She was going to spend a few hours with the rabbi this morning. She could see how the revelations were taking a toll on him, and the fact that she’d lived through it and he didn’t need to temper his words with her seemed to help. She knew first-hand the horror that was Germany. He was courteous and grateful for her help, and she felt a deep connection to him. He’d offered to say Kaddish for Father Dominic and Peter, and she accepted gratefully. Though neither man was a Jew, she knew they would both appreciate it.
She thought she would have a light breakfast – she found she ate so little now compared to before the war – and then cycle up to the farm. The rabbi would be at his desk no matter what time she arrived; he was so driven to find out what he could for the children in his care.
She was standing at the kitchen window looking over her little garden when she heard the letterbox rattle at the door. She pulled her dressing gown tighter around her. Her hair was flowing freely. Normally it was pinned back, and she’d allowed it to grow again since Frau Braun’s haircut. She was barefoot as she padded out her front door.
She bent to pick up the letter. It had a Zone Francaise stamp with a coat of arms she didn’t recognise. Heart pounding, she opened it and pulled out the single thin sheet, sinking onto the stairs to read its contents.
Dear Ariella,
Thank you so much for your letter. I can’t believe you thought to write to the Mayor of Ludwigsstadt – he’s actually a cousin of Mutti’s. Good old German nepotism still at work even if nothing else does! Her cousins run everything here, just as her papa did, and they were very happy to see us. They welcomed us back with open arms, and I can see her blossoming in front of my eyes. She laughs now, actually laughs!
Ariella smiled, thinking of him joking. She could hear his voice as she read, and she realised how much she missed him.
I was so glad to hear you’d been asking after us. We are both fine and have settled, at least temporarily, here in Ludwigsstadt. Mutti sends her regards.
Ariella, I regret nothing so much as not having the courage to say something that night you left. I don’t know why – well, I do. I was afraid you’d reject me, or worse, take pity on me feeling like you owed us something, and I couldn’t bear that. But I’ve been so sad since we parted. And then we got the message from the mayor… Well, it seemed like a good sign. So here goes, and please don’t feel like you have to respond to be nice to the poor old cripple – I’d rather you just told me the truth.
I love you. I don’t know when I fell in love with you, but it was a long time ago, and I have never stopped loving you. Watching you drive off in that truck, not knowing if I’d ever see you again, was like a physical pain, much worse than the leg, I can assure you. I know all the reasons you might think this is an audacious proposal – I’m too young, I’ve only one leg, I’ve no money – and you’d be right, but here I am nonetheless.
So if you want me – and I have no idea if you do or not – then I’m yours. Wherever, whenever. I promise, if you agree, I would love you forever, I would try to be a good role model for Liesl and Erich, I’d take care of you all, and I would never again allow you to eat a bowl of porridge.
Ariella pealed with laughter. Even at his most serious, he couldn’t stop his natural exuberance from bubbling up. In a world of such doom and misery, she needed his optimism and fun. More than that, she needed him.
You can reach me at the above address. We are in the French Zone of Occupation, and remarkably, things are going back to normal, or some version of normal anyway.
I’ll wait to hear from you.
All my love,
Willi
Epilogue
Frau Braun fastened the last of the buttons on the back of Ariella’s dress and stood back to admire her handiwork.
‘Your hem is crooked,’ the older woman said, pulling her sewing basket towards her once more. ‘Though it is nice,’ she muttered.
‘Well, you made the dress, so if I look nice, it’s down to you. Remember that dress you gave me, the one with the flowers? I knew then you had style, even if you had no occasion to wear it.’ Ariella smiled at her soon-to-be mother-in-law.
Frau Braun had smiled more in the six months since she and Willi arrived in Ballycreggan than in all of the years before. Apparently she was the one who’d admonished her son for letting Ariella go, and she was also the one who insisted he write to tell her how he felt.
She was living now with Ariella and going daily to the farm as a much-needed volunteer, and the children saw her as a grandmother. She was warm and kind to all of the children, and the volte-face was remarkable. She could be just as acerbic as she always was, however, when it came to adults, but they were getting used to her. Her heart was in the right place, but she didn’t suffer fools.
