The Gypsy Moon Page 7

  “Not wrong exactly, but I’ve made a decision.” Gabby lifted her head and met the eyes of her aunt and then her uncle. “I’ve decided not to marry Lang.” As she watched, she saw relief wash through both of them and knew that this pleased them both. She considered explaining why she had made this decision, but that seemed unnecessary. She was not sure they would understand her respect and affection for Madame Jana, and she felt a moment’s pang at the woman’s death. Earlier in the week Duke had sent Maria to the orphanage to give her the message that Madame Jana had died and he hoped she would attend the funeral.

  Gabby thought back to the funeral at the camp outside the city. It had been unlike any she had ever attended. No minister was there to lead the small group in a service. An old man had spoken a eulogy, and then several people had explained what Madame Jana had meant to them. Gabby had felt like an outsider at first, but as the people told of their relationships with Madame Jana, she felt a kinship with them. She was surprised when Duke Zanko asked her to speak, but she willingly and fervently told the gathering of her great respect and love for the old woman.

  Now her thoughts returned to the present, and she said simply, “Lang and I are not suited for each other. I believe you’ve known that for a long time.”

  “Are you certain, Gabby?” Dalton said gently.

  “Yes, I’m very certain.”

  Dalton Burke glanced at his wife, and Gabby saw something pass between them. She was curious and asked, “What is it, Uncle Dalton?”

  “We’ve known that you’ve been troubled, dear, so we didn’t want to add to your difficulties. But I must say that we are relieved. We did not feel Lang was the man for you. But something else has come up that we must talk to you about.”

  “Oh?”

  “I’ve been offered a post, a very important position, and Liza and I have decided we cannot pass it up.”

  “A position with another university?”

  “Yes, at the University of Berlin.”

  Gabby stared at her uncle, and then her eyes went to her aunt. “You’re moving to Germany?”

  “It’s been a hard decision, but they have offered me such wonderful conditions. I’ll be free to continue my research, and all of the financial burdens will be gone.”

  Gabby listened as her uncle spoke eagerly of this opportunity, his eyes shining. She knew he was an impulsive man, and though he was a scientific genius of international repute, he sometimes made decisions rashly. She studied her aunt and saw that Liza Burke was not as happy about this decision as Dalton was. When her uncle finished explaining his new position, she said, “Are you sure this is what you want to do?”

  “Yes. Oh, I know there are some things about the new Germany that will have to be rectified, but it will happen in time. Germany was nearly destroyed after the war, but now new things are happening. It’s going to be a new world.”

  “So much has changed in the last couple of years,” Liza said. “It wasn’t all that long ago that Germany had a chancellor, a president, and a parliament. Now one man fills all those functions.”

  “I’m still not convinced that’s a good idea,” Gabby said. Adolf Hitler now had more power than Stalin or Mussolini, and a story in the newspaper a few weeks ago said that he was more powerful than Genghis Khan had been when his career was at its peak.

  “I know you’re worried about Hitler,” Dalton said, “but ninety percent of the voters approved his presidency back in 1934.”

  “Still, ten percent of the voters dared to vote no,” Liza said quickly, “and a million of them expressed their dissatisfaction by tampering with the ballots.”

  “I don’t think it’s good for Germany, Uncle Dalton,” Gabby said. “Hitler can make war or peace. He can create new laws and abolish old ones. Why, he can even execute suspects and pardon convicts. He’s legislature and executive all in one, and I don’t think that’s good for the people.”

  Dalton was a great scientist but somewhat stubborn about his political views. He had attended the university in Germany and had become good friends with many of those who were now leaders under Adolf Hitler’s new regime. He remembered them as men of intelligence and daring. “Germany needs a strong hand at the helm,” he said. “There are enough wise Germans who won’t allow him to get too far off the track.”

  Liza leaned forward and said, “ To get back to the subject at hand, we would like very much for you to go with us, Gabrielle. I know you’ve made a life here, and your friends are here, but we’ll be very lonely if we have to leave you behind.”

