The Moonlit Garden

by Bomann, Corina

  On the way to the restaurant she told him all that she had found out about Rose. She only realized that she was chattering away without pausing for breath when she saw Gabriel’s broad smile.

  “It seems like it’s made a real impression on you,” he said when he could get a word in edgewise.

  Lilly felt the blood shoot to her cheeks. Would that ever stop happening when she was with him?

  “Yes, it has.” But something else has much more, she added silently, glancing to her side.

  The headlights of the oncoming vehicles constantly snatched his profile from the darkness. How handsome he was! Lilly suddenly felt a burning desire, a throbbing deep inside that she had not felt for a long time. She had almost lost her appetite; all she wanted was him. One step at a time, she told herself.

  This time, too, the restaurant was very busy and, as if sensing what was going on between her and Gabriel, the waiter gave them a table for two with a lovely view of the Thames and the full moon sailing above it.

  They sat there for several long moments simply gazing at one another. Once the waiter had finally taken their order, Gabriel said, “It feels so good to have you back. And you look amazing in that dress.”

  “Thank you. You haven’t been worried, have you?” Lilly smiled uncertainly, running a hand over the silky fabric. The dress seemed to bring her luck, and she was delighted that Gabriel liked it.

  “Of course I have, and only partly because I wanted you to get back safely. Clearly you haven’t only solved the mystery of Rose Gallway, but it also seems the trip did you a world of good.”

  “Yes, that’s true, although I confess I felt a little insecure at times.”

  “Insecure? You?”

  “Yes, everything was so new and strange.”

  “That’s what foreign places are usually like.”

  “It was nothing to do with the city or the country. It was because I was traveling alone. I’ve been hiding away the past few years. I think I was afraid of the world.” She paused briefly before adding, “I’d like to tell you something. And I want to tell you because you’re part of the reason why I’ve dared to come back into the world.”

  She took a shaky breath. Something had suddenly broken free inside her, like in the fairy tale of the Frog Prince in which loyal Henry lost the iron band around his heart. The words that followed were calm and emerged as if they were speaking themselves.

  “Shortly before Peter died, he came around one final, brief time. It was a very strange moment, since the tumor had largely taken away his ability to speak, and most of the time he was in a semiconscious state so that I never knew whether he was aware of my presence at all. But in that moment he was completely lucid. He reached out his hand to me, stroked my face, and, speaking more clearly than he had for a long time, said, ‘I love you.’ I broke down in tears and kissed him. For a fraction of a second I believed that a miracle might happen. Promising to come and see him the next day, I said good-bye and left, feeling somehow . . . lighter. Lighter than on any day in the previous weeks. The call came the next morning. They told me that Peter had died peacefully in his sleep that night . . . ”

  She had to stop, as her mind was suddenly full of all the images she had locked away inside, suppressed for so long. And with the images came a realization.

  “His death pulled away the ground from beneath my feet,” she continued. “But I knew he loved me. And when I saw you, as I got closer to you, I knew that you could free me.”

  Many minutes of silence followed. Lilly wiped the tears from her cheeks and looked at Gabriel, whose eyes were also gleaming moistly. He was looking at her intently, and his expression told her that her words had moved him deeply.

  “I want you to know something,” he said. “It wasn’t only Peter who loved you. I love you too. Even though this is only our first real date, I feel strongly that we . . . ”

  He didn’t get any further, since Lilly rose and moved around to him, not caring whether the whole restaurant was watching. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him.

  “I love you too, Gabriel. And yes, I also believe that we have a future!”

  Hours later she was gazing at Gabriel’s bedroom ceiling and smiling at what fate had given her. She still found it difficult to believe that something like this could happen to her. Gabriel was lying there by her side, his soft breathing filling the peace of the room, and her body was still on fire from his kisses, his touch, and the way their bodies had moved together in passionate mutual understanding. How she had missed making love! And how she had enjoyed having Gabriel so close to her, so close that not even a feather could have passed between them. He’s the one, she thought. He’s the man who’s right for me. I know that for sure now.

