The American Lady(116)

When her family came into the kitchen, tired and hungry, an hour later, she had written down four pages of ideas. Wanda felt happier than she had for a long time—this despite the fact that Anna was looking daggers at her again. She knew exactly what she had to do in the next few days.





19

“This has to be the dumbest idea I have ever let anyone talk me into!” Eva muttered from the depths of the scarf she had wound round and round her head against the cold. “Walking to Sonneberg! In the middle of winter! Not even the gypsies do that; they’ve got the good sense to sit up on the wagons and let the horses pull them.”

Eva jerked her chin toward the little caravan of shabby-looking wagons that was just passing them. Then she kicked at a shaggy dog that was trotting alongside the carts.

“Can’t you see how dangerous it is to be out and about on foot these days? There are even wild beasts roaming the roads.”

Wanda frowned. “Oh, really, Eva. The poor dog wasn’t doing anything to you!”

“Only because I defended myself!”

“Do stop grumbling,” Wanda said, summoning unsuspected reserves of patience. “You know quite well why I wanted to go on foot. This landscape might not be anything special for you, but do try to remember that until now I’ve lived all my life in the city! This is the first time I get to see winter this way.” She swept her hand around to point at the steep mountainside with the fir and pine trees all covered in snow. Then she stopped for a moment as if to take a closer look at the landscape. Even though they were walking along the main road where the wagons had already flattened the snow for them, the walk was tougher than she had expected. The sweat was running down her arms and trickling between her breasts too. Wanda had wanted to look as grown-up and capable as she could, so she had gone to her suitcases out in the warehouse and gotten out a black jacket with fur trim on the collar and sleeves. If she had known that the sun would be so strong when they were out from the shadows of the trees, she would certainly have chosen something lighter. “Besides, I want to know how my mother felt back then, when she set off to Sonneberg with Marie’s baubles to find Mr. Woolworth.”

Eva hopped from one leg to another. “What nonsense! If I remember right it was the height of summer. If Ruth was feeling anything, it was sunburn! And unlike her we don’t have any baskets full of wares on our backs. We’re empty-handed—we look like beggars! Just so that we get one thing clear—I’ll show you where the wholesalers are, but I’m not coming in with you. I’d rather stand outside and freeze to death than grovel to one of those cutthroats.”

Wanda sighed and walked on. She was beginning to think it hadn’t been such a good idea to insist that Eva come with her.

“You know all the wholesalers in Sonneberg; you would be a great help to me,” she had wheedled, and when Eva hadn’t agreed immediately, she mentioned the idea to Wilhelm, adding, “If two of us go in, it makes a much better impression than I would all on my own, given how young I am!”

When Wilhelm ordered Eva to go, Wanda congratulated herself on a masterstroke; for one thing she had shown Wilhelm how much she valued his opinion, and for another she had gotten Eva on her side . . .

For a moment they walked along in silence, each deep in thought.

Thomas and Wilhelm Heimer had both approved of the idea that Wanda should call on the wholesalers to find out what kind of glassware was in demand—and Wanda had thought it best not to mention that the idea had originally been Marie’s.

Marie . . . Wanda found her thoughts wandering. She wondered whether her aunt liked the baby things that she and Johanna had packed and sent to Genoa the day after the letter had arrived. They had made a special trip into Sonneberg to buy the presents, even though Johanna was working hard to meet a big order. They had chosen the very finest the shops had to offer: a baby gown of Plauen lace, a silver teething ring, and a rattle of snow-white horn. Wanda had thought that Marie would write back as soon as the package arrived.

Wanda forced herself to think about her business plan instead and about why she was going into Sonneberg. Item one, item two, she counted them silently in time with her steps.

Thankfully, she could tick off another item on her list: she had talked to Michel.

She had to pluck up her nerve before going to visit her uncle in his stuffy little room—she always felt so sorry for his disability that she could hardly say a word. First she had beaten around the bush and asked him how he was feeling. She listened to a litany of aches and pains before she finally interrupted.

“Yes indeed, losing a leg is a dreadful thing to happen to anyone. And the pain you describe must be awful,” she said. “But all the same you’re going to have to pull yourself together. I need your help!” She didn’t feel anywhere near as confident as she sounded. How can this poor man help me, really? she thought as she kept her eyes fixed on Michel. It didn’t help that he was so startled by the whole situation that he suddenly felt the call of nature and shouted for Eva to bring the chamber pot—Wanda had to rush out of the room. How embarrassing! She was so taken aback that she went down to the kitchen, where Eva was waiting for her with a face like thunder.