  Gabby at once saw that her aunt was troubled, but she suddenly remembered something Madame Jana had said the first time they’d met. She had not understood it at the time, but now her advice came back with startling clarity. “You will close one door, but another door will open. Go through that door. God will be with you.”

  Instantly, Gabby knew that this was the door Madame Jana had spoken of. She had no desire to go to Germany. She was frightened of some of the changes that were happening in that country. But as she looked at her aunt and saw the pleading in her eyes, she knew what she must do.

  “But, Uncle Dalton, what about your mother?”

  Dalton’s eyes grew sad. “She will stay here. We tried to get her to go with us, but she refuses. She says this country is her home, and she will spend her remaining days here. We will do all we can to help her with money, of course.”

  “But will you go with us, dear?” Liza asked, her eyes filled with hope.

  “Why, of course I’ll go with you. You’re my family.” She saw tears come to her aunt’s eyes, and she felt assured that this move was God’s plan. The image came back quickly of the stones thrown into the water and how many things confuse life’s patterns, and she prayed, Oh, God, I don’t know what this move will bring, but help me never to step outside your will.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  A Fancy Afair

  Even after serving eleven months at the Berlin City Hospital, Gabby still felt out of place and ill at ease. Part of the problem was that the procedures were so different from what she was accustomed to. She had been unprepared for the strict and military precision the director and others demanded of her work. She also found the staff distant and hard to get to know. Her previous experience had not prepared her for this, for no matter how intense the training, there was still a homelike warmth in the medical family in the Netherlands.

  As Gabby walked down the hall of the third floor of the hospital, making her rounds, she spoke to the interns, the doctors, and the occasional patient that she met. Her German was excellent, and though she still spoke with an accent, and always would, she was comfortable with the language. She often felt that the language somehow exemplified the difference between Germany and Holland. The German language seemed sharp to her, guttural at times, while Dutch was a more gentle language, at least in Gabby’s opinion. She missed Holland terribly. She missed the windmills, the enormous fields of colorful tulips, the laughter of the people at the festivals, the Burke house, and especially the woman she knew as “Grandmother.”

  “I congratulate you, Dr. Winslow.”

  Startled out of her reflections, Gabby turned quickly to see Dr. Gunther Schultz, the director of the hospital. He was a tall man, muscular, with iron gray hair and a pair of very sharp blue eyes. He would have been handsome except for an ugly scar that disfigured the right side of his face. A dueling scar, Gabby had been informed. Gabby had been terrified of Schultz at first, for he had been strict and unsmiling for the first two months she was on duty. Gradually, Gabby had come to understand that he was testing her, and since she was the only female doctor on the staff, she understood. After two months on the job, he had finally smiled at her and said, “You are a fine doctor. I am proud to have you in our hospital and in our country.”

  Now Schultz had a smile on his usually tight lips. “I’ve been looking over your reports. They look very good indeed. Yes, very good indeed.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Schultz.”


  “And tonight you are going to the reception and ball, I understand?” He spoke of the reception for scientists, an august occasion that the German leadership used so well to bring their top leadership together. The Germans loved ceremony, and the reception would be impressive, with the best food and music available. “You will be going?” he repeated.

  “Yes, my uncle has asked me to attend with him and my aunt. I understand my uncle is receiving an honor of some sort in acknowledgment of the work he’s doing for Germany.”

  “You must be very proud of your uncle. Ah, there is a real scientist!”

  Gabby smiled. She made a very attractive picture as she stood before the director, unaware that part of his resistance to her at first had been her good looks. Schultz felt that attractive women would be a nuisance and an impediment to his hospital. Neither did she know that his observation over a period of time had led him to the conclusion that she was unaware of her attractiveness.

  Gabby had a beautifully fashioned face, all of its features generous and capable of robust emotion, all of them graceful. Her expression now held a hint of her strong will and pride that was reflected mostly in her eyes and at the corners of her lips.