  Perhaps Peter had even had a hand in it from above. Until then she hadn’t believed in supernatural forces or angels, but now she was tempted to. Whatever the cause, she would never let Gabriel go, even though her time in London was almost up and she would have to go home.

  There must be ways of being together. Somehow. Who said that Berlin was the only place for an antiques shop?

  The next morning, after a phone call with Sunny in which she discovered that the video, securely packaged, was waiting for her in the shop, Lilly felt as if she were walking on air.

  “I’ll be flying back tomorrow,” Lilly told Ellen that evening. “The video’s ready, and I feel so damned close to finally solving the mystery of our violin.”

  Ellen hugged her.

  “I really hope that your mother or whoever else recognizes the man in the video. It all depends on him now.”

  “I’ll find him—you can bet your life on that. And I’ll call you as soon as I know!”

  “Don’t forget to tell Gabriel as well. He’ll probably lie in wait for you at the airport and try and persuade you to stay.”

  “I’ll be back,” Lilly laughed. “And he’ll be waiting for me. At least I hope so.”

  Of course Ellen had wanted to know how the evening had gone, down to the last detail. There were a few things Lilly had kept to herself, but no words were needed for her friend to see that at that moment she was the happiest woman in the whole of London. Ellen had an eye for such things.

  “At last! I knew you’d let someone into your heart one day. He’s the right one, believe me.”

  Lilly believed it with all her heart.

  The next morning, as the plane landed in Berlin Tegel airport, Lilly felt not only excitement and anticipation, but also a warm feeling of coming home. Not to mention heartfelt gratitude toward Ellen, which she had made quite clear as they said their farewells.

  “Just don’t wait forever to come see me again,” Ellen had admonished her at the end, hugging her tightly.

  The heaps of snow had dwindled to slush, but the small shop looked just as it had when Lilly left. Most of the stubborn items were still there, but with a few gaps where Sunny must have sold some. As she entered, the bell rang out above the door, and she saw Sunny at the counter, bent over a large pile of books and photocopied notes.

  “Lilly!” she cried. “You’re here!”

  “Yes, I am. Our phone call made me realize that I can’t lose any more time. I’d like to show the video to my mother today.”

  She didn’t fail to notice the way Sunny was looking at her in amazement.

  “You look good. Have you been on the tanning beds?”

  “No, in Indonesia,” she replied as casually as if she were remarking on the weather. “Where’s the DVD?”

  During the flight Lilly had decided not to stay in Berlin for long. Her mother would probably be flabbergasted when she appeared at the house, but something was pushing her on, and she wanted to show her the clip that day at all costs.

  Sunny’s eyes widened even further. She dug out the DVD from where it was stashed beneath a pile of papers, and asked, “Indonesia? Really? I thought you were going to London?”

  “I did. But I’ve also been to Cremona and Padang.”

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nbsp; “Way to go!” Sunny leaned eagerly over the counter. “Tell me all about it.”

  “Later. We can sit down to supper together. First, I’ve got to go see my mother.”

  Lilly stowed the DVD in her bag, and without giving Sunny the chance to respond, she was out the door and on her way to the station.

  After a little over two hours on the train, she reached Hamburg-Eppendorf. The street where her parents lived consisted of a row of more or less identical houses, distinguished only by the colors of their roofs.

  The taxi driver, who had seemed very quiet in comparison with the London cabbies, unloaded her suitcase, accepted the fare, and drove off. Lilly allowed herself a moment’s pause to slip back into her memories of her childhood spent in this house, before entering through the garden gate. Suddenly, she realized how silent it was.

  Normally her father would be puttering around outside, especially with the weather as mild as this. But there was no one to be seen. The house looked almost abandoned.

  “Mama?”