‘Well, Rabbi Frank isn’t one to put up with brides being late, so I’ll just fix this as best I can,’ Frau Braun said sardonically. She and the old rabbi were wary of each other, but there was the beginning of a thaw there.
Willi had introduced himself to the rabbi the day he arrived, three weeks after receiving Ariella’s telegram that read simply, ‘Come to Ballycreggan. I love you too.’ Willi had explained to the rabbi how he was in fact a Jew. Like Daniel, he knew nothing of that part of himself, but also like Daniel, it fascinated him.
The rabbi had been happy but not surprised either, and he even commended Frau Braun on raising a good Jewish boy, who, like her, had done the right thing when needed, even if he had no idea what he really was. Willi had begun his official instruction and was, with the rabbi and Daniel’s help, well on the way to being a full member of the Jewish community in Ballycreggan. In lots of ways, Willi said, it made sense.
He worked on the farm and spent all the time he could with Ariella. It wouldn’t be proper for them to live together until they married, something that made them both laugh considering how many nights they’d slept together in Berlin, but she was so looking forward to him moving in.
She introduced him to the children, and to her amazement, they remembered him as the paper boy and the teenager their papa used to tease about football. They warmed to him instantly, and Frau Braun delighted them with her remarks about the adults. She was always on the side of the young people, and they loved her for it.
The ladies were in Ariella’s new house, and Willi was getting ready at the Liebers’ with Daniel and Erich to make sure he arrived on time and looking suitable. They were getting married at the synagogue on the farm, just as Elizabeth and Daniel had done.
‘Right, you’re as good as we can get you.’ Frau Braun stood up, taking some pins from her mouth. Ariella smiled. Never one for extravagant compliments, her mother-in-law, but she felt such affection for her all the same; they’d been through so much together.
‘I know it was you who made him write. Thank you,’ Ariella said sincerely.
‘Well, it was either that or have him going about like a sick calf, day in and day out. I couldn’t endure that long face a second more. Come on now, we’ll be late.’
That was as much as she was going to get, so Ariella suppressed a giggle and walked through the door Frau Braun held open for her, down to the kitchen below.
Liesl looked beautiful in a pale-blue dress with navy trim; she and Elizabeth had worked on it for weeks. She and Elizabeth both stopped what they were doing and gazed at Ariella as she entered.
‘Oh, Mutti, you look so beautiful,’ Liesl said.
Elizabeth beamed at her. ‘You really do.’
Ariella’s red curls were tamed, and Frau Braun had twisted them into an elegant chignon, just allowing a few tendrils loose to frame her heart-shaped face. Her sea-green eyes shone with happiness, and the fitted ivory dress complemented her creamy skin perfectly.
Her connection with Willi was there for everyone to see. There was an age gap, but that didn’t matter. Willi adored Ariella and she felt the same. They’d endured so much together; it gave the entire community such joy to see them finally get married.
/> A beep outside told them Levi was there with the school bus. He was charged with getting the wedding party to the synagogue on time.
‘Papa would be so proud of you,’ Liesl whispered to her mother as they walked out to the bus.
‘He would be proud of all of us,’ her mother replied with a smile.
The End.
I sincerely hope you enjoyed this book. If you did, it would mean the world to me if you would consider leaving a review on Amazon. If you would like to hear more from me, and to download a free novel, just go to my website www.jeangrainger.com to sign up for my readers club. My club is totally free and always will be, and it’s a way to keep in touch with me and my books. I love hearing from readers so feel free to drop me a line if you like to [email protected].
Also by Jean Grainger
The Tour
Safe at the Edge of the World
The Story of Grenville King
The Homecoming of Bubbles O’Leary
Finding Billie Romano
So Much Owed
Shadow of a Century
Under Heaven’s Shining Stars
Letters of Freedom
What Will Be
The Future’s Not Ours To See
Catriona’s War
What Once Was True
Return to Robinswood
Trials and Tribulations
The Star and the Shamrock
To access all Jean Grainger’s books, please visit
author.to/JeanGraingerAuthor
The Emerald Horizon (The Star and the Shamrock Book 2) Page 23