  “I’m very proud of my uncle, of course,” she said, “but I’m not fond of receptions and balls. They’re too big and impressive for me, Doctor. I get overwhelmed.”

  “Yes, that is my feeling also, but this one will be different.”

  “Different? In what way?”

  “The führer will be there.”

  By an act of will Gabby managed to keep the sharp feeling that surged through her from showing. She had learned to control this fear she had of the political situation in Germany through long practice. Everywhere she went a latent excitement would often break out into a livelier scene at the mention of Germany’s new gains. The year 1937 had brought a new air of enthusiasm to Germans. In 1935 Adolf Hitler had reestablished obligatory military service in Germany. A year later, he had marched his troops into a territory that was supposed to be a demilitarized zone. This action violated the Treaty of Versailles, but Hitler, in a speech to the Reichstag, the German parliament, had called it the end of the struggle for German equality. He had finally declared outwardly that Germany was no longer bound by old treaties.

  Hitler was becoming a rising star. He had used the 1936 Berlin Olympics to highlight the progress of Germany since the Great War. The games had been staged with German efficiency and superiority. Yet at least for Hitler and his cabinet, they had been darkened because of the Jews who were among the visiting athletes. Also Hitler, who called the Negroes an inferior race, had been embarrassed and enraged by a Negro athlete from Ohio State, Jesse Owens. Owens had dominated the track events as no man ever had, and the German leadership had simply chosen to ignore Owens’s amazing victories.

  Several months ago, Germany had attacked the undefended town of Guernica in northern Spain. Hundreds of people, mostly civilians, were ruthlessly killed by German bombs. The fascists denied that German pilots were involved, but everyone knew who was responsible for the atrocity.

  “Dr. Winslow, I should be interested to know more about your political views,” Dr. Schultz said. “After all, as the führer says, we German and you British come from the same bloodline. We should be close allies.”

  Gabby smiled diplomatically. “I know so little about politics. I’m probably the most ignorant student of it in the world.”

  “It is impossible that you should be ignorant of anything.” He checked his watch. “I will hope to see you at the dinner.”

  ****

  That evening Gabby dressed carefully for the ball. Her aunt had taken her shopping and had insisted on buying her a beautiful blue gown. It had delicate patterns that clung closely to her upper body and then dropped loosely to the top of her gold kid sandals. She wore a simple pearl necklace as her only jewelry.

  As they entered the reception room, she was greeted by Dr. Schultz. “You look very nice. You never look like this on floor duty.” His bright blue eyes sparkled, and he turned to tip his head to the Burkes. “I am so happy to see you again, Professor, and you, Mrs. Burke.” The Burkes had met the doctor when Gabby had given them a tour of the hospital.

  The Burkes greeted Schultz warmly, for he had been kind to Gabby during her time in Germany, and this was enough to win their approval.

  The three moved around the enormous hall, admiring the decorations and greeting acquaintances of Gabby’s uncle from the university. A huge stage occupied the end of the room, and a row of red flags with swastikas hung over it. When people started to take their places in the chairs that were lined up in rows, Gabby and her aunt and uncle found seats near the front. The seats were soon filled and the ceremony began.

  Gabby was interested in the proceedings, and she applauded enthusiastically when her uncle was introduced. He said a few words in appreciation of the honor, and as he returned to his seat, Gabby whispered to her aunt, “He feels completely out of place at a thing like this, doesn’t he?”

  “Yes, but he’s pleased at the honor they are giving him.”

  Privately, Gabby thought Dalton Burke was more at home in a laboratory, but she said no more.

  The speeches went quickly, most of them being brief, and finally the main speaker, Adolf Hitler, rose. The audience leaped to its feet as he came to the podium, and the air was alive with excitement. Many were extending their hands and crying, “Heil Hitler! Hail to our führer!” Gabby did not take part in this, nor, she noticed, did her aunt, although she could see her uncle was excited.