  Lilly’s voice echoed uneasily around the entrance hall. No one had answered the bell when she rang, so she had let herself in. A nasty feeling spread through her stomach. Of course her parents didn’t play loud music or sit in front of the TV all day, but one of them would always react to the doorbell ringing.

  And her mother could sense her coming home hours in advance.

  As Lilly entered the living room, she was shocked by what she saw. Her mother lay on the sofa, her face bright red and her eyes closed. Her arms were wrapped around her belly as if she was in agony.

  “Mama?”

  Lilly hurried over to her. She placed a cool hand on her mother’s brow and felt a raging fever. Her mother’s eyes fluttered open.

  “Lilly.” Her voice sounded scratchy, and her lips were cracked.

  “Mama, what’s the matter? Where’s Papa?”

  “He’s gone away,” she sighed, and her face twisted.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Lilly asked in panic, forcing herself to stay calm. Whatever it was, she needed to call an ambulance, but it would be better if she knew what her mother’s symptoms were.

  “My stomach,” she groaned. “I’ve got these dreadful pains there!”

  Lilly didn’t need to know more. She whipped out her cell phone and dialed the emergency number.

  After hanging up, she went into the kitchen to fetch a thermometer, a bowl of cold water, and a clean handkerchief, which her mother still kept in the same drawer she always had. She moistened it and returned to where her mother was lying.

  “Mama, what’s going on?” As she cooled her mother’s brow, Lilly looked at her watch. It was still showing English time; she would reset it later, when her mother was in the hospital. “How long have you been like this?”

  “Two days, I think. At first I thought it was a simple stomach upset, but then the pains got worse.”

  “Why didn’t you phone the doctor? And where’s Papa?”

  “He’s gone away with a few friends from the sailing club.”

  “Did you have these pains when he left?”

  It would be typical of her to say nothing because she didn’t want to spoil her husband’s vacation.

  “No, it started a couple of days ago.”

  “How much longer is he away for?”

  Lilly was sure her father would reproach himself when he found out that his wife had been ill while he was away.

  “A week.”

  “A week?” Lilly exclaimed in shock. “Why didn’t you call anyone? Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

  Or was there a message waiting for her on her answering machine at home? Before her mother could reply, the ambulance arrived, to Lilly’s relief.

  There were only a few people in the waiting room at that time. Most of those waiting were patients who had been brought in an ambulance or people accompanying them. Since the doctors’ offices in town were still open for their regular consulting hours, the emergency room wouldn’t get busy until the evening.

  Lilly paced nervously around a recess where a snack and coffee machine stood. She was shielded here from the looks of the nurses, who had already asked her twice to be patient.

  Lilly had no idea how to tell them that she was not pacing up and down out of impatience.

  How lovely it was on Sumatra, she thought suddenly, but quickly suppressed the thought. She was glad that she had acted on her impulse and come straight to Hamburg. She didn’t believe in the supernatural, but somehow she was sure that it was some instinct that had brought her here, planting the impatience to view the video in her heart.

  “Ms. Kaiser?”

  Lilly turned and jumped when she saw the nurse standing so close to her.

  “Yes, what is it?” she asked, a little bewildered.

  “Dr. Rotenburg would like to speak to you.”

  These words caused all trace of tiredness to vanish. She grabbed her bag, and her wallet fell to the floor. Lilly scooped it up with shaking hands but didn’t bother to put it back, hurrying off as she was, wallet in hand, after the nurse. The sight and smell of the patients she saw through the open doors of the emergency room cubicles made Lilly’s stomach churn.

  The nurse stopped outside a frosted glass door, announced Lilly, and indicated for her to enter.

  “Oh, that’s nice, you’re going to pay me immediately!” Dr. Rotenburg laughed as she entered the consulting room.

  Lilly didn’t understand his joke at first and stared at him in confusion until she realized her wallet was in her hand. She blushed.

