '

Manfred ' we could have ' the church. She sobbed hysterically.

It's all right, my darling, it's over.' It's over ' Ariana'

But what about Johann? Do you suppose ' .

I'm sure he'd gotten as far from it as we had by then. But inwardly Manfred wasn't quite as sure as he led her to believe. And as they drove on a few moments later, he felt a wave of exhaustion come over him. He was so desperately tired of the war. All the people one cared about, all the places one had loved, all the homes and the monuments and the cities, wasted.

Silently they drove home, Ariana quiet and trembling next to him in her veil and her pretty white suit, the gardenias wafting their exotic fragrance toward him. He realized then that the smell of gardenias would always remind him of that night, the night of their wedding, and of their escape from death. Suddenly he wanted to cry then, from relief, from exhaustion, from terror, from concern for this tiny, beautiful woman he had just made his own. Instead, he simply held her very tightly, swept her into his arms, and carried her into their house, up the stairs to their bedroom, where this time, thinking only of each other, they abandoned all care, all thought, all reserve, all precaution, and became one.

Did you find Johann? Ariana looked at Manfred worriedly as he came home from the office the next day.

Yes, he's fine. He said it curtly, afraid that she would discover that he was lying. In truth, Johann had died outside the church the night before. Manfred had sat trembling in his office for an hour, unable to accept that yet another person he cared about was gone. With a sigh he sat down heavily in his favorite chair.

Ariana, I want to talk to you about something very serious. She wanted to tease him, to take some of that terrible earnestness from his eyes, but as she looked at him she knew there was no point. Life in Berlin was very serious these days.

She sat down very quietly and looked into his eyes What is it, Manfred?

I want to establish a plan for you, so that you know what to do if something goes wrong. I want you to be prepared at all times now. And, Ariana ' I'm very serious ' you must listen.

She nodded quietly. All right, I will.

You know where I keep the money and the gun in the bedroom If something terrible happens, I want you to take that and your mother's rings and go.

Go where? She looked momentarily overwhelmed.

Toward the border there's a map in your Volkswagen. And I always want you to keep the tank filled with gas. I have a spare can in the garage for you. Fill the tank before you go. She nodded, hating his instructions and explanations. She would never go anywhere. She would never leave him.

But just how do you think all this would happen? I would just drive off and leave you here, Manfred? It was a ridiculous suggestion, she never would.

Ariana, you may have to. If your life is at stake, I want you to go. You have no idea what this city will be like if it is overrun by Allied troops. There will be pillaging, plundering, murders, rapes.

You make it sound like the Dark Ages.

Ariana, it will be the darkest moment this country has ever known, and you will be totally helpless here if for some reason I cannot reach you. I may get caught at the Reichstag for example, for weeks or days at the very least.

And you really think they'll just let me drive out of here, in that ridiculous little car, with my mother's rings and your gun? Manfred, don't be crazy!

Don't you be crazy, dammit. Listen to me! I want you to get as far as you can in the car and then get rid of it. Run, walk, crawl, steal a bicycle, hide in the bushes, but get the hell out of Germany. The Allies are already west of here, all the way to the French border, and I think you'd be safest in France. You can make your way through the Allied lines. I don't think you'll be able to get into Switzerland anymore, Ariana. I want you to try to get to Paris.

Paris? She looked stunned. That's six hundred miles from here, Manfred.

I know. And it doesn't matter how long it takes you to make it, but you have to. I have a friend in Paris, a man I went to school with. He took out a notebook and carefully inscribed a name.

What makes you think he's still there?

From the reports I've heard for the last six years, I'd say he is. He had polio as a child, so he has been safe from our army and his own. He is the Assistant Minister of Culture in Paris, and he has driven our officers insane.

Do you think he's with the Resistance? She was intrigued.

Knowing Jean-Pierre, I'd say there was a possibility of that. But if he is, he's smart enough to be discreet. Ariana, if anyone can help you, he will. And I know he'll keep you safe for me until I can get back to you. Stay in Paris if he tells you to, go wherever he thinks you should go. I trust him with my entire being. He looked at her soberly. Which means I trust him with you. He wrote the name down and handed it to her. Jean-Pierre de Saint Marne.

And then what? She looked unhappy as she fingered the note, but she was slowly beginning to wonder if maybe Manfred was right.

You wait. It won't be long. He smiled gently. I promise. And then his face hardened again. But from now on I want you ready at all times. The gun, the rings, the money, Saint Marne's address, some warm clothes, enough food to carry with you, and a full tank of gas in the car.

Yes, Lieutenant. She smiled softly and saluted, but he didn't smile.

I hope we never need it, Ariana.

She nodded, the smile fading, her eyes quiet. So do I. And then after a time, I want to try to find my brother after the war. She still believed Gerhard had gotten out safely. Time and distance had made her come to realize how much riskier it had been for Walmar, but there was a chance Gerhard had escaped.

Manfred nodded in understanding. We'll do our best.

They spent the rest of the evening quietly, and the next day they went for a long walk on the deserted beach nearby. In summer, the beach at Strandbad on Grosser Wannsee was one of the most popular beaches near Berlin. But now it looked lonely and empty as Manfred and Ariana walked along in the sand.

Maybe by next summer it will all be over and we can come here and relax. She smiled at him hopefully and he stooped to pick up a shell. He handed it to her a moment later and she fingered it slowly. It was smooth and pretty and exactly the same blue-gray color as his eyes.

I hope that's exactly what we'll do, Ariana He smiled as he looked out over the water.