  After a long time of applause, the crowd seated itself, and Hitler began to speak. Gabby studied him carefully. She had seen so many pictures of him, for the world’s eyes were on this man who now stood before her. She was close enough that she could see his features clearly, and she was curious about what he had to say. She was surprised that as he began his speech he spoke in an even, conversational tone. This changed quickly, however, and soon his voice began to crackle with passion—a passion that connected with the huge audience like a surge of electric current.

  Hitler spoke of Germany with obvious pride, and he concluded his address by saying, “We are Germans, and our destiny is to rule! Our young men have mastered the art of war, but you, my friends, must master the art of science. Whether by arms or by the test tube, we must all lay our talents on the altar of the Fatherland.”

  The audience rose to its feet and applauded loudly as Hitler waved to his admirers. Dalton turned to Gabby, his eyes glowing, and shouted over the noise, “It’s wonderful to have a leader who understands and cares about the importance of science. So many don’t.”

  Gabby nodded but did not reply. She had found the speech rather depressing, and she wished that the evening were over.

  The people made their way into the adjoining ballroom, where the orchestra was already starting a waltz. The crowd was abuzz with conversations about Hitler’s speech as everybody headed either toward the hors d’oeuvre table or the dance floor. Gabby knew almost no one outside of her professional colleagues, and except for Dr. Schultz, she had seen none of them at the reception. She had met a few people at the church she’d been attending, but none of them had been invited to this stellar event.

  She was standing with her back to the wall watching the dancers waltz while her uncle and aunt were engaged in conversation with another couple several yards away. A movement caught her eye, and she turned her head to see a man approaching her with his eyes fixed on her. She had never seen him before, for she would have remembered such an incredibly handsome man. He came to stand before her and did a half bow.

  “I beg your pardon,” he said with a smile, “but I would consider it an honor if I might have the next dance.”

  “Why, certainly.”

  “My name is Erik Raeder—and you are Fraulein Winslow.”

  She smiled. “How did you know my name?”

  “I made it my business to find it out.”

 
Raeder was a tall man, just a little over six feet, well built and with a military posture. He might have served as the model for the perfect German male. His blond hair had a slight curl, he had blue eyes with long lashes, and he was very clean cut. Gabby’s first impression was that he had an ease about him that came to those accustomed to being obeyed. He wore a navy blue suit that fit him as if he were poured into it, and the snowy white shirt made a startling contrast to his tanned features. As he led Gabby to the dance floor, she said, “I’m afraid I’m not a very good dancer.”

  “That doesn’t matter. I’m an excellent dancer. I shall teach you as we go.”

  “Well, you don’t lack confidence, Herr Raeder.”

  “Actually, I do. It took me all this time to steel myself to ask you for a dance.”

  Gabby laughed. “I don’t believe that for one moment, Herr Raeder.”

  “I suppose if I came to these events often enough, I would gain the confidence to ask a beautiful woman for a dance without hesitation.”

  “Or you could make a career of offering your services to women in need of a dance partner.”

  “I shall keep that in mind,” he said with a smile. “When my business fails, I will have something to fall back on.”

  The idea was preposterous, and Gabby was amused as Erik continued to outline his future career as a professional dance partner.

  Gabby was acutely conscious of his hand on her back and of the strength of his other hand as he held hers. He was a fine dancer, and Gabby, for all of her protests, was actually a good dancer herself. As they moved around the floor, Gabby found herself enjoying Erik’s light remarks. She wanted to know more about him, and when the dance ended, she agreed to get some refreshments with him.

  He led her to a relatively quiet corner and then went to get drinks. He came back with two glasses, and Gabby said, “Oh, I forgot to tell you, I don’t drink alcohol.”

  He looked at her in disbelief and then laughed. “That will make it very difficult for you. No alcohol at all? Not even a stein of good German beer?”