  “Excuse me, I . . . It . . . ”

  “Don’t worry, I didn’t really think you were about to pay me. Fortunately your mother’s health insurance will cover it.”

  The doctor motioned for her to sit down, then reached for his notes.

  “But I’m sure you haven’t come here to listen to my weak attempts at humor. When you’ve been on duty for twenty hours, you tend to lose your ability to make a good joke, and gallows humor takes over. So, without further ado, I’ll tell you straight out that your mother has come through it all very well.”

  Once again, Lilly felt grateful for her sense of duty toward the shop and Sunny, who had pressed the video into her hand. It didn’t bear thinking about what would have happened otherwise.

  “We’ll be keeping your mother in the emergency room for monitoring for a few hours more. If everything’s all right then, she can go to her room.”

  “When can I see her?”

  “When she’s awake. It will be a little while yet. In any case, it looks as though she’ll be with you for plenty of time to come.”

  31

  “Hi, Ellen, it’s me, Lilly.”

  Back home, Lilly had decided to call her friend. The visit to her mother had shaken her, since she had never seen the strong woman who had brought her up looking so helpless. Even though it was clear that her mother was already feeling better, Lilly felt the need to speak to someone and share her cautious relief.

  “Lilly!” Ellen cried. “Are you OK?”

  “Yes, I’m fine, no need to worry.”

  “Well, do you have any news?”

  “Yes, I do,” Lilly replied. “My mother’s been taken to the hospital.”

  “What? For God’s sake, what’s the matter with her?”

  “Appendicitis. But she’s had the operation, and she’s come out of it well.”

  “You’re only telling me now? You could have called me.”

  “I could have, but I was all over the place. I’m in Hamburg at the moment, looking after the house. My father’s away; he’s on a sailing trip with his club. He’ll really be shocked when he hears what’s happened.”

  “How is she now?”

  “Getting better already.”

  “Do you need anything?” Ellen asked after a pause. “A little moral support, perhaps? I could come to Hamburg for a few days.”

  Lilly was surprised by this offer, but she was overjoyed inside. Things wouldn�
��t seem as difficult with Ellen there, and her mother was crazy about her friend. A visit from Ellen would be bound to do her good. It would also mean she could show her the video with the mysterious old man.

  The next morning, as Lilly was watching the video on her laptop at the kitchen table, the doorbell rang. She looked up in surprise and caught sight of Ellen through the window.

  Delighted, she ran to the door and opened it, then fell into Ellen’s arms.

  “You know how to cause a stir,” Ellen said reproachfully as she rubbed her back.

  “Not me, my mother! Believe me, when she’s back on her feet, I’ll be giving her a piece of my mind. But come in, I’ve got some coffee brewing.”

  As they sat at the kitchen table, Lilly had to give a detailed account of what had happened and how she had found her mother.

  “I’ve never been so scared, not even on the flight to Padang,” she added.

  “It’s just as well you flew home when you did.”

  “I don’t know why I did, either. Must have been some sixth sense,” Lilly replied thoughtfully. “At first I thought my impatience was because I just had to show her the video. But what if it was because I sensed she was ill?”

  “I’d bet it was a mixture of the two. My foster mother always used to say that blood’s thicker than water, and I think there’s some truth in it.”

  That afternoon they took the suburban railway to the hospital. “I feel like I’m sixteen again,” Ellen said. “Do you remember how we’d take the train into the city in the afternoons?”

  “Oh, I certainly do. And I also remember how we managed to get the wrong train more than once.”

  Ellen nodded. “Once, my foster mother was on the verge of calling the police because she thought we’d been kidnapped.”

  “Yes, she got my mother into a real state while we were there asleep on the train. We didn’t wake up until we’d reached the other side of the city, and it took us ages to get back.”

  Before Lilly could say anything else, an announcement sounded through the car to tell them they had arrived.

  “I’ve never been able to bear the smell of hospitals,” Ellen said as they walked the corridors toward Lilly’s mother’s room.