The Glassblower(58)

29

The Heimer brothers were up in the forest with all the other young men from the village, felling a great tall pine tree with much yelling and laughter. The sounds carried down into the village on the warm spring wind, where the women were just as busy preparing for the festivities. Up in the woods, the men took turns swinging the ax at the tree, stopping after every few strokes to pass round the schnapps bottle. Thomas took a hearty swig before handing the bottle to the next man in line. He looked appraisingly around this patch of forest. Ruth was expecting him to come up with some idea or other. He wrinkled his nose. How had she put it? “When I lose my maidenhood, it will have to be somewhere warm, clean, and dry. And romantic!” Though she’d been looking at him with lovestruck eyes as she spoke, he hadn’t been quite sure whether she was pulling his leg. But Ruth had meant every word. His gaze settled on a bench. The ground all around it was covered with a thick growth of moss and relatively few lumpy roots running through it. It was a beautiful spot where villagers and visitors liked to sit and look out at the landscape. Surely that would be romantic enough for her ladyship?

He furtively reached a hand around to his back. Once the other lads were all on their way downhill with the May-tree, he would put his rucksack with the blanket inside underneath the bench. He’d even thought to bring a couple of candles and some matches—after all, he wanted to see what he was getting.

He was caught unawares when the bottle came around to him again. The schnapps burned his throat as he tipped it down.

If it had been up to him, they could have gone right ahead in the warehouse. But if Ruth wanted romantic, then romantic she would have. He knew that many of the village lads would have long ago taken by force what he felt was long overdue. But that wasn’t his style. Wasn’t there an old saying that a horse bears its rider better when you take the trouble to break it in gently? Nobody wanted an old nag that shied in the saddle on every ride because of a bad first experience.

Thomas made a face. She was a sly little minx, though. Not only had she managed to put him off one more time last week in the warehouse, but she’d even gotten him to promise to marry her. He didn’t know why he let Ruth run rings round him like that, but every man had to take the plunge at some point. And there were worse women to marry than Ruth Steinmann. She was something special for sure. She was like the first prize in the shooting match. He liked the image—both were hard to get, at least in his experience. Every year the village had a competition for all the men who fancied themselves to be marksmen, and every year he was always just a few points short for the grand prize. Well, never mind all that, for soon enough the prettiest girl in Lauscha would be his!

Somebody dug him in the ribs, interrupting his reverie, and Sebastian put the ax in his hands. He took one more swig of schnapps and then began to peel off the bark from the May-tree with short, shallow swipes of the blade. Ha! Short, shallow strikes! Things would be different tonight, of that he was certain!



Ruth buttoned up her new blouse with trembling fingers. She was ready at last.

It had taken her much longer than usual today to bathe, powder her skin, wash her hair, and choose her clothes, but she was delighted with the result. She turned this way and that in front of the mirror, admiring herself and enjoying the way the mother-of-pearl buttons caught the lamplight. Thank heavens Marie and Johanna hadn’t squabbled with her over whose turn it was to have the bathtub and the mirror. Both knew that today was her special day.

Neither one of them knew, however, about what else was planned for the night ahead. After the dance, which she and Thomas planned to leave at some suitable moment. Ruth passed her tongue over her lips. She could hardly wait to see what Thomas had prepared. Perhaps he had taken a room in one of the guest houses up in Neuhaus?

The fluttering in her belly intensified and her heart pounded. She forced herself to think about what would happen first, how that night he would finally tell the world he loved her. She could already see the looks on people’s faces—the astonishment, the envy, the surprise!—when Thomas asked for her hand in marriage at the festival. Old Heimer would certainly be in for a shock. As would Eva, who would hardly be too pleased at the news that she’d be getting a sister-in-law. She would no longer be queen bee in the family hive.

Ruth pulled the door open to let a little more light into the bathroom. She took one last appraising look at herself in the mirror and was pleased with what she saw. Johanna had chosen the blouse well: the light shade of apple green went wonderfully with the red tint that the henna had given her hair. She blew a flirtatious kiss at her image in the mirror and then walked back toward the house, her head held high.